HOLY WEEK – MONDAY
“In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.” – Matthew 21:18-19
After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, this seems like a strange way to start a Monday! What’s going on in this story? Was Jesus just hangry? Of course not!!!
The fig tree was a biblical symbol of the nation of Israel. On the Monday of Holy Week, Jesus encountered a fig tree that looked good and fruitful from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, He discovered it had no fruit growing. That tree wasn’t doing what it was made to do. So, Jesus condemned the tree.
With this act, He symbolically condemned the Temple and the nation of Israel. Both things looked quite impressive from a distance. So devoted to God. So awe-inspiring and zealous. However, on closer inspection, completely unfruitful. Rotten through-and-through. Business was being done on the Temple grounds, much of it dishonest. People earnestly came to meet God but their priests and religious leaders were corruptly conspiring to kill God’s Son to protect their own status, power, and money.
The fig tree was a symbol, an acted out parable about what lay in store for Jerusalem. Later in the week, its leaders would condemn Jesus to die. However, the real condemnation was on them as they repeatedly proved that they didn’t now God, and didn’t care to know Him. Even when He walked into His own temple. #FollowJesus