On Monday morning at dawn, when the temple gates opened to the public, the day after the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (41; Matthew 21:10; Mark 11:11-12, 15), Jesus entered the temple courts (45). This was a large open area, 35 acres (0.14 sq. km), where the Gentiles who converted to Judaism were allowed to pray and worship the Lord God. He had noticed something the evening before that he wanted to take care of first thing in the morning.
Jesus began driving out those who were selling (45). Matthew and Mark record more details, writing, “He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. (Mark 11:15; Matthew 21:12).
Jesus rebuked those doing these things by quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11: “‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'” Prayer is a personal, intimate communion with God. How can that be done with animal noises and smells and price haggling? Jesus had taught, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you”. (Matthew 6:6) The priests, who controlled the temple and its courts, let greed and convenience get in the way of someone else’s prayer.
According to Apostle John, Jesus had done this before, at the very beginning of his public ministry, when he had only a few disciples (John 2:12-25). At that time, his disciples remembered Psalm 69:9: “Zeal for your house will consume me”. How important is my personal time with God, both prayer and meditation? And what happens when I worship in song? Do I have zeal? Sadly, my head and heart, which are the temple of God in this age, are often filled with noise and smelly things. I find it hard to concentrate.
