So they came to Jerusalem. (Mark 11:15) Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45) And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. (Mark 11:16)
At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, He had cleaned out the temple in Jerusalem in pretty much the same way. (see THE GOSPEL: Temple Gets a Makeover) Now He's nearing the end of His earthly ministry, and He's having to clean out the temple again; but also, what he foretold the Jews is about to come to pass. The first time, the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. (John 2:18-22)
And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’[Isaiah 56:7] but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.' [Jeremiah 7:11]" (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:45) This time, when Jesus cleaned out the temple, He did not take time to explain why like He did before. Instead He fulfilled what He once told His mother, Mary when she was looking for Him and found Him in the temple; And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49) Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and 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 babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”[Psalm 8:2] (Matthew 21:14-16) Hence, where we get the phrase "from the mouth of babes".
And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. (Mark 11:18) And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (Luke 19:47-48) Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. (Matthew 21:17; Mark 11:19) The people are still astonished at His teaching, but the religious leaders still want to destroy Him. Why? Because He had exposed them throughout His ministry as being hypocrites; He healed every disease and even brought dead people back to life; and now, He's in "their temple" acting as if He has power and authority over it and them.
Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers:... (Isaiah 49:7) The religious leaders then and many now may hate and despise Christ Jesus, but one day “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel;... (Isaiah 49:7) For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” [Isaiah 45:23] So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:11-12) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
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