Jesus and the Temple Markets: Examining the Ethical Dimensions of Religious Commerce

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It is written,‘My house shall be called a house of prayer”, but you are making it a den of robbers” Matthew 21: 12 – 13.

Markets are a feature of human socialization. Where humans are found, markets will quickly follow. It is a very ancient construct that one expects to date to the beginning of human civilization. Some claim the first market was in modern-day Turkey, over 9,000 years ago. This does not surprise me. We spent just under a week in Istanbul last year. One of the highlights was crossing from Europe to Asia on the Bosphorus. This same Turkey was Constantinople, the cradle of Christianity as “Christendom.” When we entered the “Hagia Sophia,” I was puzzled. It felt strange to be in a mosque with so many stained glass windows. Later, I realized it used to be a church. Turkey is like the country through which the whole world travels. It is the classic location of a market.

In Mesopotamia, markets were linked to worship in places like Ur and Babylon. This connection dates back as far as 3,000 BCE (formerly BC). The temple there was central to life in those cities. It was also where people gathered to exchange goods and services. Markets have always been integral to human civilization.

Religious institutions like churches have functioned on the generosity of church members in the form of tithes and offerings. Tithes and offerings are provided by church members, and this funds the activities of the church. This can also be seen as an exchange of goods/money for services—a market.

Also, churches organize Bazaars and Fairs. These are practically markets where people bring things they have made, crops they grew, crafts, etc., and these are exchanged for money, with the proceeds used to fund church activities.

If you look into the scriptures, you will find markets there. In Ruth 4:1-12, Boaz wanted to marry Ruth. but, Ruth was also part of an estate that belonged to her father-in-law, Elimelek. Another man who was the kinsman-redeemer and entitled to the estate, ahead of Boaz. Boaz could only have Ruth if he was allowed to buy the estate. Boaz met with the kinsman-redeemer at the town gate. The kinsman-redeemer was interested in the estate. However, he did not want the complication of marrying Ruth. The right to buy the estate was struck at the town gate. They exchanged one sandal to seal the agreement to marry Ruth.

In the last 100 years or so, megachurches have come on the scene. It was a phenomenon that started in America but has spread around the world to a greater or lesser extent. This has changed what was possible for churches to do economically and socially. They operate like businesses. They started by churning out books, tapes, and later VHS videos, CDs, and DVDs. They have adapted with changes in technology. Now, these massive centers churn out MP3s, MP4s, and are big players on social media. They have built up significant expertise. They are both media production and publishing companies. They are also big players in music production and real estate.

Even the imagination of what a church building is has changed dramatically. One time, somebody I know said they were at such and such church. On probing, it turned out the person was working around there. They had gone into a café that the church runs for profit. Another person I know remarked that when they built their new church, he was surprised. The space was not maximized for the auditorium where worshippers sit. They had a café. When you look at things in terms of the opportunity to market goods and services, you can see the logic. It makes sense how this can fund church activities.

And for the megachurches that are also part of the “Prosperity churches,” there is a whole market in branded merchandise. This includes clothing, books, anointing oil, and prayer mantles, etc. The theology of the “Prosperity churches” suggests that faith, positive confessions, and giving to the church will produce financial blessings. They will also produce health blessings. The extremes of the “Prosperity churches” preach a transactional gospel. They raise money aggressively. They promise that the givers will receive financial blessings. This, in itself, is a market where money is exchanged for healing or financial blessings.

During COVID-19, churches were not able to meet in person. Before COVID-19, online churches were already around as most churches broadcast their services online. This has created a new market. For churches that were able to move their members online for services, with daily prayer events, Sunday worships, etc., if the crowd is big enough, it is possible to monetize the service in different ways.

Markets were features of life among the people of Israel in the Old Testament. The Law of Moses regulated them. It banned dishonest weights. It used the jubilee concept to ensure people could be released from perpetual debts.

Yes, markets are artifacts of human interactions, but they can become very exploitative. Wherever large numbers of people are found, shrewd businessmen want to create markets. Therefore, the temple was a good candidate for markets in the days of Jesus. Those markets overshadowed the real purpose of people gathering in the temple, which was to worship God. In Matthew 21:12-13, Jesus Christ was grieved by the commercialization of the temple. It became a place where people worshipped Mammon rather than God. This was what He was annoyed about—how people turned the temple, a place of worship, into a den of robbers.

This August is the season of church conferences, with people traveling across the world to be part of these events. Such a concentration of human beings in one place creates a classic market. I have attended such events over the years, and I may attend one this week. There is often a fee for access to some of the events. This in itself is not a problem as long as it is reasonably priced. Then there are the merchandisers who have paid to set up stalls. This is where things can get dicey. Churches often do not appear to have any vetting process in place. Less vigilant people may be scammed.

Why are churches gathering all these people into one place, sometimes as frequently as every month? It is hard to see any evidence in the New Testament that this was done. In Bible days, most churches were house churches. Big church buildings, gathering large numbers of people in one place, was not a practice found in the scriptures. Even when Paul came to Troas to preach, he preached in a house. The pattern of big gatherings started 200 or 300 years after the apostles had all died out.

Markets are an inevitable consequence of humans gathering in one place. The Law of Moses regulated markets under the old testament. Jesus Christ made it clear that the temple should not be a den of thieves. It is important for religious institutions gathering people in their thousands to examine their motives for doing this. They must ensure they are not promoting the worship of mammon or exposing their people to exploitative practices.