March 31, 2026
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
What does it look like when our places of worship lose their true focus? In today’s episode, host Lauren Alessi invites us to reflect deeply on the story of Jesus cleansing the temple, drawing from Matthew 21. Together, we’ll explore why Jesus’s actions that day were more than just righteous anger, they were a call back to true worship and devotion. We’ll talk about the priorities in our lives, and how easy it can be to let worldly distractions take the place of God at the center. Let’s take ...
What does it look like when our places of worship lose their true focus?
In today’s episode, host Lauren Alessi invites us to reflect deeply on the story of Jesus cleansing the temple, drawing from Matthew 21. Together, we’ll explore why Jesus’s actions that day were more than just righteous anger, they were a call back to true worship and devotion. We’ll talk about the priorities in our lives, and how easy it can be to let worldly distractions take the place of God at the center.
Let’s take this opportunity during Holy Week to clear space in our hearts and minds, realigning ourselves with the deep purpose of worship. Join our community as we pray and devote ourselves together to seeking God above all else.
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WEBVTT
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:10.640
You are listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1497. Today's Devo is called Jesus Cleanses the Temple. Hey there.
00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:36.090
We're the Alessi's, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional podcast. Hello, everyone, my name is Lauren Alessi and I am your host for today.
00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:47.609
Unfortunately, I'm so sorry it's not this whole week, but we are all taking a day out of the week of Holy Week and deciding to just basically, Rochelle take took yesterday, I'm taking today.
00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:51.450
I believe Stephanie's taking tomorrow and Gabby will take Friday.
00:00:51.450 --> 00:01:09.180
I think seven is taking two days. Sorry if I spoiled the order of things. But anyways, we've decided to each take a day instead of taking a full week, because why not change it up a bit? It makes it fun and also it makes it special because this is the most special week of the year. It is Holy Week.
00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:24.269
So let us jump right into the word. Oh, and also we are going off of this week's devotional Not Just Alone as a podcast. This is what our personal church is doing. We, we are walking through this devotional in preparation for Easter Sunday.
00:01:24.989 --> 00:02:01.180
And we're looking into the life of Jesus before that day on the cross. And I think that that is so important that we reflect on what Jesus's last days looked like as believers before he died on the cross for us. So I have the privilege of talking about when Jesus cleansed the temple, when he walked in and he got angry and he got upset. Let's read into it. So today we're reading out of Matthew 21, verses 12 through 7. And it says this. 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.
00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:08.860
He said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.
00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:38.889
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 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 and they said to him, do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you Ever read out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise and leaving them, he went out to the city of Bethany and lodged there. So what do we see here?
00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:54.250
We see that Jesus entered the temple courts. He found money changers and merchants and people. And merchants basically exploiting people in the temple of the Most High God. So a place of worship. They decided to just make it like a shopping mall. Let's just sell here.
00:02:54.889 --> 00:03:08.569
Can you imagine like, like going to a major church? I actually think there's a place like that. Like, they took an old Catholic church and they made it into a restaurant, like a very sacred place. And let's just sell some bracelets here. Like, that's wild.
00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:49.939
So Jesus saw that and he was like, he took it personal because he's like, I'm the son of the Most High God. You are not going to treat my father's house like this. So he overturned the tables and he declared my house, my father's house. And my house will be called a, a house of prayer. But you are making it a den of robbers because you're stealing from God, basically, is what he's saying. So you're making it a den of robbers and thieves. Jesus was showing that God cares deeply about true worship. And this is where this story can get misconstrued so much because people focus it on Jesus's anger instead of where was Jesus's anger pointed at.
00:03:50.259 --> 00:04:08.780
Jesus wasn't just angry. Jesus had a righteous anger upon him. We can't look at this story and say, yeah, Jesus got angry and flipped the tables. Therefore, I can get irrationally angry and do whatever I want and flip tables. Jesus had a righteous anger inside of him because the temple wasn't representing true worship.
00:04:09.259 --> 00:05:20.980
The temple had become busy, but the temple stopped becoming holy. And this is where we as believers have every right to become angry and have a righteous anger on the inside of us. Because Jesus wasn't angry about activity. He was angry about the misplaced priorities. And if you're getting angry over silly little things in your life, that's not okay to get angry about. Like, for example, if you're getting angry about, oh my God, a busy schedule and it's making you irrationally angry, that's not okay to get you rationally angry about. But if you're upset because you're recognizing there's misplaced priorities and God's not becoming first in your family's life and, and you're recognizing, you know, I've been going to church a lot and it's all about performance and it's all about the lights and it's all about the stage. But. But man, I can't find God anywhere. I can't find God in the people. I can't find God in the Word. And it makes me angry. It makes me angry that church has not become about God. That's a righteous anger. You're allowed to get angry because God put that on the inside of us when, when it doesn't become about him anymore, but it becomes about busyness and about work.
