(Having
posted studies in Luke we come to the Passion Week. Now we are going to study based on A. T. Robertson’s
Harmony of the Gospels, combining the 4 gospels as we have done
previously on the birth and resurrection passages. The Scripture for each post will have
the primary passage listed first and then readings for the other gospels in
parenthesis. This booklet begins after
the Triumphal Entry, and continues through the Olivet Discourse. By using ATR’s Harmony we are agreeing to his coalescing of the four
Gospels. We are, therefore, not
concerned with frequent explanations about the order of events. We are able to understand the events and draw
encouragement and applications without having to make decisions about what day
of the week it is.)
In His triumphal entry Jesus offered Himself to
Israel as King/Messiah. He did this in
the predicted manner (cf. esp. Zech. 9:9).
Within just a few days many in the crowd that proclaimed hosanna were shouting crucify Him. The Scriptures indicate events that occurred that,
in part, led to this change of attitude.
Jesus continued to
perform the signs of His Messiahship (Mt. 21:14) which led to a confrontation
with the leaders (Mt. 21:15-16). Each
night Jesus went out of the city to Bethany (Mt. 21:17). Each day, until His arrest in Gethsemane,
Jesus taught in the temple while the leaders sought to destroy Him, a desire
that was restrained because the people were too attentive to Jesus’ words (Lk.
19:47-48).
The incident of the
withered fig tree is recorded first in Mark, before the temple cleansing. Matthew and Luke (who does not tell about the
fig tree) indicate that the cleansing happened upon arrival at Jerusalem while
the story of the fig tree occurred when Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem
that day and then returned in the morning.
The language in Mark allows for this (11:12 says now the next day and 11:15 says, so they came to Jerusalem.)
There are two recorded
incidents of Jesus cleansing the temple.
The first, at the outset of His ministry (John 2:13-22) is not to be
confused with the one in our passage today.
The first is concerned simply with the temple being a house of merchandise and ends in a
conversation about Messianic signs and authority. At Passover time it was permitted for people
to purchase lambs if they had travelled from a long distance. Further, they were required to pay the
half-shekel temple tax and it could
not be paid in Roman money. Thus
money-changers were in place to change Roman coins to shekels. This resulted in a major business opportunity
for the priests, changing the nature of the temple environs from a worship
center to an economic center.
But the second cleansing
has an added emphasis. The issue is not
just merchandising; the issue is thievery because the priests were charging exorbitant
prices for their services. Jesus
reference to the den of thieves comes
from Jer. 7:11 and is perfect to use.
Jeremiah spoke not long before Solomon’s temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus said these words not long before the
destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans.
The connection of the cleansing with Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem
(19:41-44) is profound, as is the connection with the barren fig tree in
Matthew and Mark.
As we have seen
throughout Jesus’ ministry, He is not seeking to win a popularity contest. He seeks true worshipers. Thus He enters Jerusalem with shouts of hosanna but then immediately challenges
the status quo of hypocritical worship. It
stirred up His enemies. May His cleansing
of our temple (the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 6:18-20) be met with
humble submission!
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