On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Mark 11:15-17

            Merchants set up stations to help travelers coming to the temple for big events, such as Passover.  These stations exchanged money from foreign currencies into acceptable currencies in Jerusalem so the people could buy an animal for sacrifice to take into the temple.  Those services were not the problem.  The problem was two-fold.

            One, they overcharged creating an unnecessary burden on people and, two, they set their stations up too close to where solemn interaction with God needed to happen.  It wasn’t like a table in the church lobby, but setting up a table inside your worship center, by the back row, where loud interactions and haggling would occur during the services.  The financial practices outweighed the spiritual practices.