All Four Gospels share the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. Mark, Matthew, and Luke all quote the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah in saying:
My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.
John has a similar quote from Jesus, though told slightly differently. There Jesus says:
Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.
One might be tempted to say that the traders and money lenders where providing an economic service, especially to the poor and those who had travelled from far away. However, Jesus’ words are constant with those of the Prophets, summarized beautifully in Psalm 51:
For thou hast no delight in sacrifice;
were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
The point of worship isn’t sacrifice, but coming closer to God. Money or objects shouldn’t come in the way of that.
Jesus felt strongly enough that the Temple wasn’t an economic way-station that He made a whip of cords to drive the money lenders and traders out. Such work degraded the House of God.
The Church is clearly not a business in Jesus’ view. It is something else entirely. It is, at the very least, meant to help bring us closer in relationship with God, as well as with our neighbor. Jesus calls us through His actions to shun anything that makes the Church do otherwise.
Next Faith Fact, we will discuss what the Church is: a Community