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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Luke 19:41–48. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The great Ambassador from heaven is here making his public entry into Jerusalem, not to be respected there, but to be rejected; he knew what a nest of vipers he was throwing himself into, and yet see here two instances of his love to that place and his concern for it.
I.The tears he shed for the approaching ruin of the city (Luk 19:41):
When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it. Probably, it was when he was coming down the descent of the hill from the mount of Olives, where he had a full view of the city, the large extent of it, and the many stately structures in it, and his eye affected his heart, and his heart his eye again. See here,
1.What a tender spirit Christ was of; we never read that he laughed, but we often find him in tears. In this very place his father David wept, and those that were with him, though he and they were men of war. There are cases in which it is no disparagement to the stoutest of men to melt into tears.
2.That Jesus Christ wept in the midst of his triumphs, wept when all about him were rejoicing, to show how little he was elevated with the applause and acclamation of the people. Thus he would teach us to rejoice with trembling, and as though we rejoiced not. If Providence do not stain the beauty of our triumphs, we may ourselves see cause to sully it with our sorrows.
3.That he wept over Jerusalem. Note, There are cities to be wept over, and none to be more lamented than Jerusalem, that had been the holy city, and the joy of the whole earth, if it be degenerated. But why did Christ weep at the sight of Jerusalem? Was it because "Yonder is the city in which I must be betrayed and bound, scourged and spit upon, condemned and crucified?" No, he himself gives us the reason of his tears.
(1.)Jerusalem has not improved the day of her opportunities. He wept, and said, If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, if thou wouldst but yet know, while the gospel is preached to thee, and salvation offered thee by it; if thou wouldest at length bethink thyself, and understand the things that belong to thy peace, the making of thy peace with God, and the securing of thine own spiritual and eternal welfare - but thou dost not know the day of thy visitation, Luk 19:44. The manner of speaking is abrupt: If thou hadst known! O that thou hadst, so some take it; like that O that my people had hearkened unto me, Psa 81:13; Isa 48:18. Or, If thou hadst known, well; like that of the fig-tree, Luk 13:9. How happy had it been for thee! Or, "If thou hadst known, thou wouldest have wept for thyself, and I should have no occasion to weep for thee, but should have rejoiced rather." What he says lays all the blame of Jerusalem's impending ruin upon herself. Note,
[1.]There are things which belong to our peace, which we are all concerned to know and understand; the way how peace is made, the offers made of peace, the terms on which we may have the benefit of peace. The things that belong to our peace are those things that relate to our present and future welfare; these we must know with application.
[2.]There is a time of visitation when those things which belong to our peace may be known by us, and known to good purpose. When we enjoy the means of grace in great plenty, and have the word of God powerfully preached to us - when the Spirit strives with us, and our own consciences are startled and awakened - then is the time of visitation, which we are concerned to improve.
[3.]With those that have long neglected the time of their visitation, if at length, if at last, in this their day, their eyes be opened, and they bethink themselves, all will be well yet. Those shall not be refused that come into the vineyard at the eleventh hour.
[4.]It is the amazing folly of multitudes that enjoy the means of grace, and it will be of fatal consequence to them, that they do not improve the day of their opportunities. The things of their peace are revealed to them, but are not minded or regarded by them; they hide their eyes from them, as if they were not worth taking notice of. They are not aware of the accepted time and the day of salvation, and to let it slip and perish through mere carelessness. None are so blind as those that will not see; nor have any the things of their peace more certainly hidden from their eyes than those that turn their back upon them.
[5.]The sin and folly of those that persist in a contempt of gospel grace are a great grief to the Lord Jesus, and should be so to us. He looks with weeping eyes upon lost souls, that continue impenitent, and run headlong upon their own ruin; he had rather that they would turn and live than go on and die, for he is not willing that any should perish.
