When Jesus Cleansed the Temple: An Echo of David

Good morning everyone!

Today, I want to take us into a fascinating passage in Matthew, chapter 21, right after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We find Jesus doing something that might seem uncharacteristically assertive:

Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. Matthew 21:12

Now, at first glance, this might appear to be an out-of-character moment for Jesus. But there's a deep history and an important echo here that the people of that time, especially the religious leaders, should have absolutely recognized. The clue for us lies in the very next verses.

The Blind and the Lame

Take a look at what happens immediately after Jesus cleanses the temple:

Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. Matthew 21:14

Why does Matthew specifically mention the blind and the lame? This isn’t a random detail. And then, in verse 15, we read:

When the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant. Matthew 21:15

So, Jesus is being called the "Son of David," and the blind and the lame are coming to Him in the temple. Where have we heard this combination before?

An Echo in 2 Samuel

This is a wonderful echo from the account of King David himself. Turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 5. Here, David comes to Jerusalem, to this very place, and what does he do? He clears it out, in a sense. He's conquering the city. And listen to this remarkable detail:

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you.” 2 Samuel 5:6

Isn't that amazing? The inhabitants are mocking David, saying even the blind and the lame are enough to keep him out! But David doesn't let that stop him. He takes the stronghold:

Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 2 Samuel 5:7

The record in 2 Samuel makes quite a point about this, mentioning the blind and the lame a couple more times. David proclaims:

“Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” 2 Samuel 5:8

The Unseen Significance

This was a clear biblical echo that the scribes and Pharisees in Jesus' day should have seen. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things Jesus did – the healing of the blind and the lame – and heard the children crying "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant. Can you imagine being indignant at such a wonderful display of God's power, at people being healed?

This brings us to an important lesson for ourselves. When we see things happening that we don't expect, or when someone presents biblical evidence that we haven't previously considered, we need to approach these things with a humble heart and mind. That's incredibly difficult to do, as we see with the Jewish leaders on this occasion.

It’s telling that it was the children who immediately reacted to the obvious evidence before their eyes. They could see Jesus for who he truly was and call out "This is the Son of David!" In contrast, the older, more entrenched chief priests and scribes, despite witnessing the same miracles, simply doubled down on their previous positions.

So, which do we want to be? Do we want to be like the little children, seeing Jesus for who he really is? Or do we want to be those who reject him, despite the clear evidence right before our eyes? Something to ponder as we go about our day.