Read Matt. 21:12-13; Jeremiah 7:8-11, Cleansing the Temple

Jesus cleansed the temple on two occasions: one at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-22) and this occasion, at the end of His earthly ministry.  It is interesting, if you read John’s account, that the Jews asked Jesus for a sign, in light of His actions.  The sign Jesus gave them was, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.  He was speaking of the temple of His body, and of His death and resurrection. 

In Matthew's account we are now close to the time of His death.  Jesus connects this cleansing of the temple with the passage in Jeremiah.  The connection is easy to see.  Jeremiah was warning the people that they were trusting in lying words.  The lie was, that they could commit abominations in the worship of Baal and other grievous sins, and then come to the temple of the LORD and act as if nothing was wrong.  Jeremiah went on to warn them that God would do to the temple what He had done to Shiloh, the first place of worship after Israel entered the land (Jer. 7:14).  He would remove it!

Jesus was in the same context, exactly.  He was confronting the abominations of His day, and calling for repentance.  Failure to do this would result in the real cleansing of the temple, the destruction which occurred in 70AD.  Passages such as Mt. 23:37-39; Luke 19:41-44 and 21:20-24 were predictions of that terrible event.  Jesus selected the perfect passage from Jeremiah so the people would understand why He wreaked such havoc in the temple.

Read Matt. 21:15-16; Psalm 8, Infants Know Better than Scholars

All of the things that were part of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem infuriated the chief priests and scribes.  Matthew especially notes their indignance at the praise of the children.  They challenged Jesus, that He should know better than to allow these children to think and say such things.  Jesus' response is to quote Psa. 8:2. 

That verse is not of itself Messianic.  But actually, the entire Psalm is Messianic.  Psalm 8:4-6, the meat of the Psalm, is quoted and applied to Christ Jesus in Hebrews 2:6-8.  In the Psalm God is praised because, in all His greatness as Creator, He has time for man, to think of Him and to visit Him.  The term “visit” does not simply mean God dropped by for a cup of coffee and some conversation.  It is an attending to the needs of someone, looking in on them in a serious manner. 

This is exactly what Jesus did.  He was God in the flesh, living among us, observing us, and attending to our needs.  Did the little children know that Jesus was Immanuel, God with us?  I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter really.  What they saw they knew to be praiseworthy.  What Psa. 8:2 tells us is that God took children with their uncomplicated view of life, and in them He perfected praise.  They got it right.

Jesus answered the indignance of the leaders with His own indignance: have you never read?  What a question to ask the scholars, the supposed “men of the word.”  The infants knew better than the scholars.