(2.)Jerusalem cannot escape the day of her desolation. The things of her peace are now in a manner hidden from her eyes; they will be shortly. Not but that after this the gospel was preached to them by the apostles; all the house of Israel were called to know assuredly that Christ was their peace (Act 2:36), and multitudes were convinced and converted. But as to the body of the nation, and the leading part of it, they were sealed up under unbelief; God had given them the spirit of slumber, Rom 11:8. They were so prejudiced and enraged against the gospel, and those few that did embrace it then, that nothing less than a miracle of divine grace (like that which converted Paul) would work upon them; and it could not be expected that such a miracle should be wrought, and so they were justly given up to judicial blindness and hardness. The peaceful things are not hidden from the eyes of particular persons; but it is too late to think now of the nation of the Jews, as such, becoming a Christian nation, by embracing Christ. And therefore they are marked for ruin, which Christ here foresees and foretels, as the certain consequence of their rejecting Christ. Note, Neglecting the great salvation often brings temporal judgments upon a people; it did so upon Jerusalem in less than forty years after this, when all that Christ here foretold was exactly fulfilled.
[1.]The Romans besieged the city, cast a trench about it, compassed it round, and kept their inhabitants in on every side. Josephus relates that Titus ran up a wall in a very short time, which surrounded the city, and cut off all hopes of escaping.
[2.]They laid it even with the ground. Titus commanded his soldiers to dig up the city, and the whole compass of it was levelled, except three towers; see Josephus's history of the wars of the Jews, 5.356-360; 7.1. Not only the city, but the citizens were laid even with the ground (thy children within thee), by the cruel slaughters that were made of them: and there was scarcely one stone left upon another. This was for their crucifying Christ; this was because they knew not the day of their visitation. Let other cities and nations take warning.
II.The zeal he showed for the present purification of the temple.
Though it must be destroyed ere long, it does not therefore follow that no care must be taken of it in the mean time.
1.Christ cleared it of those who profaned it. He went straight to the temple, and began to cast out the buyers and sellers, Luk 19:45. Hereby (though he was represented as an enemy to the temple, and that was the crime laid to his charge before the high priest) he made it to appear that he had a truer love for the temple than they had who had such a veneration for its corban, its treasury, as a sacred thing; for its purity was more its glory than its wealth was. Christ gave reason for his dislodging the temple-merchants, Luk 19:46. The temple is a house of prayer, set apart for communion with God: the buyers and sellers made it a den of thieves by the fraudulent bargains they made there, which was by no means to be suffered, for it would be a distraction to those who came there to pray.
2.He put it to the best use that ever it was put to, for he taught daily in the temple, Luk 19:47. Note, It is not enough that the corruptions of a church be purged out, but the preaching of the gospel must be encouraged. Now, when Christ preached in the temple, observe here,
(1.)How spiteful the church-rulers were against him; how industrious to seek an opportunity, or pretence rather, to do him a mischief (Luk 19:47): The chief priests and scribes, and the chief of the people, the great sanhedrim, that should have attended him, and summoned the people too to attend him, sought to destroy him, and put him to death.
(2.)How respectful the common people were to him. They were very attentive to hear him. He spent most of his time in the country, and did not then preach in the temple, but, when he did, the people paid him great respect, attended on his preaching with diligence, and let no opportunity slip of hearing him, attended to it with care, and would not lose a word. Some read it, All the people as they heard him, took his part; and so it comes in very properly as a reason why his enemies could not find what they might do against him; they saw the people ready to fly in their faces if they offered him any violence. Till his hour was come his interest in the common people protected him; but, when his hour was come, the chief priests' influence upon the common people delivered him up.
Historical interpretation
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She has none to whom to make such a promise; and if she have had, she does not make it; since even the earthly temple of God can sooner have been called by the Lord a "den of robbers," than of adulterers and fornicators.
For God wishes not His temple to be a house of traffic, but the dwelling-place of holiness, nor does He fix the priestly service in a saleable performance of religion, but in a free and willing obedience.
