Jesus entered Jerusalem with his disciples. He found in the temple those who were selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers sitting there.

And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

And he said to them, “Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.”

Indeed, the first temple of Jerusalem was built by King Solomon. After its dedication, God spoke to the king and said, “I have chosen this place as a house of sacrifice. Now my eyes will be open, and my ears attentive to the prayer made in this place” (2 Chronicles 7:12, 15).

However, over time, the Jews placed a strong emphasis on sacrifices, neglecting prayer. It was more convenient for only the priest to plead for God’s forgiveness on their behalf. Thus, they abandoned their intimate communion with the Lord and filled their lives with religious activities.

They forgot that God had said, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let us return with humility to the beginnings: The church is not a house of activities; it is the house of prayer.