Holy Monday - Jesus Cleanses The Temple

Throughout Holy Week, we will journey alongside Jesus as He guides us toward the Cross, deepening our faith and understanding of His mission.

According to the Gospel of Mark, following His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus returned to the Temple on Monday and instigated a significant disruption:  

“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, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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.” (Mark 11:15-17).

So what exactly was Jesus doing in this moment? Theologians Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan assert that He was staging a powerful prophetic teaching moment, reminiscent of the prophet Jeremiah, who had confronted worshippers at the Temple. 

The Temple system had devolved into corruption. The overly religious individuals of Jesus' time had begun to idolize the institution rather than worship the God who established it. 

They had started to prioritize rituals, systems, and a rigid adherence to rules over the true essence of their faith, expressing love for God through acts of justice, mercy, and compassion toward the "least" in their society.

This dangerous trajectory had been warned against by Hebrew prophets centuries earlier, such as Amos and Hosea, who delivered God's message:

“I hate, I despise your solemn festivals and take no delight in your solemn assemblies….” (Amos 5:21-23).  

“I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6).

C.S. Lewis noted that this issue continues to affect the Christian church in our age. He asserted that when Christians begin to blur the lines between God and the systems, rules, and regulations of their faith, they may come to view the Christian life as a series of transactions, believing:

“...as the only thing [God] wants so that their punctual performance will satisfy Him without obedience to His demands for mercy.”

As we reflect on Jesus' actions in the Temple today, let us be called to faithfulness in our own understanding of faith. 

It is all too common for Christians to perceive their involvement in the Church as a means to earn God's love. In this pursuit, we can easily lose sight of our true calling to be a light in the world.

May we strive to follow Jesus daily, focusing less on religious practices and more on our relationship with Him, who, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “loved the Church and gave himself for it.”

As we embark on this holy journey, may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ accompany you now and always. Amen.