¹² And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

¹³ And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.

¹⁵ And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased,

¹⁶ And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings [nursing infants] thou hast perfected praise? (Matt. 21:12-16)

The Triumphal Entry into the Holy City was a spectacular event that caused all the city to be moved (Matt. 21:10; Mark 11:11).

The Greek word for “moved” is one from which we obtain our word, seismic. There was a tremendous quaking in Jerusalem, of the hearts of the people who believed that their promised Messiah had come to them, riding on the back of a colt. Now, the people of Palestine had to decide.

Would they follow their Messiah? Or, would they turn against Him?

The hour of decision had arrived. History had reached a turning point that could not be altered. The world would never be the same again.

On that special day Jesus wanted to go to the Temple of God.

The Temple of God is an expansive term, for it speaks not only of the Temple area proper, but the surrounding area. The original Temple built by Solomon was a comparatively small building, which contained the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies, into which only the High Priest might enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Surrounding the Temple was a vast space, which was occupied by successive and ascending courtyards.

First, there was the Courtyard of the Gentiles. Anyone might come into this area, for Judaism reached out to make proselytes of other nations. However, the area was restricted, and any Gentile which dared to cross beyond a fixed point, was subject to sudden death.

Next, came the Court of the Women. This area was entered by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.

Any Israelite might come into this area.

Then, there was the Court of The Israelites, entered by the Nicanor’s Gate. This massive, bronze gate, required twenty men to open and close it. It was in the Court of The Israelites, where the people gathered for the Temple services.

Last, there was the Court of the Priests, into which only the priests could enter. The great altar of the burnt offering, the altar of incense, and the great laver, were in this area. Beyond the Court of the Priests, was the Temple itself. When Jesus entered into the Temple of God, He entered into the Court of The Gentiles. This was the place that was crowded, and busy with two kinds of trading.

First, there was the business of changing money.

According to the Law of Moses, every Jew had to contribute for the work of the ministry a Temple tax of one-half shekel (the meager amount of less than one quarter) (Ex. 30:13). This tax had to be paid in a Jewish coin, as did the money for various rites of purification (Acts 21:24). To assist in the collection of the proper coins, were the money changers.

While the money changers served a legitimate function, they were susceptible to corruption.

Anyone who has constantly handled large sums of money knows the temptations associated with that position.

The money changers succumbed to temptation, and began to charge outrages prices for their services.

Second, in addition to those who collected the legitimate Temple taxes, there were merchants of trade, who did a booming business in sacrificial animals. The people who traveled to Jerusalem for the feasts were permitted to bring their own animals for sacrifice, but there was the possibility that the animals would be rejected by the priests, and a selection would then have to be made from the local merchants anyway.

The local merchants did not hesitate to charge inflated prices. They could not resist the temptation of the opportunity to cheat unsuspecting worshippers.

Imagine having to pay at least $4.00 for a pair of doves that, in reality, should cost little more than a nickel.

When Jesus walked into the Court of the Gentiles and saw the open corruption, He was moved with holy anger.

While it is not popular to present Jesus as being angry with anyone, no matter what they do, the Bible tells us that there were specific times when the Lord displayed the strongest of emotional reactions.

And this is one of those times.

Anger is not inconsistent with Christian love. Would to God the Church show a righteous anger against those who kill the unborn, and do not repent. Would to God the Church rise up in holy anger against those who mutilate children in the name of Gender Affirmation. Let the Church vigorously protest the pedophiles of this world.

The Bible tells us that we can be angry, and sin not. It has been noted by someone that, “In the truly great man anger and love go hand in hand.” There should be a holy anger, whenever a blatant injustice, that produces cruelty, is manifested.

So angry was the Lord, at the greed, and exploitation He witnessed, that He began to cast out all those that sold, and bought, in the Temple.  He overthrew the tables of the money changers. He turned over the stools of them which sold doves.

In this action of flying physical fury, we are witness to the physical strength, and personal courage of Christ.

He is no coward who can chase grown men from their money, and places of business. He is no weakling, who can overthrow tables of heavy coins, time after time, and then smash the structures of commerce. The meek and lowly Jesus, of Sunday, who came riding into town on the back of a colt, is on Monday, mighty in His wrath, for He has mounted the white stallion of righteousness.

People now flee before His blazing eyes. Strong men duck, and dodge His destructive path, for the merchants of greed had not learned their lesson.

This was not the first time Jesus had cleared the Merchants of Greed out of the Temple. At the very beginning of His public ministry, the Lord had taken a handful of cords, and literally whipped those who were unjust, in making the Temple something that it was not. There were good results. For just a brief period, the merchants of greed became fair, and honest, but the tide of corruption came crashing back in.

The High Priest, Annas, and his household, united with certain elements of the business community to make a profit from God’s people that was unauthorized.Three years had passed since Jesus first cleansed the Temple. Now the sordid practices had returned.

