It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," but you have made it a "den of thieves"

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read,

'Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done . And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

- Matthew 21:12-22

Yesterday we read the story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. He sent His disciples to get a donkey and its colt, in order to ride into Jerusalem. This, we are told was to fulfill prophecy. But it also sends a message: this is a peaceful and humble king, not one that conquers with an army and chariots. As He rode into Jerusalem, many people welcomed Him as Messiah, spreading their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" All of Jerusalem was stirred, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds welcoming Him said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." See Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey".

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a den of thieves.'" Jesus is now in the center of Jewish worship, the great temple in Jerusalem. It is also the center of the powerful parties who control the temple and worship practices. His first act in Jerusalem is to cleanse the temple. The quotation from Scripture that Jesus repeats is a combination of passages from Isaiah and Jeremiah. In this act of cleansing, we can see many different things. Among them, first of all, is Jesus' act as Messiah; He has this authority in His divine identity. Secondly, we vividly see the two-edged sword of truth at work, and His compassion for the "little ones." The system of exchange (Roman coin for temple money) allowed the trade of animals for sacrifice, a system that penalized the poor, who could ill afford the best sacrifice. We have read a great deal in Matthew of Jesus' preparation of the disciples for leadership -- above all, the theme is about protection of the little ones, the meek in the church, from abuses of power. Here we see His love in action, and the result is this cleansing of the temple.

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. This is another sign of the presence of the Messiah, also foretold in prophecy.

But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise'?" As we read in yesterday's commentary, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" is a clear cry to the Messiah. Here, the sword of truth teaches its powerful reality again, also to the dismay of those in power, who do not accept Him and His leadership. While the good news is clear to those who have been healed, others cannot accept this as good news, and we see the results. But Jesus is revealing who He is now, in the center of religious power, whether or not they want to hear. Again, as with so much of the past few chapters of Matthew, the focus is on the "little ones" who are His followers, who will remain His greatest concern. Jesus quotes from Psalm 8 (verse 2), a psalm about the majesty and power of the Lord.

My study bible also notes, importantly, that the image of the cleansing of the temple is seen as an image of the cleansing of our souls. To understand the good news is also to understand the double-edged sword of truth: that in addition to its blessings of love and comfort, it will cleanse from us the things we need to lose, even those things we may cling to in the belief that they are good for us -- but are not truly so.

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there. Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" My study bible notes that the fig tree is a symbol of prosperity and peace -- and that this is a prophetic act by Jesus. After three years of preaching, teaching and healing, it notes, the leadership is destitute of spiritual fruit; "therefore, He withers them with His reproach. He curses the tree to warn of the curse on those who will crucify Him. He submits Himself willingly to the Cross; He is the Suffering Servant who yields to their torture." Elsewhere, this incident with the fig tree is more drawn out, but the message is the same. That which does not bear spiritual fruit shall not flourish. The fig tree is also a traditional symbol for Israel, the people of God.

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." To me, this statement of power is an illustration of what happens both with the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. We have to think of faith not merely as belief but as trust. (In the Greek, the word implies trust.) Faith, then, becomes an active trust in God. Jesus is not making a statement with some magical portent. Rather, He is telling them what faith in His truth can do, and illustrating its great moving power. This handful of disciples will go on to spread His gospel, and establish a widespread church within a matter of years. My study bible says, "Jesus does not expect His disciples literally to move mountains, but this extravagant image accurately depicts the astonishing power of undoubting faith." It goes on to explain the power of faith as trust in God's truth: "To receive whatever things you ask in prayer, one must have the faith and discernment to ask for what is in accordance with God's will. God cannot be manipulated by our prayers." So, in some sense, the image of the withered fig tree is that of the temple cleansing: Jesus has made a declaration of the power of faith in His gospel. It is the disciples who will see the fruits of this power.

I think it's important that we consider the positive and negative effects of trust in God's truth. By positive and negative, I do not mean "good" and "bad" -- although perhaps there are those who will see them this way. Most of us are very happy to hear the loving message of Christ's deepest concern for even the littlest among ourselves, in His church. His greatest concern and care seems to have been to establish a model of leadership that knows it will be held accountable for every kind of abuse or exploitation of His sheep. But then it may come time when even the things we hold dear -- say our own personal notions of worldly power and stature -- are things we are called upon to give up in this gospel, and that will challenge our faith in this truth. The giving up, the cleansing, is what I am referring to as "negative" -- something we must, in effect, discard or subtract from ourselves. This is always in order to draw us closer to God, and to discard the things that make for separation. Can we do it? Does our faith hold this strongly? We remember that what we cast away is only done so that we may become even more fertile ground for good seed, and that Christ taught that we lose our life in order to save it. In this way, we also take up His Cross. How can we feel the effects of that cleansing, and yet believe? Where is the strength of your faith?