Why did Jesus cleanse the temple in Matthew 21?

Today Bible Study:

Why did Jesus cleanse the temple in Matthew 21?

This was the second time Jesus cleansed the temple. John 2:14–16 describes a similar incident at the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. He regarded both merchants and customers as guilty of desecrating the temple (Matt. 21:12). Items being bought and sold included “doves” and other animals for sacrifice. Currency-exchange agents, or “money changers,” present in droves, were needed because Roman coins and other forms of currency were deemed unacceptable for temple offerings. Evidently, both merchants and money changers were charging such excessive rates that the temple marketplace took on the atmosphere of a thieves’ den (v. 13). Religion had become crass and materialistic.

In verse 13, Jesus uses two Old Testament prophecies, Isaiah 56:7 (“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”) and Jeremiah 7:11 (“Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes?”) to justify His actions. When the holiness of God and His worship was at stake, Jesus took fast and furious action. The “all” (v. 12) indicates that He drove out not only men but also animals. Yet, although His physical action was forceful, it was not cruel. The moderation of His actions is seen in the fact that no riotous uproar occurred; otherwise the specially large contingent of Roman troops in Jerusalem at that time because of the Passover crowds, would have swiftly reacted. Although the primary reference is to the actions of the Messiah in the millennial kingdom, Jesus’ actions in cleansing the temple was an initial fulfillment of Malachi 3:1–3 (and Zech. 14:20, 21) that speak of the Messiah’s purifying the religious worship of His people.