Episode 12

Turning Over Tables

These companion notes are designed to help you continue the conversation with God beyond the episode.


These are some of the Scriptures we used to prepare and share in this episode. Click the triangle to see the passages.

Matthew 21:12-17 – Jesus drives out robbers, opens the temple to the blind and lame

12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Mark 11:15-19 – Jesus takes control of the temple, the Pharisees become angry

15 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. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 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.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they[a] went out of the city.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Luke 19:45-48 – In the cleared temple, the people were hanging on his words


45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

English Standard Version (ESV)

John 2: 13-22 – Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days

13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,[a] and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Isaiah 56:3-7 – The dry tree and the house of prayer

3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
    “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose the things that please me
    and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
    a monument and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
    that shall not be cut off.

6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”
8 The Lord God,

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jeremiah 7:8-11 – Den of robbers in the house of God


8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.

English Standard Version (ESV)

These are the books, articles, podcasts, and other resources referenced during this conversation.

E.M. Bounds on Prayer

“Prayer is the outstretched arms of the child for the Father’s help. Prayer is the child’s cry calling to the Father’s ear…Prayer is the seeking of God’s greatest good, which will not come if we do not pray.”

– E.M. Bounds

Read slowly through the Scriptures and think back to the conversation. Don’t rush to the “right” answer. What draws your heart?

Notice the two pictures of the temple. First the “business as usual” version, which may be loud, distracted and only for those who can qualify. Second, the cleared out temple, filled with praise, and healing…unrestricted by clean or unclean status, where you can be with Jesus and hang on every word. Who is in charge of these two spaces? What is their goal?

What is your goal and desire in prayer? Which temple more closely aligns with your “house of prayer”?


Consider

Take a moment to think about what Jesus did. Consider the promise and the sign that he gave to the Pharisees, what was He actually promising to do? How does that impact your ability to have a “house of prayer” in your own life? What about the life of the church?


Respond

Reflect on the people in the temple, especially the moneychangers and the Pharisees. Ask God to show you if you have anything that functions like a robber in your prayer life. Start with the commerce and ask if you have any places of belief or habit that keep you from intimacy with God.

Then look at the anger and the fear that gripped the Pharisees, even their confusion about what was really important between the physical and the spiritual temple. Ask God to help you see the ways you may be confused, afraid, or angry as you think about prayer. If you need to confess and repent, take time to do so.


One simple invitation

Bring Him your desire to grow. Write out a prayer that describes all the freedom and the joy you desire in your prayer life, and in the life of your local congregation.

If you have walked away from church, express your frustration to God and ask Him to cleanse the temples around you. Ask for true revival and healing for the churches in your area.

We would love to hear what God. is teaching you through these conversations. Come and share your story, your questions, your reflections, and even your ideas for future episodes.

Email us at unpolishedprayer@gmail.com

If this conversation encouraged you, consider sharing this episode with someone who may be encouraged as well.


A Note About Our Resources

The resources shared on this page are intended to support the conversations on Unpolished Prayer and encourage continued growth in prayer and a deeper understanding of Scripture. While we carefully select resources we believe are faithful and helpful, we encourage every listener to test what they read and hear against the truth of God’s Word.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.