Holy Monday. . .

After Sunday's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, what happened next?  Surely some of the people were expecting something big -- a King to sit on David's throne and free them from their slavery to Caesar.  But Jesus aiming for something bigger than a people's revolt -- nothing less than the fulfillment of every promise, every Old Testament prophecy.  This Monday was the final Monday under the shadow of death.  A week from now Easter would be the Monday news.  But not yet.   You and I already know that outcome but the disciples then did not and even we are often oblivious to the details, focusing on the big events.
The march of Jesus to the cross would not be some silent journey.  There were things left to do before the armed guard would come for Him.

The Pharisees had ordered Jesus to silence the crowd that laid down the palm branches and shouted Hosanna to the Son of David.  In five days another crowd would need to be silenced but that one was calling for Jesus to be crucified (Luke 19-37-39). The Gospel of Mark tells us that by the time Jesus came into Jerusalem it was already late. Jesus headed to Bethany with the Twelve, only a mile or so away at the foot of the Mount of Olives (Mark 11:11).  On Monday, Jesus and His disciples happened upon a fig tree  full of leaves but without figs. It was not a fluke that it was completely fruitless since it was not yet time to bear fruit.  A couple of months should have seen the figs but for now you might expect the bud of that fruit.  In what could only have surprised and confused His disciples, Jesus cursed the tree for being fruitless, and it withered immediately.  Where was Jesus' patience and compassion so often displayed to people who did not deserve it and surely the tree could not be blamed.

But this was not about a fruitless tree, more about a fruitless generation of people who followed the rites with an outward faith but whose hearts were empty of faith.  So this moment was a teaching moment for His disciples -- faith even the size of a mustard seed could move mountains when it is aligned with God’s will (Matthew 21:21-22).  They would need such a faith for the coming days.  Then to the courtyards that surrounded the temple and Jesus found more to upset Him.  The irreverence for the Lord's House of Prayer was revealed by business as usual.  Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, driving out the business as usual and accusing the merchants making a living on the requirements of the piety,  accusing them of making His Father’s house a “den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46).

The money changers were providing a necessary service -- changing coin into the Hebrew coin for the temple and selling animals for the sacrifice on this holy day of the Passover but it had consumed the religious authorities and corrupted them.  They made their living on the requirements of the law.  Jesus’ rebuke of the money changers was clearly directed higher than the merchants and right at the temple leadership — and they knew it (Luke 19:47-48).