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Matthew 21:12-17

The gospel writers all record this striking entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, openly receiving acclamation
from the multitude of Jewish pilgrims as the Messiah of Israel. His coming on a donkey’s colt was foretold
about 500 years prior to this time by the prophet Zechariah, showing Messiah the King coming to His
people in peace - to Jerusalem, which was to be the seat of His rule.

Matthew’s inclusion of the mother donkey in the prophecy reflects Messiah’s sovereignty over all of Israel;
but only the colt was actually ridden by Jesus - the foal of the mother donkey - for only the remnant of
Israel will submit to Jesus - and not until He returns, in His Second Coming.

But at this time, we see a hostile reaction on the part of the residents of Jerusalem, as Jesus passed into their
city. They would certainly have heard of Jesus by this time, but they did not believe Him to be their
Messiah - as He was clearly presenting Himself to be.

Most would have to have dismissed His miraculous works, and summed Him up as a small-town teacher
who was unwilling to conform to the status quo. And the status quo was so very important, in Jerusalem.

This teacher was proving Himself to be a trouble-maker. They were right, on that count - Jesus would
bring trouble on them - His judgment - if they refused to give Him the honor that He is due.
As Matthew continues his account, we find Jesus next going to the very heart of the religious
establishment; the temple in Jerusalem.

[Matthew 21:12-17] This account, sometimes called the cleansing of the temple, is also recorded by Mark
and Luke (Mk 11:15-19, Lk 19:45-48). John records a different cleansing of the temple by Jesus - one that
He did, near the beginning of His ministry (Jn 2:13-22). So this appears to be the second time that Jesus
cleansed the temple of merchandizing activities.

We might think in reading Matthew’s account - and Luke’s, as well - that the cleansing of the temple by
Jesus followed directly after His entrance into Jerusalem; that is, the same day.

But Mark indicates that the day Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey colt, He went into the temple and
simply looked around at all things. Since the hour was late, Jesus then left Jerusalem with His disciples,
and returned to Bethany (Mk 11:11) - most likely continuing to lodge with Martha, Mary and Lazarus there.

It was the next day that Jesus returned to Jerusalem, and cleansed the temple. This added detail by Mark
makes a great deal of sense, since the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and all of His actions that followed in
the temple would be hard to visualize fitting into a single day, especially since temple activities tended to
subside after the evening sacrifice, offered at 3 PM.

Mark’s detail makes sense of the timing, but it then provokes another question. We wonder, just what was
it that Jesus was looking at, in the temple? Well, first we have to consider where Jesus was. What temple
was Jesus in? We might answer, the temple in Jerusalem. What temple was that, in Jesus’ day? It was the
temple that Herod the Great had constructed, for the Jews.

This was the Herod that Rome had appointed as ruler over Judea, in 37 BC. Herod was an Idumean -
descendants of the Edomites - the ancient enemies of Israel. This alone caused the Jews to greatly resent
Herod - but their resentment was then compounded by Herod’s infamous, oppressive cruelty.
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But Herod the Great was famous on another count; his many building projects. And one of the projects he
undertook was the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem.

The glorious temple of Solomon had been destroyed centuries before, by the Babylonians. It was rebuilt as
a humbler structure by the remnant of Jews that returned to the land after the 70-year exile - it was known
as Zerubabbel’s temple. But by the time of King Herod, that temple had fallen into complete disrepair.

Meanwhile, Herod conceived of the idea of replacing the centuries-old temple with a magnificent new
temple for the Jews. Now, why would he do such a thing? To curry favor, with his subjects.

Work was begun in 21 BC with the dismantling of the ancient temple. It was a cooperative effort, between
the king and his subjects: Herod actually had a thousand of the Jewish priests trained as masons for the
work.

Herod’s temple was operational within 10 years, well before the birth of Jesus; but it was continually being
improved upon and expanded; it was not actually completed until 64 AD, 75 years after it was begun. As
Herod desired, his temple was a magnificent structure - considered one of the wonders of the ancient world.

Having shrewdly recruited the Jews for the building of the temple, Herod had ensured their acceptance of it
- in fact, it became a great source of Jewish reverence; even national pride. They considered this
magnificent temple a fitting house, for their God.

But the LORD was not in this house. When the LORD had chosen the children of Israel to be His own people,
He had given Moses instructions for the building of the tabernacle - the place where the LORD would dwell,
in the midst of His people (Ex 25:8).

