And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you make it a den of robbers.” ~ Matthew 21:12–13
Matthew recalls Jesus riding triumphantly into Jerusalem and heading straight to the Temple. Mark places this event on the next day, Monday. Either way, Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on a donkey, accompanied by a very large crowd. Only two or three days earlier, He had raised Lazarus to life after four days in the tomb. Now, whether Sunday or Monday, Jesus strode into the Temple, angry at the chaos unfolding there. He overturned the money-changers’ tables, drove out the animals, and shouted, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers!”
Why the focus on pigeons? Because the poor offered pigeons. If they couldn’t afford a lamb or goat for a sin offering, God allowed a pigeon or turtledove (Leviticus 5:7). It seems the money-changers, backed by the religious leaders who profited from this trade, were cheating the poor. The rich had servants to bring their lambs, bulls, or goats, but the poor rarely had advocates. They were taken advantage of, cheated, oppressed, and often overlooked, while the rich were exalted and frequently did the exploiting.
Jesus was outraged by this injustice. His heart burned for righteousness, justice, and fairness (Proverbs 1:3). It angered Him that the religious leaders, entrusted with God’s Temple, allowed such corruption in the House of Prayer. He hasn’t changed, nor have His apostles. In his letter, James, the brother of the LORD, speaks boldly about the rich, even accusing them of dishonoring and oppressing the poor (James 2:6-7). Wealth isn’t wrong—many rich people are godly—but it’s a problem when the poor are trampled in the process. So, Jesus overturned the tables, scattered the money, and drove out the animals to cleanse the Temple.
What about you? What mess lingers in your temple? Paul reminds us,
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Have you cleaned lately? Clutter defiles our hearts—greed and apathy cheat us of holiness. Anger and malice disrupt our worship. Distractions and busyness steal our prayer and worship time with God, turning our temples into dens of thieves. I urge you to overturn the tables of your money-changers and drive out life’s distractions. Don’t let these thieves and moneychangers defile your temple.
Heavenly Father, You are the vinedresser; please come and prune the branches that are producing fruit so that they can produce more fruit. Please cut out the branches that are not producing fruit at all so that I can produce even more fruit. Let this Easter week be a week of pruning and cleansing so that I may live a life pleasing to You, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.