Matthew 21:12-17, Jesus Cleanses the Temple

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

Comments

This event continued Jesus’ planned symbolic actions to disrupt business as usual. It was a demonstration, a prophetic critique, a fulfilment event, and a sign of the future all combined by Jesus into one. Jewish Messianic expectations were that the Messiah would renew and purify the temple. Jesus’ demonstration not only spoke to the current corruption of worship by the people of God but also to his Messianic authority.

The temple was supposed to be a place of unhindered worship, not a place of unhindered commerce. Jesus’ actions took aim at the whole system of sacrificial worship itself. Only Jesus could make this claim against scriptural mandate, declaring the worship of God was no longer acceptable in this acted out parable.

According to 2 Samuel, the lame and blind were excluded from the temple by King David’s decree, but the Son of David welcomed them. This is the only record of Jesus healing in the temple, removing the barriers for the outpouring of God’s universal blessing.

Prayer

Lord our God, help us to give our minds to you in our worship, so that we may listen to what you have to say to us, and know your will. Help us to give our hearts to you in our worship, so that we may really want to do what you require from us. Help us to give our strength to you in our worship, so that through us your will may be done. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Caryl Micklem