Jesus Cleanses the Temple
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught, and said to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought a way to destroy him; for they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
Bede - What the Lord had done in figure, when He cursed the barren fig tree, He now shews more openly, by casting out the wicked from the temple. For the fig tree was not in fault, in not having fruit before its time, but the priests were blameable; wherefore it is said, "And they come to Jerusalem; and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple." Nevertheless, it is probable that He found them buying and selling in the temple things which were necessary for its ministry. If then the Lord forbids men to carry on in the temple worldly matters, which they might freely do any where else, how much more do they deserve a greater portion of the anger of Heaven, who carry on in the temple consecrated to Him those things, which are unlawful wherever they may be done.
It goes on: "and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers."
Theophylact - He calls moneychangers, changers of a particular sort of money, for the word means a small brass coin.
Bede - Because the Holy Spirit appeared over the Lord in the shape of a dove, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are fitly pointed out under the name of doves. The Dove therefore is sold, when the laying on of hands by which the Holy Spirit is received is sold for a price. Again, He overturns the seats of them who sell doves, because they who sell spiritual grace, are deprived of their priesthood, either before men, or in the eyes of God.
Theophylact - But if a man by sinning gives up to the devil the grace and purity of baptism, he has sold his Dove, and for this reason is cast out of the temple.
There follows: "And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple."
Bede - He speaks of those vessels which were carried there for the purpose of merchandise. But God forbid that it should be taken to mean, that the Lord cast out of the temple, or forbade men to bring into it, the vessels consecrated to God; for here He shews a type of the judgment to come, for He thrusts away the wicked from the Church, and restrains them by His everlasting word from ever again coming in to trouble the Church. Furthermore, sorrow, sent into the heart from above, takes away from the souls of the faithful those sins which were in them, and Divine grace assists them so that they should never again commit them.
It goes on: "And He taught, saying unto them, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer."
Pseudo-Jerome - [This] according to Isaiah [Isa 56:7]. "But ye have made it a den of thieves," according to Jeremiah. [Jeremiah 7:11]
Bede - He says, "to all nations," not to the Jewish nation alone, nor in the city of Jerusalem alone, but over the whole world; and he does not say a house of bulls, goats, and rams, but of prayer.
Theophylact - Further, He calls the temple, "a den of thieves," on account of the money gained there; for thieves always troop together for gain. Since then they sold those animals which were offered in sacrifice for the sake of gain, He called them thieves.
Bede - For they were in the temple for this purpose, either that they might persecute with corporal pains those who did not bring gifts, or spiritually kill those who did. The mind and conscience of the faithful is also the temple and the house of God, but if it puts forth perverse thoughts, to the hurt of any one, it may be said that thieves haunt it as a den; therefore the mind of the faithful becomes the den of a thief, when leaving the simplicity of holiness, it plans that which may hurt others.
Augustine, de Con. Evan, ii, 67 - John, however, relates this in a very different order, wherefore it is manifest that not once only, but twice, this was done by the Lord, and that the first time was related by John, the last, by all the other three.
Theophylact - Which also turns to the greater condemnation of the Jews, because though the Lord did this so many times, nevertheless they did not correct their conduct.
Augustine, de Con. Evan, ii, 68 - In this again, Mark does not keep the same order as Matthew; because however Matthew connects the facts together by this sentence, "And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany," [Matthew 21:17] returning from whence in the morning, according to his relation, Christ cursed the tree, therefore it is supposed with greater probability that he rather has kept to the order of time, as to the ejection from the temple of the buyers and sellers. Mark therefore passed over what was done the first day when He entered into the temple, and on remembering it inserted it, when he had said that He found nothing on the fig tree but leaves, which was done on the second day, as both testify.
Gloss - But the Evangelist shews what effect the correction of the Lord had on the ministers of the temple, when he adds: "and the Scribes and Chief Priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him;" according to that saying of Amos: "They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly." [Amos 5:10] From this wicked design, however, they were kept back for a time solely by fear.
Wherefore it is added, "For they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine. For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes" and Pharisees, as is said elsewhere.
- text taken from Catena Aurea - Gospel of Mark by Saint Thomas Aquinas, translated by William Whiston, 1842