Matthew 21:12 Commentary and Bible Study

He had preached there before, but now he sees the outer court of the temple, the vast outer court, the court of the Gentiles, and it is like a market; it is full of animals; it is full of tables and moneychangers. The people had bought their money with them, but it had to be the special Jewish temple money that they used for their offerings, and the exchange rates were set crookedly to enrich the priests, so the money had to be changed and the sacrificial animals had to be sold, and the priests made their profit. Why didn't the people bring their own animals as they were intended to, from their smallholdings? Because they had so often met with problems. They would take their animal to the temple and the examining priest says, ‘It isn't perfect. You will have to buy one from us’, and so people stopped bringing their animals, and they knew they would have to buy everything. But they were sold at exorbitant rates. Imagine the outer court of the temple, full of the sound and stench of animals, and people selling, auctioning possibly, and the moneychangers. There also were the crates full of doves for the offerings of the poor. They would have to pay rates that they couldn't afford. What a disgraceful abuse of the temple. The day before, Jesus had ‘looked about upon all things.’ He knew then what he would do the following day. This is the second time he has cleansed the temple. Now we are seeing his power. At the beginning of his ministry, he cleared them out of the temple, but within three years – probably within weeks – they were back, selling the animals, and changing the money at exorbitant rates. How did he do it? The first time we read he made a kind of token symbolic whip of cords. We should not imagine for a moment that he whipped anybody: this was a symbol. But as his powerful word divinity shined through the human Christ, they couldn't resist him; they were cleared out. And now he does it again. Where is the temple guard? All these people are going to protect their businesses, their income, their pitch, and their animals. One man, Christ, can cast them all out, and nothing could be done to resist him. Instead of rejoicing at Christ’s boldness and zeal in cleansing the temple and correcting something that was so obviously corrupt, the scribes and Pharisees were furious. Most likely they had a vested interest in the financial transactions that took place there, and they were rewarded either directly or indirectly for turning a blind eye and giving tacit approval to these dishonest and God-dishonouring practices. Never mind that their prophets had commanded the same thing to be done, and that Christ had quoted two very well-known passages to prove it. In opposing his action, the scribes and chief priests had identified themselves very clearly with those whom the prophets rebuked. Christ’s interpretation and application of these passages could not be refuted. Instead, they just boiled over with murderous rage.