[39] And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. [40] And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. [41] And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, [42] Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. [43] For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, [44] And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [45] And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; [46] Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. [47] And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, [48] And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

The Pharisees wanted Jesus to “rebuke his disciples” because they were proclaiming that the “King was coming.” Jesus’ response to them was that the “stones would cry out” if they did. In other words, the disciples had the right message – Jesus was coming.
The church leaders (Pharisees) did not accept Jesus while he was in their midst and because of this the people of Jerusalem (city) and their leaders were not able to understand the things that Jesus told them. These things were “hid from their eyes.” They did not understand his prophecy that the city and temple would be destroyed by their enemies in the future.
The Jewish “church” had become corrupt and “buying and selling” was going on in the temple, when prayer should have been the focus instead of money. The “temple” or church needed to be cleansed. Jesus cast out those that were buying and selling and then taught daily in the temple. The people listened to him, but the church leaders tried to find a way to destroy him.
This “Acted Parable” teaches us several things. First, that Jesus is coming again and that this is to be the message of the church to the world. The second thing it teaches us is that if we do not accept Jesus, we will not be able to understand prophecy. The third thing it teaches is that we cannot depend upon “church leaders” to teach truth. We must rely upon the words of Jesus for truth. Finally, it teaches us that there is a need for a “cleansing of the sanctuary” or “cleansing of the church” today, and that Jesus is the one who will do it.