King Solomon’s magnificent temple in Jerusalem, built using plans and materials provided by his father, King David, was destroyed by the invading Babylonians many centuries before the birth of Jesus. Its reconstruction was begun by the returning exiles from Babylon, and a grand upgrade was later started by King Herod, around the time of Christ. Jesus was rightfully disturbed by the corruption he saw there, including taking financial advantage of the poor who came long distances to worship and to make a sacrificial offering.
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and 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. 13 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.’”
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. Matthew 21:12-14 (NKJV)
Quoting from the words of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus emphasized that this temple was to be established as a house of prayer, first for the Jewish nation itself, then for all Gentiles around the world who would come to faith in the one true God. It was to be God’s foothold on earth, used to attract the hearts of all people to Himself in prayer and worship.
6 “…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.” Isaiah 56:6-7 (NKJV)
Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus came to the holy mountain and temple of Jerusalem from the land of Galilee, to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for sin. His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead were sufficient to cover all sin, and there was no further need for sin sacrifice in the temple. Fifty days later, at the feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was then given to believers to reside in their hearts, now forming a new, global temple of God. Henceforth, God would reside among the hearts of His believers rather than in a Temple building. In the words of the apostle Peter, believers have become “living stones”.
The Romans would destroy the holy temple four decades later, in 70 A.D., and it has not been rebuilt in the almost 2,000 years since.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem in the final week before He died, one of the first things He did was to go to the temple to drive out those trying to profit off of people who were coming there to seek the Lord.
God’s heart is with us all, but He has a soft spot for those of meager resources who choose to follow Him. Note how Jesus took a seat at the temple treasury one time to watch and marvel as a poor widow came and put her last two coins into the collection box. Perhaps He was waiting for her. It is likely that she later encountered some kind of special blessing at her home to more than compensate for her faithfulness, as that is one of God’s principles.
When someone tries to take advantage of these faithful ones through “money-changing” – basically price gouging the poor as they seek to purchase something for their temple sacrifice – the Lord will understandably become upset. Jesus shared His quote from the prophet Isaiah after driving these greedy opportunists out of the temple, reestablishing His house of prayer.
Isaiah added a reference to the free gift of grace that God extends to us all.
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat. Isaiah 55:1 (NKJV)
With the moneychangers removed, the blind and the lame then came to encounter Jesus at the temple. He healed them all. This was the true purpose of God’s house of prayer – to seek the grace, healing, and comfort of the Lord. He abundantly gives these things to us, as well, although the healing tends to come in more discrete way, and sometimes, does not come at all in this life. But miraculous healings in the name of Jesus still do happen.
One day, all believers will meet with Jesus on His holy mountain in Jerusalem. He was and continues to be our altar and sacrifice, the remedy for all of our sin and unholiness. Through Him, we experience the cleansing waters which are given without charge, a free gift of righteousness, given at Christ’s expense. Whenever we choose to believe and receive His offering in faith, the Holy Spirit seals us and entitles us to be joyfully present with Him forever in His house of prayer.
I will look for you there!
Reflection
How can I help those of slender resources to get around obstructions on their faith journey?
Where does the Lord want me to step in to help them?
Lord, show us the people that You want us to assist as they travel on their faith journey. Show us what to do and how to do it, so that we may successfully obey and follow You. May You get all the glory as we seek to do Your will. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Have a beautiful, blessed day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 