With the inauguration of His ministry at the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus left Cana for the Passover in Jerusalem. Upon entering the Temple, He saw the money changers and temple merchants ( Matthew 21-12-16; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-46). And because the leaders of Israel had turned the Temple into a place of merchandise and were defrauding the worshippers who were there for the Passover, and had used the “Court of the Gentiles,” no doubt incensing any Gentile believers, He drove them out. Now in His last week of ministry, His Passion Week, we see our Lord repeating His judgment upon these same religious leaders. They had not repented but rather exposed their callus unbelief and avarice.
Matthew seems to record that this event happened as He left Jerusalem and the Temple following His triumphal entry. But Mark and Luke (Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-47) indicate this event happened the following morning as He returned to Jerusalem and the Temple.
As He left Bethany the morning of His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He stopped at one point, seeing the city and wept because He knew of their unbelief and what would befall them because of their rejection of their Messiah, Jesus (Luke 19:41-44).
Possibly it was earlier on His way into Jerusalem, he sought to take some figs from a fig tree that was bearing its leaves. But there were no figs. Dr. Walvoord comments on this;
“Fig trees bear fruit first and then the leaves appear, or both appear about the same time. Since the tree was in leaf, figs should have been on it. When Jesus found none, He cursed the tree and it immediately… withered. Mark indicated that the disciples heard Jesus curse the tree, but did not notice the withered condition till they returned to Jerusalem the next morning (Mark 11:13-14, 20).”[1]
The fig tree represented the spiritual fruitlessness of Israel (Jer. 8:13; Hosea 9:10, 16; Luke 13:6-9). Just as this tree had leaves, but no fruit, so Israel had a show of religion but no practical experience of faith resulting in godly living. It was all a religious sham.
Think through these few days:
- Jesus returns from Jericho for the last time to celebrate the Passover.
- He is refreshed in Bethpage by the fellowship of Mary, Martha, and, Lazarus (John 12:1-3), all the while knowing what was to come.
- The Pharisees were already seeking Jesus out to arrest Him (John 11:57). They had already made the decision (Matt. 12:14; Luke 19:47; John 5:18; 7:1, 19-20, 25), and now were looking for the right opportunity.
- As Jesus approached Jerusalem on the day of His triumphal entry in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, He saw the city, stopped and wept over their unbelief and rejection of their Messiah (Luke 19:41-44).
- When some, during His triumphal entry as the King of Peace, asked who this was, the best the crowd could do was say, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11).
- Then later, while He was in the Temple teaching and healing, “the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Matthew 21:15-16)
- Upon leaving the Temple our Lord no doubt saw the merchandising and the defrauding of the people once again.
- The next morning, He cursed the fig tree representing the fruitlessness and faithlessness of Israel and then walked into the “Court of The Gentiles,” and once again drove them out.
- That takes us through Wednesday morning!
“Passion Week” for our Lord, would be one filled with the darkness of unbelief, the plotting and conspiring of the Sanhedrin and Judas, but also with the joy of spiritually mentoring His disciples ( John 13-17), and willingly, “for the joy that was set before Him, (Hebrews 12:2) submit to the Cross of Calvary (Philippians 2:8-9) where His Father would vent His wrath on His Son for our redemption. And of course, it all culminates in Christ’s victory from death and the grave with His resurrection.
-Michael Holtzinger
[1] John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, ed., The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty, (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications, 1985), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “4. The Symbolic Rejection (21:18-22)”.