Cleansing the Temple

Holy Monday: Who are we pushing out?

By Josh Hatcher

There’s a version of Jesus people are comfortable with.

He’s calm. Gentle. Soft-spoken.
He teaches nice things. Helps people feel better.

And then there’s Holy Monday.

This is the day Jesus walks into the temple… and starts flipping tables.

Coins scatter. Animals run loose.
People are shouting.
And Jesus is right in the middle of it.

This scene from the chosen shows what the cleansing of the temple might have looked like.

“My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” (Matthew 21:13)

But here’s something we don’t always talk about:

Where this was happening matters.

The Space That Was Taken

The money changers and merchants had set up in the outer courts of the temple.

That space had a purpose. It was the place where Gentiles—non-Jews—were allowed to come and worship God. It was as close as they could get.

And it had been turned into a marketplace.

Loud. Distracting.
Crowded. Transactional.

The very place meant to welcome outsiders…
had been taken over by insiders.

And without anyone saying it out loud, the message was clear:

There’s no room for you here.

Jesus Was Defending Access

When Jesus flipped those tables, He wasn’t just reacting to greed.

He was restoring access.

He was making space again for people who were being pushed out.

He was clearing away everything that stood between people and God.

And that hits different.

Because now this isn’t just about corruption.

It’s about who gets excluded.

Who Are We Pushing Out?

That’s the question Holy Monday forces us to ask.

Not just as a church… but personally.

What in my life is taking up space that belongs to God?

And even deeper:

Is there anything in me that makes it harder for someone else to come to Him?

Not intentionally.

But practically.

My attitude.
My habits.
My distractions.
My comfort.

The things I’ve allowed to set up shop in places that were meant for something sacred.

This story, of a loud Jesus wielding a whip, and standing boldly has always appealed to me, since I was a kid.

As a bullied kid who was often treated unfairly, I felt like this Jesus would stand up for me. I had enough of “turning the other cheek” and “heaping coals of fire” on the heads of my bullies. But this Jesus, was tough. He defended not only God’s house, but defended the outcasts and the weirdos.

This Jesus is no different than the one who spoke in Sermon on the Mount, a peaceful message that many interpreted as non-violent. Honestly, that picture of Jesus is only a part of the story. Jesus isn’t just meek, mild, and lowly. He is fiery. He is just. He is “consumed with zeal”. That makes him good.

There are times, when in my attempt to model the meek and mild, I have been silent when I should speak up. There are also times, when my zeal is driven by my own desires, and I end up turning over the wrong tables.

Jesus modeled both. When He was crucified, He could have protested, but He was “silent as a lamb before the slaughter.” And when He confronted the moneychangers in the temple, He was a dangerous rebel with a weapon.

Jesus Still Flips Tables

Here’s the thing.

Jesus didn’t ask permission.

He didn’t negotiate.

He overturned what didn’t belong—because it was hurting people.

And I think sometimes we want Jesus to comfort us…
when He actually wants to clear some things out.

Not to shame us.

But to make room again.

Repentance Makes Space

Confession means to “say the same thing.”
Repentance is turning away from the wrong thing.
It’s about agreeing with Jesus.

It’s about letting Him come in and say,
“This doesn’t belong here anymore.”

And then actually letting it go.

Because your life—just like the temple—was meant to be:

“A house of prayer.”

A place where God is near.
A place where others can encounter Him too.

Make Room

So here’s the question:

What’s taking up space in your life right now?

What’s crowding out what God wants to do?

And is there anything—anything at all—that’s making it harder for someone else to draw near?

Jesus still clears space.

Not because He’s angry…
but because He cares about who’s being left out.

Let’s pray this prayer together:

O Lord our God, who is rich in mercy and abundant in compassion,
who alone is good and loves mankind:
forgive me every sin, whether committed knowingly or unknowingly.

Cleanse my soul and body from every defilement of flesh and spirit.

Grant that I may stand before You without condemnation,
and offer You a pure heart. Amen.

-St. Basil the Great

Josh Hatcher