For many years the great temple of God in Jerusalem was the place where people who believed God came to praise Him. It was the only place where animals could be sacrificed, as God had said must be done, because of sins.
God had given directions for all that was to be done there, for the work, the dishes to be used, and all else. Many of those laws were in the books of Exodus and Leviticus, and men, called priests and scribes, were to instruct the people and see that all was done as God had directed.
Thieves
The temple was large, with rooms and courts and lots of space. Instead of keeping it in the order told by God and to honor Him, men used it as a marketplace to buy and sell for their own profit, and not only that, they were dishonest in their dealings.
Some men sat at tables where, for a fee, they would change the Roman or other coins of the people to the temple money, as no other could be used in gifts for the temple. One gift was always a certain small coin (Ex. 30:13-16; Ex. 38), but the men who made gain by this had no right in the temple (Psa. 15:5).
At the time Jesus was on earth, many men of Israel lived in other countries and came to the temple at the feast time, so at those times a great number of doves, sheep, goats and cattle were needed for sacrifice. There were many coins to change, and the selfish men had plenty of business.
Jesus saw the wicked dealings of the men and told them the words of God, “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer.”
But He said they had made it “a den of thieves.” His words tell how very wicked they were, and He sent them from the temple.
The True Sacrifice
The priests and scribes were willing for the dishonest selling to be done. So they were more angry than ever at Jesus when He stopped the men. It was only a few days after this that Jesus became Himself the great sacrifice for sins by His death on the cross. And no more animals for sacrifice were required by God, as these verses tell: “Nor yet that He [Christ] should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; ... but now once ... hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:25-26).
“Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28).
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:3-12).
The offerings of the animals had to be done over and over, whenever a person sinned and also on special days. The people were so careless about their sins that the men in the temple sinned even with buying and selling the animals and were not honest.
But the life of the Lord Jesus was so precious, He suffered only once for sin, and all who believe in Him may know their sins forgiven. The cleansing of the temple teaches us of the holiness of God, and selfish and wrong acts in work for Him dishonor Him as much now as then.
Further Meditation
1. What were the different kinds of sacrifices that the people offered?
2. Who could offer sacrifices in those times?
3. You would find Christ as Seen in the Offerings by R. F. Kingscote to be an excellent source of meditation on the different kinds of offerings in the Old Testament.