And He was teaching them and saying, “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.”
The Lord explains His action by the Holy Scripture, joining the prophetic words of Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11). The house of God was intended for prayer, not only for Israel, but for all nations. This reveals the breadth of God’s salvation: His house was to be the place where the peoples draw near to Him. But the religious leaders and the sellers had made that place a center of profit and injustice. The phrase “a den of robbers” shows that they were not only doing business, but were also hiding their greed under a covering of holiness. Christ condemns the religion that outwardly relates to God, but in reality serves human gain.