MONDAY THOUGHTS – 4/6/20
Mark has Jesus cleansing the Temple on the Monday after Palm Sunday or today. There was only one Temple but many Synagogues (small places of worship where there were more than 10 Jews). There were 3 Feasts that all Jews if they could were supposed to attend in Jerusalem: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Passover was far and away the largest and corresponds time wise with Easter—in the Spring.
The Temple was a massive place of about 35 acres on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Some claim it was equal with the 7 “wonders of the world”, with its gold dome and its elegance. It is the 2nd Temple actually; the Babylonians destroyed the first (Solomon’s Temple) in 586 BC. The 2nd Temple was started in the Old Testament but most was built by Herod the Great around 15-4 BC. It was not ever completed but was something to behold.
About 25,000 people lived in Jerusalem normally but as many as 2 or 3 million came for the week long Passover celebration sometimes in early Spring. It was at this time that Jesus led the delegation of His followers from Galilee in the Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday.
Then early Monday morning, according to Mark, Jesus went into the Temple Court of the Gentiles and cleansed it. That is, “Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. 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 11:15-16).
The problem for Him was that the Outer Court or room (Court of the Gentiles) was the only place the Gentiles could pray and worship. And there were many Gentiles who worshiped God, mainly called “God Fearers” (see Acts 17:17). They came from all over the world to worship God (an example in the Ethiopian Treasurer in Acts 8).
All the room of the Gentile worship place was taken by the Temple Chief Priests as a way to make money, besides the tithe and offerings. The Chief Priests were not “real” Priests but were appointed by Rome. The Temple enterprise was a multimillion dollar operation. Lambs and doves were sold for the sacrifice for 10 times the going rate, and almost anything that would sell was sold. Only the silver Jewish half-shekel was allow in the Temple so most people had to exchange their Roman money for it, and, of course, “money changers” were everywhere exchanging the money at a massive exchange rate. Many think there were bankers there at tables “loaning” money to Temple goers as well.
The place of worship had become a circus and that in the Court of the Gentiles, the only place Gentiles had to worship.
John 2:13-15, “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.”
So Jesus finally spoke and said, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.” God’s House is a place of prayer and worship for all people on earth. Selling stuff at outrageous prices, sometimes over 800% was bad enough (and crooked as a den of thieves) but taking up the whole areas of worship for a money making operation and not allowing prayer of worship was more than Jesus could take—then or now.
Church is a scared place because sacred people gather together. Anywhere the Church decides to worship must become a sacred place of prayer and worship. The Church is always the people and not the building. So anyhow, way or place that hinders prayer and worship for God’s gathered people is sin—selling or no selling.
Jim