Therefore our Lord teaches generally that all worldly bargains should be far removed from the temple of God; but spiritually He drove away the money-changers, who seek gain from the Lord's money, that is, the divine Scripture, lest they should discern good and evil.
God does not want his temple to be a trader’s lodge but the home of sanctity. He does not preserve the practice of the priestly ministry by the dishonest duty of religion but by voluntary obedience. Consider what the Lord’s actions impose on you as an example of living.… He taught in general that worldly transactions must be absent from the temple, but he drove out the moneychangers in particular. Who are the moneychangers, if not those who seek profit from the Lord’s money and cannot distinguish between good and evil? Holy Scripture is the Lord’s money.
(de Qu. Ev. lib. ii. qu. 48.) Now mystically, you must understand by the temple Christ Himself, as man in His human nature, or with His body united to Him, that is, the Church. But inasmuch as He is the Head of the Church, it was said, Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days. (John 2:19.) Inasmuch as the Church is joined to Him, is the temple so interpreted, of which He seems to have spoken in the same place, Take these away from hence; signifying that there would be those in the Church who would rather be pursuing their own interest, or find a shelter therein to conceal their wickedness, than follow after the love of Christ, and by confession of their sins receiving pardon be restored.
In another place, when I said the following about our Lord Jesus Christ, "He did nothing by force but everything by persuasion and admonition," I forgot that he threw out the sellers and buyers from the temple by flogging them. What does this matter to us? How is it important if he also cast out demons from people against their will, not by persuasive words but by force of his power?
Now there were in the temple a number of sellers who sold animals, by the custom of the law, for the sacrificial victims, but the time was now come for the shadows to pass away, and the truth of Christ to shine forth. Therefore Christ, who together with the Father was worshipped in the temple, commanded the customs of the law to be reformed, but the temple to become a house of prayer; as it is added, My house, &c.
There was in it a crowd of merchants and others guilty of the charge of the shameful love of money. I mean moneychangers or keepers of exchange tables, sellers of oxen, dealers of sheep, and sellers of turtledoves and pigeons. All these things were used for the sacrifices according to the legal ritual. The time had now come for the shadow to draw to an end and for the truth to shine forth. The truth is the lovely beauty of Christian conduct, the glories of the blameless life and the sweet rational flavor of worship in spirit and in truth.The Truth, Christ as One who with his Father was also honored in their temple, commanded that those things that were by the law should be carried away, even the materials for sacrifices and burning of incense. He commanded that the temple clearly should be a house of prayer. His rebuking the dealers and driving them from the sacred courts when they were selling what was wanted for sacrifice means certainly this, as I suppose, and this alone.
(Hom. 39. in Ev.) Or else; The evil spirits lay siege to the soul, as it goes forth from the body, for being seized with the love of the flesh, they caress it with delusive pleasures. They surround it with a trench, because bringing all its wickedness which it has committed before the eyes of its mind, they close confine it to the company of its own damnation, that being caught in the very extremity of life, it may see by what enemies it is blockaded, yet be unable to find any way of escape, because it can no longer do good works, since those which it might once have done it despised. On every side also they inclose the soul when its iniquities rise up before it, not only in deed but also in word and thought, that she who before in many ways greatly enlarged herself in wickedness, should now at the end be straitened every way in judgment. Then indeed the soul by the very condition of its guilt is laid prostrate on the ground, while its flesh which it believed to be its life is bid to return to dust. Then its children fall in death, when all unlawful thoughts which only proceed from it, are in the last punishment of life scattered abroad. These may also be signified by the stones. For the corrupt mind when to a corrupt thought it adds one more corrupt, places one stone upon another. But when the soul is led to its doom, the whole structure of its thoughts is rent asunder. But the wicked soul God ceases not to visit with His teaching, sometimes with the scourge and sometimes with a miracle; that the truth which it knew not it may hear, and though still despising it, may return pricked to the heart in sorrow, or overcome with mercies may be ashamed at the evil which it has done. But because it knows not the time of its visitation, at the end of life it is given over to its enemies, that with them it may be joined together in the bond of everlasting damnation.
