Mark 11:15-19
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began
to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple,
and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats
of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry
anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying
to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of
prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a
way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was
astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went
out of the city.
“Loving, merciful, gracious, and humble.”
These qualities are the go-to descriptions of Jesus Christ by most people—both believers and unbelievers. While they are all true, we forget that Jesus, the son of God, possesses the ability to show divine anger or righteous indignation. If you were one of the first disciples, you may have been used to seeing him show mercy to the sick and oppressed, or seeing his firmness in rebuking and correcting your fellow disciples. But the day when He overturned the tables may have come as a surprise.
If we were there, we would have asked Jesus in our confusion: What’s wrong with this, Jesus?
The disciples during that time may have not known what was happening. Probably, they were so desensitized to the corruption of their hearts that they couldn’t see things through the lens of God’s Word.
The money-changers were there not to provide service but to put an unreasonable interest that would benefit the pockets of the religious leaders. The pigeons were designated by the Law as an offering that the poor can afford but the religious leaders made a business out of them.
Instead of a place where people, both Jews and Gentiles, could lift up God in worship, it has become a place of Man’s wickedness. This is a theme that has been present even in the Old Testament times, and has remained not just in the New Testament, but even today. The Apostle Paul wrote:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer need a tent or a temple to worship God. Rather, if we are in Christ, we become His temple, a living dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
We may not be money-changers who have taken advantage of others to gain money. Nor are we pigeon-sellers that take advantage of the poor. But like the physical temple, we are in need of much spiritual cleansing. We have exchanged the glory of the Creator for the creation and we have given ourselves to our own sinful passions (Romans 1:25-26). We share in the verdict of Jesus to the people in the temple that time:
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.
We are in need of deep and serious spiritual cleansing that can only be done through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Unlike the religious leaders who hardened their hearts, those who humble themselves are given the grace to receive His cleansing work in their lives.
In what ways have you defiled the Temple of the Holy Spirit? What specific area of this temple do you need serious spiritual cleansing?
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Humble yourselves before God. Remember that His finished work on the cross provides the confidence we need to draw near to God. As you admit the ways that you have defiled the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, receive the mercy and grace that He granted through His Son, Jesus Christ.