The Passion Week - Day 2 & 3 -
As we read through the events of the Passion week, you will notice some interesting timeline issues. Does this mean the disciples are wrong? No. Once again, it has to deal with personality. Matthew treats subjects topically rather than chronologically. Mark, Luke, and John follow a more chronological telling. When we put the four gospels together, we get a true guideline.
Day One - Sunday - Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, took a quick tour of the temple, and went back to Bethany.
Day Two - Monday
Cursing the Fig Tree -
On the way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus is hungry, but the fig tree He looks to for food has none. Why curse a tree? Well, this is symbolic. The tree appears healthy, it has leaves and blossoms, it should have fruit. The tree is like a religious person who gives the appearance of a healthy faith but in reality they have no relationship with God. These people are hypocrites - they talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. They have no idea what faith is really about.
Clearing the Temple -
Jesus entered the temple & cleared it out. The temple - God's House of Worship - had been turned into a market. See, the only place to offer a sacrifice to God was at the Jerusalem temple. That was it. People traveled to Jerusalem a minimum of three times a year to offer sacrifices. Once they arrived at the temple, their sacrifices would be examined to ensure they were blemish-free. If it was confirmed a pure offering by the priest, well then, it couldn't be offered. However, a person had just traveled all this way & offerings were part of the required worship of God, so a person could purchase a "worthy" offering at the temple market. They could also exchange their government's currency for temple currency. The issue was these poor people were being ripped off. Prices were set extremely high, currency exchange rates were unfair, and gentiles - who were only allowed in the outer courts - were being cut off from worship. Mark tells us that Jesus didn't just throw things around. Yes, He made a statement. But He also taught the people why He was acting in such a manner. He was restoring the temple to true worship of God. Of course the religious leaders, who were profiting from this market, became more indignant and further sought ways to get rid of Jesus. After the cleansing of the Temple and time teaching, Jesus returned to His lodging in Bethany.
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