The Explanation

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, and he sends two disciples ahead to get a young donkey that has never been ridden. He tells them exactly what will happen, and it does. Jesus sits on the donkey, and people throw their coats and branches on the road, shouting "Hosanna," which means something like "save us now." They call him the one who comes in the name of the Lord, and they remember the kingdom of their ancestor David. This looks like a king entering his city, but a strange kind of king, riding a young donkey instead of a warhorse.

Jesus goes into the temple, looks around, and leaves again because it is already evening. The next day he is hungry. He sees a fig tree with leaves and goes to look for fruit, but there is none, because it is not even the season for figs. Jesus says the tree will never bear fruit again, and the disciples hear it.

Then Jesus goes back into the temple, and this time he does not just look around. He drives out the buyers and sellers, turns over the tables of the money changers, and will not let anyone carry things through the temple courts. He says the temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations, but it has become a den of robbers. The religious leaders hear this and want to get rid of him, but they are afraid, because the crowd is amazed by his teaching.

The next morning, the disciples pass the fig tree again and see it has withered from the roots. Peter remembers what Jesus said. Jesus tells them to have faith in God, and speaks about mountains being thrown into the sea, about praying and believing, and about forgiving others so that God can forgive us too.

Later, the chief priests, scribes, and elders ask Jesus by what authority he does these things. Jesus answers with a question about John the Baptist, whether his baptism was from heaven or from men. They cannot answer without getting into trouble either way, so they say, "We don't know." Jesus refuses to answer their question too.

What Does This Mean?

This chapter shows Jesus acting like a king, but not the kind people expected. He does not ride in with an army. He comes gently, yet he does something bold and even frightening in the temple. Why does Jesus curse a fig tree for not having fruit out of season? That seems unfair on the surface. But the fig tree seems to be a living picture of the temple itself. It looked full of leaves, full of promise, but there was no real fruit, no real prayer and justice happening inside. Jesus is not just angry about money changers. He is showing that the whole system, for all its impressive appearance, was not doing what God had asked for.

The Common Thread

God had always wanted his house to be a place where every nation could pray, not just a place for insiders. That promise goes back far into the Old Testament. Jesus, as God's own Son, has the right to walk into that temple and clean it, because it belongs to his Father. The donkey, the shouting crowd, the temple, all of it points to Jesus as the true King who comes to bring people back to God, even though many did not recognize what kind of King he really was.

For You

Sometimes we can look full of leaves on the outside, busy with all the right religious activities, while our hearts have no real fruit for God. Jesus also says something you can actually practice this week: when you pray, forgive whoever you are angry with. Not because it is a nice rule, but because forgiveness and prayer belong together.

Talk About It

Why do you think Jesus was so upset in the temple, more upset than about the fig tree?

Is there someone you find hard to forgive, and what would it look like to bring that to God in prayer?

Praying Together

Lord Jesus, you came as a King who was gentle and honest at the same time. Show us where our lives look full but are actually empty. Teach us to forgive others as we ask you to forgive us. Amen.