Later, when Israel became established in the land, the LORD had given instructions to David, for the temple
his son Solomon was to build, in Jerusalem (1 Chr 22:1-10). And it was the LORD who commanded the
rebuilding of Zerubabbel’s temple, when the Jewish exiles returned, from Babylon (Ezra 1:1-4).

But the LORD assuredly didn’t give Herod instructions to build a temple for Him. The state of disrepair of
the temple in Jerusalem was an apt portrait of the actual spiritual condition of the nation Israel - their
relationship with their God was in shambles.

But thanks to Herod, the Jews now had the means of covering up their true spiritual condition - beneath the
magnificent structure of Herod’s temple. It was not unlike a lovely mausoleum, that covered a pile of dead
bones.

When the LORD had given instructions for the building of the tabernacle and the temple, He gave a specific
pattern for all their structures and furnishings (Ex 25:9; 1 Chr 28:19). But the LORD didn’t give the
instructions for Herod’s temple, did He? So Herod created his own pattern.

Herod maintained the dimensions inside the sanctuary itself - the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. No
doubt the Jews were very intent on getting those dimensions right - and Herod wouldn’t have cared, as that
was on the inside.

But on the outside, where it showed - where the sanctuary could be seen, by others - Herod deviated from
the pattern of Solomon’s temple. The outer walls of the sanctuary were over three times as high - an
ostentatious display, which was not a true reflection of what lay within.
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And Herod gave the temple a new face - with Greco-Roman columns, covered with gold. In Solomon’s
temple, all the gold was on the inside. On the outside of Solomon’s temple, the only metal was bronze.

But what difference did it make, if the metal was different? A great deal of difference - because Solomon’s
temple, like the tabernacle before it, was an elaborate portrayal of Israel’s Messiah, in His first coming to
the earth - as the Savior.

What does gold picture, in the Scriptures? Deity; the glory of God. The gold on the interior of the
sanctuary reflected the fact that Israel’s Messiah, her Savior, is also God. And that bronze? That signifies
judgment. Sin must be judged, in order for a man to enter into God’s presence.

But all of this meaning was lost, with Herod’s temple, for it wore its gold on the outside - displaying
instead the glory of man, to the world. Yet the Jews embraced this temple with all the tenacity that their
religious pride could muster - even down to its Greco-Roman façade.

After all, that made their temple - and their God - relevant, to the world; now they would fit in. And indeed,
they did fit into the world, with their new temple - that was a testimony, not to their God, but to their
religious system of works - Judaism.

For the presence of the LORD God had long ago departed from the temple - centuries before. Ezekiel was
given a vision of the glory of the LORD - as the glory first went up from the cherubim, on the ark of the
testimony; and then it departed from the sanctuary, and the outer court; and then departed from the east gate
of the LORD’s house; and the city; and then, from the mountain on the east side of the city - the Mount of
Olives (Eze 9:3, 10:4, 18, 19, 11:22-23).

The ark of the testimony itself disappeared with the final invasion of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; there is
no record of what happened to it. So the Most Holy Place, in Herod’s temple, was vacant; it contained
nothing holy, at all; just the emptiness, of the Jews’ religion.

Beyond the sanctuary itself, the pattern that the LORD had given David for the temple was abandoned by
Herod and the Jews, in other ways.

Instead of a single court to the temple, where all people were free to come, there were now multiple courts,
with multiple entrances - first, directly outside the sanctuary, the Court of the Priests - only priests allowed
there; then the court of Israel, where only Jewish men could come; then the Court of the Women, which
was as close as a woman could come, to the sanctuary; and finally, the Court of the Gentiles - way out there
- where anyone might come.

But if you were actually a Gentile, you must come no further than the Court of the Gentiles - multiple signs
posted indicated that violation of this would be punished with death.

All of these different courts were surrounded by walls, with stairs ascending to the next court, and the next
- which certainly would have communicated a lofty sense of magnificence, to Herod’s temple.

But what else did it communicate? Inequality of the worshipers; intolerance of outsiders; a distant, aloof
God, who is unknowable, unapproachable; and a complex, burdensome system of worshiping Him, which
cannot be mastered.
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How unlike the pattern the LORD God gave, for the tabernacle and Solomon’s temple! Outside the
sanctuary, where only the priests could enter, to minister, was a single court - where anyone might enter.
Both sanctuary and court had a single entrance.