(ut sup.) When He had related the evils that were to come upon the city, He straightway entered the temple, that He might cast out them that bought and sold in it. showing that the destruction of the people arose chiefly from the guilt of the priests.
For they who sat in the temple to receive money would doubtless sometimes make exaction to the injury of those who gave them none.
(Hom. 39. ut sup.) But our Redeemer does not withdraw His word of preaching even from the unworthy and ungrateful. Accordingly after having by the ejection of the corrupt maintained the strictness of discipline, He now pours forth the gifts of grace. For it follows, And he was teaching daily in the temple.
(ut sup.) Mystically, such as the temple of God is in a city, such is the life of the religious in a faithful people. And there are frequently some who take upon themselves the religious habit, and while they are receiving the privilege of Holy Orders, are sinking the sacred office of religion into a bargain of worldly traffic. For the sellers in the temple are those who give at a certain price that which is the rightful possession of others. For to sell justice is to observe it on condition of receiving a reward. But the buyers in the temple are those, who whilst unwilling to discharge what is just to their neighbour, and disdaining to do what they are in duty bound to, by paying a price to their patrons, purchase sin.
(ut sup.) And these make the house of God a den of thieves, because when corrupt men hold religious offices, they slay with the sword of their wickedness their neighbours, whom they ought to raise to life by the intercession of their prayers. The temple also is the soul of the faithful, which if it put forth corrupt thoughts to the injury of a neighbour, then is it become as it were a lurking place of thieves. But when the soul of the faithful is wisely instructed to shun evil, truth teaches daily in the temple.
About this temple it is soon added: "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." For those who sat in the temple to receive gifts, it was certainly not doubtful that they would seek to harm those who gave nothing. Therefore the house of prayer had been made a den of thieves, because they knew how to stand in the temple for this purpose: either to eagerly pursue bodily those not giving gifts, or to kill spiritually those who did give.
To them it is rightly said: "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves," because when perverse men sometimes hold a place of religion, there they slay with the swords of their malice where they ought to have given life to their neighbors through the intercession of their prayer.
The temple and house of God is also the very mind and conscience of the faithful. If at any time it brings forth perverse thoughts in injury to a neighbor, it is as though robbers are dwelling in a cave and killing those who walk by in simplicity, when they thrust swords of injury into those who are guilty of nothing. For the mind of the faithful is no longer a house of prayer but a den of thieves when, having abandoned the innocence and simplicity of holiness, it strives to do that by which it might harm its neighbors.
But you have made it a den of robbers. Those who sat in the temple to receive gifts, indeed, for it was not doubtful that they would seek injuries from those not giving gifts. Therefore the house of prayer had been made into a den of robbers, because they had accustomed themselves to stand in the temple for this reason: either to physically persecute those not giving gifts, or spiritually to kill those giving. Yet because our Redeemer does not withhold the words of preaching from the unworthy and ungrateful, after He held the rigor of discipline by casting out the perverse, He immediately showed the gift of grace; for it is added:
And having entered the temple, He began to cast out those who sold and bought in it, saying to them: It is written, My house is a house of prayer. He who announced the evils to come and immediately entered the temple to cast out those who sold and bought in it, surely showed that the ruin of the people was chiefly due to the fault of the priests. Describing the overthrow and striking those who sold and bought in the temple, He showed in the very act of His work from where the root of destruction originated.
Either because He daily taught in the temple, or because He had cast the thieves therefrom, or that coming thereto as King and Lord, He was greeted with the honour of a heavenly hymn of praise.
This may be taken in two ways; either that fearing a tumult of the people they knew not what they should do with Jesus, whom they had settled to destroy; or they sought to destroy Him because they perceived their own authority set aside, and multitudes flocking to hear Him.
