Day 2: Clearing the Temple

 It’s Monday, Time to Clean House

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Sunday, Jesus returned to the home of His friends, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, to spend the night.  The next morning, He and His disciples set out for Jerusalem.  In stark contrast to the events of Sunday, His actions on Monday seem completely out of character.

As they left Bethany where His friends lived, He approached a fig tree which was full of leaves but much to His dismay, it had no figs.  At that time of the year, the fig trees were usually just beginning to get their leaves, much as trees around Kentucky do in the Spring, but they usually don’t bear fruit until later in the summer.  The fig tree that Jesus approached had all its leaves which should have been an indication that it also had fruit, but it had none.  As a result, Jesus condemned the tree so that it might never have fruit again.[1] 

To us, that seems a little harsh, but it may be that Jesus saw that fig tree as a symbol of Israel.  Israel had received blessing after blessing from God, which enabled it to continue to stand despite its trials, but the “fruit” that it produced was inadequate which became painfully obvious later in the week.

After condemning the fig tree, Jesus and His group continued to the Temple.  There, He immediately began driving out the people who were buying and selling things there.[2]  It was Passover Week and that Monday, the 10th of Nissan, was the date designated by God as the time to choose your sacrificial lamb for the Passover meal that would be eaten later in the week.[3]  Some people brought their lambs with them, but many chose to purchase them at the Temple to ensure that they were without blemish.  As a result, the crowd in the Temple that morning was probably huge.  Jesus’ outrage was apparent to everyone as He turned over tables and stopped everyone from carrying merchandise through the Temple.  Then, you can almost hear the anger and outrage in His voice as He said, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.  But you have made it a den of robbers.”[4]

The Jesus that we have known and loved from the Gospel accounts is one of love and compassion.  He is the One who stops to heal the sick and raise the dead, offering His time and understanding to those who see His help.  As a result, we often forget that He is also the God of the Old Testament whose wrath was poured out on Sodom and Gomorrah[5] and Korah and his sons.[6]  I’m sure the people in the Temple that day were just as surprised as we are at the sound of this righteous indignation from our loving and merciful Savior.

I can’t help but wonder what Jesus was thinking as He drove those money changers out.  Did He see a Temple, that at that moment was the dwelling place of God, being dishonored by those who were more concerned with money than with reverence for the Sovereign God?  Did it ever cross His mind that very soon the bodies of those who would follow Him would become the new dwelling place of God and wonder how we would treat those “temples”?[7]

At first look, Jesus’ actions that day may seem out of character, but a closer look tells us that His anger was more than justified.  The question is:  what does His condemnation of the fig tree and His justified anger in the Temple mean to us?  I think it tells us that He expects fruit in our lives, and He expects respect and honor for the new “temple” He has built within us.  Each of us must ask ourselves if we are living in a way that will welcome the loving and compassionate Jesus, or are we facing His condemnation and wrath? 

 


[1] Mark 11: 12 - 14

[2] Mark 11: 15 - 16

[3] Exodus 12: 3

[4] Mark 11: 17

[5] Genesis 19: 15 - 26

[6] Numbers 16: 1 – 3 & 23 - 33

[7] I Corinthians 3: 16, 17 & I Corinthians 6: 19, 20


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi, I'm the Sun Porch Lady

  Hi, I’m the Sun Porch Lady. I recently retired and while most of the world thinks that is a wonderful thing, I've found it to be anything but wonderful. I've been going to school and/or working since I was six years old so finding myself with nothing, but free time is a whole new experience.   I have no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them. As I struggled to find new purpose and bring some structure back to my life, I turned to writing.   Over the years, I have often written devotional thoughts or put various ideas to paper.   I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good at journaling but from time to time, I have written about events in my life that taught me values or made me more aware of God working in my life.   So, to keep busy and hopefully spark an interest in others I've decided to create this blog. I’m callin...
Read more

Freedom Isn't Free!

             On Christmas night, 1776, George Washington engineered a surprise attack on Britain’s German allies, capturing 1000 Hessian troops.   The story of him and his troops crossing the icy Delaware that night gave hope to a new nation fighting for its life.   Regrettably, the celebration was short-lived.   Just a week later, the enlistments of most of his troops were ending, and it seemed unlikely that they would stay to continue the fight for freedom.   As he faced that prospect, Washington lined up his troops and offered this plea. “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your cou...
Read more

My Mom's Legacy

                       As we celebrate “Mothers” this week, I wanted to take this opportunity to remember my Mom and celebrate her legacy.                 It’s hard to know where to start.  After all, she wasn’t famous.  She never went to college.  She never worked outside of the home until after my father retired, and she wasn’t rich.  By the world’s standards, she was pretty ordinary.  So, what makes her special?                 Her legacy starts and ends with family and friends.  She was an extrovert and never saw a stranger.  She would take your arm off if you let her, and she loved being with family and friends.  That was probably one of the few areas of contention between her and my “introvert” father.  He would have...
Read more