And He began to teach and say 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 robber’s den.”
Mark 11:17
Our Holy Week Family Devotional is brought to you by the Next Gen Ministry. We pray you and your family spend time reflecting on the life of Jesus this week.
Today’s Devotion
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem when the city was preparing for a very important festival, the Passover celebration. He first went to the temple, which was the place where people went to worship God.
When He got there, He didn’t find a holy place of worship—He found a mess! Animals and tables were everywhere. The temple leaders had allowed it to become a store where people could buy and sell animals in order to make money.
Jesus became angry when He saw this! The temple was supposed to be a holy place. Many families were preparing for the Passover festival. The religious leaders used the temple to sell the items they needed and make money, instead of keeping it holy for prayer and worship.
This day is remembered as Holy Week’s Monday: the cleansing of the temple day. Jesus turned over all their tables, scattered the items they were selling, and made them stop. He reminded them that the temple was supposed to be a house for God—not a place for making money.
Talking Points
•Have you ever been angry when you’ve seen someone doing something wrong?
•How do you and your family worship and focus on God together? Is there a particular place you go to celebrate how good God is?
Family Activity
Let the kids make a big mess in one room of the house. They are allowed to pour out toys and turn over small furniture. Give them about five minutes to make this mess. After they make the mess, talk about how Jesus made a mess in the temple because He was angry and wanted to get rid of all the bad things in God’s house
Then, together as family, clean up the mess. Talk about how on Monday’s cleansing of the temple, Jesus did this because He loved God and wanted others to respect God. Talk about ways we can respect and honor God, too.