Jesus Clears the Temple before Passover

When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he entered the temple and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

Jesus would not let people carry containers through the temple. He taught that Scripture says God's house is to be a house of prayer, and Mark adds, for all the nations. Instead, he said, they had made it a den of robbers.

In Matthew's account, blind and lame people came to Jesus in the temple, and he healed them. Children were calling out there, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' When the religious leaders objected, Jesus answered with Scripture about praise from children.

The chief priests and the scribes reacted strongly to what Jesus was doing and teaching. They wanted to destroy him, but they were afraid because the crowd was astonished at his teaching and kept listening closely to him. Luke also includes the leading men among the people.

Jesus kept teaching in the temple during those days. In the evening he went out of the city, and Matthew says he went to Bethany and stayed there. The people were eager to hear him, even while opposition against him was growing.