Our Easter Week story continues on as we investigate Jesus's activities on Nisan 9, Palm Sunday and Nisan 10, Easter Week Monday. After riding triumphantly into Jerusalem, He went to the Temple to "present himself". Before we get to Monday, though, let me make a point about Jesus' triumphal entry earlier in the day. As the people shouted "Hosanna", while waving the palm branches in six directions (up, down, north, south, east, west, according to ceremony), they called Jesus "Son of David", a Messianic title. For this brief moment, the crowd was acknowledging Him as the chosen Messiah of Israel.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy king cometh unto thee: He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.
Zechariah 9:9
9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Matthew 21:9-11
So, what did Jesus do after arriving in town? According to Mark He went straight to the Temple (Mark 11:11). He "looked around", and then went back to Bethany for the night, since the hour was late.
I learned something while studying the events of Passion Week this week. Did you realize that Jesus shook things up at the Temple more than once? (Well, I guess if you count when He was 12 and taught the scribes and religious leaders, amazing them, that should count too; but that's not what I mean.) The first time Jesus "cleansed the Temple" is recorded in John 2:12-17. This, the more well-known story, also occurred at Passover, the first one of Jesus' 3-year ministry. What I didn't realize was that He did something similar, but not the same, AGAIN the day after He rode into Jerusalem as the Son of David.
The scene is the Monday of Passion Week. Jesus and His disciples return to Jerusalem, walking this time, and they enter the Temple.
And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” 18The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.19When evening came, they would go out of the city.
Mark 11:15-19
At first glance this incident seems very much like the one in John 2, but there are at least 3 important differences:
1. In John 2:16, Jesus warns that the Temple must not be made a house of "trade", in some versions "merchandise", ἐμπορίου, in the Greek. In Mark 11:16, the word translated (erroneously) as "merchandise" is actually "vessel" (translated as such in some versions), σκεῦος in the Greek, as in a vessel in which you would carry a liquid. Totally different word! Why does that matter? In order for Temple sacrifices to continue, vessels had to carry the water, oil and blood here and there through the Temple. When Jesus prevented the carrying of vessels through the Temple, He effectively stopped the Temple animal sacrifices. Could it be He did this because He was about to become the final sacrifice for mankind?
2. In the Temple cleansing recorded in John, Jesus did not heal people. In Mark 11, He did.
3. In the John account He prophesied that He would "destroy this Temple and raise it up again in 3 days", a reference to His death, burial and resurrection. Because these words are not associated with His second Temple cleansing, we can assume they were not repeated, as He taught and spoke with the teachers of the Law.
Notice that the listeners to Jesus on this occasion of his "Lamb inspection" were of two viewpoints: 1. the chief priests and scribes who inspected Him and found Him to be a threat; they were afraid of His teaching, His influence.
2. "the whole crowd" inspected Him and were "astonished at His teaching".
The only other significant occurrence that day (of which we are given record) is the (peculiar?) cursing of the fig tree, in Mark 11:12-26 and also in Matthew 21:18-22. In Mark's account, the cursing of the tree occurred as Jesus and The Twelve walked into the city on Monday morning. The evidence of it then having withered "from the root up" was seen as they walked back to Bethany Monday evening. Matthew's account leaves out the intervening hours. Regardless, in human terms, it happened "immediately" and in an extraordinary way. Usually vegetation dies from the extremities inward, that is, from the bloom to the root. Such was not the case here. This fig tree died from the root, up.
Some of you will find this action by Jesus to be "disturbing". However, that is because we are looking at it in human terms. Jesus wanted to make a clear point to His disciples about the power of the spoken word and the miracle of faith. So that they would remember, He used the fig tree as an object lesson. Matthew 21:18-22 (NASB) - - -
18Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. 19Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.
20Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
We know from verses such as Hosea 9:10 and Joel 1:6-7 that the fig tree represents the nation of Israel. In His cursing of this particular fig tree, Jesus is foretelling the destruction of Israel, forty years in the future. In 70 C.E. General Titus, of the Roman army, destroyed Jerusalem, and the Temple, dispersing the people of Israel for over 1900 years. The Jewish people wandered from country to country, without a homeland, until 1948, when Israel became a nation again.
Is "the fig tree" still "cursed"? Why was it cursed in the first place? Because it bore no fruit. Israel, whom the fig tree represented, did not receive Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah. And, even though Israel is now a discreet and sovereign nation, its people still have not, by and large, received their true Messiah.
Yet, that day will come. We are told by the Apostle Paul that it will come, in Romans 11:25-27.
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
27And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”g
I look forward to that day.
To wrap up this Easter Week Monday, let's fill in our handy-dandy timeline chart.
Thursday sundown to
Friday sundown
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Nisan 8
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Friday sundown to
Saturday sundown
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Nisan 9
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Saturday sundown to
Sunday sundown
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Nisan 10
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Sunday sundown to
Monday sundown
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Nisan 11
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Monday sundown to
Tuesday sundown
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Nisan 12
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Tuesday sundown to
Wednesday sundown
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Nisan 13
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Wednesday sundown to
Thursday sundown
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Nisan 14
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Thursday sundown to
Friday sundown
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Nisan 15
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Friday sundown to
Saturday sundown
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Nisan 16
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Saturday sundown to
Sunday sundown
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Nisan 17
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Father, thank you for the beauty You reveal to us about Jesus' Passion Week. Help us to remember the power of our spoken words, that You have placed the power of life and of death in our tongues. May we use our words wisely! Thank you most of all for You Son, the Son of David, the Son of Man, who forever eliminated the need for an animal sacrifice in the Temple, since He became the ultimate, forever-settled sacrifice on our behalf those many centuries ago. In Jesus' name, amen.
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