The Day Jesus Cleaned House

[336 words] Why did Jesus have to cleanse the temple? Why was He not content to just let things go on business as usual? In John 2, Jesus “cleans house” literally because those Jews had made the temple a “house of merchandise” (John 2:16). There were things, behaviors, and attitudes that didn’t belong in a house dedicated to the Lord. 1 Corinthians talks about the temple of the Lord being both the individual human body and the collective body of the church (see 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20). Can Christians look with the eyes of Jesus and see the point when there are things which wholly don’t belong and ought to be “driven out?” Consider some principles about cleansing the “temple:” Cleansing starts with seeing the things that are out of place. Jesus knew those moneychangers didn’t belong there. He knew God’s view of those things in His house. What was…