The King is in Town, Part 2
When Jesus arrived triumphantly in Jerusalem, what did He do? Did He teach the multitudes? No. Did He converse with the leaders? No. Did He bask in all the praise? No. He went straight into the
temple. Matthew 21:12-17 records Jesus’ visit to the temple that day. He did three things there that we should take note of. First, Jesus drove out the buyers and sellers—“[He] … drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple.” (v. 12) This activity was not to go on inside the temple of the Lord. If it were necessary, it should have been outside the temple. And why did the people wait to get there before making preparations? They should have brought the animal with them. Carrying it would have been part of their sacrifice. Convenience: we will pay a little more for an easier way. When David purchased the land for the temple in 2 Samuel 24, he said, “I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” (v. 24) Our gift must be a sacrifice. Second, Jesus reminded them of the temple’s purpose—“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.” The place where they set up shop was in the court of the Gentiles, the only place on the temple complex where non-Jews could go to pray. It was selfish disregard for others. Third, Jesus healed the blind and lame—“He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant.” (vv. 14-15) Does Jesus still cleanse temples today? All priests have been charged with protecting the temple of the Holy Spirit. What does Jesus find in His temple (your life) today? 1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.