Read Mark 11:12-19; 24-25 

“¹⁷ And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations‘? But you have made it a den of robbers.””

When people visit your house, how do they describe it? The “tidy” house, “crazy” house or “fun” house? Every house, family or group can be defined by the atmosphere someone experiences when they visit.

Jesus had a confrontational encounter in a Jewish temple (his ‘house’) that was supposedly dedicated to the worship of God. It only took a moment to realise hypocrisy was at large and rather than being a place of worship it had become a place of profit, not prayer; a place to work, not worship.

To make matters worse, the temple had a series of ‘courts’ for Jewish men, Jewish women and then Gentiles (non-Jews). It was this Outer Court of the Gentiles that was made into a marketplace.

This situation sees Jesus turned into a holy rage. Since the temple was a place where God’s presence was said to dwell, hijacking the temple for profit was a direct rebellion against God himself. Not only were the Jewish people no longer cherishing God’s presence through prayer and worship, but the Gentile people who had travelled vast distances to Jerusalem were having their access to God’s presence diminished as well!

For Jesus, access to God’s presence was key. Jesus came so that the Holy Spirit, God’s very presence, could dwell within us, his family, and his Church. (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

In the early days of the internet, 1995-2000, internet cafes existed for those who didn’t have the internet at home to come and ‘get online’ easily. In the 2020s and beyond, we have access to the internet wherever we go. Some of us even choose to avoid ‘connected’ devices like ‘smart watches’ so that we can have a few moments each day where we aren’t connected to the internet!

Likewise, Jesus lived in a time when the presence of God was available in the Temple. However, he came to begin the fulfilment of the Jewish prophecies that one day God’s presence would be available to all! As post-Jesus believers in God, the same challenge exists for us today as it did for the early religious Jews. We have a choice to disregard or cherish God’s presence. He’s not in a temple, he’s in us!

Similarly, we have a choice to disregard or cherish those around us who come seeking God’s presence in us. It could be a person of a different culture, religion, background or ethnicity who you have little in common with. But Jesus makes it clear that we are to pray (“for the nations”) that they too will come to know and cherish God’s presence themselves. That’s why he came. That’s what he has called us to. To share the presence of God that we’ve been gifted with!