Mark chapter 11 verse 17 and he was teaching them and saying 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 this is what Jesus said right after he had overturned the tables of the money changers

and the seats of those who were selling pigeons in the temple courts.

And understanding how the temple was set up is so important to understanding why Jesus said what he did right here. Because the temple,

at the very center of the temple, you had the Holy of Holies. This is the place where only the high

priest would go once a year to offer atonement for the people's sin. And then outside of that,

you had the court of Jewish men,

which is obviously where Jewish men could go and pray and worship.

And then outside of that, you had the court of Jewish women,

where Jewish women could go and pray and worship.

And then outside of that, the outer court was the court of the Gentiles.

So this is where anybody who is not Jewish could come

and pray and worship in this place that signified

God's presence and his glory in the world.

And so where do you think these money changers and pigeon sellers set up shop?

You think they did it in the court of Jewish men?

The court of Jewish women?

No, they did it in the court of the Gentiles.

The only place where Gentiles could come to worship God, to seek God.

And so Jesus turns over these tables and these seats and he looks at them and he says,

My house shall be called a house of prayer.

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