Jesus Clears the Temple

Mark 11:15-19
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves,
16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
17 And as he taught them, he said, Is it not written:
'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'?
But you have made it 'a den of robbers'.
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

What was going on here?

The area where they were trading was the court of the gentiles and as they were using the court of the gentiles they were robbing the gentiles of their place in Gods house.

Jesus hated people being robbed of a place in Gods house.

Matthew 23:13
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

The scribes and Pharisees made rules to stop people entering the kingdom of heaven. They made rules to hinder people entering Gods house. This is what Jesus hated.

They were denying the gentiles access into Gods house and religion still denies gentiles into Gods house today.

John 2:15-17
15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 To those who sold doves he said, Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!
17 His disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me.

Why didn't Jesus like his Fathers house being turned into a market?

They were selling animals for people to buy to be sacrificed.

To get blessed people were encouraged to buy things. It can be a dove or a set of videos or a book but what God offers is free. Not only were they denying gentiles a place in Gods house but they were making it harder for Gods people to receive from him too.

They had become introverted to the point that they were only interested in themselves.

Matthew 5:43-44
Love for Enemies
43 You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'
44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

To the people of first century Palestine a neighbour was a fellow Jew and an enemy was a none Jew. This meant that they hated gentiles when the law clearly told them to love gentiles.

Leviticus 19:34
The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 10:18-19
18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.
19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

What relevance has all this got to do with The Church?

We are not to rob those who are not Christians of a place in Gods kingdom, we are not to make a quick buck out of those trying to come in, we are to love them because God loves them and we are to minister his grace to them.