Mark 11:17
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!"
Mark 11:17 is part of a larger passage in the Gospel of Mark that describes Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Jesus entered the temple, he noticed that merchants and money changers had set up shop in the temple courts, and he became angry at what he saw as their desecration of the Holy Place.
In Mark 11:15-16, it says, "On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts."
Then in Mark 11:17, Jesus explains his actions by quoting from the book of Isaiah: "'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."'" By invoking this scripture, Jesus is reminding his listeners of the original purpose of the temple, which was to be a place of worship and prayer for people from all nations.
However, the presence of merchants and money changers in the temple courts had turned the place into a marketplace rather than a house of prayer, and Jesus was angered by this desecration. His reference to the den of robbers suggests that he saw the merchants as engaging in dishonest or exploitative practices, taking advantage of the religious pilgrims who came to the temple to worship.
Mark 11:17 is a rebuke of the religious leaders who had allowed the temple to become a place of commerce rather than a place of worship. By overturning the tables and driving out the merchants, Jesus was making a statement about the importance of preserving the sanctity of religious places and the need to honor God with reverence and respect.
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