May 10, 2026
Luke 19:45–48 ESV
And he entered into the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling, saying to them, “It is written, ‘And my house will be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!” And he was teaching every day in the temple courts, and the chief priests and the scribes and the most prominent men of the people were seeking to destroy him. And they did not find anything they could do, because all the people were paying close attention to what they were hearing from him.
Discussion Questions:
1) Why does Jesus quote two separate scriptures to explain his actions? (Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11)
2) Why would Jesus make a point of cleansing the temple before teaching in it?
Discussion Summary:
Jesus based his action of cleansing the temple on Isaiah 56:7. This prophecy shows what the temple was intended to be – a holy place for prayer. After Solomon built the temple, he had a dedication ceremony in which he spoke of the temple’s purpose (2 Chronicles 6:17-20). In reality the temple in Jerusalem was corrupted time and time again throughout its history. The prophecy in Isaiah 56 also points to the future purpose of the temple – a house for all people. In the Kingdom reality the Lord will accept worship from all people even those who were prohibited from temple worship under the Mosiac Law.
Jesus also based his actions on Jeremiah 7:11. This prophecy states that the temple had become a den of robbers. This reflects the situation in Jesus’ day where the religious rulers had the temple under their control and used it for political power instead of in the service of the people. Ezekiel 34:8 also reflects this situation where it says, “my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep.”
It was necessary for Jesus to cleanse the temple before preaching there, to reflect his rejection of the religious hierarchy. It also foreshadows Malachi 3:1-4 a prophecy of the Lord’s second advent. There the Lord suddenly comes to his temple and a purifying process of the people begins.
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