On Monday, April 30, 30 AD, or Monday, March 30, 33 AD, the day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and committed the most famous act of righteous indignation in history.
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” – Matthew 21:12–13 (KJV)
The temple was meant to be a sacred place. A house of prayer. A place for worship and repentance. But instead, Jesus found corruption. Greed. Exploitation. Merchants and moneychangers had taken over the Court of the Gentiles—the one area where non-Jews could come near to worship. And they turned it into a marketplace.
Historically, Jewish pilgrims who traveled long distances couldn’t bring sacrificial animals with them, so they bought them near the temple. The problem wasn’t the availability of doves or lambs—it was the price-gouging, exploitation, and the fact that this commerce was happening right inside the sacred space.
Jesus didn’t quietly shake His head. He turned over tables. He drove them out.
His zeal for His Father’s house was not passive—it was active, bold, and unapologetic.
What upsets you?
I’m not suggesting you should go out and start kicking over tables, but what is sacred to you? What are you zealous for?
People often get upset about things that shouldn’t upset them. And people often don’t get bothered by the things that should bother them. Let that not be said about you and me.
May our hearts be given to the Lord and may our passions be intertwined with His.
Thank you for Reading!
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