Mark 11:12-18
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry.
13 Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 And He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
15 Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves;
16 and He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple grounds.
17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and they began seeking how to put Him to death; for they were afraid of Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.
The Cleansing of the Temple
The barren fig tree
Let’s review the timeline of events after Jesus entered Jerusalem. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Sunday and spent the night in Bethany. On Monday, while going up to the temple, Jesus felt hungry and sought figs from a leafy fig tree, but it had no fruit. Seeing that there was no fruit, Jesus cursed the tree. After his activities in Jerusalem that day, he returned to Bethany. On Tuesday, Jesus headed back to Jerusalem, and on the way, the disciples noticed that the fig tree had withered. This episode involving the fig tree occurred across two days. We will explore its meaning in the next study.
Jesus’ anger
Jesus saw what was happening in the temple and became deeply angered. (1) The half shekel that was paid as the temple tax had to be in the Tyrian shekel, a coin with a high silver content. Therefore, Jews coming to Jerusalem had to pay high fees to the money changers to have their coins exchanged. (2) The sacrificial animals were being sold at exorbitant prices within the temple. The mastermind behind these businesses, profiting from all of these, was the priestly class. They had turned worship and prayer into business. God had commanded the Israelites to become a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6). In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages prophesying that the Gentile nations will come up to Zion (Jerusalem) to hear the Lord’s teachings (ref. Micah 4, etc.). The people of Israel were given a great privilege, but privilege comes with responsibilities. They forgot their responsibilities and became a self-centered, misguided nation. Jesus, by cleansing the temple and teaching the people, sought to restore God’s people to their rightful state. In doing so, He also aimed to reveal that He himself is the Messiah. The goal of Christians is to glorify God. Let’s take a moment to reflect on whether our faith has become self-centered. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to purify our hearts today.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ. Please cleanse my heart and transform me, worthy as the temple of the Holy Spirit. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.