13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12
“Thief: One who secretly, unlawfully and feloniously takes the goods or personal property of another. One who seduces by false doctrine. John 10:1. One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves. Matthew 21:1.” Websters 1828
“And said unto them, it is written…
7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. (Isaiah 56:7)
…What should have been a sanctuary for the righteous had become a refuge for the wicked, and the Son of God was not going to put up with it. God’s design for the temple was that it be a house of prayer, a place to meet with God and worship Him. But when Jesus stepped into its courts, He found not prayer but avarice, extortion, and oppression.” John Gill’s Exposition
Mrs. Eddy warns us, “If hypocrisy, stolidity, inhumanity, or vice finds its way into the chambers of disease through the would-be healer, it would, if it were possible, convert into a den of thieves the temple of the Holy Ghost, — the patient’s spiritual power to resuscitate himself. The unchristian practitioner is not giving to mind or body the joy and strength of Truth. The poor suffering heart needs its rightful nutriment, such as peace, patience in tribulation, and a priceless sense of the dear Father’s loving-kindness.” Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, page 365
I ask, “What am I allowing or tolerating that would cheat and defraud my conscious awareness of God’s good plan and messages for me?