The same thing our Lord did also at the beginning of His preaching, as John relates; and now He did it a second time, because the crime of the Jews was much increased by their not having been chastened by the former warning.
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Summary
Luke 19:46 captures Jesus' forceful cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple, where He vehemently condemns the commercialization and corruption that had transformed God's designated house of prayer into a hub of exploitation. This pivotal act, occurring just days before His crucifixion, underscores His divine authority, zeal for God's holiness, and prophetic indictment against religious hypocrisy, asserting the sacred purpose of the Temple as a place for genuine worship and communion with God for all nations.
Context
Literary Context
This declaration by Jesus is part of a series of events immediately following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 19:28-44. Having been hailed as king, Jesus immediately asserts His authority over the spiritual center of Judaism. The cleansing of the Temple serves as a dramatic public act, a prophetic sign, and a direct challenge to the religious establishment, setting the stage for the escalating conflict that will lead to His arrest and crucifixion. It is strategically placed in Luke's narrative to highlight Jesus' kingly and priestly authority over the very institution that was meant to mediate between God and His people.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Jerusalem Temple, particularly its outer court (the Court of the Gentiles), had become a bustling marketplace. Pilgrims traveling from distant lands needed to exchange foreign currency for the specific coinage accepted for Temple taxes and offerings, and to purchase animals for sacrifice that met the strict purity standards. While these services were necessary, they were conducted in the Court of the Gentiles, a space intended for non-Jews to pray. The issue was not merely the presence of commerce but the exploitative practices—inflated prices and unfair exchange rates—that burdened the poor and turned a sacred space into a profit-driven enterprise. This commercial activity obstructed the spiritual purpose of the court, making it difficult for Gentiles to worship, thereby hindering God's stated intention for His house to be a "house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7).
Key Themes
Luke 19:46 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within Luke's Gospel and the broader biblical narrative. It emphasizes the sanctity of worship and the purity required in approaching God, a theme echoed in the call for true worship in John 4:23-24. Jesus' actions reveal His righteous indignation against corruption and injustice, demonstrating a divine zeal for God's honor that transcends human emotion, akin to the zeal for His house that consumed David in Psalm 69:9. Furthermore, the verse highlights the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, as Jesus directly quotes Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 to justify His actions, thereby affirming His role as the promised Messiah who brings God's judgment and restoration. This event also serves as a sharp critique of religious hypocrisy, exposing how outward religious observance can mask inward spiritual corruption and a neglect of true devotion.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to a dwelling, habitation, or home, which can be literal or figurative. In this context, it specifically denotes the Temple, understood as God's dwelling place on earth. Jesus' declaration emphasizes that this sacred space, intended for God's presence and worship, had been perverted from its divine purpose.
Derived from a verb meaning "to pray earnestly," this noun signifies worship or an oratory. It highlights the primary function God intended for His Temple: a place where people could commune with Him through prayer, supplication, and adoration. The commercial activities directly undermined this essential spiritual function.
This word means a cavern, grotto, or cave. Figuratively, it implies a hiding-place or a resort for illicit activities. By using this term, Jesus vividly portrays the Temple as having devolved into a sanctuary for criminals, a place where those engaged in exploitation could operate with impunity, rather than a sanctuary for the devout.
Verse Breakdown
"Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer:"
Jesus confronts the merchants and money-changers directly, prefacing His condemnation with "It is written," a powerful appeal to scriptural authority. This phrase introduces a direct quotation from Isaiah 56:7, emphasizing God's original intention for His Temple to be a sacred space dedicated to prayer and spiritual communion for all peoples, including Gentiles. Jesus asserts God's ownership ("My house") and His divine purpose for the Temple.
"but ye have made it a den of thieves."
