Luke 19:45-48

Butler's Comments

SECTION 5

Prayer (Luke 19:45-48)

45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46saying to them, It is written, -My house shall be a house of prayer-'; but you have made it a den of robbers.

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Luke 19:45-46 Temple Purged: Apparently Jesus and the Twelve entered Jerusalem each morning for four successive days and went out to lodge in Bethany each night. He entered Jerusalem Sunday morning for the Triumphal Entry and returned to Bethany that night, doing the same on Monday, Tuesday and probably Wednesday (cf. Mark 11:11; Matthew 21:18; Mark 11:19-28; Luke 21:37-38). Thursday He entered the city to keep the Passover (Matthew 26:18-20), was arrested that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, put on trial all night long and crucified on Friday. On Sunday He merely entered the Temple precincts, looked around at the despicable commercialization and exploitation of the Temple and its worshipers and departed for Bethany with the Twelve since it was late in the evening (cf. Matthew 21:10-17; Mark 11:11).

As He returned toward Jerusalem the next morning (Monday), He cursed the unproductive fig tree (Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14. After entering the city on Monday He went to the Temple and taught and healed. Children shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David and Jesus cautioned the indignant Pharisees, ... Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise..

The incident of the cleansing of the Temple in our text took place on that same Monday, (see also Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19). The Temple of Jesus-' day was magnificent. Herod the Great initiated grandiose plans in 20 B.C. for remodeling the Temple Zerubbabel had finished about 516 B.C. This remodeling was not completed until 64 A.D. (only 6 years before it was totally destroyed in 70 A.D.). Workers and materials were scattered about the Temple which Jesus knew. Ten thousand workers were employed in its remodeling. With nearly 3,000,000 people in Jerusalem at Passover time, and most of them coming to the Temple at least once a day, it was a very packed and busy place. Jesus was there probably every day of this last week. He would naturally gravitate to the Temple because of the teeming masses of people there at Passover time. He would have not only somewhat of a captive audience, but one with its mind concentrating on spiritual things. There also, were the rulers and religious leaders of the whole nation. This last week is the nation's moment of truth. This last week will be the crisis of the cosmos (see. comments on Luke 21:1-38). No longer will He keep a low profile on His Messiahship. Now is the time the issue is to be faced openly, thoroughly and plainly. There must be no lingering doubts about how much authority Jesus claims. The logical place for that authority to be claimed is the Temple. In addition to all this, the Temple, and its services, will provide immediate, vivid symbolism and typology for Him to relate His redemptive work to the Old Testament of the Jews. Thus, He entered the Temple.

The Court of the Gentiles was called the Bazaar of Annas because the family of the High Priest made their fortune from the markets there. The Court of the Gentiles was a public place very much like the Forum in Rome or the Agora in Athens where anyone could go, including infidels, heretics, excommunicated Jews or unclean Jews. It was always crowded like a modern Farmer's market with people gossiping, buying, shopping, strolling around and selling. Merchants from all over the world were allowed to set up booths in it to hawk their wares. Along the walls, the huge colonnades (sheltered walk-ways) were gathering places, Roman soldiers walked along the roofs at Passover time patrolling the Court. It was big business. Over $1,000,000 a year was cleared by the family of the High Priest. The Roman general, Crassus, plundered the Temple of $30,000,000 himself. The family of the High Priest had a corner on the market of kosher animals and kosher money for sale to Passover pilgrims. Jewish worshipers came from all over the Roman empire. Many of them could not bring a Passover lamb or Jewish shekels for their offerings. Nothing else was acceptable. Furthermore, all the priests had to do was pronounce any lamb that had been brought, unsuitable, and another one had to be obtained before the worshiper could observe the Passover. Often prices at the great feasts went up as much as fifteen times over the usual price of a lamb or a shekel. People were being exploited and defrauded in the name of religion.
Jesus was angry about this. He entered the Temple courts and began to drive out those who sold. The Greek word translated drive out is ekballein and means literally, throw out. It is a word of action. Matthew records that He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of the merchants. The meek and mild Jesus vents His anger. There is a righteous magnificence to His roughness. He is demonstrating by actions what the prophets said so many times about the zeal of the Messiah for justice and relieving the oppression of the poor (Isaiah 9:7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 61:1-4). As long as there was corruption in the Temple and its priesthood, there would be corruption in the whole nation. Where there is corruption in the religious leadership of any nation it will filter down and permeate the whole citizenry.

God never intended His house (covenant family) to become a marketplace where men buy and sell, exploit the weak and powerless, and worship the god mammon. Isaiah predicted that God's house (the church) would be set aside to evangelize the foreigner and call all who would to come into covenant relationship and worship (prayer), (Isaiah 56:1-12). Jeremiah told the people of his day the Lord was going to remove them from their land and take His presence from them because they made His house a den of robbers, There is, in Jesus-' reference to both these prophecies, a direct claim to deity and messianic authority. He vindicates His actions by claiming the divine authority of messianic prophecy.