00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:59.839
God gives us every opportunity to stand up for, for him as his children. We can stand up for the Lord and say, hey, this is what worship is about. It's about God. It's not about appearance, it's not about lights, it's not about anything else. It's about the Lord and the Lord only. And so in a world today where it's about so many other flashy things and it's about so many distractions things to get our focus off of God, let this story be a reminder that, that we can get angry when our focus does not become about Christ, when our focus has become miskewed about Christ.
00:06:00.240 --> 00:07:06.230
And Lord, I just pray right now, may this podcast always be about you. May it not just be about how many views it's getting, how many comments it's getting, how many videos can we make, how many listeners can follow us? Lord, I just pray. May the sole purpose of this podcast be spreading the word of God. And may your word be spread so much, Lord, that people who listen to it not just continue listening to this podcast, Lord, but may they have to stop listening to this podcast, Lord, because they want to keep reading their word and a verse a day isn't good enough for them. That's my side prayer. That's not the prayer for the day anyways. That's why my eyes were open. If you are watching a video, let us remind ourselves that this Holy Week is an opportunity for us to clear space in our hearts, in our minds, in our for God again. Because it is not okay for us to be distracted in things of the world and not be fully aligned on the Lord. This week is all about God, his sacrifice that he made on the cross and what he's done for us 2000 years later.
00:07:06.709 --> 00:07:48.189
Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you so much, God, that you sent your son on this earth, Lord, as a complete human, one who got angry and flipped the tables that day. God, a God and a son that we can relate to, Lord. But we also thank you, Lord, that he had a righteous anger on the inside of him. Not any rational anger Lord, but one that we can be inspired by and look in our everyday lives and say my focus and work isn't unto the Lord. I need to be more angry about that. May everything in my life be unto the Lord or my focus in my family and leading my family isn't unto the Lord and it needs to be solely on leading people and my family to the Lord.
00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:55.470
So Lord, give us the strength and wisdom to get there and we pray for an amazing upcoming Holy Week. In Jesus name we pray.
00:07:55.550 --> 00:08:02.670
Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today.
00:08:02.910 --> 00:08:18.360
We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your if you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong but your love for Jesus is stronger.
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:10.640
You are listening to the My Morning Devotional podcast, episode 1497. Today's Devo is called Jesus Cleanses the Temple. Hey there.
00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:36.090
We're the Alessi's, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional podcast. Hello, everyone, my name is Lauren Alessi and I am your host for today.
00:00:36.570 --> 00:00:47.609
Unfortunately, I'm so sorry it's not this whole week, but we are all taking a day out of the week of Holy Week and deciding to just basically, Rochelle take took yesterday, I'm taking today.
00:00:47.689 --> 00:00:51.450
I believe Stephanie's taking tomorrow and Gabby will take Friday.
00:00:51.450 --> 00:01:09.180
I think seven is taking two days. Sorry if I spoiled the order of things. But anyways, we've decided to each take a day instead of taking a full week, because why not change it up a bit? It makes it fun and also it makes it special because this is the most special week of the year. It is Holy Week.
00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:24.269
So let us jump right into the word. Oh, and also we are going off of this week's devotional Not Just Alone as a podcast. This is what our personal church is doing. We, we are walking through this devotional in preparation for Easter Sunday.
00:01:24.989 --> 00:02:01.180
And we're looking into the life of Jesus before that day on the cross. And I think that that is so important that we reflect on what Jesus's last days looked like as believers before he died on the cross for us. So I have the privilege of talking about when Jesus cleansed the temple, when he walked in and he got angry and he got upset. Let's read into it. So today we're reading out of Matthew 21, verses 12 through 7. And it says this. 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.
00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:08.860
He said to them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.
00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:38.889
And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 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 and they said to him, do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them, yes. Have you Ever read out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies, you have prepared praise and leaving them, he went out to the city of Bethany and lodged there. So what do we see here?
00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:54.250
We see that Jesus entered the temple courts. He found money changers and merchants and people. And merchants basically exploiting people in the temple of the Most High God. So a place of worship. They decided to just make it like a shopping mall. Let's just sell here.
