A House of Prayer

Matthew 21:12-13

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.’ ”

Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts welcoming Him as their King who would bring salvation. They honored Him as a prophet and the Messiah. With those thoughts and expectations in the mind of the people, Jesus went into the temple and drove out the merchants and money changers who sold animals approved for temple sacrifice to visitors who traveled long distances to worship the Lord during Passover. All of this activity took place in the outer court of the temple. This was the only area where Gentiles were permitted. Matthew wrote his Gospel specifically for the Jews, so he only cited a portion of the verse that Jesus quoted, but the last line of Isaiah 56:7 says, “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” All of the commerce taking place made it impossible for many to come to the Lord in prayer. These merchants were not only robbing pilgrims who traveled from afar, but they were also robbing faithful Gentiles of an opportunity to pray.

The temple was the central place of worship for Judaism. Even Gentile converts went there to worship. Yet, there were a multitude of distractions that hindered believers from worshiping the Lord. The same is true for many people today. We are overwhelmed with technology, work, errands, and making necessary purchases which distract us from prayer. Even in modern churches people can become distracted by the praise team putting on a concert rather than worshiping the Lord. Perhaps the huge video screens draw your attention more than you are drawn to the Lord. Maybe your church has made selling coffee, goodies, Christian materials, or tickets to the next big event more of a priority than seeking the Lord in prayer. A place of worship should be just that, a place to worship and pray. Go to the Lord’s house to seek Him, worship Him, and to commune with Him. Make sure your church is a house of prayer by making prayer a priority in your church.