Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Introduction

Outline

Jesus was on a Divine Mission

not coming as an earthly king as sought by man but as one sent from God. He was coming on behalf of his Father. Jerusalem was under occupation of the Roman Army. Jesus was not concerned with the temporal authority setup by man over Jerusalem. He was focused on providing spiritual salvation for everyone who was in need of a Savior.

He Demonstrated Divine Authority

He Revealed Commitment to Divine Scripture

He Manifested Divine Compassion and Power

He Accepted Divine Worship and Human Rejection

Context

Multitude of people in and around Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The Passover could only be properly celebrated in Jerusalem so the city population during the Passover swelled to four or five times its normal size. Since Jerusalem did not have the capacity to accommodate so many travelers at once so the religious leaders passed a temporary ordinance every year expanding the city boundaries to include several small villages in the vicinity such as Bethany and Bethphage. Like many other travelers, Jesus and his disciples spent the day inside the walls of Jerusalem and spent the night in a nearby community. On Monday a large group followed Jesus into the city and a large group came out of the city to meet him.

Scripture Reading

English Standard Version Chapter 21

12 eAnd Jesus entered the temple2 and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of fthe money-changers and the seats of those who sold gpigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, h‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but iyou make it a den of robbers.”

14 jAnd the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 kBut when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, x“Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; lhave you never read,

m“ ‘Out of the mouth of ninfants and nursing babies

you have prepared praise’?”

17 And oleaving them, he pwent out of the city to qBethany and lodged there.