Matthew 21:12-17
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, ” ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
The Temple was the center of worship for the Jews. But in the OT we are reminded over and over again (see Isaiah 58:3-8 and Isaiah 1:13-17) that true worship is more than fasting and sacrifices – it is also about helping those in need, treating people fairly, and welcoming all. So after “triumphally” entering Jerusalem and reminding people that the Messiah comes to serve and welcome all nations, Jesus proceeds to the Temple. But as he enters the temple he sees systems set in place for aiding in sacrifices that apparently were taking advantage of the poor – overcharging them, cheating them on exchange. I’m sure as the scattered Jews trickled in for Passover some saw them as easy targets to be exploited – all in the name of worship. This did not go over well with Jesus. He comes in, turns over the tables, and says that stuff about how this should be a house of prayer but it has turned into a den of thieves. Those are strong words in themselves, but once again we need to look at the remez Jesus was implying with those phrases (connoting fuller scripture passages than just what is quoted). Each of those phrases is a quote from the OT prophets speaking directly to how believers should treat others. Today I’ll look at the first, tomorrow the second.
Consider Isaiah 56:1-8 –
1 This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed are those who do this—
who hold it fast,
those who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keep their hands from doing any evil.”
3 Let no foreigners who have bound themselves to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let no eunuch complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the LORD says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.
6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD
to minister to him,
to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy 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.”
8 The Sovereign LORD declares—
he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
besides those already gathered.”
The house of prayer passage is one of inclusions – of welcoming the nations. Not just the scattered Jews, but all nations. This is an echo of what we were reminded of earlier in the “king on the donkey” passages. The Messiah extends his grace to all – tearing down barriers of nationality, race, gender, sexuality and ability symbolically in the rending of the curtain in the Temple and literally in the tangible acts of his kingdom. In his indignation, Jesus affirms this idea that the place of worship be a “house of prayer” that welcomes even those society typical rejects (like the foreigner and the eunuch). Those who seek to worship should not be excluded on any account.
But in truth it was more common for exclusions to be upheld. Jesus saw the discrimination against poor and foreign Jews and showed his displeasure. But others were regularly not allowed to fully worship in the temple either. Only Jewish men were allowed inside the Temple proper – women, children, and gentiles were only allowed in the outer courts, and eunuch’s were not even allowed to step foot on temple grounds (Deuteronomy 23:1). But Jesus welcomes even the most despised into the Temple – giving them a special place. A practice which his disciples followed.
Take for instance Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8). Philip was all about breaking those barriers and welcoming all – his four single daughters all prophesied (i.e. spoke the word of the Lord, i.e. preached – Acts 21:8-9). He encountered the eunuch on the road as the eunuch was leaving Jerusalem. The eunuch had attempted to come and worship and study at the Temple, but (most likely) had been barred from entry because of his sexual status. He wanted to understand the scriptures, but having been rejected by established religion cynically replies, “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” Philip immediately joins him, discusses theology with him, and welcomes him into the way of Christ through baptism on the spot. Philip understood Jesus’ Palm Sunday rant – that all should be welcome into the Lord’s house of prayer and he wasn’t afraid to live that out.
So I wonder – do we display the same outrage on Palm Sunday when we see churches excluding those Jesus said should not only be included, but given a special place?