Holy Week Devotional - Monday

Mark 11:15-17 – “15 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, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  17 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.’””

Jesus entered triumphantly on Palm Sunday, as the people lavished praise and adoration on Him as their king.  He rode in humbly on a donkey and they laid palm branches and garments on the ground before Him, an act of submission to Jesus as their sovereign.

The next day, Jesus went into Jerusalem and came to the temple, and there He encountered people who were buying and selling.  What was that all about? 

Here’s how one commentator put it:  “Jesus cleansed the temple of the money-changers and sellers of merchandise because of His disgust at what they had made of God’s house of prayer and His zeal to purify it from the abuse of ungodly men. Judea was under the rule of the Romans, and the money in current use was Roman coin. However, the Jewish law required that every man should pay a tribute to the service of the sanctuary of “half a shekel” (Exodus 30:11–16), a Jewish coin. It became, therefore, a matter of convenience to have a place where the Roman coin could be exchanged for the Jewish half shekel. The money-changers provided this convenience but would demand a small sum for the exchange. Because so many thousands of people came up to the great feasts, changing money was a very profitable business and one that resulted in fraud and oppression of the poor.”

So Jesus was frustrated that they were doing business in the temple.  Interestingly, this was the second time He did this.  The first time was at the beginning of His ministry, some 3 years prior (see:  John 2:11-12). 

I wonder how Jesus must have felt doing this for a second time!  As if the first one wasn’t enough.  It just goes to show how quickly we fall back into our sinful habits.

What habits do you fall back into, even after you’ve been corrected (by a coach, a friend, by God Himself)? 

Why do you think you fall back into those habits? 

In what ways do you “commercialize” Jesus?  By that I mean, how often do you think of Jesus from a profit motive – that is, that Jesus is someone from whom you should be getting something?  In what ways do you view Jesus as the one who delivers to you the things you desire? 

How is a proper view of Jesus so crucial to you as you follow Him? 

Today, take some time to understand why Jesus was so upset about the activity in the temple.  Think about what that says about Jesus and about the human heart that is so quick to gratify self.