MY HOUSE IS A HOUSE OF PRAYER
Matthew 21:12
SUNDAY MORNING
On Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey with worshippers
From every nation under the sun claiming Him as the KIng who came in the name of the Lord. The Jewish religious leaders ask the question, who is this.? The crowd responded, Jesus of Nazareth.
THERE IS A TIME TO SPEAK AND A TIME TO BE SILENT
According to Mark 11:12, Jesus went into the temple on Sunday and looked around.
Because it was evening time, He returned to Bethany. Let me suggest Jesus did not clean the Temple on Sunday because the Jewish leaders were already in an uproar and maybe He didn’t want to destroy the celebratory mood of the crowd.
At the beginning of His ministry, just after the Wedding at Cana, He entered the Temple and cast out money changers and the sellers of animals;
John 2:13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables;
16 and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.
Jesus knew the spiritual conditions of the Jewish nation who came of the Temple to offer sacrifices because He was in the Temple for the Passover festivals throughout His life and ministry on earth. He established His authority of the Holy Activities at the beginning and the end of His ministry. Notice Sunday was the day of His resurrection and Monday would be the first Work day under grace. Jesus set the standard of what we must do in our own lives. Keep our temple clean
MONDAY MORNING
THE POWER OF THE WORD DEMONSTRATED
On Monday morning, Upon leaving Bethany Jesus was hungry, He saw a fig tree with leaves that had no fruit. He cursed the tree and said may you never bear fruit again. The tree withered and died immediately. The disciples ask why. Jesus responded with faith you can do the same thing and more if you do not doubt. This is also a warning and an encouragement to believers. No faith, no grace. Much faith much grace
Matthew 21:12-13
And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; 13 and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers. (Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11)
I believe Jesus grieved over the hardened hearts of the nation of Israel, their rejection of the gospel of peace and their commercialization of worship.
Luke 19:41-42 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hidden from thine eyes.
There is a time in our lives when we face the consequences of our action,
Israel would face destruction 70 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus because of their unbelief. Instead of being a light, they had become an agent of darkness
LET US NOT GRIEVE JESUS
Some of the reasons suggested for Jesus grief of the nation of Israel
Are listed below.
Jesus called the Temple a “robbers’ den” because religious leaders and merchants turned the sacred house of prayer into a marketplace, exploiting worshippers with extortionate prices for sacrificial animals and dishonest money changing. This commercialization, enabled by authorities, cheated people seeking God and prioritized profit over true worship.
Key reasons for this description:
Exploitation of Worshippers: Merchants sold animals necessary for sacrifice at highly inflated prices.
Dishonest Money Exchange: Money changers took advantage of travelers needing to exchange foreign currency for temple-approved currency, charging exorbitant rates.
Preventing Worship: By filling the outer courts (often the Court of the Gentiles) with livestock and commerce, they obstructed space meant for prayer, especially for non-Jews.
Institutional Corruption: The high priests and religious authorities were involved in or profited from these corrupt practices.
Perversion of Purpose The temple meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, but was converted to a place of business
JESUS DEVINE AUTHORITY
By overturning tables and driving out the money changers , Jesus was condemning the systematic corruption and restoring the Temple’s true purpose of devotion
By merging Isaiah 56:7 (house of prayer) and Jeremiah 7:11 (den of robbers), Jesus highlighted that the leaders had turned a place meant for spiritual connection into a refuge for greedy, corrupt individuals.
From the beginning of the Nation of Israel, under Moses 1500 years
Earlier, God established the Levite priests as the Worship leaders.
Num 3:12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine: Num 3:32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be prince of the princes of the Levites, (and have) the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
Under King David there were 38000 levite men. David organized them into
24 orders to serve when Temple was built by his son. They were selected by lot to serve only 2 weeks per year. This was a divine selection
Caiaphas the High priest at the time of Jesus was selected by the Roman government for Political control of the priest hood. He was not a descendant of Aaron, but a descendant of Maaziah, the 24th order.
According to Ancient Origins
In 70 AD, the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans as a result of the Great Jewish Revolt. The destruction of the temple meant that the religious function of the Levites was greatly diminished. As a matter of fact, it was the rabbis who gradually took control of religious matters, and Rabbinic Judaism eventually became the mainstream form of Judaism
RACEISM IN WORSHIP PRACTICED
In the Temple in Jerusalem there was a section called the Court of The Gentiles where non Jews could come for worship. This was the place where the money changers and sellers of sacrificial animals set up shop, It was a commercial money making supermarket that reduced the worship experience of non Jews.
People from different areas had currency that had to be exchanged for the
Acceptable temple tax. People traveling long distances would bring money to purchase unblemished animals for sacrifice. The money changers and
Animal sellers were necessary, but they set up shop in the wrong place. They were motivated by greed rather than reverence to the Lord.
Jesus called them robbers and thieves because they were motivated by
The flesh rather than worship.
WHAT WE LEARN
WE HAVE ONE HIGH PRIEST, JESUS UNDER GRACE
There were 38000 Levites priests at the time the Temple was being planned They all had a job. Each assignment was important. We each have been assigned good works by Jesus
Church is a place of worship, not a place of profit.
There is a difference between religion and church
We have to be careful that worship of God does not become religion. Worship is what we do out of gratitude. Religion is what we do out of habit.
We have to be careful that we don’t confuse emotional excitement with the joy of the Lord. The Jews were excited when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, but quickly changed to resentment when He did not serve their purpose.
We have to look at our own temples to see that we have not defiled it’ with our own purpose. It is not our purpose that saves and changes lives. But Jesus Is the way, the truth and the life.
We need to be careful that we are not leading people away from the Lord with our attitude and actions.
You should never lose sight of God’s purpose for you because others do
We should never fail to inform others of the right way of worship. Many Jews came to Jerusalem out of tradition and habit with no true worship.
Never forget that there will always be some who are for you and some who are against you. God is for you and more than all the world against you
Your job of teaching never ends. Even on the cross, Jesus was still teaching and drawing others to Him.
People are always following you as you are led by Christ
Know what is supposed to be in your Temple?
Get rid of stuff that should not be in your temple
God house is a House of prayer
Pray for others
Pray for our country
Pray for ourselves
Fellowship with like believers
Conviction of our sins
Draw others to Christ
Get inspired by the Word
Inspire others by living the Word as others read you
