And he said to them, “It is written: My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Jesus proclaims the word of Holy Scripture, recalling the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7), and at the same time he rebukes them, using the words of the prophet Jeremiah: “You have made this house a den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11). In this way he reveals that the Temple, as a place of prayer, had lost its holiness and had become a center of exploitation and false piety. Jesus’ word not only condemns outward trade, but also the corruption of the conscience. He declares that the Temple’s true purpose is communion with God through prayer, not through profit. This word shows Jesus’ authority as the Son of God, who has the right to establish and restore the order of the Lord’s house.