Early in the week of Jesus’ crucifixion, the gospel writer Luke records an incident that merits our attention today. “And he [Jesus] went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:45-46).
Those who sold are those that marketed approved sacrificial animals as well as currencies to those visiting Jerusalem for use in worship. In particular all males were required to come to Jerusalem three times a year to sacrifice. At the occasion of this event it was the Feast of Passover. There would be many Jews from outside of Jerusalem in the city to worship. It would have been difficult to travel large distances with sacrificial animals, so they were marketed in the city. Furthermore, the foreign currencies used to purchase the animals first had to be exchanged for acceptable temple currencies. These vendors charged unduly high prices for the animals and exorbitant exchange rates for the currencies. In essence they turned the temple into a commercial enterprise.
Our Lord not only addressed those that sold but also those that bought. They were just as guilty in profaning the Lord’s house by seeking and accommodating these merchants in the temple precincts instead of making these purchases elsewhere.
There was no kindness in our Lord’s words for these ungodly merchants. Mark tells us in his account of this event that Jesus “overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer [allow] that any man should carry any vessel through the temple” (Mark 11:15-16).
How many churches and “preachers” have turned the Lord’s house into a commercial scheme in order to enrich themselves at the expense of naïve and simple souls? These have tainted the minds of genuine worshipers to look with skepticism at any form of organized religion. The Apostle Paul obviously had to deal with this as well throughout his church-planting travels. In one instance comparing himself to these false messengers, he reminded the Thessalonian believers “for our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile…neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness” (1 Thessalonians 2:3-5). The word “guile” comes from a Greek word that means “bait” and using “flattering words” means to deliberately work to lull into a false sense of security.
Is it any wonder that so many in our society have grown wary toward the true gospel messenger? And Satan would have it just this way. Sometimes people seeking to justify themselves use these phony con artists to say that all religion is alike. How dangerous to make such an extrapolation! We are all accountable for what we hear and to color all gospel ministries with the same brush is indeed risky. How then can we know what is true? Isaiah had to deal with false prophets even in his day. His answer still applies today. “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).
From the Chaplain 