Bible Study series: Mark 11:15-19. Jesus said this is his Father’s house. Time to clear out one area of the temple. This was another action parable. It sent a message to the temple establishment.
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Scripture: Mark 11:15-19
15 Then they came into Jerusalem, and after entering the temple, he began to throw out the sellers and buyers in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17 He taught and said to them, “Is it not written?
My house shall be called a house of prayer for the nations,
But you have made it into a hideout for robbers! [Is. 56:7; Jer. 7:11]
18 The chief priests and teachers of the law heard and were deliberating for a way to destroy him, for they feared him because the crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, they went outside the city. (Mark 11:15-19)
Comments:
This passage makes up another sandwich between the fig tree action parable in vv. 12-14 and vv. 20-24. Recall that this sandwiching technique is called intercalation. “By ‘sandwiching’ the clearing of the temple between the beginning and end of the fig tree episode, Mark suggests that both events have symbolic meaning, representing God’s judgment against Jerusalem and the temple because Israel has failed to bear spiritual fruit” (Strauss, p. 487)
France notes that the area to be cleared out was the Court of Gentiles and the money changers; hence the quotation from Is. 56:7, which says the temple was for prayer among the nations or Gentiles, is appropriate. Jesus is also challenging the temple, and this act, more than anything else, set in motion his arrest and trial. It is a form of blasphemy.
Lane and Strauss further clarify that the buying and selling may have encroached farther and farther in the temple forecourt, around the time Caiaphas reigned (he put Jesus on trial). The markets on temple grounds and on nearby Mount of Olives were the subject of quarrels among the merchants. Jesus apparently intended to clear out the whole thing in a symbolic action parable.
15-16:
In v. 11, he had scoped out the city and temple. Now this is the day for another action parable. He made a statement which was designed to tell the temple authorities that the One who was really in charge of the temple was on the scene—God’s Messiah.
Deut. 14:24-26 says that if the distance to a designated holy place is too far for the Israelite to travel because of the animals or grain are burdensome, he is allowed to exchange the animal or grain for money near his home. Then he can carry the money to the designated holy place and there buy the grain or animal, to sacrifice and eat. In Jerusalem it is a sure thing that the money tables were set up to accommodate this lawful practice. Money changers converted the Greek and Roman currency into temple currency; the half-shekel temple tax had to be paid (Matt. 17:24-27).
However, apparently Jesus examined and inspected the temple business and found it lacking. Maybe dishonesty was the rule of the day. Maybe interest was charged, or maybe the price of the animal or grain was exorbitant. Maybe the business was conducted too closely to the temple precinct, which was the most likely occurrence; it provoked his righteous anger. Whatever the specifics, Jesus did not like what he saw.
His expelling them from the temple took some physical strength. He was no weakling. John 2:13-17 says he made of whip of cords.
When he blocked their carrying merchandise through the temple grounds refers to this verse: “On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar” (Zech. 4:20, NIV)
17:
God’s temple was originally a house of prayer for all nations, and there was a court for Gentiles. However, Jer. 7:11 says that the temple was a den, cave, grotto, or cavern of thieves. Here Jesus says the same thing, using the same noun. One more tidbit of information that Jesus knew his Bible.
Jesus was making a revolutionary statement. Something better than the temple was here (Matt. 12:6). He had the right to cleanse the temple. In John 2:17, Jesus calls the temple “my Father’s house.” The guardians of the temple—the chief priests—no doubt heard about this protest action and were about to inquire further into this man who accepted praise from children and healed the blind and the lame in the temple area.
Jesus had several messages going on. First, this was personal. The Jerusalem religious establishment was misusing his Father’s house. Next, they allowed too much commercialism near the temple, for profit. No doubt the moneychangers took a cut, if only secretly. Did the religious leaders secretly take money from the cut? Finally, the issue was theological. It was a small act of judgment on the temple which was about to be judged more fully by God (Matt. 24:15; Luke 21:20-22). Action parable. Action protest.
“There are also indications that Jesus’ actions signify both purification and destruction. As noted above, after driving out the money changers and sellers, Jesus prevents merchandise from being carried through the temple courts (v. 16). This indicates protection or restoration of a sacred space for its proper use. The two OT passages he cited also point in this direction” (Strauss, p. 496, emphasis original).
18-19:
“chief priests”:
“teachers of the law”: Some translations say “scribes.” To learn more about both groups, see this link:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
These groups were the Watchdogs of Theology and Behavior (David E. Garland, Luke: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Zondervan, 2011], p. 243). The problem which Jesus had with them can be summed up in Eccl. 7:16: “Be not overly righteous.” He did not quote that verse, but to him they were much too enamored with the finer points of the law, while neglecting its spirit (Luke 11:37-52; Matt. 23:1-36). Instead, he quoted this verse from Hos. 6:6: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13; 12:7). Overdoing righteousness, believe it or not, can damage one’s relationship with God and others.
GrowApp for Mark 11:15-19
1. Jesus took action to clear out an area of the temple. Have you ever had to clear out a dishonest part of your soul by God’s grace? Tell our story.
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2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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