God in the Details: The Cleansing of the Temple in Four Jesus Films (Critical Essay‪)‬

[1] One of the more critical episodes in the life of Jesus is the cleansing of the Temple, which is included in all four canonical gospels. Its importance is not immediately obvious, though, to causal readers of the gospels. The story is very brief, occupying only five verses in the gospels of Mark and John and even fewer in Matthew and Luke. Mark's version reads as follows: And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; and he would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught, and said 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 den of robbers.' And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and they sought a way to destroy him; for they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city" (Mark 11:15-19; RSV).