Superdome of New Orleans, La., in relative size to the Temple in Jesus-' day.

Luke 19:47-48 Teaching Popular: Jesus, in this action on Monday, excited a whole spectrum of emotions that lasted for several days as He taught in the Temple.

a.

The rulers were indignant (Matthew 21:15) and sought to kill Him (Luke 19:47-48.

b.

The sick flocked to Him to be healed (Matthew 21:14).

c.

The children shouted Biblical praises, (Matthew 21:15-16). d. Most of the multitude watched and listened in astonishment, awe and appreciation, hanging on His words (Luke 19:48).

For one brief moment the Temple was what it should bebeautiful, holy and spiritual. It was untidy and noisy, but lovely. For one brief moment the Temple was no longer a market-place that made you feel dirty and ashamed for having been there. It was a house of prayer and glory to God. For one brief moment Jesus revived in the minds of the worshipers the spiritual ideals and atmosphere of the Temple and turned them from their crass materialism.
The rulers were filled with rage and would have killed Him on the spot but they were afraid to do so. Jesus did something which was very popular with the multitudes. It warmed their heart to see anyone with enough courage to take action and overturn money tables and drive the merchants out. With only a slight provocation, the crowds would have joined Jesus against the rulers. Furthermore, the rulers were guilty and they knew they were guilty. What Jesus was doing was right and their consciences told them so. Guilty consciences have made many powerful men cowards. Finally, although they were filled with rage, they were also calculating. They knew the expedient thing to do was wait for the right moment and hope for an opportunity to make Jesus appear to be the criminal. Then they knew they could win the popularity of the multitudes to their side.

The church, made of living stones, is God's temple today (Ephesians 2:11-22). He wants it to be His house of prayer and evangelism. He is angry when it prostitutes itself before the gods of materialism, false teaching and sensuality. Some of the last admonitions of the New Testament are for the church to purge itselfto repentlest He come and take away its light (cf. Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22). Let the church know what happened to the Temple (Matthew 23:37 to Matthew 24:35; Matthew 21:5-33), and repent.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

1.

Would you risk your reputation to visit in the home of a traitor to teach about God's kingdom if invited? Jesus did!

2.

Is the religious experience of Zacchaeus (his salvation) an accurate example for salvation now?

3.

What does the Parable of the Pounds do for your concept of rewards in heaven?

4.

What do you think about faithfulness as the divine criterion for reward versus amount of work accomplished? Can you think of other teachings in the N.T. along the same line?

5.

Have you ever been tempted to think of God as austere and too demanding? How do you overcome it?

6.

Do you believe the Master has given you a pound to invest? What is it? Have you invested it?

7.

What do you think you would have thought had you been a Roman soldier stationed in the city of Jerusalem the day Jesus rode in on the colt? What do you think you would do today if He rode into your town in an old, broken down automobile-', followed by an entourage of common laborers, farmers and alleged traitors, claiming to be President of the United States?

8.

Have you ever wept over the impenitence of your: home town? Have you ever grieved over all the lost people who live there?

9.

How many people do you know who have never acknowledged that Jesus was God in the flesh, visiting mankind? Have you ever talked to them about this?

10.

Are there religious leaders making God's house (the church) a den of robbers today? How does Christ feel about this? What about your body as the temple of the Holy Spiritis there anything in it that Christ might want to drive out?

Applebury's Comments

Cleansing the Temple
Scripture

Luke 19:45-48 And he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold, 46 saying unto them, It is written, And my house shall be a house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of robbers.

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him: 48 and they could not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon him, listening.

Comments

began to cast out them that sold.All three of the synoptic writers record this incident (Matthew 21:12-14; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48). But John gives the account of the cleansing of the temple that occurred at the beginning of Jesus-' ministry (John 2:13-22). There is no good reason for assuming that such an incident could not have occurred at the beginning of His ministry and again at its close. The fact that they are similar does not rule out the possibility of two separate cleansings. It takes a very short time for people to revert to their old ways. Selling sacrificial animals was undoubtedly a very good business, and the merchants did not give it up for long.

It is written.Jesus-' appeal to what was written shows His approval of the Old Testament Scriptures. Jews pretended to approve them, but their conduct proved otherwise.

The temple was not built as a place of business, but as a house of prayer. It was a place for worshippers to offer their gifts and sacrifices to the Lord. It was a place where they were to receive His gracious blessings.
They had so perverted this purpose that Jesus said, You have made it a den of robbers.

