Many people came to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. They needed animals that met the requirements for sacrifice. The animals had to be approved for worship.
Because of this need, a large business developed. People sold animals and exchanged money for the right kind of coins. However, this buying and selling was taking place in the temple itself.
Jesus acted like a prophet. He demanded that God’s house return to its true purpose. The temple was meant for worship, prayer, teaching, and sacrifice. It was not meant to be a marketplace. This action brought Jesus into conflict with the temple leaders.
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) place the clearing out of the temple near the end of the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). John might have included this event earlier to emphasize its connection to the miracle where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1–11). Both the temple and the stone jars of water were instruments for spiritual purity in Judaism. The jars, once filled with water for ceremonial washing, now held the wine Jesus changed by a miracle.
In a similar way, the stone temple, which was linked to sacrifice and purification, would no longer be central. Jesus himself would take its place (2:19–21).
Some scholars believe that Jesus cleansed the temple twice. They think he did this once at the beginning of his ministry and again at the end.