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Christ Confronts Corruption in the Temple
This chapter is based on John 2:12-22.
“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem.” Jesus had not yet announced His mission publicly,
and He mingled unnoticed with the crowd. On these occasions, the
Messiah’s coming was often the theme of conversation. Jesus knew
that their hope of national greatness would be disappointed, for it was
based on a misinterpretation of Scripture. With deep earnestness,
He explained the prophecies and tried to stir up the people to study
God’s Word more closely.
At Jerusalem during the Passover week, large numbers of people
assembled from all parts of Palestine, and even from distant lands.
The temple courts were filled with a great variety of people. Many
were unable to bring with them the sacrifices they were to offer as
representing the one great Sacrifice. For their convenience, animals
were bought and sold in the outer court.
Every Jew was required to pay “a ransom for himself” each
year, and the money collected helped to support the temple. See
Exodus 30:12-16
. Besides this, people brought large sums as freewill
offerings to be deposited in the temple treasury. And all foreign coins
had to be changed for a coin called the temple shekel, which was
accepted for the service of the sanctuary. The money-changing gave
opportunity for fraud and extortion. It had grown into a disgraceful
business, which was a source of income to the priests.
The worshipers had been taught to believe that if they did not of-
fer sacrifices, the blessing of God would not rest on their children or
their lands. The dealers demanded exorbitant prices for the animals
sold, and they shared their profits with the priests and rulers, who
enriched themselves this way at the expense of the people.
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