Don’t be so quick to scoff at their sin

Jan 19, 2026

House of Prayer

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Then [Jesus] began to teach them and said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have turned it into a den of robbers!”

Mark 11:17 (NET)

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For context, this came when Jesus was cleansing the temple the week of His crucifixion.

The religious leaders had turned the space of the temple reserved for Gentile worshipers into a bazaar.

As is normally the case, Jesus uses Scripture to reinforce His ministry.

We should take a hint there and reinforce our own lives with Scripture.

(That’s one of the reasons I am such a fan of memorizing Bible verses.)

I want to pause a little today and think about the damage these religious leaders had done. They’ve effectively pushed out the Gentiles, forcing them to worship … well, who cares about them, right?

Turns out, God cares.

A lot.

We have few instances of Jesus being angry. Most of the time He is heartbroken over people’s ignorance and sin. But here we see Him angry.

A righteous anger, zealous for the Lord’s house.

It’s easy to scoff at the Pharisees & Sadducees & Scribes & other leaders. Because we would never do something like that, right?

Not so fast. Sin deceives us quickly. It’s a good idea to check-in with the Holy Spirit and see where your heart is.

Maybe you’re good and there’s nothing to confess. Or maybe you get that twinge of conviction from the Holy Spirit and it’s time to spend some time digging out some sin.

I don’t know, but I hope you’ll take a little time and see.

I will too.

— Ricky Ketchum

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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