"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 the 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 mouth 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 ever 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

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. He told two disciples of a donkey tied, with a colt, that they should bring to Him. This was to fulfill the prophecy: "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.'" As He entered into Jerusalem, people spread their clothes on the road and cut down branches to put on the road before Him. The crowds shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into the Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

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.'" My study bible explains: "Those who bought and sold in the temple traded in animals used for sacrifices. The money changers were needed to provide currency acceptable to the temple, because Roman coins bearing the head of Caesar were considered defiling. When Jesus sees that worship has become commercialized, He acts against the abuses, boldly overturning the tables and casting the tradesmen out. The cleansing of the temple is seen as an image of the cleansing of our souls." To understand this first act in Jerusalem is also to note that Jesus comes as Messiah, a heavenly king. Therefore, His authority here is supreme, whether it is recognized as such by the leadership or not. This is an open proclamation of His identity, at last. We recall His discussion with Peter about the paying of the temple tax in Capernaum.

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the 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 mouth 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. Healing the blind and the lame is another clear sign of Messiah. It is once again something that we can see as an open declaration of Jesus' identity, there in the great temple at Jerusalem. As in Saturday's reading, Jesus' acts are welcomed with proclamation from Psalm 118, the same words used at the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast of the coming Kingdom. "Hosanna" is "save [we] pray." The title "Son of David" is a messianic title, although one that alludes to the kingly lineage of David.

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 ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. My study bible says, "The fig tree, symbol of prosperity and peace, withers because of its fruitlessness. This is a prophetic act, for after three years of preaching, teaching and healing, 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."

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." Again, I will quote from my study bible's helpful and succinct notes: "Jesus does not expect His disciples literally to move mountains, but this extravagant image accurately depicts the astonishing power of undoubting faith. . . . 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."

I think my study bible's note about prayer is extremely important. Sometimes prayer is presented as if it is a magical formula by which we gain whatever our heart's desire, good or bad, good for us or bad. But the truth is that the Greek word for faith in the Gospels means "trust" -- therefore great faith is great trust, deep relationship, with God. It is God's will we follow in prayer, and thereby faith is at work. It is in relationship to God. In Romans 8:26, St. Paul writes: "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Therefore in faith, in trust, we are also given and taught prayer, the things we ought to pray for. Taken together with the cleansing of the temple in today's reading, we have to examine the faith that Christ teaches us. Faith is belief and also trust. In this road to faith is also a kind of accountability. While Christ teaches us mercy, and that our own capacity for mercy also determines that which we receive, we also remember that it is up to us to fight that good fight of faith, to engage in that struggle of faith, for faith. While we understand God's infinite mercy and grace are there for us, it also depends on what we do, what we accept, what is in our hearts. If we truly reject the grace that is always offered us, then where are we? Sooner or later accountability must begin, especially in a place where little mercy is shown to others -- like in this highly commercialized system that in effect penalized and hurt the poor, and failed in offering all the mercy and love of God. While Jesus taught us the practice of mercy and forgiveness, let us not forget that neither erases accountability; that is, our own need for relationship in love and mercy, and our capacity to repent of the things that cause harm to ourselves or others. Today's reading tells us that sooner or later, we wind up paying the price for our failure, in one way or another. This effect may come in all sorts of ways, and is not up to us but to God. Sometimes we call these times "wake up calls," and they are indeed opportunities for change, for grace. But the love of God covers all things; forgiveness is possible and always on the table. We need to be aware of what we do, and of the status of the relationship that asks of us to believe and trust in love and faith. That begins in the heart, where Christ truly comes to us. Where are you in that relationship? How does He ask you to step up, to do your part, today? How does the Spirit come to you in prayer? In faith, we seek the discernment of Christ, His presence, so that we may truly see what is what, what is best, what is right before us -- and not be blinded by our own desires.