The Temple Cleansing

Luke 19:45-48

A familiar narrative is depicted here in this section of Luke's gospel in a much more brief manner. What we are told is a simple story that Jesus enters the temple of Jerusalem and begins driving out those who were selling. Equivalent parallels of this story can be found in John 2:13-16, Matthew 21:12-17 and Mark 11:15-19. Many details are omitted in Luke's version but the point remains the same, the temple was corrupt with thieves and the real "god" being worshiped was money. Furthermore, the merchants were selling on the grounds of the temple where gentiles were allowed to pray, so the shops were actually preventing prayer to God which provokes Jesus to exclaim that God's was meant to be a "house of prayer" and not a "den of robbers." This is a reference to Isaiah 56:7.

Throughout the Gospel of Luke Jesus has been healing and removing evil spirits from people. In a sense, a lot of ministry has been cleansing. This act in Luke 19 of cleansing the temple is but the climax of that healing ministry as he has come to restore the people of God to God, by cleansing them of their sin. His cleansing of the temple teaches us that the temple is in need of cleansing and that he will be the one to do so. And he will do it, as we know, on the cross so that the physical temple will no longer be required. What is ironic is that the temple of Jerusalem was the place that the people of God went to for cleansing! This is an emphatic exclamation by Jesus to teach us that we are sinners in need of help. And one of the big problems is that we do not realize this uncleanliness within us.

Jesus' critics, the priests and the scribes, are clearly disturbed as they were benefiting monetarily from the merchants and sellers that Jesus drove away. Some have stated that the merchants were paying rent to set up shop in the temple to the priests and then they would pay a high tax to the priests for each animal they sold. The main consumer being gentiles, the merchants would sell at a high rate and then both seller and priest would benefit from those extra costs. This is no different than how we pay higher costs for food and beverages in sporting events, amusement parks and other isolated environments where costs can be fully controlled with no competition. This was a disgusting act being allowed to unfold in God's temple and Jesus drives them out. I love that language because it is reminiscent of how the Israelite's drove out the Canaanites from the Promised Land, or how Jesus drive out demons. Sin has no place in the house of God.