“And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade’” (John 2:16; all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

“And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of robbers’” (Luke 19:45-46).

People have always tried to profit from religion. Profiteering prophets are not new. Some televangelists are famous for their love of money. Some megachurches operate like corporations, with a highly paid CEO wearing the title “Senior Pastor.” There are even some non-religious businesses whose owners will promote their companies by advertising that they are Christians, even if their business practices ignore biblical principles and ethics.

It is not new. It might be more common in modern America, where mass media makes it easier for a preacher to reach more people with his “send me $1000 if you want God to bless you” message. But, there was a money-making element to religion in Jesus’ day too.

Many of us know the story: Jesus enters the temple, sees all the moneychangers, and starts flipping over the tables. We think He is losing His mind over the money-grubbing.

Something else was going on, though. Sure, it disturbed Him that people were making money in His Father’s name, perhaps selling overpriced sacrificial animals or charging high exchange rates when people exchanged their Roman coins for temple currency.

But, on top of that, this was happening in a part of the temple known as “the court of the Gentiles.” The temple in Jesus’ day had several areas, some with restrictions on who could enter. The outermost court was open to people from all nations. Gentiles who wanted to worship the God of Israel were welcome in the court of the Gentiles. Their sole opportunity to feel “close to God,” though, was robbed of any spiritual peace. Imagine trying to pray and read your Bible while goats are bleating, cattle are mooing, and moneychangers and priests are haggling with people about money. The temple was supposed to be “a house of prayer.” When Jesus said the words of Luke 19:46, He was quoting the prophet Isaiah, who said,

“these I will bring to my holy mountain,
 and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
 will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
 for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).

God’s house was intended to be a house of prayer for all people, not only the Jews. An important part of the Lord’s covenant with His people was that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). But distrust and contempt of people from other backgrounds turned them from this mission.

Jesus still calls us to draw all men to Himself. Let us resist the temptation to use our faith as a means to earthly gain. Let us not allow our pursuit of God’s blessings to make us turn our backs on those who need to know Him. Let us not allow our biases, prejudices, or personal agendas to stand between lost sinners, struggling souls, etc., and the one who has saved us and offers salvation to them as well.

Copyright © 2024 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.