Single lesson
Jesus Clears the Temple before Passover
Matthew 21:12–17; Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48
Jesus entered the temple and acted firmly. In this lesson, children will trace what Jesus did there, what he said about God’s house, and how different people responded to him.
Before you teach
Matthew, Mark and Luke each describe Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem. These verses show him driving out buying and selling, teaching that God’s house is a house of prayer, and bringing strong responses. Mark says all the multitude was astonished at his teaching, and Luke says all the people hung on his words.
Students will be able to put the temple events in order and identify observable actions and results in the passage, including what Jesus did, what he taught, and how people responded.
Welcome: What belongs in a house of prayer?
4 minAsk children what they think of when they hear the words house of prayer. Explain that in today’s reading Jesus speaks about God’s house in exactly those words. Tell children to listen for three things: what Jesus does in the temple, what he says, and what happens next.
Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46
Read and explain: Jesus stops buying and selling
8 minRead the opening verses aloud. Help children notice the order: Jesus entered the temple, drove out those who sold and bought, and overturned tables and seats. Mark adds that he would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. Then Jesus taught that God’s house is a house of prayer, not a den of robbers.
Matthew 21:12, Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:15, Mark 11:16, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:46
Discuss: What happened after Jesus taught?
7 minShow the responses that the passage names. In Matthew, the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them. Children cried, “Hosanna to the son of David!” Jesus answered by quoting words about praise from children and babies. Chief priests and scribes were indignant, and in Mark and Luke they sought to destroy him.
Matthew 21:14, Matthew 21:15, Matthew 21:16, Mark 11:18, Luke 19:47
Make and respond: Sequence the temple account
7 minChildren make simple cards for key moments from the passage: Jesus enters the temple, Jesus drives out buyers and sellers, Jesus says “house of prayer”, and people respond. If time allows, add healing and children praising him from Matthew. Children then place the cards in order and retell only what the verses say.
Matthew 21:12, Matthew 21:13, Matthew 21:14, Matthew 21:15, Mark 11:15, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:47
Closing: Notice the actions and the results
4 minReview the observable actions and outcomes. Jesus drove people out and taught in the temple. Children praised him. Chief priests and scribes were indignant or sought to destroy him. Mark says all the multitude was astonished at his teaching, and Luke says all the people hung on every word he said. Jesus later went out of the city.
Matthew 21:15, Matthew 21:17, Mark 11:18, Mark 11:19, Luke 19:47, Luke 19:48
Questions to explore
What did Jesus say God’s house should be called?
Look for the line Jesus says in all three accounts about what kind of house the temple is.
Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46
What actions of Jesus come first in this passage before the different responses are described?
Start with the opening verses and list the actions you can see clearly in the text, such as entering, driving out, overturning, and teaching.
Matthew 21:12, Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:15, Mark 11:16, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:45, Luke 19:46
How did different people respond to Jesus in these verses?
Find the groups named in the passage and match them with their response: those healed, children crying out, leaders being indignant or seeking to destroy him, and people listening closely.
Matthew 21:14, Matthew 21:15, Matthew 21:16, Mark 11:18, Luke 19:47, Luke 19:48
Make, think or respond
Temple Sequence Cards
What you’ll need
- Plain paper or card
- Pencils or crayons
- Scissors
- Bible
Try it together
- Draw four to six simple pictures from the passage, one scene on each card.
- Write a short phrase on each card, such as entered the temple, drove out buyers and sellers, house of prayer, children praised, leaders opposed.
- Mix the cards and have children place them in order from the passage.
- Ask each child to retell the account by pointing to the cards and using words from the verses.
This activity helps children sequence the account and identify the actions and results that the passage actually describes.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, prepare three main cards in advance and let them order only entered, drove out, and house of prayer.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to sort which details come from Matthew, Mark, or Luke and compare the responses each account mentions.
An optional closing prayer
Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for these verses about Jesus. Please help us listen carefully to his words and learn from what he said about your house. Amen.
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Matthew 21
12 Jesus entered into the temple of God and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.
13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!”
14 The lame and the blind came to him in the temple, and he healed them.
15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children who were crying in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the son of David!” they were indignant,
16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Did you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of children and nursing babies, you have perfected praise’?”
17 He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.
Mark 11
15 They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves.
16 He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.
17 He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers!”
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
19 When evening came, he went out of the city.
Luke 19
45 He entered into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it,
46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of robbers’!”
47 He was teaching daily in the temple, but the chief priests, the scribes, and the leading men among the people sought to destroy him.
48 They couldn’t find what they might do, for all the people hung on to every word that he said.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.
Source passages
Something to make together
These activities connect with the passage. Choose one that suits your group and the time you have.
