At Jerusalem temple (6)

And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:17)

Jesus quoted 7:11, “But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” Jeremiah rebuked their hypocritical faith. They said “We are safe” by doing all evil things, steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods they had not known. It was a detestable thing. (Jer. 7:10)

Even in those days Jerusalem temple diligently practiced a traditional sacrifice. They were fervently and earnestly eager in religious performance greater than any other times. However, all these were hypocrisy. Problem here is that they never thought it was hypocrisy. Though some people felt authenticity but it was nothing but hypocritical authenticity.

Whether did they practically make the temple into a den of robbers or not also is not easy matter to certify. People are not able to notice such thing easily. If everybody knows it then solution for the problem can be easily made. That is problem. In the time of Martyn Luther’s religious reformation, many Catholic fathers and scholars regarded the indulgence and infallibility of Pops as granted.

Can Korean Protestant church today boldly say that they didn’t make a church as a den of robbers? For someone it is hidden for there is their own authenticity in a den of robbers. They have their own fidelity. A cook or a sweeper may be truthful. However, a den of robbers is still a den of robbers and it cannot be a temple. The criterion of such status is, according to Jeremiah’s teaching, discordance between one's faith and one's life. In order word, it is religious hypocrisy.

At Jerusalem temple (5)

And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:17)


Jesus quoted 56:7, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” The temple is a house of prayer for all nations. The core here is a house of prayer.

The most important function of temple, of course, is offering a sacrifice. It might be prayed at a certain part of temple as Jews recite the Psalm or pray at the Wall of Mourning. A sacrifice and a prayer can be distinguished strictly but it is not necessary here to do that for both are related to God. When we see the original contents from Isaiah, the above quoted sentence is followed after “Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar.” It is very clear that both are used as the same meaning.

The reason of today we go to church also worship and prayer. It is our religious activities to pour out all our spiritual concern to God. What does it point out practically? Firstly, it may remove all our desires of mundane world. As we fall into reading interesting books, only the Trinity God occupies our spiritual world.

It is not a simple thing like that. The reason is that his revelation, being method of God penetrates our life. It means there are many cases we are not able to distinguish what is a secular desire for ourselves and what is our concern toward God. The most important criterion is life; precisely speaking it is the mystery of life. If our soul is captured by the mystery of life that is fulfilled by God we are a true prayer to God and God worshippers.

At Jerusalem temple (4)

And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" (Mark 11:17)

After driving out the merchants or overturning benches, Jesus told about the essentiality of temple. It is quoted from the Old Testament, Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" and “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you?”

A house of prayer and a den of robbers are completely contradictive conception. If a spiritual fellowship occurs at a house of prayer then a den of robbers is ruled by greedy. The word of Jesus to make the holiest place into the ugliest place shocks us mightily.

It is not a high-flown expression but an exact diagnosis for our reality. If we simply understand this word as a warning for the corruption of church then it is embarrassing thing. Though it has such meaning too it says further fundamental something.

It urges us to dismantle our thought about holiness and secular. We like a high position in society and admire those who sit on that place. On the contrary we see a low post bad and look down those who were fallen down. Outwardly we say there is no difference between man and man and even their occupations but inwardly always give a line between them and think, judge and lives like that. This is really great misunderstanding.

It is the same in pastor’s world too. Normally a pastor is called as a sacred occupation. Though an occupation of pastor is distinguished it is exactly same as the occupation of the secular world. In other words, a pastor is nothing different from shoemaker or keysmith. There are tiny differences between a sacred and a secular. Or is the same as both sides of coin. At any moment a sacred becomes a secular and a secular a sacred.