Cleansing the temple. It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations', But you have made it a den of robbers!. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest comman

Cleansing the temple

Jesus drove the merchants and money changers out of the temple.

Jesus went to the temple once He got into Jerusalem, and He didn't like what He saw. This most holy of places had been turned into a marketplace. Merchants were selling animals for temple sacrifices. Money changers were exchanging the pilgrims' money for special coins used in the temple. Many of these people were cheating the pilgrims who came to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem.

Jesus turned over the seats of the merchants and the tables of the money changers, scattering their coins. He told them all to leave. He made a whip of some cords and used it to drive out the animals. He said,

It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations', But you have made it a den of robbers!

Jesus went to the temple every day. Blind people, crippled people and sick people came to Him, and He healed all of them. He told stories and parables to help people understand the kingdom of God and God's love for all people. The crowds of people who came to hear Him were spellbound.

A expert on the Jewish Law asked Jesus which of God's commandments was most important. Jesus replied,

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. ' This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is just as important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. ' All the other commandments and the teachings of the prophets are based on these two.

Trust in God and Christian love (kindness and respect) for all people are the basis for everything Jesus taught us. These are the things that are really important in life.

Conflict with the Chief Priests and Elders

The chief priests and elders of the temple challenged Jesus' authority.

Not everyone was happy that Jesus was preaching at the temple every day. The chief priests and elders of the temple were angry and upset. The chief priests had given permission for merchants and money changers to use the outer courtyard of the temple, but Jesus had driven them out. They were afraid of a crackdown by Roman authorities because of the large crowds who followed Jesus. Worst of all, the people were putting their hopes and trust in Jesus. The temple officials felt their authority slipping away.

These temple officials came up with a plan to trap Jesus with His own words. They came to Jesus and demanded to know by what authority he was doing all these things. If Jesus said His authority was from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy. If He did not claim authority from God, they could say He was just a crazy man.

But Jesus knew it was a trap. Instead of answering the question, He asked them another question: " Did the baptism of John come from heaven? " The temple officials realized this was also a trap. If they said " Yes", Jesus would say, " Then why didn't you believe him? " If they said " No" it would make the people angry because they believed John the Baptist was a prophet. So, they refused to answer.

As usual, Jesus had defeated his opponents at their own game! But the temple officials were even more angry and began to plot to have Jesus killed.

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