 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. 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 heard it. Jesus Cleanses the Temple15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying 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 den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city. The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” The Authority of Jesus Challenged27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Meditation Deep hope finds fullness in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God’s sovereign grace assures believers that Christ will fulfill everything promised and execute God’s purposes. The prophet Zechariah describes those hoping for the promised King as “prisoners of hope” (Zechariah 9, especially 9:9-12). Jesus alone is the king who establishes authority “from the river to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah concluded this specific prophecy by describing the Temple, the chosen location of the presence of God with His people, as “no longer having traders in the house of the Lord on that day” (Zechariah 14, especially 14:21). Jesus is the fullness of God’s presence whose purpose is to be a living temple. Are we surprised, then, to see how after Jesus enters Jerusalem on the donkey, He “went into the temple” (11) and cleansed it from traders (15-19)? On either side of the temple cleansing narrative is a fig tree that bears no fruit, as if to highlight how the failure of the function of the temple is fruitlessness and our hope should be oriented to the living temple, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great king, the ancient hope of God’s people. Jesus is the living temple, the deepest hope in the hearts of humanity to encounter the presence of God in peace. These truths give believers (at least) two things: 1-We have confidence in Christ’s authority to ask anything in prayer (24) and we have security in God’s steadfast love to forgive as we have been forgiven (25). Richly Dwelling -What other people and things do you find your hope in? Why? -Do you see how Jesus is both the fulfillment of ancient hope AND the deep hope in our hearts, the great King and the living temple embodying God’s presence in the world? Take time to praise Him for this truth. -How can we trust Jesus’ authority as King so much that we will confidently ask for anything, and trust His sacrifice so deeply we will forgive as we have been forgiven? Key Verse 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” Comments are closed.
|