The day after Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He cleansed the temple and taught a lesson on the sacred nature of the temple.
In Matthew 21:12-16, Matthew tells the account of Christ visiting the temple and “overthrowing” the tables of merchants selling and treating His Father’s house as a place of commerce. Once Christ had cleansed the temple, He healed the “blind and lame” in the temple showing them that He was the Messiah and that the temple must be a sacred place of worship.
According to Matthew 21:13, “(Christ) said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
In the final days of His life, Christ chose to teach the importance of the temple and chasten those that were making a mockery of that holy place. Today, prophets and apostles who represent Christ also teach the importance of temple covenants and making it the focus of our lives.
“The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple,” taught President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2021 General Conference. “Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ.”
This year in the April 2023 General Conference, President Nelson announced 15 more temples to be built, adding to the 118 other temples he has announced during his 5 years of prophetic service. These temples are being built in an effort to make temple covenants and worship accessible to members of the Church around the world.
President Thomas S. Monson, who preceded President Nelson, also emphasized the importance of making the sacrifice to participate in temple worship, whether it be temporal or spiritual.
“Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple,” questioned President Monson. “Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure.”