Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. “It is written,” he said to them, “’My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
(verses 45-46)
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The story of Jesus clearing the temple is an iconic moment, full of passion and physical force. Each of the Gospels gives an account – John records an event early in Jesus’ ministry, while the other Gospel-writers recount an event in the week just prior to the cross.
Of these, Luke’s is the shortest by far, covering only two brief verses (see above). He doesn’t give us details of the whip Jesus fashioned, nor the wares that were being sold (cattle, sheep, doves), nor the fact that moneychangers were actively offering their services. Neither does he specify the chaos that ensued as Jesus flipped over tables loaded with coins, sent doves flying, and sheep, cattle, vendors, and buyers scrambling. He also leaves out any comment about the immediate reaction of the religious leaders, though he follows his account with a summary statement of their antagonistic opposition during the rest of that week.
The net effect is that Luke’s focus falls squarely on Jesus’ motivation, which is captured in the Old Testament quotation (a combination of Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11). He is passionate that the temple of the Lord be what it was meant to be, namely “a house of prayer.” Its very function was to draw people’s hearts close to God. It was to be a venue in which that connection could be deepened. Indeed, one would have expected that the religious leaders of the nation would absolutely safe-guard this opportunity, clearing away all distractions, allowing the people of God to have clear-sighted focus on the Lord himself.
But no. The venue had become a market, sanctioned by the leaders. Although the market sold sacrificial offerings (cattle, sheep, doves) – all of it helpful in facilitating worship – yet, the busy crush of activity within the temple grounds itself would have been entirely distracting from the main purpose: prayer; connection with the Lord. And when Jesus concludes by saying the temple had, instead, become “a den of robbers,” it’s clear that this market was less than honest, was gouging its customers, and was profiteering on the back of people’s desire to worship.
Jesus is incensed. He clears the decks. He drives out those who were selling.
Prayer is what is at stake. Connection with God himself. Interestingly, Mark includes a final phrase in his quotation from the Old Testament, calling the temple a house of prayer “for all nations.”It’s an important insight, highlighting the fact that the Lord is interested in connecting with Gentiles as well as Jews – indeed, all nations. But Luke leaves that phrase out. He simply focuses us on prayer.
I wonder if it sets the stage for the intense hostility of the coming week, leading up to the cross. Religious leaders who should have been the champions of connection with God – the very purpose of prayer – have become so distracted that they will instead send the Son of God to his execution. They will reject the very one who came “to seek and to save what was lost”(Luke 19:10), the one whose purpose is to bring people into true connection with the Sovereign Lord. He is “Immanuel – God with us,” but they will miss it. No wonder. They’ve turned the house of prayer into a den of robbers.
It's a cautionary tale. The thriving activity of the temple seemed so good, but misguided distraction had settled at its core. The main thing is always relationship with the Lord himself. This is the very heart of prayer. Jesus has come to open the door, to draw us in, to remove every impediment that we might know him, love him, and serve him. His purpose is to provide true connection.
Don’t let any distraction get in the way.
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Lord Jesus, I welcome you afresh. Thank you that you have come to seek and to save the lost – me included. Clear every distraction out of the way. Refocus my eyes on you. I choose to draw near, knowing that you draw near to me.
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Reflect:
Is there anything that is distracting you from deepening connection with the Lord? Confess it to Jesus. Ask him to clear it out of the way.
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“Cleansing of the Temple”
By James Tissot - Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2007, 00.159.198_PS2.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10904534
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