Easter Week, Monday

On Monday of Easter Week . . .



In Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, Jesus went to the temple and found moneychangers doing business there. He drove them out as he had done once before, over-turning their tables and chairs. "It is written," he said, "My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

The term "thieves" as used here comes from a Greek word which also means "revolutionary" or "insurgent." Because the temple leadership in this period was notoriously corrupt, the Savior's rebuke may have been directed in part at them for allowing, and likely profiting from theses activities. For more than two centuries the high priests had been political appointees rather than members of an appropriate priestly family. Jesus's condemnation of the leadership might suggest that He was unmasking them as false authorities who had usurped power over the sanctuary and were misusing their assumed positions.

After he had cleansed his holy house, he healed the blind and the lame who came to him there. Children, seeing what Jesus had done, cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David."

Additional Info: The chief priests were guardians of the temple and were profiting from the temple business, it was a source of their income, their fortunes. They were very angry at Christ's actions. The children that sang Hosanna were not infants but children of the kingdom, members of the Church who knew who Christ was and what he was doing. His wrath of indignation was followed by the calmness of His gentle ministry and that's when the blind and the lame came to Him to be healed.