Day 94

Luke 19:41–48 (NIV)

⁴¹ As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴² and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

⁴⁵ Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. ⁴⁶ “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” ⁴⁷ Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. ⁴⁸ Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

Helpful Information

Luke briefly describes the cleansing. Jesus’ entry into the temple has in view the Court of the Gentiles, where the sellers were. Here worshipers bought sacrificial animals and received the proper currency for the temple tax—normal activity that was a part of temple worship. The problem was not that sacrificial material was made available, but how it was done. Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke Volume 2: 9:51-24:53. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

What do Jesus’ tears show? Why would he care after all they have put God through? If He cares so much why would he allow the horrible things He describes to happen?

Why is Jesus so upset when he enters the temple? Have we done things with God’s worship or things that would upset Him today?

How does Jesus use the temple in the right way?

Notes

vs 41 -44 As Jesus enters Jerusalem He pauses over the city. The word for weeping is not soft tears and steady flowing tears. This hurts! Not for Himself but for the City that was suppose to bring peace to the world. The name itself is the idea of an abode of peace. Now however Jesus is coming to it seeing that it missed it's opportunity to recognize peace when it literally walked in its gates. They do not see that God is here. The very One the city was built to praise goes not only unrecognized but is treated as an enemy.

Because of this failure it will be judged. The city will be destroyed once again. The horror the prophets foretold and has already occurred once for the disobedience will once again happen to this city. Indeed Rome comes to attack it for its rebellion in year 70. 40 years after Jesus makes these comments.

This judgment is not one of joy. It shows God wants the best for His people but they have to decide for themselves. The choice made has consequences for them and for us.

vs 45-46 Jesus enters the temple area of the city to see trading going on for the things needed for the offering of sacrifices and pay the temple tax. Evidently Jesus saw the exchanges as people making money on God. It wasn't about helping people worship God. It was about making money. (den of robbers vs house of prayer) "Den of robbers" comes from one of Jeremiah's most scathing sermons against the people of Judah. (Jer 7:9-11) The term "house of prayer" also is important because of where it comes from. In Isa 56:6-8 The prophets reveals God's plan to make a place of prayer for all people, not just the Jews. Jesus is pointing to a future when true worship will happen without corruption. Question for us- Do we profit off the worship of God? I think about Bibles- should the Word of God be sold for a profit? Where does making a living vs greed work out in our worship of God?

vs 47-48- Now Jesus uses the temple for the correct purpose. It is to teach about God. But clearly the note of foreboding is struck in the leaders wanting Him dead. Not only has Jesus broken the place of selling but everything seems to hang in the balance for the Jewish leaders. Jesus is saying things have to change, new wine in old wineskins doesn't work (5:37) But the leaders cannot kill Him because the people are flocking to Jesus! The people were starving for Jesus' words. The Jewish leaders do not want a riot on their hands because that would bring the Romans down on the Jewish worship system. Rome allowed the Jews to carry on their worship as long as they behaved. But if they stepped out of line then disaster would follow. That is what happened to later cause Rome to destroy the city. So the leaders wait...