Matthew 21:12-17 - The Cleansing Of The Temple

¹² Entering the Temple, Jesus drove out all who were buying and selling there, and overturned the money-changers' tables and the seats of the pigeon-dealers. ¹³ "It is written," He said, "'My House shall be called the House of Prayer', but you are making it a robbers' cave."

¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to Him in the Temple, and He cured them. ¹⁵ But when the High Priests and the Scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done and the children who were crying aloud in the Temple, "God save the Son of David," they were filled with indignation. ¹⁶ "Do you hear," they asked Him, "what these children are saying?" "Yes," He replied; "have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of infants and of babes at the breast Thou hast brought forth the praise which is due'?"

¹⁷ So He left them and went out of the city to Bethany and passed the night there.

¹⁵ They reached Jerusalem, and entering the Temple He began to drive out the buyers and sellers, and upset the money-changers' tables and the stools of the pigeon-dealers, ¹⁶ and would not allow any one to carry anything through the Temple.

¹⁷ And He remonstrated with them. "Is it not written," He said, "'My House shall be called The House of Prayer for all the nations?' But you have made it what it now is--a robbers' cave." ¹⁸ This the High Priests and Scribes heard, and they began to devise means to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because of the deep impression produced on all the people by His teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came on, Jesus and His disciples used to leave the city.

⁴⁵ Then Jesus entered the Temple and proceeded to drive out the dealers. ⁴⁶ "It is written," He said, "'And My house shall be the House of Prayer,' but you have made it a robbers' cave."

⁴⁷ And day after day He taught in the Temple, while the High Priests and the Scribes were devising some means of destroying Him, as were also the leading men of the people. ⁴⁸ But they could not find any way of doing it, for the people all hung upon His lips.

¹⁴ And He found in the Temple the dealers in cattle and sheep and in pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. ¹⁵ So He plaited a whip of rushes, and drove all--both sheep and bullocks--out of the Temple. The small coin of the brokers He upset on the ground and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ And to the pigeon-dealers He said, "Take these things away. Do not turn my Father's house into a market."

¹⁷ This recalled to His disciples the words of Scripture, "My zeal for Thy House will consume me."

¹⁸ So the Jews asked Him, "What proof of your authority do you exhibit to us, seeing that you do these things?"

¹⁹ "Demolish this Sanctuary," said Jesus, "and in three days I will rebuild it."

²⁰ "It has taken forty-six years," replied the Jews, "to build this Sanctuary, and will you rebuild it in three days?"

²¹ But He was speaking of the Sanctuary of His body. ²² When however He had risen from among the dead, His disciples recollected that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the teaching which Jesus had given them.