Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
In Mark 11, after parading into Jerusalem, Jesus cursed a fig tree. Then he drove money-changing hucksters out of the temple. Feel the passionate anger in his words, “This is supposed to be a house of prayer. But you’ve made it a den of robbers!” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11).
William Barclay (The Gospel of Mark, The Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: St. Andrews Press, 1975), 272-275) describes the situation this way. The inner temple, the court of priests, was hidden behind three levels of access. First: the court of the Gentiles, open to anyone. Next: the court of women, open to Jewish women. Third: the court of Israelites, the place of sacrifices.
At Passover, people came from around the world to worship, pay the temple tax, and make sacrifices. The family of Annas, an ex-high priest, saw these tourists as a business opportunity. They needed local money to pay their temple tax and a supply of doves to make sacrifices. Sweet! Where better than the outer court of the temple to charge exorbitant exchange rates and sell doves at extortionate markups to people who came to worship!
Jesus didn’t think so. He said the outer court should be a place for people to pray, not a place to take advantage of them. So he acted violently, scattering money and overturning display tables, driving out the astonished businessmen.
The common people enjoyed the show. But Jesus’ anger offended the temple leaders. Who does this guy think he is? How dare he criticize us! We’ll interpret the law and determine what is and isn’t allowed in the temple.
After leaving the temple and finding peace and quiet overnight, the next day Jesus and the disciples saw the fig tree. It was withered from the roots up. The disciples said, “Wow!” Jesus said, “If you have faith, you can tell a mountain to throw itself into the sea. In fact, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it’s yours” (Mark 11:22-25).
Let’s pray.
Jesus, we understand your clearing of the temple, but not your immense anger. Our society is full of Christian commercialism–religious books and art and magazines and music and posters and souvenirs. It can’t all be wrong, can it?
Jesus, were you angry at the commercialism, or at its location? Do you see in us some money-grubbing, grasping, and commercial part of our hearts that offends you?
Our faith does not wither trees or move mountains. Our faith does not receive whatever we ask in prayer.
O Jesus, change our hearts, move the mountains within us, change our plodding performance to vibrant faith. Teach us to live in the power of your kingdom. Teach us to ask and believe and receive.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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