Jesus cleanses the Temple [Mk 11:15-18]
Supporting Text: Be Doers of the Word, which is to Love [Jm 1:22-25, 2
Jn 5-6], Prayer of Response [Ps
119:33-40].
In this
scene Jesus expresses a righteous anger against the money changers and dove
sellers. They were not like our piety stalls in the back of our churches; they
were charging people for access to God's presence and forgiveness, and
profiteering in the process. The people were required by the law to make an
offering as part of the sacrifice, which the priests would only accept in local
currency; so the money changers were preying on a captive market.
The
priests were effectively charging entrance to God's presence! It would be like
charging people to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation or receive Holy
Communion today! God's grace and love are freely available to anyone who wants to
live and walk with him.
When
Jesus speaks in this passage, he draws from the prophets Zc 14:21, Is 9:15 and
56:1-8 and Jr 7:1-11. He acted and spoke in the light of his knowledge of
Scripture. This is a challenge to us to become deeply immersed in the Word of
God; to let that Word direct our actions and speech. It is also a
challenge to us to ask how deeply zealous we are for God’s house.
TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES
Jesus
cleanses the temple [Mark
11:15-18]
Jesus expresses his anger against abuse of the temple,
the house of God, and against injustice which affects innocent and powerless
people. Jesus, the living Word, quotes the words of the prophets to challenge
the Jewish religious leaders.
1. Prepare two students as
Narrator and Jesus; read Mk 11:15-18 to the class.
2.
Lead the students to wonder, with open questions, about the story and to
make observations. Note: context, setting, people involved, situation,
atmosphere, feelings, reactions, questions. Draw together in a table.
3. Consult a Commentary on
Mk 11:15-18 to explain key words and concepts: temple; money changers; temple
sacrifice; temple sellers; Chief priests; Teachers of the Law.
4. Explore how Jesus draws
on the words of the Old Testament prophets in this incident.
1
Check how Jesus fulfils the
words of Zc 14:21 and Is 9:15.
2
Verse 17 is the key verse
here. Jesus quotes the words of the Jewish Scriptures. Explore how Jesus does
this by reading Is 56:1-7 (note v7) and Jr 7:1-11 (note v11). What are Isaiah,
Jeremiah and Jesus telling us about true worship and love of God?
5. Arrange for students to see a documentary on, or animated children’s
video of, the
‘cleansing of the temple.
6. Undertake a web search of artworks depicting this scene.
7. Explore ‘expressing anger’ with students: situations? people?
levels? appropriate expression? Jesus shows a ‘righteous anger’ in the temple.
Based on their background knowledge, ask students: What is Jesus angry about?
How would you describe Jesus’ behaviour? What message is Jesus communicating?
How does Jesus show himself to be a “true teacher in word and deed”?