Cleansing of the Temple

Jesus entered the Jerusalem Temple courts and drove out the money changers and merchants, overturning their tables and declaring, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.”

The temple courts had become a marketplace where pilgrims purchased animals for sacrifice and exchanged currency for the temple tax—at inflated prices. What began as practical accommodation had devolved into commercial exploitation of worshipers. Jesus’ dramatic action demonstrated his authority to interpret and enforce divine law, recalling the prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah who condemned corruption in worship.

This confrontation with the temple establishment directly challenged the authority of the chief priests and Sadducees, accelerating the events leading to his crucifixion. John’s Gospel places this event at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, while the Synoptic Gospels place it during Passion Week—possibly indicating two separate incidents or different theological emphases. The cleansing foreshadowed the temple’s coming destruction and Jesus’ role as the true temple where God meets humanity.