Teachings and Tirades Jesus Temple Act and His Teachings in Mark 11 15 to 19

The Gospel writers often use Scripture to help describe and define Jesus’ ministry. However, there is debate about whether they cite or allude to these Scriptures atomistically or contextually. Through an examination of the citation of Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11 in the context of Jesus’ prophetic temple act in Mark 11:15-19, this essay seeks to underscore the importance of the narrative introduction of a citation in determining whether it is being used contextually or atomistically. In this case, the presence of the inceptive imperfect  is a narrative indicator that the larger contexts of Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7 should be allowed to illumine the meaning of Jesus’ actions in the temple.