Easter Holy Week – Sunday – Cleansing of the Temple

As Jesus entered the temple, expecting a place of reverence and prayer, He was met with chaos—animals bleating, merchants shouting, and money changers cheating the poor. This was no place of worship. Jesus saw it for what it was—it had become a marketplace, corruption invading His Father’s house of worship.

The animals being sold for sacrifice were required to be without blemish, but to obtain them, people had to exchange their currency (coins with the face of Roman Emperors or Greek Gods) for special ‘temple’ coins—at outrageously high rates, particularly for the poor.

Just as Jewish families spent this day removing leaven from their homes in preparation for Passover, Jesus cleansed His Father’s house. Jesus drove out the money changers, overturned tables, and emptied the temple of its distractions.

As He did, the religious leaders—the Pharisees and Sadducees—watched in outrage. Who was this man to disrupt their long-standing traditions? Where did He get His authority? But Jesus proclaimed:

“My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” – Matthew 21:13

This act angered the religious leaders, but they were afraid of the people.

And then the children seeing this, cried out in worship: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” – Matthew 21:15

That day, Jesus’ 2^nd day in the temple during Easter Holy Week, He didn’t just cleanse the temple—He made it a place of healing and worship. He welcomed those who had been excluded due to imperfections, restoring not only the temple’s sacredness but also the dignity of those rejected by religious leaders.

This act enraged the Pharisees—representatives of the common people who emphasized the Torah, oral traditions, and believed in the resurrection and afterlife. It also infuriated the Sadducees—wealthy leaders who focused on temple rituals but denied the existence of angels, spirits, or a resurrection.

Though these two religious groups rarely agreed, on this, they were united! And together, they began plotting to rid themselves of Jesus. Jesus had to go.

Video link re-telling the story of Easter week day 2 HERE.

Biblical References: John 2:13-17, Matthew 21:12-13, Jeremiah 7:11, Matthew 21:14-16, Psalm 8:2, Luke 19:45-48, Matthew 21:17

To Create this Sunday scene of cleansing the Temple and bring the Easter Story to life:

• Most links to the patterns are in the Introductory post (Link Here). Any extra links needed see below.  
• Use the Temple backdrop and the 2 Temple gates.
• Have Jesus with a magnet in His hand holding a small scourge.
• The scourge or whip: Use a toothpick wrapped with rope and wire – see photo. I cut a round toothpick to a1-inch length. I took a small white rope and cut 3- 2 inch lengths and then tied knots on both ends of the 2-inch lengths. I then wrapped wire around the middle of the 3 small ropes and attached them to the top of the toothpick. I also wrapped thin wire around the bottom of the toothpick. The magnet in Jesus’ hand should now be able to hold the scourge.
• Plastic toy animals scattered in the marketplace (my grandkids added small plastic animals from their toybox) You might also teach the children that hurting others is not acceptable. I believe Jesus would not have hurt animals or people intentionally, but He did overturn tables and use a scourge to drive them away, causing fear.
• Peg-people representing those who came to hear Jesus and be healed.