Introduction: Arriving after the Triumphal Entry on the back of a lowly donkey colt Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem. There are really three parts to these two passages. We will deal with them separately.
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Comment: On arriving in Jerusalem Jesus went to the temple. That was where the Ark of God stood in the Holiest of Holies. There Jehovah God was ‘pictured’, although there was no idol or anything to image the Infinite All-powerful God, as sitting in His mercy on the golden Mercy Seat! But Jesus found prayer replaced with profiting! Worship pushed aside for wealth! All of it covered with a thick layer of religious hypocrisy. He acted appropriately!
14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they 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 infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise’?”
Comment: It is not surprising that Jesus continued to show His Divine powers in His healing ministry, having just arrived as the King into His city! It is not surprising that the ‘healed’ and their friends and relatives should shout out their praises to One who had ridden in with the shouts of the crowds. The crowds who had proclaimed Him as the Son of David! It also is not surprising that the religious leaders asked why Jesus didn’t accuse the mass of people of blasphemy, people whom they considered as ignorant and childish in their theological understanding. Jesus quoted Ps 8 v2 to them, “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.”
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Comment: Obviously. according to this passage, Jesus, the Galilean, the so-called ‘prophet’ was teaching when He was ‘side-lined’ by the religious bosses from the big city and asked, ‘who do you think that you are?’ They certainly didn’t put in a capital “Y” when they said ‘you’! In red above you read the first reply of Jesus to their challenge. He answered with a question, saying ‘If you answer my question I will answer yours!’ Their dilemma was the same as ours often is – honesty leads us to face challenge and potential change, which we are not prepared to make. If Jesus asks you the same question, how would you answer it? In fact His whole life was an answer to their question, and they refused to listen!
Proverbs 12: 22 – Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Prayer: Help me to be honest with You and hear Your answers to my questions in my life and obey. Please!
As I read it! 