◄ What Does Matthew 21:15 Mean? ►

For a second time in His ministry, the Lord Jesus drove out the corrupt, profiteering money-changers from the Temple court, likening them to a den of thieves and condemning their ungodly practices. They were charging exorbitant prices for the sacrificial animals that people needed to use as an offering to the Lord. 

Both at the start and the close of His earthly ministry this act of Temple-cleansing was necessary, for priests and people alike were holding too lightly the sacred things of God, causing crooked commercialism and ungodly trafficking to replace holy conduct and godly worship.

"MY house shall be called a house of prayer," was the one claim that so infuriated these hypocritical, religious leaders, for this was a direct claim by Christ Himself to His eternal Deity. He was quoting the prophet Isaiah in a passage that publicly condemned the unfaithful leaders of Israel, and strongly denounced their unethical and ungodly practices.

Jesus had been sent by God to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and to cast out devils. He had come to bring good tidings to the meek, hope to the poor, salvation to the afflicted, liberty for those that were bound by chains of sin, and freedom to those that were enslaved by Satan. Jesus had come to bind up the brokenhearted, comfort those that were afflicted, proclaim physical and spiritual liberty to the captives, and to free those who were imprisoned by Satan. Jesus had come to open the eyes of all who are blinded by the evil god of this world.

Wherever He went, the Lord Jesus was honoured by the people who started to anticipate that He was the One Whom God had promised to send to be their Messiah and King. They hoped that he would be the One Who would save them from Roman oppression, bring in the promised kingdom about which the prophets of old had taught, and Who would sit on the throne of His father, David.

The question started to be asked: "Is this the Messiah of Israel?" Children started to excitedly sing: "Hosanna to the Son of David." But the chief priests and scribes recognised this Messianic title and were jealous of His popularity. They were incensed by His actions, indignant that He was being hailed as the Messiah, and furious that He had exposed their crooked commercialism, ungodly trafficking, and lack of respect for the things of God. And so we read: "They became indignant."

How sad that the prideful religious leaders who were so enraged by Christ's popularity lacked the spiritual insight of these little children who cried out with joyful abandon: "Hosanna to the Son of David." No wonder that Christ was led to quote a further revealing Scripture from the book of Psalms: "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise."

May we look to Jesus with childlike faith, humility of heart, simplicity of spirit, and total trust in our heavenly Saviour. May we remember that today it is our body that is a temple of the Lord in which dwells the Holy Spirit of God. May we live in a way that honour the Lord and sing out in joyful abandon like those little children in Jerusalem, for we have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and our Redeemer.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many lessons that I can learn from the Scriptures. Keep me from the sort of religious superiority and spiritual myopia that was demonstrated by the religious leaders whose pride and practice actually prevented them from seeing Jesus. May I keep the eyes of my heart on Him every moment of the day. May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart become perfected praise to the honour of Your name. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.