When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’[c];but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]” 47 Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48 Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.” Luke 19.45-48
“One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” Luke 20.1-2
Jesus was not a stranger to the Temple in Jerusalem. This amazing structure, built by Herod the Great in 37 BC, stood for roughly one hundred years until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This was the second temple of Jerusalem and followed the one built by Solomon hundreds of years before.
It had become a spiritual home for the Jews as well as their place of worship. It was common for teachers such as Jesus to teach from Solomon’s Porch to a crowd of gathering Jews and Gentiles. The Temple was a center for religion, trade, and commerce as well as the ritual sacrifice of animals to atone for one’s sins.
This is where we find Jesus after his Triumphal Entry into the city on what we call Palm Sunday. Some accounts have him going directly into the Temple and causing quite a stir – turning over tables of money changers and saying, “My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.”
The one moment when Jesus really “loses it” is during this moment. He is no longer Jesus “meek and mild,” but a vengeful, mighty, and bold prophet proclaiming God’s holiness and truth.
We are in Holy Week when Jesus makes his way to the cross. He’s already entered Jerusalem and now is making his way through the city, into the Temple where he is teaching, instructing, rebuking, and healing. We see him extend his stay in the temple in Luke 20 when the writer says, “One day while Jesus was teaching the people and proclaiming the good news….” The religious leaders come and ask, “By what authority are you doing these things?” Jesus was no doubt about to show them by what authority, for by the end of the week he would suffer, die, rise again and walk the earth for another forty days to prove his resurrection and his defeat of sin.
Holy Week is a lot to take in! It’s not for the faint of heart. But it is full of promise. We can trust that he who was in the Temple is preparing us to be living temples for him in which his Spirit resides. Jesus’ journey to the cross is filled with faith, hope, and love.
As you prepare for Holy Week, will you give your heart to him? Invite him to reside within your body, his temple, and fill you with his power and grace.
“O Lord God, you are good. In my best days, I love you deeply; in my worst, I am too focused upon myself. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your grace in my life and for your journey in overcoming death and giving us life. Come now, Holy God, upon this your lowly servant. Make your home within my heart. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen.