Jesus At the Temple

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Jesus had been teaching, healing, and doing many

wonderful works. It was time for the Passover feast,
an annual feast of the Jews. Jesus entered Jerusalem
riding on a donkey. The people put their coats on the
 ground and cut branches from the trees and waved
them as they cried out, "Hosanna in the highest!" It
was a joyful triumphant occasion.
Jesus went into the temple and looked around at
everything that was going on, but it was late and he
didn't stay. He and his twelve disciples went back to
Bethany and spent the night.
The next day they went back to Jerusalem and again
Jesus went to the temple, but this time he took
action. Men were selling the animals for sacrifices
right there in the area of the temple! He knew this
was not right and he did something about it. He
made a whip out of cords, or small ropes and he
drove the money changers out along with the sheep,
oxen, and doves. He turned the tables over and
poured out the money on the floor of the temple.
He said, "Take these things away! My Father's house
shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made
it a 'den of thieves.'"
The Jewish religious leaders were very upset by all this
and they began looking for a way to destroy Jesus.
However, they were afraid of him because all the
people were amazed at his teaching.
Under the law of Moses people were required to offer
animal sacrifices. If you had to travel a long way to
get to the temple in Jerusalem, you would probably
not take your animal with you. You would take some
money and buy an animal for your offering after
you got to Jerusalem. It was not wrong for men to
sell the animals, but they should have been selling
 them outside the temple area. There is also
indication that the price of the animals was too high
since Jesus called them "thieves".
Then blind and lame people came to him in the temple
and he healed them. The children were crying out,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!" When the religious
leaders heard this, they said to him, "Do you hear
what they are saying?"
Of course, Jesus did hear and he accepted their praise.
He told the leaders that this was "perfect praise"
coming from the lips of the children.

What does this story

mean to me?

When Jesus saw something happening that was wrong,

he did something about it. He didn't just pass quietly
by and say nothing.

Suppose you see someone being mistreated or

ridiculed. Kids are saying ugly things to your friend
or a classmate. What do you do? Do you join in and
make fun of him or her also? Do you just stand
quietly by and say nothing? Or do you take up for
the person and try to stop the teasing.
 It may be appropriate for you to inform an adult
about the situation. Talk to your family about it.

Memory Verse

It is written, "My house shall be called a house of

prayer, but you have made it
a 'den of thieves.'"
Matthew 21:13 (NKJV)

REVIEW

(Rest the mouse lightly over the ??? to see the answers in the alternate
tags.)

1. How did Jesus enter Jerusalem at the Passover feast?

2.What did Jesus do at his first visit to the temple

after he got there ?

3. What did he do when he came back the next day?
4. What did he say the temple should be called?

5. What did he say the temple had become because

of their actions?

6. Where should the animals have been sold?

7. Who came to be healed?

8. What did Jesus call the praise of children?

You can read about Jesus at the temple in the Bible

in Matthew 21:12-17