Monday – “A House of Prayer”

Text: Matthew 21:12–17

Scripture: Matthew 21:12–17 – Matthew 21:12-17 WEB
Jesus entered into the temple of God and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. [13] He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!” [14] The lame and the blind came to him in the temple, and he healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant, [16] and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of children and nursing babies, you have perfected praise?’” [17] He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.

On the day after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus walks into the temple and sees something that stirs His righteous anger. The house of prayer, the sacred space dedicated to communion with God, had been turned into a marketplace. Tables for exchanging money and selling animals filled the courts. A place that was meant to reflect heaven had become a place of noise, greed, and exploitation.

Jesus, with prophetic clarity, overturns the tables and drives out the merchants, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of robbers.” This moment is powerful and confrontational. It reveals to us a Jesus who is not passive in the face of injustice or spiritual corruption. He acts decisively, cleansing what has been defiled.

We must ask ourselves today: what does Jesus see when He looks into the temple of our hearts? Are there tables set up in our lives that need to be overturned? Are there places within us where self-interest has taken the place of reverence? Holy Week is a time of cleansing, of examining our lives, our motivations, our worship.

Notice also that after Jesus cleanses the temple, He begins healing. The blind and the lame come to Him in the very courts He had just cleared, and He receives them. He heals them. The cleansing made space for true worship, for restoration, for divine presence. This is always the way of Jesus. He removes what is false in order to make room for what is holy.

Children begin to cry out in the temple, echoing the praises from the day before: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” Even after the tables are flipped and the dust has settled, praise rises up again. Where Jesus is present, worship springs forth.

As we reflect on this passage, we are invited to allow Jesus to cleanse our hearts. It may be uncomfortable, even painful, but it is always for our healing. His goal is not condemnation but restoration. He wants to make our lives places of prayer, where heaven and earth meet.

Application: Set aside time today to ask the Lord: What in me needs to be overturned? What barriers keep me from being a person of prayer and worship? Invite Jesus into those spaces. Let Him clear out the noise and make room for healing.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, come into the temple of my heart. Overturn the tables that should not be there. Cleanse me from distraction, pride, and anything that keeps me from true worship. Let my life be a house of prayer, a place where You dwell. Amen.

---

Image generation by WordPress Ai.

Please note this blog is written in British English!

Please subscribe. Let’s support each other. I always follow back.

© Richard J Kirk, writing as Joseph R Mason – 2025. If you want to know why, see:
https://josephmasonauthor.com/about/ 

If you like what you read, treat me to a coffee:  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/josephiu

Thank you.