The House of Prayer for All Nations

Mark 11:15-17

"So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and drove out those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves. And he would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple."  Then he taught them saying "Is it not written 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves'

A Destructive Act?

One of the most extraordinary stories in the gospels is the action taken by Jesus Christ in the Temple. The One, characterised by love, full of peace in the storm, and not moved by critics and enemies, suddenly takes action. He acts in a destructive manner removing stalls and people from their stalls.  We are taught that he was the perfect man - the man without sin. We are encouraged to grow to be like Him and follow in His footsteps. So what do we make of this unexpected action in the Temple?

The first thing to note about this story is that it was not a spontaneous act ... it was pre-meditated. Jesus had been there the day before! 'And Jesus went into Jerusalem into the temple. So when the had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve" (Mark 11:11)

We can easily conclude that He looked around and planned to come back the very next day to do what he did! It was clear that what he saw at the Temple disturbed his spirit greatly. But what was it?

What was the Problem in the Temple?

As Jesus overthrew drove out those buying and selling in the temple, our first reaction is to think that what disturbed him was this type of trade. Yet buying and selling was necessary. Pilgrims who came to the Passover feast needed animals for the sacrifice. It would have been difficult to carry such a heavy load from home, and for hygiene and purification purposes it would have been impractical. Jesus also overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, but pilgrims also needed money changed into the local currency because the temple tax had to be paid in that currency. So such business was not in itself wrong or the reason why Jesus took such strong action. What was it troubled him so much?

Some would say that what upset him was the fact that the trading going on in the temple was dishonest. Jesus described the place as 'a den of thieves'. It is very probable that prices were steeply above the normal, just as today in tourist sites and airports or places where you have no alternative but to buy. There is also some evidence that dishonest business was transacted and that the priests benefited financially by these vendors. It was 'a den of thieves'. But this was not the prime reason Jesus took the action He did.

The main clue to the real reason why Jesus did these things is in the words Jesus himself used "Is it not written?"

It Is Written

Jesus words were direct quotations from the prophets. The first part 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' is a quotation from Isaiah 56:7.

 "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'. For thus says the Lord: 'to the eunuchs who keep MY Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast my covenant, 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 they will not be cut off. 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 hold fast My covenant- even them I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:3-7)

Here the Lord opens wide the door of His house to the peoples of the nations - the Gentiles. Worship of Yahweh was not just for the Jews. Jerusalem, Zion and His house was open for the peoples of all nations. 

The second part of the quotation "but you have made it a 'den of thieves'" is taken from Jeremiah 7:11 about corrupt worship. They had brought into the temple corrupt practices. - taking financial advantage of the people. This in itself displeased the Lord, but the principal reason for the Lord's anger was that they had robbed the temple of its sanctity.

The Court of the Gentiles

In using these Scriptures, Jesus was speaking from the heart of God. The 'house' to which Jesus referred was the Temple. The Temple itself was divided effectively into two areas - an inner area and an outer area. The outer area was called 'the Court of the Gentiles' because this was the only part of the temple in which the peoples of the nations - the Gentiles - could worship God and gather for prayer. God's house was to be "called a house of prayer for all nations".

At Passover, pilgrims were present from all over the world to come and worship the Lord in His temple at the Court of the Gentiles. But what did they find when they got there; instead of a place to pray and worship, a marketplace with its corrupt greedy practices.

This was the reason Jesus got angry. It was the responsibility of the priests to look after the house of the Lord, but they were not doing it. It was the responsibility of the priests to open the Court of the Gentiles for the nations to pray and worship the Lord at his temple, but they were preventing it.

"Is it not written 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? but you have made it a 'den of thieves'"  (Mark 11:17)     

An Act of Love

So this is why Jesus 'cleansed the temple'. It was not just getting rid of corrupt financial practices; it was opening up the Father's house to the peoples of all nations. It was God's heart that peoples of all nations come to the Father's House. So this unexpected action of Jesus that seemed so destructive was actually a great act of love. It was love for the peoples of the nations. And we can follow in His footsteps.

There is much to be learnt from that story. We need to have the same passion for God's Temple that it may be a place of worship and prayer. We should have the same desire that peoples of all nations come to the Father's House. And we should have the same zeal to remove all obstacles that hinder the peoples of all nations from coming to His Presence.

After the Cleansing

Matthew 21:14 says after his action of cleansing the temple: "Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and He healed them" Once Jesus had got rid of the market stalls, there was the place for the Lord. He was there for them and healed them. Let us pray and act so that the peoples of the nations can receive the touch and blessing of the Lord.