The church is the temple of God. In the light of what happened to the temple in Jerusalem, Christian people might well examine their relation to this spiritual temple to see if it too has been put to other uses than the divinely appointed one. See 1 Peter 2:1-10. In the light of what is written, what will the answer be?

And he was teaching daily in the temple.From beginning to end, Jesus-' ministry was one of teaching as He proclaimed good news to the people. A return to a teaching ministry in the church is long overdue.

sought to destroy him.There was no denying what their real intent was; they were bent on destroying this One who was taking their place in the hearts of the people. The conspiracy included the chief priests and scribes and the prominent men of the nation.

There was only one thing holding them back: How could they do it without violent reaction from the people? The people were clinging to His words as they listened to Him. What a thrilling experience it must have been to hear the Teacher sent from God tell the story of eternal life!

Summary

As Luke neared the close of his account of the Life of Christ, he crowded as many incidents into it as possible. Five are given in this chapter, some of which are mentioned only briefly.
The story of Zacchaeus presents another practical defense of Jesus-' ministry in behalf of the lost sinner. He was criticized, of course, for going into the house of this chief publican, but He answered, The Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.
The Parable of the Pounds answers many questions about the nature of the kingdom of God. The story of the nobleman who went into a far country to receive a kingdom and return shows that Jesus was soon to return to the Father where He would be seated at the right hand of the throne of God and reign as King until the end of the age. Then He will return to call upon His servants to render account of their stewardship. Those who have been faithful will be rewarded accordingly, but no excuse will be accepted for failing to carry out His orders. Even the opportunity to serve will be taken away from the one who does not use it in this life. Those who reject Him as King will be destroyed when He comes again.
The story of the Triumphal Entry presents Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt as the prophet had said. As He came to the descent of the mount of Olives, He was met by a crowd that spontaneously cried out, Blessed is the King that comes in the name of the Lord. The ubiquitous Pharisees heard it and said, Teacher, rebuke your disciples. He said, I tell you if they become silent, the stones will cry out. But soon the enemy would stir them up and they would be yelling, Let him be crucified.
As Jesus looked at the city He wept over it. If you had known the things that belong to peace, but now they are hid from your eyes. The time would come when their city would be besieged, its people dashed to the ground, and its buildings utterly destroyed. All this was because they did not know the One sent from God with the message of peace.
He went into the city and once again found the temple being used as a place of merchandise. He drove out the merchants as He had done at the beginning of His ministry and said again, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer. You have made it a den of robbers.
As He was teaching in the temple, the chief priests and scribes and prominent men were seeking a way to destroy Him. How to do it without arousing the people, was their only concern, for all the people were hanging on His words, listening to the story of eternal life.

Questions

1.

What is known about the history of Jericho?

2.

Why was Zacchaeus called a chief publican?

3.

Why did he want to see Jesus?

4.

How did he overcome his handicap?

5.

Why did Jesus say, I must abide in your house today?

6.

What did the crowds say about this?

7.

What did Zacchaeus propose to do about his life?

8.

What is the significance of the remark: If I have wrongfully exacted aught?

9.

Why did Jesus say that salvation had come to his house?

10.

What did his being a son of Abraham have to do with it?

11.

What was the purpose of Jesus-' ministry as seen in His remark at the close of the story of Zacchaeus?

12.

What was the occasion for telling the Parable of the Pounds?

13.

What is the parable about?

14.

Why didn-'t the people understand Jesus-' purpose in going to Jerusalem?

15.

Who is represented by the nobleman in the parable?

16.

What does the parable teach about the kingdom of God and the office of Christ as King?

17.

When did He receive the kingdom?

18.

What will He do when He comes again?

19.

What are His servants to do while He is away?

20.

Who are represented by the citizens who refused to have Him as their King?

21.

On what basis were the servants rewarded?

22.

What lesson is taught by the one who didn-'t use his talent?

23.

When will the opportunity to serve be taken away?

24.

What will happen to those who reject Christ as King?

25.

What does Bethphage mean? Bethany?

26.

Where were these villages located?

27.

How explain the owners willingness to let the disciples take the colt?

28.

What is suggested by the fact that Jesus rode the colt into Jerusalem?

29.

What did the people say when they saw Him coming?

30.

What was the objection of the Pharisees?

31.

How explain Jesus-' answer?

32.

What did Jesus do when He saw the city? Why?

33.

What is meant by the time of visitation?

34.

What was to happen to the city? When?

35.

What evidence is there to support the view that Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning of His ministry and again at its close?

36.

What is the significance of Jesus-' statement, It is written?

37.

What method did Jesus use in His ministry and what does it suggest for the present age?

38.

Who were involved in the conspiracy to destroy Jesus?

39.

What was restraining them?

40.

How does Luke describe the attitude of the people toward Jesus-' ministry of teaching?