Week 2 | Day 1 THE FIRST TEMPLE CLEANSING John 2:13-25

When Jesus walked into the Temple—specifically the court of the Gentiles, the one place the nations were allowed to draw near—and instead of prayer, worship, and teaching, He found noise, business, and exploitation. Tables stacked with coins, animals being sold, and the leaders were using God’s house for personal gain. With righteous anger, Jesus began turning over table, driving out the money changers, and declaring that they’ve turned His Father’s house into a den of thieves. He was fiercely jealous for His Father’s glory and the Temple’s true purpose: a place of worship and prayer, sacrifice and communion, instruction in His Word, and a witness to the world.

In doing this, Jesus was preparing His disciples for a deeper reality—that one day they would become His temple. Our lives, not a building, would be the place where God’s presence dwells, where prayer rises, where sacrifice is offered, and where the world sees what He is like. So, we must let Him cleanse whatever in us competes with His presence or corrupts His purpose.

APPLICATION

1. Invite Jesus to Inspect Your “Courts”

Ask Him to show you anything in your life—habits, attitudes, priorities—that is crowding out worship, prayer, and obedience.

2. Keep God Front and Center

Refuse to treat God as a means to personal gain. Seek His glory first, not your platform, comfort, or control.

3. Live as His Temple

Remember: you are now the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. Let your daily life be marked by worship, prayer, sacrifice, disciple-making, and a clear witness to others.

4. Be Willing to Let Him Overturn Your Tables

When Jesus convicts and disrupts, it’s not to harm you but to restore you—to make your life once again a house of prayer.

PRAYER

Father, Thank You that Jesus cares enough to cleanse what is unworthy of You. I confess how easily my life can become cluttered with selfish motives, distractions, and compromises. Come into the “courts” of my heart and show me anything that dishonors You and overturn whatever tables need to be overturned. Restore in me a heart of true worship, prayer, and obedience. Amen.