15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. (Mark 11:15-19 KJV)
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Here, we see Jesus clear the temple of the merchants and those who used it as a shortcut. We don’t hear that he found food elsewhere after missing it on the fig tree; but the zeal for God’s house consumed him, and though he was hungry, he went straight to Jerusalem and into the temple, beginning to address the abuses he had observed the previous day. This showed that when the Redeemer came to Zion, his mission was to turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Romans 11:26). He came not to destroy the temple, as falsely accused, but to cleanse and restore it to its original purpose.
He cast out the buyers and sellers, overturned the money changers’ tables—scattering their coins—and knocked over the seats of those who sold doves. He did this with authority, as a Son in his own house. The corruption of Zion was purged not by force, but by judgment and conviction. There was no opposition; what he did was clearly right, even to those who had allowed and profited from it. This should encourage reformers—purging corruption and correcting abuses can sometimes be easier than expected. The feared resistance doesn’t always appear.
He didn’t allow anyone to carry goods through the temple (Mark 11:16), which some did to save time by using it as a shortcut. The Jews acknowledged that one way to honor the temple was not to use it as a public road or bring bundles into it.
He explained this action: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17; Isaiah 56:7). It was originally intended to be so. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he included the foreigners in his prayers (1 Kings 8:41). Christ wanted the temple, as a symbol of the gospel church, to be a house of prayer.
After removing the oxen and doves—items used for sacrifice—he reaffirmed its role as a house of prayer, teaching that even after sacrifices ended, spiritual offerings of prayer and praise would remain.
He emphasized it would be a house of prayer for all nations, not just the Jews. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved,” even those not physically descended from Jacob. So it was unacceptable for them to turn it into a den of thieves, which would turn the Gentiles away, when they should have been inviting them in. Earlier in his ministry, Christ accused them only of making the temple a house of merchandise (John 2:16); now he called it a den of thieves.
Perhaps because they had twice attempted to stone him in the temple (John 8:59; John 10:31), or because the vendors had become notorious for cheating, taking advantage of rural visitors, a form of theft. Those who allow worldly thoughts to distract them during prayer turn the house of prayer into a marketplace. Those who make long prayers just to exploit widows turn it into a den of thieves.
The scribes and chief priests were enraged (Mark 11:18). They hated him and his reforms, yet they feared him. They worried he might challenge their authority next. They knew he had great influence—everyone was amazed at his teaching and accepted it as law. With such support, what couldn’t he do? So instead of reconciling with him, they plotted to kill him. A reckless plan, one would think, even they should have feared was fighting against God. But they were determined to protect their power and status, no matter the cost.