Cleansing the temple

When Jesus made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the donkey, there were many people gathered in the city for Passover. (John 12:12-13).

"And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves." - John 11:55 KJV

“Purify” according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: “ceremonially: ἐμαυτόν, John 11:55 (to cleanse themselves from levitical pollution by means of prayers, abstinence, washings, sacrifices)”                 

On the very first Passover, when God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, He told them to remove any leaven (yeast) out of their house. (Exodus 12:15).

Leaven in the natural is yeast. Leaven in the spiritual is sin.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke next describe Jesus cleansing the temple. (Matthew 21:12–17; Mark 11:15–19; Luke 19:45–48). As God, Jesus was cleansing His house (the temple) before Passover. Next, Jesus became the Passover (Passover lamb).

"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:" - 1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV

As Christians, our ‘house’ (temple) is cleansed by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection WHEN we repent of our sins and are baptized in Jesus name for the remission of sins. We purify our souls in obeying the truth (the gospel). (Acts 2:38, 1Peter 1:22-23, James 4:8-10).

John describes Jesus cleansing the temple earlier in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus compares the temple in Jerusalem to His body, speaking of His death and resurrection.

"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body." - John 2:13-21 KJV