When was the clearing of the temple courtyard

So, Jesus left Jerusalem to return the next day and cleanse the Temple. Think of the burning anger that would have swelled up in Jesus that night and following morning. Anger that the people still refused to repent even after three years of proving that He was the Messiah through His miracles. Of living amongst them. Teaching them of God. And of the Scriptures. Calling them continually to repent and believe upon Him who could save them if they would only believe.

It is with this righteous anger and swelling sorrow that when Jesus approaches Jerusalem before He cleanses the Temple that Luke records,. But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you.

And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation. Jesus pronounces judgment upon the people of God because of their disbelief. They wanted a Messiah who would save them from the nations. Instead, the very nations that they were preventing from coming to God would rise up and destroy their very means of worshiping Him, the Temple.

They would drive them out of the Promised Land, scattering them. Because they refused to believe in the Son of God who was standing in their midst. Jesus, in righteous anger, rebuked the moneychangers, merchants, and religious leaders once again. Declaring the truth that the Temple courts were to be a place for the nations to come to God and worship.

Yet, it is clear that again the people rejected this. Thereby, rejecting the God that called them to be a holy nation. The Messiah who would save them and the world from their sins. If they would only repent of their old way of thinking and believe upon Jesus! It is clear by the end of Mark 11 that most of the people rejected Him as the Messiah. Why did Jesus weep in the Bible? Jesus wept three times in Scripture. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus John Jesus also wept twice over the city of Jerusalem Matthew ; Luke The three accounts may seem different on the surface.

But the context is always of disbelief. For more, see our article Why Did Jesus Weep? What happened in the garden of Gethsemane? It is also the place where Jesus sweat great drops like blood in agony over the cup that He was to drink for the sin of the world. For more on these, see our articles:. Why Did Jesus Choose Judas? Cart 0. The Apostle Paul explains, What shall we say, then?

Righteous Anger Jesus cleansed the Temple twice. When Jesus arrived on the scene and begun His earthly ministry it is recorded, The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. John , bold added Every year the Jewish people would travel to Jerusalem to observe the Passover. See Betrayal by Judas. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; 16 and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple.

But you have made it a den of robbers. Jesus attacks the money-changers. What sort of people were there on that day? What did Jesus do? Why were his actions so shocking? Why was Jesus so angry? What was the reaction of the authorities? The courtyard outside the walled area is the Court of the Gentiles, where Jesus attacked the money-changers The Temple in Jerusalem What was it like? Josephus, the Jewish historian, says The outer court was open to all, foreigners included; women during their menstruation were alone refused admission.

Read the blue text at end of page. What Jesus did: his shocking actions How many people were there? What was happening? The general hullabaloo of the area made this impossible, and it angered him He made an assessment that the trade and money changing exploited people, especially the poor, by making excessive charges, so he intervened Jesus thought the priests and Temple personnel were abusing their sacred roles by being involved in business in a sacred area There was already a conflict going on between the Sanhedrin and the High Priest Caiaphas in AD30, when Caiaphas allowed traders to set up markets in the Court of the Gentiles as punitive competition against markets controlled by the Sanhedrin.

Read the red text at end of page. What Jesus said: why was he so angry? For this part of the story, see the red text in the Gospel passages at the bottom of this page. Reaction of the authorities For this part of the story, see the black text in Gospel passages at the end of this page. But at that moment in the Court of the Gentiles the authorities could not take action against him, because he was not only popular, he was very much in view when he visited the Temple precincts.

There was a crowd around him all the time, and any attempt at arrest could cause a riot. This made it difficult to arrest him. Maybe a better understanding of this story can help us avoid some of the potential downsides of the practical applications of this story.

The basic gist is this. Jesus and his disciples visit Jerusalem for Passover, in keeping with Jewish custom. The courtyard of the temple is described as being full of livestock, merchants and money changers — who could convert Greek and Roman money Jewish currency. The common interpretation is that Jesus was furious with those who were taking advantage of the poor, overcharging for animals and cheating on currency changes.

Marvin L. Scholars are divided on exactly how many times Jesus cleansed the temple. Some experts think John may have recorded the same account but just put it a little out of order, for thematic effect. Others think Jesus cleansed the temple twice — once near the beginning of his earthly ministry, once near the end.

In every Gospel, Jesus spends a good deal of time talking about the dangers of wealth and urging religious leaders to protect the poor, widows and orphans instead of exploiting them. Thanks for signing up! Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email address required. First Name. Last Name. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. The Latest. Share this story Twitter Facebook.