John 2:13-16
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade."

I didn't know that 'temple' (Gk. hieron) denotes the area surrounding the temple, including the Court of the Gentiles, in distinction from the temple building proper (Gk. naos), from which non-Jews were excluded. I always thought it was the 'building' they were referring to.

The merchants and money lenders were making a huge profit cos they were taking advantage of those Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem from afar. This I know.

But why didn't it occur to me earlier that by conducting their businesses in the temple complex, these individuals were disrupting the worship of non-Jewish peeps! This obstructed the very purpose for which the temple was built for. It really didn't occur to me that the non-Jewish peeps were affected, not the whole congregation of temple-goers.

Dang! 茅塞顿开!

Labels: Daily devotions