ISB ~ Mark 11 v15

to drive out:Animals were sold in the outer court of the Temple as a service to Passover pilgrims who traveled to the city to offer sacrifice. Merchants, however, exploited this arrangement for their own financial gain. According to Jesus, they offended God by what they were doing and where they were doing it. The Temple should be a house of worship, not a place where daylight thievery and business traffic make prayer impossible.

• Jesus’ dramatic demonstration of overturning tables foreshadows the Temple’s violent destruction in A.D. 70. Several OT passages resonate in the background. (1) His aggressive cleansing of the outer court recalls Mal 3:1-4, where the Lord forewarned Jerusalem that he would make a divine inspection of the Temple to purify the sanctuary and its priests. (2) His temporary interruption of the Temple liturgy (11:16) is a prelude to a more permanent disruption in the sacrificial cult foretold in Dan 9:26-27. (3) His expulsion of the merchants recalls the vision of Zech 14:21, where the prophet predicts that no trader will be found within the Temple precincts in the messianic age. See note on 13:2 and CCC 584.