Cleansing the Temple
Matthew 21:12-17
In our study of Matthew’s Gospel, we’ve come to the great events of that last, holy week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It began with our Lord’s ‘triumphal entry’ into the city of Jerusalem in Matthew 21:1-11 and will end in Matthew 27 with Jesus’ crucifixion. If you’ve ever wondered, how do you get from Palm Sunday when everyone was cheering Jesus to Good Friday when Jesus hung on the cross, the answer is what happened between Sunday and Friday during this final week of Jesus’ life. Of course, we have seen opposition to Jesus from the religious authorities mounting throughout the Gospel of Matthew. But in the plan of God, the hostility toward Jesus comes to a head during this week and will culminate in His execution on the cross.
Luke records that the Pharisees were upset by Jesus’ triumphal entry, and told Jesus to rebuke His disciples who were praising Him as the King (Luke 19:39). Matthew told us that the whole city was shaken by that event (Matt. 21:10). But if that day offended the religious leaders, just wait until you see what happens next. Nothing infuriated the Pharisees and the chief priests more than disrupting their religion. And that is exactly what Jesus does next. Jesus performs two prophetic acts of judgment: the cleansing of the temple and the cursing of the fig tree. The first deals with false worship, and the second with false profession. Israel’s worship was corrupted. They performed religious rituals to God in their worship, but without a true relationship with God. They professed a desire for God’s Messiah, but rejected Him when He came. And for that, they would be judged.
Matthew 21:12-17 tells us the story of the Son of God’s entry into the temple—into His Father’s house. The Old Testament prophesied that when the Messiah came, He would come to the temple and clean house. We read in Malachi 3:
1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the LORD of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.” (Malachi 3:1-3).
Jesus came to the temple in fulfillment of prophecy, and He came to clean house. The worship in the temple was corrupted. And in an act of judgment, Jesus cleansed it. Matthew’s brief account tells us what Jesus immediately drove out of the temple, what He welcomed into it, and what He received and enjoyed in the midst of it. And in doing so, he teaches us three important truths about worship and God’s house. God’s house is to be a place of prayer, healing, and praise.
1. Jesus Drove the Market Out (Matt. 21:12-13)
Matthew 21:12 tells us, “Then Jesus went into the temple of God.” Let me give you a picture of what He saw. First, He saw a huge crowd of people. It was Passover week. Jews from all over came to Jerusalem, and the temple was the focal point of everything that week. All of these people had come up to Jerusalem to offer up sacrifices, according to the law of God (Exodus 12). These sacrifices were performed at the temple. Now certainly, what Jesus wanted to find in the temple were sincere worshipers of God.
In addition to the crowds in the temple, Jesus saw the market. The temple complex consisted not only of the temple building itself, which housed the inner holy place and the holy of holies, but also the several courtyards and colonnades that surrounded the temple building. So when Jesus entered the temple, it was not the temple building itself, but the outer court of the temple called the court of the Gentiles. There, He saw the market.
MacArthur gives some background on the business in the Temple. The business enterprises in the Court of the Gentiles came to be known as the “Bazaar of Annas,” whose chief priests and other associates oversaw the Temple franchises. Merchants would buy rights to a concession for selling sacrificial animals, wine, oil, or salt, or for exchanging money into the proper currency and denominations used in Temple offerings. They provided a necessary service for those traveling from far away. When you arrived in Jerusalem, you could purchase what you needed rather than having to bring it all with you.
So, if these were necessary services, what is the problem here? Well, there are a couple of problems here. One is the location. They’re doing all this in the temple! That’s not what the temple is for. They could have done all this business outside the temple gates. And the other problem is they are taking advantage of the people. There is extortion and price gouging going on. In addition to the franchise fees the operators would often be required to pay a certain percentage of their profits to Annas. According to Levitical law, any animal approved by the priests could be offered in the Temple. But the chief priests often made certain that animals not bought in one of their franchises would be judged unacceptable. A person would often have to pay as much as ten times what an animal normally cost. As if that extortion were not enough, those who needed to have foreign currency exchanged or who had to have their money converted into the exact amount for an offering were charged a processing fee.[1]
You can imagine what this did to the temple. It turned it into a marketplace. There would be buyers and sellers dashing back and forth. There would be lines of impatient people, and crowds pressing at tables. There would be haggling for the best price, and very likely would have been the kind of language filling the air that characterizes the trading of goods and money even today. And of course, there would be profits being made. In short, the temple was being used in selfish pursuit of business, rather than to offer sincere worship to a holy God.
