Verse: Matthew 21:12-17
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Devotion:
This is one of those passages that I have heard read over and over. I remember as a child being told that there should never be a store inside a church because of this verse. But digging a little further into some commentaries, I learned a bit more.
The place where the money changers and sellers were, was apparently the outer courts, the only place where gentiles could come to pray. So this atmosphere was a problem because this was not an atmosphere of prayer at all, and there was nowhere else to go to pray if you were not Jewish. This is a problem for Jesus because he cares about access.
He quotes the Old Testament prophets and Psalms to rebuke the money changers as well as the scribes and teachers, and his hearers would have known exactly what he was referencing. The lame and blind would also have been limited to these outer courts, and he becomes more accessible to them once the marketplace is cleared out.
The other thing that I learned is that Hosana was a word with double meaning – both a praise and a cry for divine help. All the more reason for the scribes and chief priests to be outraged, and threatened.
There is so much about the character of Jesus here. He is concerned for all to have access to the Father. He is concerned that those who have limitations and physical difficulties have access as well. He is aware of what the scripture says and more importantly, what it means. He has such an understanding of God’s heart, and he is full of authority to impart this knowledge.
Prayer:
Lord, help us to reflect your heart in the way that we conduct ourselves. Make us aware of opportunities to show your heart to those that need you, regardless of their status and position. Amen.
Author: Emily Costa
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