Israel thought they could rebel against God and that the temple would be a place of refuge from God’s judgment. They thought they could worship idols, break the ten commandments, and ignore the prophet of the Lord but that no matter how bad they were, the temple would keep them safe. God warns that this will not happen. His judgment is coming, and not even the temple will keep them safe when He does. 

Jesus was a masterful teacher. One of the ways He demonstrated His skill as a teacher was through His ability to say a whole lot with just a few words. Novice speakers often think that the more they talk the more likely they are to change people’s minds. Sometimes that method works, but often saying a little can say a whole lot. No one exemplified this principle better than Jesus.

One example of Jesus’ concise yet powerful preaching occurred when Jesus overthrew the tables in the temple. This event, recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, ends with Jesus explaining His sudden and surprising behavior with a short compound sentence. Here he quotes two Old Testament passages: “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Packed into this brief sermon is a stinging rebuke and a warning that would have been all too clear to the leadership of the temple. To fully understand what Jesus is talking about, I want to make a few brief comments on how New Testament authors quote the Old Testament, and then look at each of these phrases in their Old Testament contexts. 

Old Testament Quotations

Obviously, the New Testament frequently quotes or alludes to the Old Testament. This fact has been known for a while. Recent studies in Scripture, however, have explored how it is that the New Testament quotes and alludes to the Old Testament. While it is true that the New Testament treats the Old Testament as an authority, there’s often more going on than a simple citation. Frequently the New Testament writer is assuming a fuller understanding of the passage he is quoting or alluding to. Teasing out the background of the Old Testament text often helps us better understand what the New Testament writer or speaker is doing.

The Jewish people grew up saturated in their Old Testament. They knew the stories, passages, warnings, and prophecies of their Old Testament much more thoroughly than we do today. When the New Testament quotes a Psalm, there’s a chance that was a song the Jewish audience would have known well. When they cite a future prophecy, people who heard it referenced might have been hoping in that prophecy to help them get through a tough time. When Old Testament passages are quoted, the original audience would probably have understood that passage much better than modern readers who at times only know it from its use in the New Testament. 

With this in mind, let’s look at the background of the two passages Jesus here recites. Once we realize where these passages come from, we will see that this was not just two random passages stuck together. This was an intentional combining of important texts that together would have communicated a very clear message to Jerusalem’s leaders.

A House of Prayer

The statement “My house shall be called a house of prayer” comes from Isaiah 56:6-7. This passage looks forward to the day when God will gloriously restore the nation of Israel. This picture of a restored and powerful nation is laid out at the beginning of Isaiah, specifically in the beginning of chapter 2. There Isaiah describes the nations streaming to Jerusalem so that they will hear the law of the Lord. This pictures a time when Israel is finally acknowledged as the people of the one true God, Creator and Ruler of the earth.

This fuzzy picture is then filled in by later passages in the book such as Isaiah 56. In Isaiah 56, God is regathering His people, but not just His people. During the glorious restoration of Israel, the nations will also come into the temple to offer sacrifices and will be accepted by God. This passage told of a time when all the world would come to Jerusalem to pray to God, and Isaiah promised they would be heard and warmly accepted by Him.

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