Directly in front of the courtyard entrance was the bronze altar of burnt offering - picturing the Messiah,
who would become the sacrifice for sin - the altar, the cross. There’s the one way for a man to be justified -
through the One God sent - Christ, who took the penalty for sin.

And right in front of the entrance to the sanctuary was the bronze laver - there’s the one way for a believer
to be sanctified - through Christ, who gives the believer power over sin.

One way in, to the presence of God. No multiple entrances; no levels of worshipers; no walls of division
between them; no distance from God; just believe Him, and come right in. All are welcome. It’s simple and
clear.

Yet when Jesus went into the temple that day, and looked around, it was anything but simple and clear. Not
being a Levite, Jesus would not have gone into the sanctuary. But He would have looked at all of the
divisions in the courts, and the levels, and the numerous entrances.

Jesus would have seen women and Gentiles, prohibited from drawing near to God, to worship - or even to
see the offerings and sacrifices, being made - they were too far away.

And Jesus would have seen the marring of God’s pattern for the temple - which was nothing less than a
mutilation of the portrait the LORD had given to Israel, of her Messiah; His portrait - the One who would
give Himself, for them. Jesus had seen all of this before - but it must have grieved Him greatly, each time
He looked upon it.

And Jesus would have been further grieved to see the commercial venture, taking place at the temple. The
merchants would have set themselves up in the court of the Gentiles. This was considered by the Jews to
be the least sacred space, of the temple grounds - after all, Gentiles defiled it by their very presence.

At the time that Jesus was viewing the temple, the merchandizing may have ceased, for the day - but it
would be up and running again, in the morning.

So Matthew is most likely recording the return of Jesus from Bethany to Jerusalem, the next morning - as
suggested by Mark’s gospel (Mk 11:12).

But Matthew shows this episode in immediate succession to Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on the donkey,
which is then immediately followed by the cursing of the fig tree. Matthew is intent on bringing to the
minds of his earliest, Jewish readers that these three actions fulfill OT prophecies concerning Messiah
coming to His people.

From the Mount of Olives, the entrance to the temple precinct is through the East Gate, which leads
immediately into the court of the Gentiles. The sense is that Jesus would have been able to come on the
scene in the Court of the Gentiles quickly; we might say it was as if He came out of nowhere; suddenly.

The merchants were set up in stalls under the covered porticos in the Court of the Gentiles. They sold
animals for temple sacrifices; animals that were temple-approved, as being perfect and without spot - oxen
and sheep and doves. This way, a worshiper could be certain that his animal would be acceptable, by the
priests; and he didn’t have to haul it from far away. How convenient!
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The money changers did just that - they exchanged the money of pilgrims throughout the Roman Empire
into the temple coinage. This was necessary for the temple tax, which was paid in the Passover season -
supposedly a voluntary tax.

The Jews insisted on their own coinage for the payment of this tax, based on a very literal interpretation of
the original half-shekel redemption price for all male Jews, to be used for the service of the tabernacle (Ex
30:11-16) - it’s a Jewish coin.

Well, that’s convenient, too - to have one’s money changed right at the temple, before handing it over!
Religion is all about convenience.

Of course, there was a transaction fee, for these services - isn’t there always, for conveniences? Part of this
would go to the merchants, but a cut would also go to the temple - after all, the temple officials were giving
the merchants that space, for their operations - on temple grounds. Temple ground comes at a premium!

The use of that temple ground was a fairly recent innovation. The current High Priest, Caiaphas, had ruled
to move the merchant stalls there. They had previously been set upon the Mount of Olives, just outside the
city.

Although the Sanhedrin was not in favor of this development, Caiaphas persuaded the priests that it was a
great idea - and they gave their permission. After all, they must give every consideration to their religious
visitors!

But were they doing that? What of the Gentiles, who came to the temple in Jerusalem, to seek the God of
Israel? The court of the Gentiles was the one place appointed for them to worship - the only place they
might go to seek the true God, on pain of death. What would they see of Him, in this religious emporium?
How could they hear His voice, in the midst of the bleating and bartering?

They could not. Such worldly activity had no business being in a sacred space; and Jesus took measures to
remove it.

Let’s read that again, inverses 12 and 13.

21:12-13 Remember that Jesus had looked around the temple just the day before; He was completely
aware of this merchandizing being carried out in the court of the Gentiles - even though He had cleansed it
once before, at the beginning of His ministry. His actions do not reflect sudden anger - but burning zeal
(Jn 2:17).

