From The Temple To The Fig Tree | Matthew 21:18-22

Scripture

• Matthew 21:18–22

About this sermon

Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem on a colt, with followers declaring the He is the Mesiah and praising God, and all of Jerusalem is shaken. After retiring to Bethany on Sunday night, Jesus makes His way back into Jerusalem on Monday, and He cleanses the temple. He zealously disrupts and destroys and drives out the corrupt and defiling activities that had taken up residence in the court of the Gentiles. Both events are presented with Scripture. Some of that Scripture coming from the mouth of Jesus. Some of that Scripture coming through the commentary of Matthew. All that Scripture given so that we might see that all of this had to occur to fulfill prophecies concerning the Messiah. All that is taking place fulfills all righteousness. God’s eternal decrees are coming to pass in time. BOTH EVENTS POINTING TO JESUS IN TERMS OF THE MAJESTY OF HIS PERSON AND THE MERCY OF HIS MISSION. But the cleansing of the temple communicated something especially sobering. It communicated His holy jealousy. It communicated a judgment on apostasy and stubborn unbelief — it communicated a warning and a preview concerning a national judgment that the Mosaic covenant had warned about and promised. And that judgment is underscored in what Matthew presents immediately following the cleansing of the temple. What we see in our verses today is a symbolic preview of judgment making use of a fig tree. IMPORTANT NOTE: What Matthew presents to us now is not presented in chronological order. Matthew condenses these events in a way that combines two days. Mark tells us that Jesus cursed the fig tree in the morning PRIOR to Him cleansing the temple. Christ cursed the fig tree on Monday morning. Mark also tells us that Jesus taught these lessons on faith, after the disciples saw the tree had withered, on Tuesday morning. This means that what Matthew presents AFTER THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE, combines TWO EVENTS (the cursing and the recognition of the withering) that SANDWICHED the CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE. Mark 11:11–25 (LSB) 11 And Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late. 12 And on the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 And seeing at a distance a fig tree that had leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And He answered and said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. 15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He was not permitting anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. 19 And when evening came, they were going out of the city. 20 And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 And being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 “For this reason I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. 25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. Why? Why does Matthew present something that happened in the morning PRIOR to the cleansing of the temple AFTER presenting what happened in the temple? And why does he take what happened on Monday and Tuesday (prior to the cleansing and following the cleansing) and present both at the same time? Because what happened on Monday and Tuesday morning has a relationship to the cleansing of the temple. He can combine what sandwiched the cleansing of the temple, and present it afterwards, because He wants us to see that these two events relate to that cleansing. BOTH, THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE AND THE CURSING OF THE FIG TREE, SPEAK OF GOD’S JUDGMENT UPON A NATION CHARACTERIZED BY HYPOCRISY AND UNBELIEF.