Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Matthew 21:12-17

12Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer”; but you are making it a den of robbers.’ 14The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’, they became angry16and said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself”?’ 17He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.

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After researching this passage for quite some time, the fact that I kept coming back to, that captivated my interest, was this: The "cleansing" of the temple, a delicate euphemism to describe the only violent act of Jesus, occurs in all four Gospels. A lover of charts and facts (it's true!), I have long been fascinated by the overlap (and lack thereof) amongst the stories in the four Gospels. It serves to remind me that we all see and experience the world in very different ways. What may seem critically important to one person, barely makes the top ten for another. What seems like a happy occasion, may have different consequences for someone else. But this story, this one was important enough for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to all write about it. It stuck with each of them, perhaps for different reasons - perhaps because it describes an uncharacteristcally violent act of Jesus, whom we mostly think of as docile, calm, kind, understanding.The other three versions of this story follow. What strikes you most about their similarities? Their differences?

Mark 11:15-19 15

And they come to Jerusalem: and he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and them that bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves; 16 and he would not suffer that any man should carry a vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, and said unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? but ye have made it a den of robbers. 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, for all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. 19 And every evening he went forth out of the city.

Luke 19:45-48

45And he entered into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold, 46 saying unto them, It is written, And my house shall be a house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of robbers. 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him: 48 and they could not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon him, listening.

John 2:13-16

13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; 16 and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.