00:02:54.889 --> 00:03:08.569
Can you imagine like, like going to a major church? I actually think there's a place like that. Like, they took an old Catholic church and they made it into a restaurant, like a very sacred place. And let's just sell some bracelets here. Like, that's wild.
00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:49.939
So Jesus saw that and he was like, he took it personal because he's like, I'm the son of the Most High God. You are not going to treat my father's house like this. So he overturned the tables and he declared my house, my father's house. And my house will be called a, a house of prayer. But you are making it a den of robbers because you're stealing from God, basically, is what he's saying. So you're making it a den of robbers and thieves. Jesus was showing that God cares deeply about true worship. And this is where this story can get misconstrued so much because people focus it on Jesus's anger instead of where was Jesus's anger pointed at.
00:03:50.259 --> 00:04:08.780
Jesus wasn't just angry. Jesus had a righteous anger upon him. We can't look at this story and say, yeah, Jesus got angry and flipped the tables. Therefore, I can get irrationally angry and do whatever I want and flip tables. Jesus had a righteous anger inside of him because the temple wasn't representing true worship.
00:04:09.259 --> 00:05:20.980
The temple had become busy, but the temple stopped becoming holy. And this is where we as believers have every right to become angry and have a righteous anger on the inside of us. Because Jesus wasn't angry about activity. He was angry about the misplaced priorities. And if you're getting angry over silly little things in your life, that's not okay to get angry about. Like, for example, if you're getting angry about, oh my God, a busy schedule and it's making you irrationally angry, that's not okay to get you rationally angry about. But if you're upset because you're recognizing there's misplaced priorities and God's not becoming first in your family's life and, and you're recognizing, you know, I've been going to church a lot and it's all about performance and it's all about the lights and it's all about the stage. But. But man, I can't find God anywhere. I can't find God in the people. I can't find God in the Word. And it makes me angry. It makes me angry that church has not become about God. That's a righteous anger. You're allowed to get angry because God put that on the inside of us when, when it doesn't become about him anymore, but it becomes about busyness and about work.
00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:59.839
God gives us every opportunity to stand up for, for him as his children. We can stand up for the Lord and say, hey, this is what worship is about. It's about God. It's not about appearance, it's not about lights, it's not about anything else. It's about the Lord and the Lord only. And so in a world today where it's about so many other flashy things and it's about so many distractions things to get our focus off of God, let this story be a reminder that, that we can get angry when our focus does not become about Christ, when our focus has become miskewed about Christ.
00:06:00.240 --> 00:07:06.230
And Lord, I just pray right now, may this podcast always be about you. May it not just be about how many views it's getting, how many comments it's getting, how many videos can we make, how many listeners can follow us? Lord, I just pray. May the sole purpose of this podcast be spreading the word of God. And may your word be spread so much, Lord, that people who listen to it not just continue listening to this podcast, Lord, but may they have to stop listening to this podcast, Lord, because they want to keep reading their word and a verse a day isn't good enough for them. That's my side prayer. That's not the prayer for the day anyways. That's why my eyes were open. If you are watching a video, let us remind ourselves that this Holy Week is an opportunity for us to clear space in our hearts, in our minds, in our for God again. Because it is not okay for us to be distracted in things of the world and not be fully aligned on the Lord. This week is all about God, his sacrifice that he made on the cross and what he's done for us 2000 years later.
00:07:06.709 --> 00:07:48.189
Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you so much, God, that you sent your son on this earth, Lord, as a complete human, one who got angry and flipped the tables that day. God, a God and a son that we can relate to, Lord. But we also thank you, Lord, that he had a righteous anger on the inside of him. Not any rational anger Lord, but one that we can be inspired by and look in our everyday lives and say my focus and work isn't unto the Lord. I need to be more angry about that. May everything in my life be unto the Lord or my focus in my family and leading my family isn't unto the Lord and it needs to be solely on leading people and my family to the Lord.
00:07:48.350 --> 00:07:55.470
So Lord, give us the strength and wisdom to get there and we pray for an amazing upcoming Holy Week. In Jesus name we pray.
00:07:55.550 --> 00:08:02.670
Amen. So there you have it. Your 5 minute daily dose of heaven. Thank you so much for tuning in today.
00:08:02.910 --> 00:08:18.360
We pray these devotionals empower you to take on your if you found value in this devotional, share it with a friend. Leave a comment or review for us on the app you're using right now. Until tomorrow. We pray that your latte is strong but your love for Jesus is stronger.