Is Your Temple Clean?

Introduction

Once a grand-looking man was given a Sunday School class to teach. He considered himself the very model of a Christian and was outspoken as a religious man. Wherever he went, he was always telling people how much he went to church and gave. One Sunday as he was trying to show his class how important it is to live like a Christian, he felt He needed an illustration. He could only think of one example worthy of the impression he hoped to make, so he asked, "Why do people call me a Christian?" The class was silent for a while, and the man was very pleased that they were so thoughtful until one boy, who had worked for him, hesitantly said, "Maybe it's because they don't know you?" In Mark 11:15-19, we see Jesus dealing with people who claim to be very religious but use it as a cover for dishonesty and sin. Study the passage to see what God thinks about hypocrisy and how He wants people to honor His temple.

Observation

Pray

Ask the Lord to help you think like He thinks about the things in the passage you're going to study today.

Read Focus Verses

Read Mark 11:15-19 and consider what it tells us about Jesus.

Keyword - Jesus

As is the case through the whole book of Mark, Jesus is the main Character in today's passage. Marking His Name and the references to Him will help us notice everything that He does and says.

Jesus

Mark Jesus' Name and every time He's mentioned (He, Him, His…) in Mark 11:15-19.

Theme

What one word could you use to summarize the things that are going wrong in this passage?

Keyword - Money

If you mark all the words related to money in these verses, you'll find it's a theme that ties together all of the things that are going wrong in these verses.

Money

Mark all the words and ideas that have to do with money in Mark 11:15-19.

City

What city did Jesus enter at the beginning of today's passage?

Place

What building did He go into?

Action

What did Jesus do in the temple according to verses 15-16?

Explanation

In verse 17, how does Jesus explain His actions?

Who?

Who does verse 18 tell us about?

Response

How did the scribes and chief priests respond to Jesus' actions and words?

The Crowd

What does the end of verse 18 tell us about the crowd?

The End

How does verse 19 close the story?

Context

If you read the verses that come right before today's passage, Mark 11:1-14, you'll be able to figure out what day of the week Jesus cleansed the temple. (Hint: Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem on Sunday.)

Day of the Week?

What day of the week did Jesus cleanse the Temple?

Interpretation

See the Temple

This video shows a model of the temple and Jerusalem from around the time of Jesus. It can help you picture what it might have looked like when Jesus was cleansing the temple.

First Quote

To explain why He was casting the merchants out of the temple with their wares, Jesus quotes two Bible passages. The first is Isaiah 56:6-7.

Purpose

What does God say about the purpose of the temple in Isaiah 56:6-7?

Second Quote

The second passage Jesus references is Jeremiah 7:9-11.

Revealed

What does Jeremiah 7:9-11 reveal about what was going on in the temple?

I Have Seen It

The end of Jeremiah 7:11 warns the people that God sees their hypocrisy and sin despite their pretended worship. What did their willingness to sin at the very place God met with His people say about what they truly believed about God?

Hypocrisy

Based on these verses and Jesus' actions in today's passage, what does God think about hypocrisy?

God Won't See

Psalm 94:7-9 talks about people who sin like that.

God Won't Act

The Bible talks about this kind of attitude a lot. See what Zephaniah 1:12 says.

The Fool

Psalm 14:1 tells us what kind of person thinks this way.

The People

What do these verses tell us about people who act like God can't see or won't judge them?

About God

What do these verses tell us about God?

The Conclusion

In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 the Lord tells us how we should respond.

Our Response

How does the Lord tell us to respond to the truth that He knows and will judge everything we do and think.

Not the First Time

In John 2:11-17 we see that today's passage wasn't the first time Jesus cleansed the temple.

As His Ministry Began

When, relative to His life, did Jesus cleanse the temple the first time?

Righteous Judgment

Isaiah 11:1-4 tells us more about the right Jesus had to judge these things.

Christ's Judgment

What do these verses teach us about how the Lord Jesus judges?

The Leaders

The scribes and chief priests were the religious leaders of Israel. How should they have responded to Jesus cleansing the temple of people who were dishonestly buying and selling things in God's house?

Actually

How did they actually respond and what does it reveal about their spiritual condition?

Why They Didn't

What was the reason they didn't openly destroy Jesus according to today's passage?

Fear of Others

Proverbs 29:25 tells us what happens when you live for the praise of people rather than God.

A Big Problem

In John 12:42-43 we see more evidence that this was a big problem for the religious people of Jesus' day.

Results

What are some of the dangers of living to please people instead of God?

The Solution

Jesus tells us how to think about it in Matthew 10:28.

God Not People

Why should we care more about what God thinks about us and our actions than about what other people think?

Received

The religious rulers rejected Jesus. Matthew 21:12-17 tells us who received Him.

The Blind, Lame, and Children

Who received Jesus even when the religious rulers rejected Him?

Healing and Defense

How did Jesus respond to those who believed in Him?

Encouragement

How could that encourage someone who believed in Jesus when everyone around them didn't?

Your Body

Consider what 1 Corinthians 6:19 says.

Temple of the Living God

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 talks more about this.

Christians Are…

What do these verses teach us about Christians?

God's Temple

How do they say Christians should live since they are God's temple?

The First Part

When Jesus saw that the temple was defiled, He cleansed it. 2 Corinthians 7:1 shows how a Christian should clean their life and heart.

The Second Part

1 John 1:9 reveals how a Christian can find cleansing if they realize they have sinned.

Clean Life

How can a Christian clean their life and heart to honor the Lord?

How to Live

God doesn't make us guess how to live a clean and holy life - He tells us. Colossians 3 touches on many of the things God says about how a Christian should live. You can listen to the chapter in this video (or you can read it if you prefer).

Today

Based on today's passage, how much does God consider and care about the way people honor or dishonor Him by the way they treat His temple?

Once More

Read Mark 11:15-19 once more now that you've studied it.

About God

What do these verses teach us about God?

How to Live

What do these verses teach us about how we should or shouldn't live?

Application

God Sees

Does your life show that you believe in a God who sees and knows everything? Are there things you need to do or stop doing so you can be wise instead of foolish in this way?

God's Temple

Think about the things you have done, said, and thought today. Would you have done, said, or thought them if you were in God's temple?

Like Jesus

When Jesus was in the temple and saw that it was defiled by sin, He cleansed it. If you've seen something in your life that doesn't honor God, will you cleanse it from your life? How?

Wrapup

Closing

We hope this study plan has helped you understand why Jesus cleansed the temple and has challenged you to live a clean, godly life as the temple of God.

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