That’s what Jesus found when He came into His Father’s house. And He drove it out. Matthew 21:12 tells us that Jesus “… drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” Jesus put an end to the selfish abuse of God’s house.
And notice how Jesus justified His actions. He quoted Scripture. Jesus didn’t just act out of His own passions. He always did what He did in accordance with the written word of God. Matthew 21:13 says, “And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “” Jesus is quoting here from two prophets in the Old Testament: Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).
In context, the prophecy from Isaiah reads,
1 Thus says the LORD: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” 3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the LORD Speak, saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” 4 For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5 Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants–Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant– 7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Isa 56:1-7 NKJV)
That was the intention of the Father for His house. It was to be a house of prayer—a holy place. It was even to be a house of prayer “for all nations”—so that the Gentiles who sought the God of Israel could freely come within its courts and pray to Him. Yet what Jesus found was that the very court of the Gentiles, where the nations were supposed to come and pray, had been turned into a bazaar.
Even worse, Jesus says, “you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus spoke the words of Jeremiah 7, where God sent His prophet to stand at the gate of the old temple and speak to the people entering it (Jer. 7:1-2), saying,
3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’ 5 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. 8 Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, 10 and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. (Jer. 7:3-11).
The people in Jeremiah’s day felt as long as they had the temple, it was proof that they were God’s people and would be safe from their enemies. They thought they could live as they pleased and still come to the temple to worship and pray. Jeremiah spoke of thieves, murderers, liars, and idolaters (Jer. 7:9). These were wicked, sinful people who came into the temple, saying “we are delivered!”
People sometimes do the same today. They go to church on Sundays, and then do whatever they want the rest of the week. But that is not what church is all about. Just as the temple was God’s house in the Old Testament, the people of Christ’s church are God’s house in the New Testament. Here’s the bottom line. You cannot live in sin all week long, and then come to church on Sundays as though none of that matters.
When you put together these prophecies from Isaiah and Jeremiah as Jesus did, the thrust of His message was that the worship that was being offered in the temple of God was corrupt, sinful, and evil. God calls their worship an abomination.
The marketplace in the temple made me think of the multitudes of times I’ve turned the television to a religious channel, and saw an 800 number and a credit card symbol on the bottom of the screen. It made me think of all the churches that adjust their schedules and reshape their style to reach a particular “target audience” from a higher economic level. It made me think of all the things of the world that churches are bringing into the holy house of God in a desperate effort to appear “relevant” and “tolerable” to the world. It made me think of how many churches and pastors are becoming increasingly hesitant to preach God’s word out of a fear of turning people away, and are preaching instead a market-driven message that the people of this world will find more acceptable.[2]
God’s house is a house of prayer. That doesn’t mean the only thing we do is pray. Rather, it means everything we do is done in an attitude of prayer. We come with a heart dependent on the Lord and seeking His face. That’s the first thing we learn from our passage today. God’s house is a place of prayer, not profit – a place of holiness, not a place for sin, selfish gain, or abuse.[3] This is why Jesus drove the market out.
Next, we see that …
2. Jesus Welcomed the Needy In (Matt. 21:14)
Matthew 21:14 says, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” It’s interesting to notice that when Jesus came into His temple, He not only drove out what the Jewish leaders had allowed to come in. He also brought in what they sought to keep out.
Under the Old Testament law, members of the priestly family who had the sad misfortune to suffer a defect were not permitted to serve in the temple. “‘For“, as the law says, “any man who has a defect shall not approach“; and specifically, “a man blind or lame” (Leviticus 21:18). The law even prohibited making an offering of any animal that was “blind or broken or maimed” (Leviticus 22:22). The Jews had misapplied these scriptures, leading to the unmerciful belief that the blind and the lame would defile the temple, and that they should be forbidden from coming into the temple area.
Who should be allowed to come into God’s temple more than those who need His mercy most? And what characterized the merciful ministry of the promised Messiah more than the prophecies of the Old Testament, that “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped“, or that “the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing” (Isaiah35:5-6)? Jesus excluded no one from His holy presence, or held anyone off from approaching Him, who truly sought His mercy. Those who most know their need for Him always find themselves loved and welcomed by Him. And so, here, we see that He doesn’t simply walk outside the temple area in order to heal the blind and the lame. He clearly expresses His heart for needy people by permitting them to come into His Father’s very house; and by healing them in the very court of the temple.
