Story: Jesus at the Temple

Category: New Testament
Scriptures: Matthew 21:12-21:13 Mark 11:15-11:19 Luke 19:45-19:46

Commentary

We should pray and praise when we are in the House of the Lord. And since we are the New Testament version of the Temple, we should pray and praise every day of our lives no matter where we are. The Lord has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He is our helper through all of life’s trials. We pray and He answers with wisdom and peace. Jesus suffered as a sacrifice, so we no longer need to sacrifice animals. His blood washes us white as snow. Therefore, we praise Him! So let us come boldly to His throne of grace where we receive His mercy when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

We should always remember that people come before money. Helping the hurting people who are praying for help means much more than making money. Donations to churches are important to keep them running and they need to run in order to equip believers to live rightly. However, these efforts shouldn’t be put above helping people. When we seek to love our neighbors as brothers and sisters, it keeps us from committing sin.

Remember that Jesus is much bigger than any building on this earth. His agenda goes forward when His believers walk in His ways, praise, thank Him, and reach out to help their neighbors. When you accepted Jesus’s way and salvation, He deposited His Spirit within your heart. Hold that as a sacred trust between you and God. Separate yourself from the way unbelievers live. Live differently. Live for the Lord. Just like Jesus didn’t like the corruption of greedy money changers in His Temple, He also doesn’t like it when you let the pollution of this world get into you.

The last lesson from when Jesus cleanses the Temple is that God has righteous anger. He will only let things go down and dark for so long. When people continue to do what is evil in the Lord’s sight, His anger is provoked, and eventually, He will step in. God holds back from showing His anger because of His lovingkindness, mercy, and forgiveness. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and plentiful in mercy as He waits for people to stop their rebellion and come to Him for forgiveness and hope. He doesn’t want anyone to perish. But He won’t wait forever.

See Commentary

Matthew 21:12-21:13

12 Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.

13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!”

Mark 11:15-11:19

15 They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves.

16 He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.

17 He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a den of robbers!”

18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.

19 When evening came, he went out of the city.

Luke 19:45-19:46

45 He entered into the temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,

46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!”