Compare and contrast this passage with some parallel passages (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-19), and a passage describing a similar incident (John 2:13-22).  What else can we learn about this passage from those passages?

What was it that made Jesus so angry when he entered the temple?

What was the problem with what was happening in the temple?  How was it a perversion of what God had intended for the temple?  (See also Isaiah 56:1-8 and Jeremiah 7:1-15.)

Jesus rebukes the people for turning God’s house of prayer into a den of robbers.  What are some ways that we might be at risk of doing this (or something like this) today?

Why do you think that the religious leaders set out to destroy Jesus (19:47)?  Why do you think that they were deterred by the fact that people were “hanging on his words” (19:48)?

What does this passage teach us about the heart of Christ for his people?  What does it teach us about his desires and intentions for his people, and how they are to live?

What are some appropriate (and even necessary) uses of anger in the Christian life?  When is it righteous to be angry?  Are there times when it is sinful not to be angry?  How can we embody righteous anger, while guarding against sinful anger?

What are God’s intentions for our prayer lives (both private and corporate)?  What does it look like to have a prayer life that is healthy and faithful?  How can we be cultivating that in our lives, and in our church?

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