Jesus had a love for the purity of the worship, that had been given to Israel by the LORD. The LORD had
given them a sacred space, where all men could come and meet Him, in prayer.

In that place, men could see God - through the ceremonial forms of the temple service. And through those
ceremonial practices, given by the LORD, men could learn about the true God - and the one and only basis
upon which they could approach Him - an approach that could be made by any man, who is willing to
come, God’s way.

But there was no purity of worship, in the Jews’ temple. The temple no longer reflected the Savior; the
sacrifices and offerings had become empty rituals; and the remaining space apportioned to the Gentiles had
been defiled by the corrupt practices of the world. So Jesus showed that He would take back this ground;
holy ground.
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It is almost certain that the actions of Jesus were limited, for the Court of the Gentiles occupied acres of
land. Also, if Jesus had disrupted the entire courtyard, it would certainly have drawn the full attention of
the temple authorities - or perhaps even the Roman garrison, stationed in the overhanging Fortress of
Antonia.

Yet what Jesus did was certainly more than just a token action, for Matthew says that Jesus drove out “all
those”. Jesus didn’t just tip over a table or two! We can visualize that He took action on all those who lay
in His path, as He made His way through one of the porticoes of the court.

Notice that Jesus drove out, not just those who sold in the temple - the merchants - but also those who
bought. By this, we understand that Jesus was not directing His action against the merchants, specifically,
but against the priestly establishment, who had allowed this practice of buying and selling, within the
temple itself. The issue was desecration of the sacred by the common - in this case, by worldly commerce.

As Jesus cleansed the Court of the Gentiles, He cited Scripture, in support of His action. Jesus took a
fragment from prophecies of both Isaiah and Jeremiah, in verse 13. In the original context, Isaiah spoke for
the LORD, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”. The LORD was specifically inviting
the nations to worship Him - the Gentile nations. That was the LORD’s intent.

But then Jesus added to that a word that Jeremiah had spoken for the LORD. It was the time when the
kingdom of Judah was about to come into the LORD’s judgment, for their faithlessness to Him.

Vainly they hoped they would be spared by the LORD, through the sacrifices and offerings they made to
Him, in their temple. But the LORD let them know He saw right through that. That was no longer the
temple of the LORD; it had become a den of thieves - who robbed Jehovah, of the worship due Him.

And so it was in this day. The religious rulers were robbing God of the worship due Him - from the Jews,
but also from the Gentiles. Jesus was showing them that their religious establishment would be overturned
- just like the tables of the money changers - and they would be driven out.

Behind the action of Jesus is a strong allusion to a prophecy of Malachi. Turn to Malachi chapter 3.

Malachi prophesied to Israel after their exile in Babylon, when they returned to the land. The people had
rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and the temple, but after a century, they had lapsed into a state of spiritual
complacency toward God. The people contented themselves with routine rituals of worship - all the while
keeping their hearts far from the LORD, and living as they pleased.

Malachi’s prophecies express the love of the LORD for His people, His grief over their hard-heartedness -
but also the certainty of His judgment, as they continued in their rejection of Him.

In chapter 3, Malachi prophesies of two messengers.

[Malachi 3:1-5]

3:1 It is the LORD, Jehovah, who will send His messenger. This is referring here to a prophet. This prophet
will prepare the way before “Me” - before Jehovah.

What’s also interesting is how it continues, here in verse 1. “And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly
come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight”.
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The Lord - that’s L-o-r-d - is not Jehovah, but Adonai in the Hebrew, which means Master. This Master is
the One whom Israel is seeking - to serve Him. He will suddenly come to His temple. He is also being
called a messenger - the Messenger of the covenant - not the same messenger who is preparing the way, but
the One whose way is being prepared - a second messenger.

So who would that be? That would be Israel’s Messiah - and Malachi says, the Jews delight in Him - or so
His true people should, right? He is coming, says Jehovah; the Coming One, your Master, your Owner; the
Messiah.

But which coming is this? Well in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told a crowd that this messenger being sent to
prepare the way was who? John the Baptist (Mt 11:10). So that would suggest Jesus in His first coming.

But the statement that He will come suddenly to His temple, and what follows, does not reflect His first,
but His second coming. And that is the direction the prophecy moves in, as Malachi continues.

v. 2-5 Who can endure the day of His coming? He will refine and purify His people; He will come in
judgment. Which coming of Messiah is this? His Second Coming.

