CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE Meaning and
Definition
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Cleansing of the temple refers to an event described in the New Testament of the Christian Bible where Jesus Christ entered the temple in Jerusalem and drove out the merchants and money changers who were conducting business within its premises. This incident is recorded in the four Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The cleansing of the temple, also known as the "expulsion of the money changers" or the "temple tantrum," took place during the Passover festival. Jesus observed how the temple, which was meant to be a place of worship and prayer, had been turned into a bustling marketplace. The merchants were using the temple courtyard as a commercial center where they were selling animals for sacrifices and exchanging foreign currencies.
In response to this desecration, Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and drove out the sellers with a whip, declaring that they had turned the house of God into a den of thieves. His actions were seen as a powerful symbolic protest against the exploitation of religion for personal gain and a call for the restoration of the temple's sanctity.
The cleansing of the temple has been interpreted as an act of righteous anger, where Jesus not only cleansed the physical temple but also symbolically pointed towards the need for purifying the spiritual nature of worship and returning to true devotion to God. It has also been viewed as a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the purity and integrity of the house of God. This event is often cited as an example of Jesus' authoritative teachings and his uncompromising stance against corruption and hypocrisy.
