I Cursed a Fig Tree

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 16, 2020

I Cursed a Fig Tree & Cleared the Temple for the 2nd Time

Page 229

Matthew 21: 12-17;

Mark 11: 15-19;

Luke 19:45-48

The images of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem can be a bit confusing. In the humility befitting the servant leadership Jesus modeled, he rode into the city on a donkey. Then as he arrived in the Temple area, in a fit of fury, he drove out the people who were performing a service necessary for the Temple functions of making sacrifices and offerings to God.

The response of the religious leaders is helpful in understanding Jesus’ actions. The leaders were annoyed at the disruption caused by Jesus running off the animal sellers and money changers, but they were most upset over what happened next. Jesus welcomed the blind and lame as he healed them. Children ran with joy shouting praises to Jesus the Messiah. This represented God’s will for the Temple as a House of Prayer, but through the religious leaders, the Temple had evolved into something far less.

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was in the early spring time, so Jesus would not have expected any fruit to be on the fig tree. Jesus cursed the barren fig tree because it represented Israel, which had become barren in fulfilling her mission to be a light to the world. Because the intended role of the Temple had become corrupt at its core, Jesus “knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves” (Matthew 21:12b). Jesus’ action effectively shut down the Temple activities for a while, which was Jesus’ way of demonstrating God’s judgment against the Temple,

The key phrase in understanding Jesus’ actions is, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have turned it into a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). The Lord intended Israel to be a light to the nations; instead, she had become prideful and exclusionary.

My Takeaway: Today’s readings give me pause to remember, God created my church to be His people of the New Covenant. What if Jesus came to my church this Sunday? Would Jesus stop by any fruit trees on the way to my church? Would Jesus interfere with our worship services?

What if he visited your church?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.