A. The cleansing of the temple (19:45–46)
A. The cleansing of the temple (19:45–46)
All four Gospels have a story of temple cleansing, though John places his at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, whereas the other three have it at the end. There is reason for thinking that there were two cleansings.1 Luke’s account is the shortest of them all. He follows the Marcan line, the only difference (as opposed to omissions) being that where Mark has Jesus’ words, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer …’ Luke has My house shall be a house of prayer. Curiously Luke omits the words ‘for all the nations’, though they fit well with his universalism. Perhaps he thought that the Gentiles would worship elsewhere (cf. John 4:21).
45–46. From Mark we find that this incident took place on the day following the triumphal entry (Mark 11:11f., 15). Jesus found traders in the temple. Some were changing money (only Tyrian coinage was accepted for the temple offerings, and other coins had to be changed into this currency); others were selling sacrificial animals. They were apparently plying their trade in the court of the Gentiles, the only place in the temple where a non-Jew could go to pray and to meditate. If the temple system was to carry on it was necessary that such facilities be provided. But it was not necessary that they should be in the temple precincts, and it is this to which Jesus took exception. He began to drive out those who sold. Luke does not mention those who bought nor the money-changers, but Matthew and Mark tell us that he dealt with them as well. Jesus upbraided the traders by pointing out the difference between their dishonesty (cf. Jer. 7:11) and the true nature of the temple as a house of prayer (cf. Isa. 56:7).