Monday
The Cleansing of the Temple

It’s Monday of Holy Week. On this day, Jesus enters the temple and overturns tables—not just in frustration, but in judgment.

The temple was meant to be the place where heaven and earth met. It was an echo of Eden, where humanity once walked with God in unhindered fellowship. Sacrifices were meant to address sin. Worship was meant to restore communion. But by Jesus’ day, the temple had become distorted. Commerce had taken over consecration. Ritual had replaced repentance. So, Jesus cleanses it.

Creation was meant to be a sanctuary, humanity dwelling unhindered in the presence of God; the fall corrupted every part of that. Sin’s entrance into the world didn’t just introduce moral weakness; it corrupted worship itself. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple reveals that restoration must always begin with purification.

But Jesus is doing more than just reforming temple practice. He is announcing something far greater—himself as the true temple. As he says in Matthew 12:6, “something greater than the temple is here.” The true meeting place between God and man now stands among them.

Sin is not only personal. It shapes systems, habits, and patterns of life. It distorts worship and dulls our reverence; redemption, therefore, must begin with purification. Jesus doesn’t come to just forgive sinners; he comes to make them holy, and to build a new temple made up of living stones (1 Peter 2:5).

1. Where has my worship grown casual or routine, instead of reverent and joyful?
2. Are there patterns of sin I am tolerating that are dulling my desire for God?
3. Do I approach worship primarily for what I receive, or for the glory of the one I am worshipping?

Holy God, you are worthy of reverence and awe. Forgive me for the ways my heart grows distracted, and my worship becomes routine. Cleanse what is impure within me. Renew my love for your presence and restore my desire to honour you in every part of my life. Through Christ, the true temple, draw me near again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.