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. 16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” 17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. (Matthew 21:12-17)
The Lord Jesus cleansing the temple appears in all four Gospels. In the Gospel of John it was placed at beginning of the Gospel, and in the other three Gospels it was placed at the end of the Gospel. The Lord Jesus entered the temple and drove out all the people who were doing business in the temple. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of the people who were selling doves. At that time, animals were used for sacrifice, and the money was exchanged to pay the temple tax. The temple was a place for prayer and worship of God. The Lord Jesus is the Lord of the temple. He did not allow people to use the temple as a market place and do business there.
The Lord Jesus quoted the following verses from the Old Testament:
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.” (Isaiah 56:7)
Here it says that the temple of God is a house of prayer for all people, not a place for people to do business. In the temple, there were blind and lame people who came to the Lord Jesus, and he healed them. There were little children in the temple shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David”. Hosanna is a Hebrew word which means praise, and the Son of David refers to Lord Jesus. Jesus quoted the following prophecy from the Old Testament:
Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)
This verse prophesies that the infants will utter the voice of praise to the Lord, and it was fulfilled in the temple.
May God bless you and your family!
