“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have made it “a den of robbers.”
Mark 11:17 (quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11)
According to Mark, on the day after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem via donkey, Jesus entered the courts of the Jewish temple. He found that it had been turned into a place of business, with money changers and those selling doves. Money changers were there because pilgrims were coming from all over for the Passover and needed the local currency. Doves were one of the primary animals used for sacrifice, especially for the poor, because they were the cheapest.
Neither of these activities were bad in themselves. However, it seemed apparent that their presence at this point in time was primarily for financial gain and, thus, an abomination to the Lord.
As Jesus drove them out, it further upset the people who had been most against Him during His three and a half years of public ministry: the religious leaders. In Jewish culture, this included the chief priests and teachers of the law known as the Sanhedrin. Not only was Jesus messing with the profitable side of their “ministry” at the temple, but He was also inspiring the people, claiming to be the long-awaited Messiah, and gaining followers.
Many of these religious leaders were called Pharisees, who believed they were the true authority on the Scriptures and traditions. Theirs was a legalistic belief system that excluded people who didn’t measure up. For example, after recruiting Matthew as a disciple, Jesus told these leaders, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). As you can imagine, they didn’t receive it well—or His ministry for that matter. They plotted to kill Jesus for most of His public ministry.
In my years of full-time ministry, I have had the privilege of getting to know a lot of great men and women of God who are also in service to Him, both here in America and around the world. They have faced challenges you and I can’t fathom in this blessed and prosperous nation: famine, disease, persecution, you name it. Their faith in God and their focus on eternity have been a huge testimony to me.
Here is what has disturbed me greatly. When I’ve asked them what their greatest obstacle or challenge is, they don’t mention the tough stuff I just mentioned. Usually, they tell me their greatest resistance comes from other “Christians.” Maybe it’s because of envy, or perhaps they belong to another denomination. It is sad but true that the same problem Jesus faced still goes on strong today.
When I recall this story of Jesus in the temple, it reminds me of two problems in the church today, and how you and I should avoid them. First, as I just shared, we should not be jealous of other Christians doing good work for the Lord. We are on the same team even if we don’t go to the same church or belong to the same network of churches. Second, we need to watch our motives when we’re doing the Lord’s work. It should never be done for personal financial gain, only for God’s glory.