The conjunction "but" (Greek, dé') introduces a stark contrast between God's intention and the people's actions. Jesus accuses them of actively transforming the Temple's purpose. The phrase "den of thieves" is a direct quotation from Jeremiah 7:11, where Jeremiah condemned the people of his day for treating the Temple as a safe haven while continuing their wicked practices outside its walls. Jesus uses this prophetic indictment to describe the Temple as a hideout for "thieves" (Greek, lēistḗs', brigands or robbers), implying not just petty theft but organized, violent exploitation that had desecrated the holy space and hindered true worship.
Literary Devices
Luke 19:46 employs several potent literary devices to convey Jesus' message. Allusion and Intertextuality are central, as Jesus directly quotes and weaves together two Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. This demonstrates His profound understanding of scripture and His claim to prophetic authority, placing His actions within a long tradition of divine judgment against corrupt worship. The stark Contrast between "house of prayer" and "den of thieves" serves as a powerful rhetorical device, highlighting the profound perversion of the Temple's sacred purpose. This Metaphorical Language ("den of thieves") is highly evocative, transforming the physical space of the Temple into a symbol of moral and spiritual corruption, implying a place where illicit activities are not only tolerated but protected. Finally, Jesus' declaration is an act of Dramatic Irony, as the very people who should have been guardians of God's house were the ones desecrating it, unknowingly fulfilling ancient prophecies of judgment against such hypocrisy.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Luke 19:46 is a profound theological statement about the nature of worship, the sanctity of sacred spaces, and God's righteous judgment against corruption. It underscores that true worship must be pure, sincere, and focused on God, not on personal gain or external ritual without internal devotion. Jesus' actions demonstrate His divine authority over religious institutions and His zeal for the holiness of God's name, revealing a God who demands integrity in worship and will not tolerate the exploitation of His people or the desecration of His presence. This event serves as a powerful reminder that God's house, whether a physical structure or the gathered community of believers, is fundamentally a place for communion with Him, not for worldly pursuits.
Reflection and Application
Jesus' cleansing of the Temple in Luke 19:46 serves as a timeless and convicting challenge for believers today, prompting us to examine the purity of our worship, both individually and corporately. While we no longer have a physical temple in Jerusalem, the New Testament teaches that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), and the church, as a collective body of believers, is God's spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). This passage calls us to consider if our personal lives, our churches, and our spiritual practices truly reflect a "house of prayer" dedicated to God's glory, or if we have allowed "thieves" of materialism, self-interest, distraction, or hypocrisy to take root. It challenges us to cultivate a zealous commitment to righteousness and genuine devotion, ensuring that our worship—in all its forms—is pure, unhindered, and focused solely on honoring God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Jesus so angry at the people in the Temple?
Jesus' actions were not a loss of temper but a demonstration of righteous indignation and divine zeal. He was angry because the Temple, intended by God as a "house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7), had been corrupted by commercial exploitation. The money changers and animal sellers, while providing necessary services, were operating in the Court of the Gentiles, obstructing access for non-Jews to pray, and often engaging in dishonest practices. This turned a sacred space into a marketplace and a "den of thieves" (Jeremiah 7:11), hindering true worship and dishonoring God. Jesus' anger stemmed from His passion for God's holiness and justice.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Luke 19:46 finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not merely in Jesus' physical cleansing of the Temple, but in His establishment of a new, spiritual Temple—His own body and, by extension, the Church. Jesus' declaration, "My house is the house of prayer," foreshadows the shift from a physical dwelling place for God to a spiritual one. In His death and resurrection, Jesus became the true Temple, the ultimate meeting place between God and humanity (John 2:19-21). Through His sacrifice, He cleansed humanity from the "den of thieves" of sin and corruption, opening a new and living way for all people to approach God directly in prayer and worship (Hebrews 10:19-22). The cleansing of the Temple thus points to Christ as the one who purifies worship, not by driving out merchants, but by offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice, making His followers living stones in a spiritual house, a "holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). His zeal for God's house is fully realized in His work to redeem and sanctify His people, making them a dwelling place for God's Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).