[Return to Matthew 21]

The actions of Jesus at the temple perfectly reflect this. He came suddenly - the Lord, to His temple - and
cleansed the Court of the Gentiles - showing Himself to be the One who will one day come and purify the
sons of Levi - the priesthood. That awaits His second coming. In that future day, the worship in Israel will
be pure; and the LORD will be glorified, before all people.

As we continue in Matthew’s account, we read that the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple; and
He healed them. This is the only mention of Jesus healing in Jerusalem that we find in the Synoptic
accounts (Matthew, Mark and Luke) - and it is only in Matthew’s record. And Matthew gives us the
specific groups healed, which is unusual. He is either more general than that, or he gives details concerning
a specific healing.

For Matthew’s observant Jewish readers, the mention of the blind and the lame would tend to remind them
of a famous incident involving these very two groups, which took place in Jerusalem, shortly after David
had been made king.

Turn to Second Samuel chapter 5. David had just been anointed as king by all the tribes of Israel. But
Jerusalem still remained unconquered. It was in the hands of the Jebusites, an idolatrous Canaanite people.
Jerusalem was their stronghold.

[Second Samuel 5:6-8] So the Jebusites had taunted David, suggesting that David was so weak that even
“the blind and the lame” could defeat him. Little did they know the strength of David’s God!

David turned this taunt right back around on them, turning it into an encouragement for his men. David
challenged his men to secretly climb up a water shaft into the city, and defeat the hated Jebusites - whom
David now labels before his men as “the lame and the blind”. The men who accepted the challenge were
apparently successful, and David secured the city.
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At the end of the passage, we see that a proverbial saying arose from this incident - “the blind and the lame
shall not come into the house”. The Jebusites sought to keep David out; instead, David put them out.

What Matthew’s Jewish readers would observe in recalling this account is that the Jebusites, who were
Gentiles, had been put out of Jerusalem by King David; but now, through the coming of Jesus, who is the
Son of David, the Gentiles were being welcomed to come back into the house - the temple of God - to find
healing, from their sin-sickness.

By this time, it appears that the temple authorities had learned of the incident in the Court of the Gentiles.
They arrived to find Jesus healing the people. Let’s read that again, from verse 15.

21:15-16 The chief priests and scribes, along with the elders suggest members of the Sanhedrin - the
Jewish judicial council. These are the governing authorities in Jerusalem, with the chief priests being
directly responsible for the temple - these would be Sadducees.

It would seem that, by the time they came to Jesus, He was healing the blind and the lame, who had come
to Him. Apparently, these miraculous healings meant nothing, to the authorities!

What they saw instead was that this made it very difficult for them to act against Jesus, because of His
favor with the people. Also, at the back of their minds, the religious authorities always had to weigh any
action they took, knowing that if a riot ensued, the Roman garrison would get involved.

But when these religious authorities heard the children proclaiming Jesus the Son of David, and calling on
Him for salvation - “Hosanna! - Save now!”, they could not contain themselves. These foolish little ones
were calling Jesus the Messiah. This was outrageous! Their question to Jesus - “Do you hear what these
are saying?” - was no less than a veiled demand that Jesus correct the children.

But did Jesus do that? Of course not; instead, He simply acknowledged to the authorities that He heard
what the children were saying; “Yes”. This was a subtle affirmation of what the children were doing; and
what they proclaimed.

But then Jesus took the authorities further. He cited a verse to them from Psalm 8. It is a psalm about
Jehovah, as the Creator - Who is worthy to be praised. So who is being praised, in the original psalm?
Jehovah - God. And who is being praised, by these children at the temple? Jesus. By citing the psalm,
Jesus was claiming the right to be worshiped as God.

In the original psalm, it says that from the mouth of babes, the LORD has ordained strength - the strength of
praise - because of His enemies - to silence them (Ps 8:2). I wonder if the enemies of Jesus were silenced
this day, at least for a moment - as the children’s praises rang in their ears.

In verse 17, Matthew indicates that Jesus left them. Jesus always had to leave behind those who refused to
follow Him. But He would return, to confront the authorities again and again, in order to give His people
every opportunity to receive their King.

Reading: Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24; Jer 24; Hosea 9

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Hereditary priests who were blind or lame were not permitted in the sanctuary - Lev 21:18. This rule was
extended in time to exclude all the blind and lame - 2 Sam 5:8. Although those who controlled the temple
would not have opposed their presence in the outer court, Acts 3:2, Jesus’ emphasis on ministry to them
here makes a countercultural statement.