A Den Of Thieves


Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard

“My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” On first reading it might seem like Jesus is targeting commercial enterprise done in the name of religion, but it is a little more than that. Both statements are from the Old Testament. The first statement about the temple being “a house of prayer” is from Isaiah 56:7 where God promises to bring all those who seek him to salvation. This is what the verse says. “These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

The second statement about turning the house of prayer into a den of robbers is from Jeremiah 7:11 where God says: “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord.” And if we read the rest of what the prophet writes, we see that there are a whole lot of things that turned the temple into a den of robbers, notably the errant deeds of those who ran them and the deceptive nature of those who entered them.

Many churches today, and I speak universally, have lost a sense of prayer. To attract numbers — and money — they have turned churches into houses of entertainment. These are often televised to boost numbers — and income — further. Even in those churches that remain traditional and don’t encourage shoddy theater, worship seems to be more about the “act of worship”, rather than helping people deepen their relationship with God. Pastors seem to have become more like administrators than shepherds whose primary task is to go after the lost sheep. 

How do we rectify this? Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).  We need to restore the sanctity of the temple by ceasing all activity that detracts from it and preaching the Word as God intended it to be preached. This means without sugar coating, diluting or otherwise corrupting the things that God has said. Not doing this robs God of what belongs to him. There are many who may not like us preaching the truth, but let that not stop us. 

It didn’t stop Jesus. 

Watch a video of the reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/lAXBpzhtrCc

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