Today’s passage: Matthew 21:12–13, Mark 11:15–17, and Luke 19:45–46
Focus verse: “It is written,” [Jesus] said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” (Matthew 21:13)
After Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the colt, he goes to the temple courts. This is the area that surrounds the actual temple.
People must go through the court to reach the temple. He looks at what’s happening. Though Matthew and Luke don’t include this detail, Mark says Jesus leaves because it’s late. He returns the next day.
Jesus isn’t pleased at what he sees happening in the temple. In fact, he’s downright angry. He flips over the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He creates quite a scene.
Quoting from the Bible, Jesus says, “My house will be called a place for prayer” (Isaiah 56:7), but you turned it into “a den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11).
Both groups of merchants are present to aid in worship. This is because some ceremonies require sacrificing a dove.
Instead of traveling—sometimes a great distance—with a dove, the people buy one when they reach the temple. And because they might hold a different currency, they need to exchange their money for the right form before making their purchase.
Though we can assume these groups of merchants make an exorbitant profit by preying on those who show up on their pilgrimage, this isn’t likely Jesus’s concern.
His issue is that they bring their business into the temple courts when they should have set up shop outside.
Instead of keeping the temple and court reserved for worship, we can imagine the temple leaders allowing this to happen. They may have even accepted a kickback to permit it. In doing so, God’s house of prayer becomes a haven for robbers.
Though I don’t advocate anyone doing this—in fact, don’t do this—let’s use our imaginations a bit. Consider your Sunday church service. Crowds of people move about.
Excitement builds for the service about to begin. Worshipful music plays in the background. Suddenly a man yells. He flips over displays that hold materials for the service. The crazed man chases away the people staffing the tables. He spouts Scripture.
It would make quite a scene.
This is what Jesus does. Though he gets the people’s attention, do his actions cause them to stop what they’re doing?
I think not.
This isn’t the first time Jesus does this, but the second.
The first time happened three years earlier (John 2:13–17). It’s when Jesus starts his ministry, right after performing his first public miracle at the wedding in Cana.
Besides doves in the temple courts, there are also cattle and sheep there. That means there are also droppings. It’s hard for me to imagine piles of animal waste in the temple courts, but where there are animals, there’s going to be manure.
This time Jesus makes a whip. He overturns tables, money scatters, frightened animals flee, and people try to escape his wrath. Zeal consumes him (Psalm 69:9).
Yet, three years later, they’re back. And he goes after them again. Jesus clears the temple courts once again.
Questions:
What do we do in our church services that might need reforming?
When have we let commerce interfere with worship?
Prayer: Jesus, may we have your zeal for the things that matter to you and the wisdom to temper our passion for everything else.
Discover more about celebrating Jesus and his passion to save us in Peter’s new book, The Passion of Jesus. It is part of the Holiday Celebration Bible Study Series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo Christianity and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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