In Deuteronomy 32:7 Moses tells the Hebrews to “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” The seeming inference is not to do what hasn’t been done before, until you check with your elders who know better than you.
Earlier, in Deuteronomy 17:8–11 Moses says “If any case arises requiring decision…, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.”
Taken together, they require that when the elders, particularly the Levitical priests, are asked for advice or a decision, they are to be obeyed to the letter, so to speak. This forms the start of a tradition of the living Laws and Ordinances of God.
Fast forward to the Gospels, which described Jesus driving out merchants and money-changers from a temple and ransacking their wares when Passover was about to begin. It appears that the scribes and the priests were not directly involved in this commerce, they just allowed others to partake in these endeavors.
According to Luke 19:46 as Jesus was driving out those engaging in commerce he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer…’’ The belief is that he was referring to - Isaiah 56: 7 which says, “…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Apparently, the priests were either not mindful of remembering the days of old, or they did not understand the teachings of the days of old. Yet, under Deuteronomy 17:8–11 they are the designated authority in applying the Word of God. They went to the right and to the left of what was written before.
Under Deuteronomy 17:8–11, then, they technically had no authority. But then, who, but another priest, would have the authority to take their authority away from them?
When Jesus started teaching the people shortly after the temple incident, the people referred to him as a rabbi but the priests, “chief priests” mind you, the very people who allowed the temple to be used for purposes other than prayer, sought to kill Jesus. Considering their role in allowing commerce to be undertaken in the temple, they made matters worse for themselves since the Bible says not to let others lead you astray from the Word of God.
We might presume that the commerce taking place in the temple had roots going back, perhaps for generations. Somewhere along the way, the priests giving rise to this tolerance went off the righteous path. Moses warned in Deuteronomy 31: 24-29 that there would be corruption among those who are supposed to be the authority under God, but he could only do so much. And sometimes the wrong things end up being tradition.
But as Jesus was teaching, many of the Jews who listened realized they were hearing the Word of God, and they came to understand why Jesus threw out the merchants from the temple and ransacked their wares. Those who referred to him as ‘Rabbi,’ meaning teacher, basically conferred on him the authority that a Levitical priest would have, and rightfully so since the priests who wanted to kill him could be seen to have given up any authority they had, in allowing the temple to be used for commerce.
And Jesus, in upholding Isaiah 56:7, went back to when the priests would have abided by what Moses said in Deuteronomy 32:7 and Deuteronomy 17:8–11. John 3:16 says, ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The temple was as good a place as any to launch this endeavor.
Earlier, in Deuteronomy 17:8–11 Moses says “If any case arises requiring decision…, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.”
Taken together, they require that when the elders, particularly the Levitical priests, are asked for advice or a decision, they are to be obeyed to the letter, so to speak. This forms the start of a tradition of the living Laws and Ordinances of God.
Fast forward to the Gospels, which described Jesus driving out merchants and money-changers from a temple and ransacking their wares when Passover was about to begin. It appears that the scribes and the priests were not directly involved in this commerce, they just allowed others to partake in these endeavors.
According to Luke 19:46 as Jesus was driving out those engaging in commerce he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer…’’ The belief is that he was referring to - Isaiah 56: 7 which says, “…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Apparently, the priests were either not mindful of remembering the days of old, or they did not understand the teachings of the days of old. Yet, under Deuteronomy 17:8–11 they are the designated authority in applying the Word of God. They went to the right and to the left of what was written before.
Under Deuteronomy 17:8–11, then, they technically had no authority. But then, who, but another priest, would have the authority to take their authority away from them?
When Jesus started teaching the people shortly after the temple incident, the people referred to him as a rabbi but the priests, “chief priests” mind you, the very people who allowed the temple to be used for purposes other than prayer, sought to kill Jesus. Considering their role in allowing commerce to be undertaken in the temple, they made matters worse for themselves since the Bible says not to let others lead you astray from the Word of God.
We might presume that the commerce taking place in the temple had roots going back, perhaps for generations. Somewhere along the way, the priests giving rise to this tolerance went off the righteous path. Moses warned in Deuteronomy 31: 24-29 that there would be corruption among those who are supposed to be the authority under God, but he could only do so much. And sometimes the wrong things end up being tradition.
But as Jesus was teaching, many of the Jews who listened realized they were hearing the Word of God, and they came to understand why Jesus threw out the merchants from the temple and ransacked their wares. Those who referred to him as ‘Rabbi,’ meaning teacher, basically conferred on him the authority that a Levitical priest would have, and rightfully so since the priests who wanted to kill him could be seen to have given up any authority they had, in allowing the temple to be used for commerce.
And Jesus, in upholding Isaiah 56:7, went back to when the priests would have abided by what Moses said in Deuteronomy 32:7 and Deuteronomy 17:8–11. John 3:16 says, ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The temple was as good a place as any to launch this endeavor.