Jesus’ cleaning of the temple reveals His holiness as the Messiah and His willingness to take on our sin so that we, too, may be cleansed. In this passage, Jesus demonstrated His desire to honor His Father and do His will—a foretaste of the lengths He would go to cleanse us of our sin when we trust Him by faith.
Jesus confronted the immorality taking place in His Father’s house; however, He was not reacting rashly. Scripture tells us He took time to fashion a whip out of cords. Imagine Jesus weaving each cord while He pondered the holiness of His Father in heaven. Christ displayed His authority as the Son of God as He fulfilled the Passover tradition of cleansing one’s home of leaven.
God’s temple was to be a place of worship and prayer, not a marketplace for people to turn a profit. As the disciples witnessed the scene unfolding before them, they recalled the words of Psalm 69:9, that zeal for the house of God would consume the Messiah. They watched Him cast off the sinful social norms of their day as He fulfilled the will of the everlasting Father.
When the Jews questioned Jesus’ authority in the temple, He responded with these prophetic words: “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” They failed, however, to realize that He wasn’t speaking about the structure in which they stood; rather, He declared that though His body would soon be destroyed on the cross, He would rise again after three days’ time.
Pray that the children you teach will recognize the holiness of God and the willingness of His Son to take on the punishment we deserve for our sins. Lead them to see that Christ has already borne our shame on the cross and completed the work needed to secure our salvation. May they turn to Him to be cleansed of their sin.
Listen to the Weekly Leader Training for Preschool & Kids
Every week, members of The Gospel Project for Kids team offer guidance to help you as you prepare to teach every session to preschoolers and kids.
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