Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 237, Matthew 21:12-13 — Jesus Cleanses the Temple Matthew 21:12-13 (NASB1995) “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” Review Yesterday, we concluded Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which commences what the modern church calls ‘Holy Week’ or ‘Passion Week.’ Jesus entered the city upon a donkey to the praise of the crowd and their reverential laying of coats before Him, which was an ancient Jewish custom to welcome a king (2 Ki. 9:13). However, the people’s response to Jesus’ grand entry reveals that they did not understand His true identity yet, or why He had come. Most believed Jesus came to overthrow Rome and establish His messianic kingdom. However, He did not come as a warlike conqueror upon a horse but as a humble servant upon a donkey. They also did not understand His divinity, as they referred to Him as a ‘prophet from Nazareth.’ Sadly, many professing Him as the Savior now will change their tone of praise to a tone of persecution in the coming days. Thus, the Son of David enters David’s city, but the only throne He will find is a cross, as the city that welcomed Him will reject their gentle king. Discussion Today, we read about Jesus’ cleansing of the temple. We will reference Mark and John’s accounts for further context. Mark 11:11 says, “Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve since it was already late.” Here in Mark, we first find Jesus visiting the temple, looking at everything, and then leaving the city for the evening following His triumphant entry. In this verse, notice how Jesus goes to the temple the night before and looks at everything. The ‘everything’ He sees is the merchant tables and other stations set up for the market. This revelation shows that Jesus did not act impulsively when He flipped these same tables the next day. Many teach this passage saying that Jesus was 'angered' when He walked into the temple area and started flipping tables out of nowhere. However, Mark's account shows us that this was not an impulsive act and does not mention that He was ‘angry’ anywhere. Mark 11:12-14 then mentions Jesus’ search for food and encounter with a fig tree before reentering Jerusalem and cleansing the temple. We will read about the barren fig tree when Matthew mentions it in 21:18-22. For now, we will pick up in Matthew 21:12-13 when Jesus enters the temple. But before we do, John 2:13 provides very important context about the time of year. It says, “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” During Passover season, countless pilgrims traveled from afar to Jerusalem for their annual sacrifices and tax-paying. This context sets the stage for today’s passage. Matthew writes, “12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.” So, what led Jesus to react this way? His anger likely stemmed not from the buying and selling alone per se or even the economic exploitation,[1] but from where it was happening and the effect thereof. There is significant historical context to unpack in this verse for proper understanding. Let’s discuss. First, the modern reader needs to understand just how large the temple was, as it covered an area larger than a modern American football stadium. Within this area were segregated locations based on gender and race. Remember, there are tens of thousands of outsiders visiting Jerusalem because it is almost Passover and these outsiders likely included Gentiles and mixed Jews. This is important because ancient Jewish purity laws reinstated by Herod “excluded Jewish women from the Court of Israel, placing them on a lower level, and non-Jews outside even the Court of Women.”[2] Essentially, Jewish men, Jewish women, and Gentiles were restricted from entering the ‘holier’ areas of the temple.[3] Scholars claim Gentiles could enter the Jewish parts of the temple only on pain of death, which forced them to remain in their courtyard area with the noisy crowds and merchants.[4] These merchants located in the lower ‘Court of Gentiles’ area sold their various items and exchanged currency with visitors, which made it more difficult for Gentiles to participate in sacrifices and worship.[5] Because the merchants did not allow foreign currencies for purchases or tax-paying, outsiders were forced to exchange currency at exploitative rates. The effect of this exploitation likely kept some from being able to sacrifice and worship God as they wanted.[6] This leads to Jesus’ next authoritative statement, revealing why He reacts the way He does. Jesus says, “13 It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” Notably, Matthew omits an important part of this statement that Mark includes, giving us further context. Mark 11:17 says, “MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’?” This prophetic declaration references the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Isaiah 56:7 says, “Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.” Jeremiah 7:11 says, “‘Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ declares the LORD.” Isaiah reveals that God welcomes all people to worship Him in His temple and accepts their offerings and sacrifices, regardless of ethnic background. The religious leaders in Jeremiah’s day did not heed his warning and faced God’s wrath and the destruction of the temple. In the same way, these merchants are facing God’s judgment as Jesus destroys their merchant stands. Notably, the temple in Jesus’ day was eventually destroyed by Rome in 70 A.D., perhaps making Jesus’ reference to Jeremiah a prophetic warning. In conclusion, the temple was meant to be a place of worship for all people from all nations, as stated in Isaiah 56:7. However, the Jewish merchants took advantage of outsiders by manipulating their prices. On account of the merchants’ manipulative business practices, many of the people traveling to Jerusalem to worship God for Passover could not do so. Thus, the exclusion of worship for non-Jews and the exploitation of the temple both led to Jesus’ judgment. Application As we have seen multiple times, one of the themes of Matthew’s gospel is the revelation that salvation is as much for the Gentiles as it is for the Jews. God has no favorites and offers His grace to all people just as Jesus declares in this passage. Jesus reacted this way because the Jews excluded non-Jews worship. This theme might not seem clear at first glance, but Mark’s account referencing Isaiah’s ‘of all the nations’ shows that this is the issue Jesus is speaking about and condemning. Most modern Christians likely do not think this way but how often do some professing Christ push people seeking truth away? Just like the Jewish merchants believed they were saved because of their ethnicity, many modern Christians believe they are saved for simply ‘believing.’ Yet their fruit reveals they are a stumbling block to Christ for various reasons just as the merchants were a stumbling block to the traveling pilgrims trying to worship God. Also, many teach this passage in a way that implies Jesus was angry, which makes His flipping of tables seem impulsive. However, the word 'angry' does not appear and Jesus clearly did not act impulsively. This further reveals the importance of rightly dividing God's Word, so we do not assume things about His character. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 21:14-17. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid.
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