PALACE OF PRAYER FOR ALL PEOPLES

Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

Luke 19:45-48 (Matthew 21:12-15 & Mark 11:15-17)

John records that earlier in His ministry, Jesus had cleared the temple (John 2:14-16), but now in His final week before the crucifixion, He does it again. The two occasions are like bookends to His ministry. Both times, Jesus emphasized the true purpose of the Temple, to worship God and seek Him in prayer. Jesus quoted from the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 56:7 I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

Isaiah pointed to the day that all nations (both Jews and Gentiles) would worship God together or as Jesus would say, “Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Jesus found merchants in the temple instead of true worshipers. It was as if Jesus could see dollar signs in their eyes because He sees into people’s hearts.  Not only were they profiting from the sale of animals to be sacrificed, but the exchange rate offered to replace Roman coins with temple coins was exorbitantly high, giving them a tidy profit. They were building their own affluence by robbing the people who desired to worship sacrificially. This egregious behavior troubled and angered Jesus to His very core.  Again, Jesus referenced an Old Testament prophet when He accused them of turning the Temple into a den of thieves:

Jeremiah 7:11 Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.

Jesus methodically, fearlessly went to the Temple to teach every day, being about His Father’s business. This seems to be a bold move since He (being omniscient) knew the hearts of the priests and scribes. However, as the Apostle John stated over and over in His gospel, “His time had not yet come.” Jesus knew they could not seize Him until the time the Father had foreordained. The hearts, motives, and evil agenda of the religious leadership did not move or threaten Jesus. The only thing that fueled His actions was His Father’s purposes. Jesus’s tenacious pursuit was the will of God the Father. Although the Jewish religious elite wanted to get rid of Jesus, to kill Him, they were inhibited by the crowds of people who were in awe of Him. As Luke says, the people were hanging on His every word. Therefore, those who wanted Jesus dead backed off for the moment, all the while plotting to find a way to end Him.

Ponder this and Apply it: We may not turn the worship center into a “house of robbers,” but do we consistently enter into the sanctuary with an attitude of worship, praise, and prayer? Are we there each Sunday to be involved in a nice social club, or are we there to worship and seek a Holy God? Do we examine our hearts, desiring to know God more intimately; or are we just checking off a list of things we “should” do. Are we there for intimacy (into Me see), a transparent exchange with the all-seeing Father, or are we there only to receive blessings? Is God a vending machine that dispenses fulfilment of promises, or is He the Master to be obeyed? This week before entering your place of worship, perform a heart check. Check your spiritual pulse and prepare yourself to worship, praise, and pray to the Holy, Sovereign Lord of all creation.