Three years had passed, but the principles of righteousness remained unchanged.And so Jesus moved a second time, to cleanse His Father house. The Temple was to be a place of prayer for all people. That is what Isaiah the prophet had taught (Isa. 56:7), but greed had made it a den of thieves.

The Holy Place was no different than the caves that surrounded Jerusalem, where robbers ran to hide.

This was not what had been intended. God had designed a place to be built where people from all over the world would be able to come to worship Him, meditate about Him, and seek His face in prayer. Now, the place of prayer had been transformed.

So gradually had the transformation taken place, that it was socially acceptable. New priorities had taken over. That is always one of the dangers that the Church faces. It is possible for money, and ministries, to transform the spiritual structure that God has ordained.

The history of the Church universal, and the history of local assemblies, testify to the fact that it is possible for the Divine focus of attention to be forgotten.

What God wants primarily, and above all is for the Church to be a place of prayer and worship.

Others want to transform Church into a place of business, a place of entertainment, a place of education, a place for social gatherings, a place for political rallies, a place for civil rights activism.

The place that God wants for His own personal glory can gradually become a den for spiritual thieves, who rob the true Church of its essential purpose, and strength.

And the way that it all happens becomes so acceptable, the spiritual robbery is considered to be normal. In the end, people will begin to move to protect what God never intended to be prioritized. We are reminded that the Protestant Reformation began this way.

Pope Leo X felt he needed money for what he believed was a grand and glorious work. He sent out his top salesman, John Tetzel, to see that the money was raised, and the great purpose which he loved so much would be secure.But bold Martin Luther stood up one day to John Tetzel, and to the Pope of Rome, and cried out against what was being done. Luther understood that the Church was being transformed by foolish beliefs, false doctrines, and unbiblical practices.

While the masses did not mind that all this was being done, God’s man did. The people did not understand what was at stake, but Luther understood, and the protest began, October 31, 1517. Luther and other reformers moved to restore righteousness. They tore down false idols, and exalted the preaching of the Word of God.

The protest of Jesus in His day against what was being done to His Father’s House, helped to restore it.We read that amidst the carnage that Christ produced, came the blind, and the lame to be healed. While some people were expelled from the Temple, others were welcomed.Those who misused the Lord’s House had everything to fear, while those who needed the Lord’s House, had nothing to fear. Only unrighteousness makes people afraid.

The blind and the crippled came to Jesus because they were sick, not sinful. They were not afraid, and so they came to the Lord, and He healed them. The Great Physician stood in the midst of overturned tables, scattered coins, and destroyed benches, to manifest His healing power, and matchless mercy to those in need.

No one who humbly comes to Jesus will ever go away disappointed. Watching all of the wonderful acts of healing take place, were the leaders of the Sadducees and Pharisees. Gathering enough courage to finally do something about Jesus, they began to challenge His right to treat them in such a harsh manner.

People always hate righteous judgment, and holy anger being manifested, and so they challenge it. What upset the religious leaders in particular, in addition to the healings taking place, was the fact that the children began to cry out, saying,

“HOSANNA TO THE SON OF DAVID!”

The children cried out in part, because it is the nature of children to imitate, for better or for worse.

Because children are great imitators, it is essential that parents have holy habits, in regard to Bible reading, prayer, Church attendance, and expressions of love and kindness.

When parents are confused on these things, so will the children be. But when parents are confirmed in holiness, the children will be also, and fathers will cry like Joshua of old, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.

As the chief priests and scribes watched the children worship, so did Christ. He was the object of their affection, and defended it by quoting Scripture, and asserting His deity. Have you never read, the Lord asked, that,

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing babes thou hast perfect praise?” (Matt. 21:16; Psalm 8:2).

In God’s economy, He is able to take even the incoherent prattle of babes, and nursing infants, and transform that into praise for Himself. All adults should find this truth very comforting, for it reminds us that little children are viewed differently in the eyes of God. Sometimes we forget just how quickly children can mature, when necessary.

During the Nazi holocaust, when the Germans were separating children from their parents, there were many acts of maturity among the young. One five-year-old girl, told a German worker who was undressing her three-year-old brother, in order to put him in the gas chamber,

“You leave my brother alone. I am his mother. I will undress him. He will die in my arms.”

And he did.

Little children are capable of great heroic acts. And they are able to worship the Lord Jesus who takes spiritual delight in their cries of praise in the Church. Sometimes we wonder about our young people, and their spiritual relationship to the Lord. But then we read a passage like this, and know.

It is right that young people take communion if they understand the gospel.

It is right that a child be baptized, provided the child confesses Jesus and calls on Him from the heart.

It is right children sing songs of praise.

It is right they offer prayers to God.

We want our young people to consciously worship God at the earliest age possible.

That is why we have Sunday school classes for the young, and Bible classes for adults.

That is why we have a wholesome youth program.

That is why we encourage Christian academies.

Therefore, let the children cry in the Church.

Let them cry out their praises to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”