A Day of Judgment
Today is a sacred day during Holy Week. Some call it "Holy Monday." Jesus stayed fairly busy on this day: I call it a day of judgement, and a day of prophesy. We see in Matthew 11:12-33 that Jesus must have been hungry. He saw a fig tree, and he went to pick some figs. This was strange because it wasn't, according to the Bible, the season for these trees to produce fruit. Either way, Jesus declared the fig tree would never again produce figs, and later it was clear the fig tree had died.
Now, the fig tree is a key biblical symbol of the nation of Israel. Israel had failed to carry out its covenant obligation of sharing God's Kingdom and covenant. Israel was about to reject its Messiah; therefore, Jesus was making a judgment, and it was in line with what we discussed yesterday. Israel was carried away once again by an invading nation -- this time it happened to be Rome. And the prophesy, as we said yesterday, came true when Titus destroyed the place, and took the people away. Indeed, this was a day of judgement.
A Day of Prophesy Fulfilled and Prophesy To Come
Once in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and found merchants and money changers conducting business in the sacred space. The sacred space was set aside for non-Jews, or Gentiles, to have a place to worship. Jesus discovered anything BUT space for worship: In a dramatic display of righteous anger, He overturned their tables and drove them out, declaring, "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers!" (Matthew 21:13). This cleansing of the temple emphasized the importance of true worship and reverence for God. It also was fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, which once again validates Jesus truly being the Messiah of God's Covenant people. This is just one of the 351 Messianic prophecies scholars say Jesus fulfilled.
You may ask, "What prophecy did this Holy Monday prophecy fulfill? When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, He was fulfilling Old Testament prophecies that emphasized the sanctity of God's house. Specifically, He referenced Isaiah 56:7, which states, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations," and Jeremiah 7:11, which warns against turning the temple into "a den of robbers." These scriptures highlight the importance of worship and reverence in the temple, contrasting it with the commercial exploitation that Jesus condemned.
Additionally, His actions reminded His disciples of Psalm 69:9, which says, "Zeal for your house has consumed me." This verse reflects Jesus' passionate commitment to restoring the temple's sacred purpose. This is true, even though he knew the Temple would soon be leveled.
One More Tense Situation: A Misunderstood Future Prophecy:
There was one more tense situation Jesus was in where he, once again, faced down the religious leaders. It's found in John 2:13-25: They asked him, "What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus shocked them when he said, "Destroy this Temple, and I will raise it again in 3 days." They misunderstood completely what Jesus was saying, and they responded, "It took 46 years to build this Temple, and you are going to raise it in 3 days?" By the way, the disciples didn't get it either, but after he was raised from the dead, they remembered what he said. Then, and only, then did they believe him. Hallelujah! The body of Jesus, which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, when it died, was raised from the dead in 3 days. And it happened precisely as the Father described it, through Jesus, on that day.
Indeed, as I said, the disciples didn't get it, but they eventually did, and for that I am grateful. And, I hope, so are you.
SoJourner
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