The Cleaning of the Temple – JSS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

The cleansing of the Temple is the event in which Jesus drove the animal sellers and money changers out of the Jerusalem Temple courts.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Describe the Jerusalem Temple in Jesus’ time.
2. Explain the activities in the Temple that made Jesus angry.
3. State what Jesus did and said during the cleansing.
4. Explain the meaning of the event in Jesus’ ministry.
5. Apply lessons from the event to worship today.

What is the cleansing of the Temple?

It is the event in which Jesus showed anger that buying and selling had replaced worship in God’s house.

• Where recorded: all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).
• Jesus’ attitude: righteous anger toward practices that spoiled the purpose of the Temple.
• Effect: it challenged the religious leaders and showed Jesus’ authority.
• Teaching: it pointed to true worship and to Jesus as the true Temple of God’s presence.

Key terms

• Temple: the house of God in Jerusalem, where Jews offered sacrifices and prayers.
• Pilgrim: a person who travels a long way to worship at a holy place.
• Gentile: a person who is not a Jew.
• Righteous anger: anger against wrongdoing, with no selfish motive.
• Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke, which tell many events in a similar way.

What was the Jerusalem Temple like in Jesus’ time?

The Temple in Jesus’ time was Herod’s Temple (the Second Temple), the centre of Jewish religious life.

• Building: construction began around 20 BC and continued throughout Jesus’ lifetime.
• Worship: it was the only place where certain sacrifices and offerings could be made.
• Wider role: it was a religious centre and also an economic and political institution.

What were the main parts of the Temple?

• Court of the Gentiles: the outermost court, set aside for prayer by non-Jews.
• Court of Women: the next area inward, open to Jewish women and men.
• Court of Israel: the area for Jewish men.
• Holy of Holies: the innermost part, the place of God’s special presence.

Why were money changers and animal sellers in the Temple?

They provided the right money and the right animals that pilgrims needed for Temple worship.

• The problem: these activities took place in the Court of the Gentiles.
• Effect on Gentiles: the noise and crowds left little space for their prayer.
• Effect on pilgrims: prices and exchange rates were unfair, and the poor suffered most.

Where is the cleansing of the Temple recorded?

It is recorded in all four Gospels.

When did it happen?

• Synoptic Gospels: they place the event in Jesus’ final week before his crucifixion.
• John’s Gospel: it places the event at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

Some scholars give two explanations:

1. Two separate cleansings happened, one early and one late in Jesus’ ministry.
2. The event happened once, and the writers placed it at different points for teaching reasons.

What did Jesus do and say when he cleansed the Temple?

Jesus drove out the traders, overturned their tables and taught about the true purpose of the Temple.

What did Jesus do?

• Drove out traders: he sent away those selling animals and changing money.
• Overturned tables: he upset the tables of the money changers and the benches of the dove sellers.
• Stopped carrying: he would not let people carry goods through the Temple courts (Mark’s account).
• Accused them: he said they had made God’s house a “den of robbers”.
• Taught: he explained from Scripture what the Temple was for.
• Healed: he healed the blind and lame who came to him in the Temple (Matthew’s account).

What did Jesus say?

• Matthew, Mark and Luke: “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers'” (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46).
• John 2:16: “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
• John 2:19: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Jesus was speaking about his own body.

What is the meaning of the cleansing of the Temple?

The cleansing shows Jesus’ authority, his concern for the poor and Gentiles, and his role as the new Temple.

1. Prophetic action

• Symbolic act: Old Testament prophets also used dramatic actions to give God’s message.
• Zeal for God’s house: Psalm 69:9 speaks of zeal for God’s house, which the disciples recalled (John 2:17).
• Malachi: the event fits Malachi 3:1-4, where the Lord comes to purify his Temple.

2. Authority over the Temple

• Divine authority: Jesus acted in God’s house as the Son of God.
• Challenge to leaders: he challenged the priests and Temple officials.
• Result: the religious leaders looked for a way to kill him (Mark 11:18).

3. Condemning exploitation

• Unfair trade: Jesus condemned the cheating of pilgrims through high prices and exchange rates.
• The poor: these practices made it harder for poor people to worship.
• Wrong priorities: money-making had taken the place of prayer.

4. Welcome for the Gentiles

• Lost space: the market was in the Court of the Gentiles, so non-Jews had little room to pray.
• Isaiah 56:7: Jesus quoted, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
• Lesson: God cares for all peoples, including non-Jews.

5. Jesus as the new Temple

• Death and resurrection: in John’s account, Jesus linked the cleansing to his death and rising on the third day.
• New dwelling place: his body would replace the building as the place of God’s presence.
• New worship: worship would no longer depend on one physical place.

What lessons can Christians learn from the cleansing today?

Christians learn to keep worship sincere, fair to all and free from greed.

• True worship: church practices should help people meet God. Ask: what “tables” need to be overturned in our lives?
• Righteous anger: Jesus was angry at systems that kept people from God. Ask: how do we tell selfish anger from righteous anger?
• Honest money: faith must never become a way to cheat or exploit people. Ask: how does money affect worship today?
• Welcome for all: worship places should be open to every person. Ask: which groups may feel unwelcome in our churches?
• Living temples: God’s presence now lives in believers. Ask: what responsibilities come with this?

What activities help students learn this topic?

1. Temple mapping: draw the Temple, label the courts and say who could enter each one.
2. Gospel comparison: compare the four accounts and list similarities and differences.
3. Role-play: act as a priest, a money changer, a poor pilgrim, a Gentile worshipper and a disciple. Say how each saw Jesus’ actions.
4. Modern equivalents: list things today that may keep people from true worship.
5. Creative response: write a short reflection or draw what Jesus might “cleanse” today.

Evaluation

1. Name the four Gospels that record the cleansing of the Temple.
2. Why did people need to change money in the Temple?
3. State three things Jesus did when he cleansed the Temple.
4. Which court of the Temple was used as a marketplace, and why did this matter for non-Jewish worshippers?
5. What did Jesus mean when he said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days”?

Assignment

Write a short paragraph on two lessons Christians today can learn from the cleansing of the Temple. Use ideas from the sections on meaning and lessons for today.

Further reading

• “The Temple and the Church’s Mission” by G.K. Beale
• “The Jewish Temple: A Non-Biblical Sourcebook” by Robert Hayward