My House Shall be Called a House of Prayer!

These words are uttered by Jesus after He entered Jerusalem during the Palm Sunday weekend. After Jesus rode into the city with everyone cheering and singing praises, we read that Jesus goes into the Temple and looks around. In Mark 11:12-14 we find that Jesus curses the fig tree and a few verses later we see that the tree had died. First, there is a metaphor between the fig tree not having any fruit and what Jesus say in the Temple the day before. Second, Jesus is teaching the disciples a lesson about faith filled prayer. Then in Verses 15-16, Jesus now enters the Temple again. But this time He has a plan.

Mark 11:17 “And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.’”

Jesus begins driving out the merchants. What is the problem with the merchants? They were preventing people from worshipping God and they were a distraction from being prayerful and sincere. Also, they were charging exorbitant prices for the goods. They were literally robbing the people in the Temple. The Temple had become more about business than worship and prayer. Then in verse 17 Jesus says: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” This is a quote from Isaiah 56:7. In Isaiah this passage is speaking about ‘Salvation for others.’ First, that the Lord’s house will be a house of Prayer. Second, the Lord is making a way for other nations to come to Him.

Back in Mark, the quote, a den of robbers, is a quote from Jeremiah 7:11. The prophet Jeremiah was warning against what he called false religion. When God says, ‘House of Prayer,’ He means the essence of the Lord’s house is to be prayer. And the subsequent fruit, Prayer always bears fruit. The next part of the quote is “For all nations.” Because God is a God of all nations, His house is to be the house for all nations. The church is to be the church for all nations. Verse 17 continues, “But you have made it a den of robbers.” Jesus’ teaching or admonition then turns to that quote from Jeremiah 7:11. In Jeremiah this verse is a reference to ‘False religion is worthless!’

The people in the Temple in Jesus’ day had made it about religious practice. But it certainly wasn’t about prayer and true worship. It had become a formality. Something that they had to do to clear their own consciences. It lacked a deep relationship with God out of a heart of sincerity and a commitment to follow the living God. It could be easy today for any church or church leaders to fall into that same trap of programs, appealing to the senses and to completely forget about holiness and the way we are to combat sinful nature! The house of God must stand for something that helps people realize that something is lacking in their lives. When people come to the ‘House of God,’ they should feel the welcome, experience the love but most importantly, they should meet Jesus!

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