Mark chapter 11 describes Jesus driving the merchants and moneychangers out of the temple, saying, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ You have made it a den of robbers!” These people had taken advantage of the people’s devotion to God, and were using that to extract a profit. It seems to be implied that, not only were these people selling stuff in a place which was supposed to be set aside for worshipping God; they were also charging unfair prices.
Fast forward to 2008: Who are today’s merchants and moneychangers? Who would Jesus want to drive out of the church? Maybe the first people that Jesus would drive out of the temple nowadays would be the shonky televangelists who enrich themselves at the expense of their vulnerable viewers. Frauds who bless handkerchiefs and then send them to viewers in exchange for large donations, promising healings or other benefits supposedly conferred by God. Maybe the next to go would be religious politicians who gain power by claiming to be the exclusive representative and mouthpiece of God in the political process. They falsely imply that if you want to enter the kingdom of God you have to follow a particular political agenda which does not reflect the teachings of Jesus.
Actually, when you compare the merchants and moneychangers of Jesus’s time with their modern-day equivalents who use God to gain personal wealth or power, you have to wonder whether we have actually moved forward. Perhaps in every age there will be a temple in need of cleansing.