11:15,16
Jesus reaches Jerusalem again, and this time does not just walk away again. This time he drives out the money changers. The money changers ere there to enable pilgrims to change their money into coins for the temple tax, and to purchase pigeons, oil etc for sacrifices. So superficially at least, this was good activity, but it had been corrupted into a money making exercise. We need to be aware of the same phenomenon happening in our churches. Of course, we will not be selling animals for sacrifice! But we may embark on some enterprise with good motives, yet it can slowly (or even quickly) become a money making enterprise, and money can dominate. So Jesus put a stop to all the activity.
11:17
Jesus then explains the reason from His actions, quoting from Isa 56:7 Jer 7:11. The first one points to God’s overall plan for all peoples who love Him to be welcomed into the kingdom. Note that at the time Israel saw all the other nations as enemies. Now there were understandable reasons for this, for they were oppressed at this time by the Romans, and had been hated by many nations at various stages (nothing much changes!). Yet God’s plan was that there were people in these nations who would come to love him. We need to beware of having the same attitude. There are sections of society that hate the gospel, they are enemies. We are not to hate them, for Jesus told us to love our enemies, and there will be people within these groups whom God will call, and they will come to bind themselves to the Lord (Is 56:6). But instead of following God’s heart, the Jews had turned the temple into a “den of thieves”.
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