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Intermediate Sunday School Lesson 126 : The Cleansing of the Temple

Text: Matthew 21
8 September 2024

INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY SCHOOL 8 SEPTEMBER 2024
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Text: Matthew 21

Topic: The Cleansing of the Temple

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out 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?”
And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read,
‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
17 Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Matthew 21:12-17

ENTERING INTO JERUSALEM

1. The Lord Jesus had entered into Jerusalem successfully

2. He made His way to the Temple of God

THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE TEMPLE

1. Merchants had set up stalls

a) To buy and sell
b) Goods related to Temple worship

2. There were money changers

a) The priests refused to accept coins that bore Caesar’s image
b) They developed a Temple currency
c) Roman money must be changed to Temple money
d) The money changers profited from this trade

3. Selling of Doves

a) Doves were offerings that were given by the poor
b) There were merchants who sold doves that were given as sacrifices

4. After the Cleansing

a) The blind and the lame came to the Temple
b) the Lord healed them

THE RIGHTEOUS ANGER OF THE LORD JESUS

1. He spoke to the merchants

2. It is written

a) ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’
i) This was declared by the Lord
ii) Isaiah proclaimed this truth Isaiah 56:7-8
b) “But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jeremiah 7:8-11
i) The merchants were fleecing the worshippers
ii) They were taking advantage even of the poor
iii) The merchants were a bunch of thieves and robbers

THE RESPONSE OF THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES

1. They observed all that had happened

a) The Triumphal Entry
b) The jubilant cries of praise of the people
c) Even the children joined in the singing of the Hosanna Chorus

2. They were indignant

a) They confronted the Lord Jesus
b) How could He justify the children singing to Him?
c) They had rejected the Lord Jesus
d) They were angrier now

3. The quiet response of the Lord Jesus

a) He cited from Psalm 8
b) “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”
c) Had the chief priests and scribes never read this text?

LEAVING JERUSALEM

1. The Lord Jesus left the city

2. He refused to stay there

a) It was an unholy city
b) It was full of sin

3. The Lord Jesus made His way to Bethany instead

a) Possibly to the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary
b) Or to the home of other faithful and true followers