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15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. ~ Mark 11:15-19
Today, we come back to our study of Mark 11 where the Lord Jesus has traveled back to Jerusalem with His disciples. In our previous study, the Lord Jesus had drawn attention to a fruitless fig tree which actually was a picture of the unbelief of Israel.
In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts."
This was the second time the Lord Jesus had gone into the Temple in order to confront the corruption therein. According to John's Gospel, three years before, at the very beginning of His ministry, the Lord Jesus had entered this very same temple and had swept out the moneychangers in a very similar fashion. The merchants were wrongly taking advantage of the people by selling to them over priced animals as a "service." In addition, the money-changers provided another "service" because they only accepted the official temple currency. As a result, the money-changers and the merchants were making an excessive profit at this business, and the Lord Jesus was there to address it and bring an end to it.
Although the Lord Jesus had cleansed the temple at the beginning of His ministry, the merchants and money-changers did not learn their lesson. In fact, they never really ceased their corrupt practices, and now, they were about to face the music. Due to their corruption, the Lord Jesus overturned their accoutrements of worship.
In v.17 of today's passage we read, "And as he taught them, he said, 'Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'"
In this verse the Lord Jesus quoted Jeremiah 7:11 where Jeremiah was predicting the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of the first great temple. The judgment of God through the Babylonians came because the people had turned the temple into a den of robbers. The picture here is of thieves who all along the highways, held up in caves, would leap out and rob and plunder the unsuspecting. That’s what the temple had become; it was a place where thieves came in and felt safe. These who were rebellious against God felt safe in the place known as the house of God.
In addition, the people who were in Jerusalem at that time were coming from all over to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It was not conducive for them to bring their animals from their homes to sacrifice, so, they would have to buy one of the animals at the temple. And, the animals that were needed for worship were highly over priced. They came with foreign currency and they needed the temple currency. And, the money-changers charged them exorbitant fees to exchange their money for the temple currency. The money-changers and the merchants were thieves who took advantage of the situation and the people's desire to worship God. This explains the words the Lord Jesus used while driving them out of the temple area.
In v.18 of today's passage we read, "The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching."
The actions of the Lord Jesus shocked the religious leaders who were "the keepers of the temple." It shocked them because the sacrificial system was at the very heart of their worship, and, the Lord Jesus came in and put a stop to their heartless greed.
The religious leaders of Israel were motivated by fear. It is in the context of fear that lawlessness excels. The religious leaders were panicked because of the popularity of the Lord Jesus and the threat He posed to their kingdom. They were afraid of Him because His power was greater than theirs and His influence was greater than theirs. The jealousy and fear of the religious leaders caused them to want the Lord Jesus dead. And, that was key because from the foundation of all creation the Lord Jesus Christ was slated to be the Passover Lamb that year for all of eternity.
These events all led to the religious leaders wanting to find a way to kill the Lord Jesus. They had arrived upon the point of no return. They no longer put up with anything the Lord Jesus did or said from that moment onward. This sealed His death, but, it also sealed the destiny of those willing to depend upon Him for salvation from sin. The corrupt religious leaders thought they were getting rid of the Lord Jesus, but it was He who was setting the stage for His sacrifice to be made for the forgiveness of our sin.
In v.19 of today's passage we read, "When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city."
Once again we are given a subtle metaphor about the spiritual condition of the religious community in Israel. I find it sad that a person can live their whole life thinking they are earning God's acceptance through their "goodness," only to get to the end of their lives to discover they were never on the side of the Lord. This is why the Lord makes such a big deal out of our faith. And, only faith placed in the work and the goodness of the Lord Jesus makes us right with God.
