The cleansing of the temple

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers.’  Matthew 21: 12 – 13

After Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph the week before his crucifixion, he spent every day teaching in the temple courts. The first thing he did though was cleanse the temple of unrighteousness.  The religious leaders had permitted the court of the Gentiles to be used as a market place so that those coming to the temple to pray and offer sacrifices did not have to bring their own animals. They could come and buy the doves and presumably sheep and goats. They were also able to change their money to the local currency to buy these animals and to pay their temple tax. These transactions would  be done dishonestly at a favourable exchange rate to the sellers. 

This court has been specially set aside so Gentiles too could come to the temple to worship and pray. Isaiah promised that the temple would be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). At the dedication of the temple Solomon referred to those from other nations coming to pray and asked God to hear and answer their prayers (I Kings 8: 41 – 43).   Now it had been turned into a market place and an unrighteous one at that. Imagine coming to worship and pray at church and it was full of animals with people noisily buying and selling and changing money. It would be impossible.

Jesus drove out all the sellers of animals and money changers and turned the temple temporarily into the place it was meant to be; a house of prayer and a place of praise and worship even by the children (Matthew 21: 15). He then spent the week teaching in the temple courts and healed the blind and lame (Matthew 21:14).

Jesus was fearless and resolute. He came into Jerusalem on a wave of public acclamation and immediately cleansed the temple bringing the wrath and death threats of the religious leaders on himself.  All week he taught the crowds and refuted the accusations and hypocrisy of the religious leaders. He knew the crowd would turn on him and his disciples would desert him but he never wavered or tried to court popularity. He knew what had to be done and out of love that we can never understand, did it.

Thank you again O God for your love, the love that took Jesus to the cross. Help us to imitate Jesus’ example and be fearless in our love and witness for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen