Holy Monday: Restoring the Purpose of God's Temple

For the last 1,600 years, Christians around the world have remembered the final days of Jesus' life during Holy Week. Today is Holy Monday, which commemorates the day Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem with a homemade whip in his hand (John 2:15).

Challenging the Corrupt Temple Regime

The temple was meant to be a place where pilgrims from all over the world could come to offer sacrifices and receive forgiveness from God. However, the religious establishment decided that the temple courtyard, a space usually reserved for non-Jews to worship God, should also serve as a livestock market for sacrificial animals. This ensured tighter control and higher profits for the Jewish elite who controlled the markets but hindered non-Jewish pilgrims from having a place to worship. Instead of prayers in various languages, the temple was filled with the braying of animals, the haggling of vendors, and the stench of manure. The worship of the nations was sacrificed so that some could profit. Angered, Jesus overturned tables and prevented merchants from moving through the courtyard, directly challenging the priorities of Jerusalem's religious establishment (Mark 11:15-16).

Jesus Restores God's Temple

With a captive audience, Jesus then quoted the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, saying, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers" (Mark 11:17). The crowd recognized the truth in Jesus' words. Israel's religious establishment had marginalized the worship of non-Jews for money. The temple was intended to be a place for all people to experience God's presence and forgiveness, and that was being taken from them. Publicly exposed and cornered, the religious elite plotted to kill Jesus (Mark 11:18).

Jesus as the Renewed Temple

But Jesus was not just a prophet exposing corruption; he was also acting with authority. He referred to the temple as "my house." Part of the reason Jesus took such dramatic action was because he was God, and God has the right to change, critique, and even tear down his temple if he wishes (John 2:18-22).

Holy Monday is good news because Jesus announces his intention to restore God's temple to its original purpose. The temple was meant to be a place where all people could make sacrifices and receive forgiveness. On Holy Monday, Jesus' actions demonstrated that he would put an end to a temple regime committed to greed and ethnic pride, allowing a better temple to rise and never exclude the nations again. Jesus himself is this renewed temple. His body is our temple, where forgiveness is offered to all people. In him, there is no room for merchants or money because his forgiveness is free.

Jesus as the Ultimate Sacrifice

When Jesus stopped the buying and selling of sacrificial animals, he was not only dooming a corrupt system but also offering himself as an alternative sacrifice. Overturning the tables was Jesus' way of saying that he was willing to be the sacrifice that granted all nations God's forgiveness.

Action Items

So, what can we do on this Holy Monday?

1. Reflect on the meaning of Jesus' actions in the temple. Take time to read and meditate on the scripture passages mentioned above (John 2:13-22, Mark 11:15-18) and consider what they reveal about God's heart for worship and justice.
2. Pray for the nations. As Jesus said, the temple was meant to be a place for all people to experience God's presence and forgiveness. Take some time to pray for people from all nations to know and experience the forgiveness and love of God through Jesus.
3. Examine your own heart. Are there areas of your life where you have prioritized money or personal gain over worshiping God and loving others? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas where you need to repent and make changes.
4. Accept Jesus as your new temple and the free sacrifice for your sins. Thank God for sending Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and for making a way for us to experience forgiveness and new life in him.
5. Live as a temple of the Holy Spirit. As followers of Jesus, we are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Ask God to help you live a life that reflects his love and grace to the world around you.