Is it not written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" But you have made it a den of thieves"

 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out 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 wold not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

- Mark 11:12–26 

 

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

  Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  That it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage, my study Bible comments.  This would indicate a first crop, but without bearing any fruit.  Jesus -- having found not a single fig -- condemns it.  In Scripture, my study Bible explains, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  Israel's fruitfulness has ceased (hinting at the rejection of Christ), so the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, my study Bible says; that is, a people who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).

 

 So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out 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 wold not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a "den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   My study Bible explains that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers were trading roman coins for Jewish coins.  This is because Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible adds that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters, my study Bible says.   In condemning the activities within the temple, Jesus cites Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible says that the cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act, and that it signifies the judgment of Israel.  This is a visible way for the disciples to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish Christ's Church, ultimately to be filled with both Gentiles and Jews, and, as my study Bible frames it, they need assurance that they are following His will.  The fig tree will thus be an indelible image of this moment in their minds.  

It's very interesting to consider the money changers, as they are being so scrupulous in following the Law by exchanging coins bearing the image of Caesar for Jewish coins to use in the temple treasury.  But once again, Jesus' act -- and this time a very visceral and dramatic act -- centers on the aims of the Law, and against the legalism of the ruling Council.  He says that instead of Isaiah's "house of prayer," the temple has been reduced to Jeremiah's "den of thieves" through the machinations of the system, and how it no doubt penalized the poor who could not afford a good sacrifice.   One suspects, however, that there was more to it than this.  Possibly -- as can happen in so many Churches today -- the whole focus of Passover was becoming this great business of doing business in the temple, with less emphasis on the prayer for which purpose it was meant.  We should remember that the animals being sold in the temple (for which purpose Roman money was being exchanged  for Jewish coins in the first place), were for sacrificial offerings to the Lord Himself.  It reminds us that the Psalmist writes, "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:16-17).  Indeed, the interactions of Jesus with the Council all seem to point to the lack of "broken and contrite hearts" among them, so rigorous are they in their legalism and absolutely assured of their own righteousness.  In today's reading we have what might be the two most dramatically "violent" acts of Christ:  the cleansing of the temple and also the withering of the fig tree.  But they both go hand in hand.  They are the very visible signs of the Lord's own judgment regarding what He sees, and also what He fails to see.  It is the righteousness of true self-sacrifice and the spiritual fruits of humility before God that He does not see here.  The withering of the fig tree is an act of judgment aimed at those who put on a good show, but who fail to produce true spiritual fruit.  Let us keep in mind that the final judgment is yet to come for all of us, and that repentance always remains a possibility.  But Jesus has pronounced clearly in these acts His judgment about what is happening in real time, what He witnesses.  We cannot forget that He also as Messiah is the Lord of the temple, the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).  As such He has surveyed what He sees (in Saturday's reading, above), and He has now given His judgment, with His authority.  The scrupulosity of money exchanges cannot cover the mechanisms for hypocrisy, legalism, and corruption that He sees -- and also the absent spiritual fruit that He doesn't see.  Bede comments on today's passage using images of the marketplace, "What, my beloved, do you suppose our Lord would do if he should discover people involved in disputes, wasting time gossiping, indulging in unseemly laughter, or engaged in any other sort of wicked actions?" (Exposition on the Gospel of Mark 2.1).   Let us consider for our own time precisely this rough and vigorous display of judgment in today's reading, for all of it applies equally to us when we lose ourselves to commerce, profit, useful mechanisms to turn church into mere marketplace -- and leave behind the real purpose of worship and prayer and the spiritual fruit that must go with it.  For this is not about the past alone.  Christ's message is meant for us, and to be with us, even as He is as yet with us when we worship as well (Matthew 18:20).