12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
17 And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.
18 Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!”Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Bill Azbell
Missional Pastor – Concord CA
Observation: (v. 12-13) Jesus came to the center of the people’s lives to rid it of corruption and to fill it with faithfulness, prayer, and joy for all people. He still comes for this.
Action: I know I’ve filled my heart with corruption. Today I overturn my own ways and open my heart to Jesus. I open it to let Him bring faith, hope, and love.
Observation: Jesus, I see that You call you people to extremely confident belief in Your goodness and power, and I see that I am often an unbeliever.
Action: I cry out, “I believe, help my unbelief.” I will hold this Scripture in heart and mind and recite it when fear threatens to overcome faith.
Oh Jesus,
If I am not bearing fruit, if religious ‘activity’ is all I am doing, if my heart is not transforming into Your likeness – I ask You to change me. Let me see areas where my understanding of meaning and significance are based on something other than You. Show me where You do not reign. Jesus I desire Your very character reproduced in my life. I want You center. Transform me into a compassionate, grace -filled, praying, lover of You. Grant me power to wait within Your perfect timing, with ever growing faith. Ransomer of my soul, in Your presence, peace lies, fruit flourishes.
Come sweetest Jesus, I welcome You. Thank You. Amen.
Observation: Somebody once said, ‘A little revolution now and then is a good thing.’ The church needs a little revolution now and then–a little overturning of tables–when we get off track. Better that than be indignant, resist what needs to change, and wait for the big revolution. I’ve found that listening and responding to the little kairos is always better than not listening and getting blindsided by the big kairos.
Action: Remember whose church it is. How I want things is irrelevant. How the church does things needs to evolve over time. Don’t get stuck in a tradition because it feels comfortable.
I agree Marty that a little revolution can be a jolting but good thing. Last night a homeless man came to the church and I regret that we ( a small group of 8 people) did not stop our descipleship meeting to visit with him. Rather ironic that we did not “desciple” him.
Application: please God forgive us for our hypocritical stand last night.
Observation: If I am honest with myself, my faith in God moving has grown despondent and lukewarm. I know that God is all-powerful, mighty, loving, and able, but my heart has grown weary in the waiting. I am now where I need to be, ready to give the fight to the Lord.
Action: On my knees in prayer and faith.
Observation: Jesus is looking for good fruit. In the temple, He found the fruit of greed and religiosity. On the fig tree, he found no fruit at all.
Action: I will pray for the Spirit to produce fruit in me that points to Jesus. I will do this as I teach my students today.
Observation: The children’s prayerful cry, “Hosanna,” was a call for deliverance, but our Father also receives it as praise. God likes to hear from us, even when we’re making our requests made known to Him.
Action: Today I will be bold in prayer. When I think of something I want or something that would be good for someone else, I will boldly pray to God for that, knowing what He answers prayer and gives generously to those who ask in His name.