‘And he made a scourge of cords and cast them all out of the Temple, both the sheep and the oxen, and he emptied out the changers' money and overthrew their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these things out of here. Do not make my Father's house a house of business”.'
Note that His emphasis here is on removing the offending animals from the Temple area. His whole emphasis is that of turning the court into a place of prayer. So He makes a small scourge (no weapon or stick was allowed in the Temple) and drives out the animals, tips over the tables of the moneychangers, and then says to those who were selling doves (for sacrificial purposes) ‘Get these out of here. Do not make my Father's house a marketplace'. Note that even in His prophetic anger His compassion and self-control are shown for He does not act in a way that will harm the doves, and He does not attack the men. His intent is to empty the Temple of the commotion resulting from the trading.
The whole picture is one of spontaneous action as a result of the impact that the scene has made on Him, quite unlike His studied purpose in Mark, where He first goes in and surveys the Temple (Mark 11:11) and then later carries out His planned action, concentrating solely on those involved and ignoring the cattle and sheep, and being concerned especially about the dishonest practises taking place. (It is one thing to accuse people of making a noise in church, it is another to accuse them of stealing the collection).
Theoretically the activities of the traders might have been seen as justified, as they made it convenient for worshippers, but to Jesus it meant that concentration was diverted from the main purpose of the Temple, that of meeting with God, and it showed disregard for the Gentiles who came to worship, and indeed for the Temple itself. It raises for us a question that we should ask ourselves. Do some of our church activities come under the same heading?