What a lesson for us as a church! All are welcome in God’s house. The church is a place where people of all races, backgrounds, and social status can join together to worship and serve the one, true and living God. The church is not a social club. It is the family of God, and all who come truly seeking God are welcome. It is a place where healing happens. Whatever your background, whatever your past, whatever sins you are currently struggling with, you are welcomed by Jesus.
One of the wonderful things about church is you don’t have to fix up your life before you come. Church is not a place for holy people who have it all together. It is a place for sinners to be healed. We come to church as broken, hurting, sinful people. We put our trust in Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. He heals our sin-sick souls and transforms us into children of God who walk according to His word.
So we see the Jesus welcomed the needy. Finally, we see that …
3. Jesus Received the Praise of Children (Matt. 21:15-17)
By this point, you would have thought that the high priests and scribes would have readily recognized Jesus for who He is. He had ridden into the city on a humble foal of a donkey as the prophet Zechariah had promised. He had entered into the temple and boldly cleansed it as had been predicted by the prophet Malachi. He had ministered before their very eyes as the Book of Isaiah promised the Messiah would do; healing the blind and the lame.
And now, they’re given one more sign. Matthew writes,
15 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 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matt. 21:14-16).
These were small children, and they were probably shouting, inside the temple, the same sort of words that they heard the crowds shout about Jesus as He approached the city (Matt. 21:9). The chief priests and teachers of the law were not happy about all this. The temple was their area, and Jesus was invading their territory. And so, when they see Jesus healing the sick and all the children shouting Jesus’ praises—in their temple! Instead of joining in with the praises, they begin to protest instead.
They asked Jesus if He heard what these noisy little children were saying—no doubt expecting that Jesus should share their indignation, and command the children to be quiet. And I love Jesus’ answer to their question. “Yes.” It’s a simple, straight-forward, bold answer, as if He was saying “Yes! I of course I hear the children. And I have no intention of stopping them. I gladly receive their praise.”
Instead of hushing the children, Jesus silenced His critics by asking them, “Have you never read …” Again, Jesus appealed to the authority of God’s written word. Surely they had read Psalm 8! There, in front of them, they were seeing prophecy fulfilled—if they had only had the eyes to see it. Out of the mouths of these little ones, Jesus was receiving the praise in the temple that the high priests and the scribes were refusing to give.
Jesus quotes Psalm 8 in this manner: “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise” (Matt. 21:16b; Psalm 8:2). The word that is here translated “perfected” is a term that refers to the repairing and knitting of a thing together so that it is united and complete. The NASB translates it “prepared”. The NIV translates it “ordained”.
The point is that it was through the praises of the little children that praise to our Lord was “perfected” and made “complete”. It was ordained by God that way. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 19? “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14). Pure, unadulterated praise, like that of little children, is what God desires.
I believe that Jesus wants God’s house to be a place where the meekest, the smallest, and the seemingly most insignificant are welcomed, respected, and well-received in their praises to Him. He does not consider His praise to be complete unless it comes from little mouths.[4]
And notice that Jesus is the rightful recipient of our praise. He is the Son of God, the divine second person of the triune God. He receives worship rightly because He is worthy. We read in Philippians 2: “… that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi. 2:10-11).
The worship of Jesus is where the continental divide of all religions takes place. All religions either worship Jesus as the only true God or they don’t worship Jesus as the only true God. And those that refuse to worship Jesus are false religions. When the chief priests and scribes refused to worship Him and sought to hinder those who were, they demonstrated themselves to be false. They hated Jesus. They wanted to destroy Jesus. Perhaps this is why we read in Matthew 21:17, “Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.” He didn’t find what He had a right to expect in the temple in Jerusalem; and so He went out from them and left them. They had refused to worship Jesus. They had attempted to stop the worship of Jesus. As we will see next time in the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus leaving them was an act of judgment on their false worship because they did not believe in Him.
What we learn about Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem we can apply to ourselves as the people of God. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15, “… I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” What does the Son of God want to find in His Father’s house? This passage shows us three things: 1) that His church is a holy place for all who seek Him; 2) that those who most need His mercy are welcomed; and 3) that His praises from the smallest among us are encouraged and respected.
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[1] John MacArthur, Macarthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew 16-23, Moody Publishers, Chicago, p. 268.
[2] Greg Allen, What Jesus Wants to Find in the Church, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2008/030908.htm.
[3] Ray Fowler, God’s House, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/gods-house/.
[4] Allen, ibid.
