Holy Week Guide | Monday
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Monday
MATTHEW 21:12-20
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he over.turned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children cry.ing out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 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. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Upon entering the city of Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple only to find it a place of commerce rather than worship. He immediately condemned the actions of those who had defiled His Father’s house and put an end to their wicked ways. Jesus overturned the money-changers’ tables and the seats of those who made the temple just one more venue to make a profit. Echoing the words of Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” and “you have made it a den of robbers.” (v. 13) While his actions on the surface were angry in nature, this was an act of love. He didn’t merely condemn their practice and leave. We see in the very next verse how he remained in the temple and healed those in need. Jesus aimed to reform the people’s reverence for our holy God. Without the proper attitude of reverence and worship, the people would never be able to relate to their God. As Jesus and his disciples returned to Jerusalem the next morning, they came across a fig tree. In a manner that truly baffled those with him, Jesus cursed the tree without any apparent provocation. However, on the heels of his visit to the temple the day before, we can gain insight into Jesus’ motivation. Just as the scribes and chief priests had withered the temple and its effectiveness in worship-ping the Father, Jesus withered this tree to demonstrate this reality. What God had intended to produce fruit in the lives of his people, men had profaned and consequently produced fruitlessness.
APPLICATION
A passage like this calls us into question – have we perhaps profaned the worship of God? Are we so different from the scribes and chief priests? After all, our own heart is a breeding ground for idolatry, substituting the one mediator – Jesus for a lesser good, a lesser object. The cleansing of the temple is a reminder that Jesus is our temple, that we come to God through no other means than him, and that we must, in faith, expect him to supply our every need. Expectancy has everything to do with faith. John Calvin said, “To have faith in God means, to expect, and to be fully assured of obtaining from God whatever we need.” If we are to worship God truly, we must go through our temple, through our mediator, Jesus. And when we’ve come to God through Jesus, we must ask and expect his good reply.
PRAYER
Father God, I confess my propensity to act as the scribes and chief priests did, and I repent of profaning your temple, your Son Jesus Christ by clinging to lesser things. Fill my heart with love for my neighbor and make me love you more. Amen.
FAMILY DEVOTIONAL
THINK
Has your room ever been so messy that you can’t see the floor? Think about a time when your room was the messiest it has ever been. Your toys, books, clothes, and other things were everywhere! In fact, it may have been so messy that you couldn’t even find your bed! You probably began to feel frustrated and maybe even a little angry because you couldn’t find your favorite toy, or something you needed because of the mess. Finally, the stinky smell and probably some strong encouragement from your mom or dad, provided the motivation you needed to get busy cleaning it up.
READ
MATTHEW 21:12-20
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he over.turned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children cry.ing out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” 17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 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. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”
SAY
“Dear God, thank you for creating me to be your temple. Please help me to make choices that are true and right. Amen.”
DO
Help your mom or dad clean up the house this week. As you clean, think about sin in your life. Tell God that you’re sorry and ask for His forgiveness.