The phrase “house of prayer” comes from Isaiah 56:7, which states “these [the temple] 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.” This verse refers to the temple in Jerusalem being a place where all people can come to worship and pray to God. The “house of prayer” represents the temple as a sacred place of communion with God.
The phrase “den of thieves” comes from Jeremiah 7:11, which states “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.” This verse criticizes the people of Judah for trusting in the temple while continuing to sin against God. They viewed the temple as a safe haven, believing that God would protect them no matter what they did. However, God rejects this notion and declares that they have turned the temple into a “den of robbers.” A den is where thieves hide out together, similar to a hideout. So this phrase paints the picture of the temple functioning as a hideout for evil rather than a sacred house of prayer.
Jesus combines these two phrases in Matthew 21:13 and Mark 11:17 when he drives out the money changers from the temple courts. He quotes both Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, stating “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.'” Here, Jesus condemns the commercialization of the temple and the exploitation of the people through the sale of sacrifices and offering of money. The merchants and money changers have disrupted the sanctity and purpose of the temple, preventing true worshipers from communing with God there. The “den of thieves” thus represents the corruption and greed that has infected God’s house.
There are several important implications from Jesus’ statement:
- The temple is meant to facilitate access to God, not hinder it. The merchants and money changers were preventing people from freely worshiping there.
- True worship requires an attitude of reverence and humility. The rampant commercialism showed a lack of respect for the temple.
- Obedience is better than empty ritual. The temple rituals had become devoid of meaning because the people continued to sin against God.
- Greed and profit-seeking have no place in worship. The merchants and money changers were more concerned with making money than enabling worship.
- God cares deeply about the purity and holiness of his house. The people had defiled the temple through their sinful attitudes and actions.
Jesus’ act of cleansing the temple demonstrates his zeal for restoring the temple as a place of authentic worship, prayer, and communion with God. As the Messiah, he is reclaiming God’s house and calling for true righteousness among God’s people. This fulfills the prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah concerning the temple. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he becomes the new temple himself, replacing the physical temple as the locus of access to God (see John 2:19-21). Those who put their faith in Christ are built up in him as a “spiritual house” and “holy priesthood” through which spiritual sacrifices are offered (1 Peter 2:5). He has made a way for people of all nations to commune with God through his atoning work.
Old Testament Background
To fully understand Jesus’ temple cleansing, it is important to examine the Old Testament background regarding the temple in Jerusalem:
1. The Temple as God’s Dwelling Place
According to the Torah, the temple in Jerusalem was the place where God’s name would dwell (Deuteronomy 12:5) and where God’s presence (shekinah glory) would reside in the holy of holies (1 Kings 8:10-13). The entire temple complex was viewed as sacred space that provided access to God’s presence unlike anywhere else. It was to be treated with utmost respect and reverence.
2. Temple Sacrifices as Providing Cleansing and Access
The ability to offer sacrifices for atonement of sins was a key purpose of the temple. Jesus references this when quoting Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13). The blood of animal sacrifices offered in the temple provided symbolic cleansing, but could not truly cleanse the conscience or provide access to God (Hebrews 9:9-10). The temple sacrifices pointed ahead to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice that would permanently take away sins.
3. The Temple as a House of Prayer for All Nations
Isaiah 56:7 declares that the temple was to be a “house of prayer for all nations” (quoted by Jesus). God’s intention was for the temple to be a light to the Gentiles, providing access to God for all peoples. But it had become exclusionary and corrupt.
4. The Temple’s Destruction for Faithlessness and Injustice
Jeremiah 7 warns that God would destroy the temple like He did Shiloh if the people continued to mistreat the foreigner, orphan, and widow and follow other gods (Jeremiah 7:1-15). Justice and obedience were more important to God than ritual worship in the temple.
5. The Temple’s Restoration when the People Repent
Ezekiel 40-48 describes the future restoration and purification of the temple after the exile. This looks forward to the spiritual temple formed by followers of Jesus.
Jesus’ cleansing of the temple demonstrates that he is the Lord who Ezekiel and other prophets said would come to cleanse, restore, and rebuild the temple.
New Testament Teaching on the Temple
The New Testament continues the theme of Jesus replacing the physical temple and functioning as the new temple:
1. Jesus Replaces the Temple as the Dwelling Place of God
In John 1:14, the Word (Jesus) dwells among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father. As the incarnate Son, Jesus is the tabernacle or dwelling place of God on earth.
2. Jesus’ Body as the New Temple
In John 2:19-21, Jesus claims that if the Jews destroy “this temple” (referring to his body), he will raise it again in three days. Jesus is identifying his physical body as the temple.
3. Believers Form a Spiritual Temple in Christ
1 Peter 2:4-5 says that as living stones, believers are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God through Christ.
4. The Church as God’s Temple
Paul refers to the church, the body of Christ, as the temple of the living God in 2 Corinthians 6:16. God’s presence now resides in the corporate body of believers through the Spirit.
5. The Heavenly Temple Where Jesus Serves as High Priest
The book of Hebrews depicts Jesus as serving in the heavenly temple before God the Father, offering his own blood as the perfect sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 9-10). He is the perfect high priest and mediator for God’s people.
These passages demonstrate that Jesus fulfills and exceeds everything that the physical temple represented. Through faith in Christ, Christians have direct access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).
Lessons and Applications
What are some key lessons and applications from understanding Jesus’ temple cleansing and how he fulfills the temple?
1. Reverence for God’s Holiness
We should approach God and worship Him with utmost reverence and sincerity. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), so we should honor God in how we live.
2. Avoiding Commercialization and Misuse
We must be on guard against greed, profit-seeking, and using ministry to take advantage of others. The church should facilitate intimacy with God, not become a business.
3. Demonstrating Justice and Mercy
Like Jeremiah and Amos warned, God cares far more that we live justly and care for the oppressed than engage in impressive services and rituals. Our worship should overflow into demonstrating God’s heart.
4. Providing Universal Access to God
The church should be welcoming to people from all nations, ethnicities, backgrounds, and social-economic levels. No one should be hindered from encountering God.
5. Participating in Christ’s Renewal Work
As living temples, the church participates in Jesus’ renewal work in the world through proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, and serving others in love. We are Christ’s agents of hope and transformation.
6. Embracing the Superior Mediation of Christ
Unlike the temple priests, Jesus provides perfect and permanent access to God for all who trust in his once-for-all sacrifice for sins on the cross. We draw near with confidence because of him.
In summary, Jesus powerfully proclaimed through his temple cleansing that he came to renew and restore true worship of God in Spirit and truth. As the Messiah, Christ fulfilled the temple so that all may freely commune with God through faith in him. We now worship through the new temple Jesus is creating in the lives of believers indwelt by his Holy Spirit.