Jesus Cleanses the Temple of Moneylenders 

The temple in Jerusalem had a monopoly. The law demanded a sacrifice of livestock for temple services and animals were sold at top-dollar prices. If individuals brought their own to save money, the arbitrators of purity might deem the animal to be blemished. Individuals risked much to travel so far and be denied entrance to the big event. They also only accepted temple money which required an exchange at the temple door at an exorbitant rate. The people continued to pay these and many other unjust levies. All priests were exempt from the payment of temple dues, and the priests enjoyed great profits. The temple coffers often held upwards of ten million dollars.

In his thirteenth year, Jesus greatly anticipated celebrating the Passover in Jerusalem. He went away, however, disillusioned by many things that he witnessed, one being the lack of reverence – a business-as-usual attitude and carnival-like atmosphere around the temple. As a young man, he vowed to return to cleanse the temple and deliver his people from bondage.

Now, as an adult and fully realized Son of God, he came back to do so. This eventful climax of a God-infused life is often referred to as Holy Week. On Monday morning, Jesus wished to convey heavenly words to the large gathering for Passover. It was a literal and metaphorical zoo. Animal noises and dealers yelling were a distraction to the common people who viewed a temple that ran for-profit operations as a desecration to their desire to worship.

As Jesus was about to speak, two incidents grabbed his attention. A violent and heated argument occurred when a Jew from Alexandria complained of being overcharged. At the same time, one hundred bullocks were being driven, causing an ear-splitting disturbance. Jesus then took note of a friend, a simple-minded Galilean from Crete being mocked and pushed around by his supposedly Jerusalem superiors. It was too much, and Jesus’ indignation grew to the point where he stepped down from the teaching platform, walked over to the lad driving the cattle, grabbed his whip of cords, and directly drove the animals from the temple. He then proceeded to open the stalls of every animal to set them free.

The crowd became electrified by watching this incredible scene. The assembled pilgrims closed in and turned over the money-changers tables. In less than five minutes, all commerce had ceased. By the time the Roman guards appeared, they found the area quiet and the crowds orderly. Jesus returned to the speaker’s stand and stated that they had witnessed what was written in Scriptures: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.” The crowd celebrated this glorious moment when the temple again became a place of worship. A group of youths stepped forward and sang grateful hymns of appreciation. The rest of that day, the people kept guard to keep all commerce out. And all this day, amidst the quiet and peace in the temple courts, the people heard Jesus’ teachings.

The chief priests and scribes were petulant and in a quandary. They had to find a way to kill him and by any means possible. Sometime after midnight on Friday morning, they arrested Jesus and had him stand before the high priest Annas. As a powerful figure, Annas sought to control Jesus's trial, wary of the potential sympathy of certain Pharisees. His initial efforts to dissuade Jesus from his claims failed.

Annas' financial interests were threatened by Jesus's action of cleansing the temple and he had already determined in his mind that Jesus must either leave Palestine or die. Ultimately, he sent him to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrist court of inquiry for Jesus to be brought before them for his formal trial.

The cleansing of the temple revealed the Master's attitude toward commercializing religious practices, as well as his abhorrence of all forms of unfairness and profiteering at the expense of the poor and uneducated. This episode also showed that Jesus did not approve of the refusal to use force to protect the majority of any given human group from the unfair and enslaving practices of unjust minorities who might be able to hide behind political, financial, or ecclesiastical power. The shrewd, wicked, and cunning should not be allowed to organize themselves for the exploitation and oppression of those who, due to their idealistic nature, are not willing to resort to force for self-defense or the advancement of their noble life projects.