Matthew 21:12-17
Mark 11:12-19
Luke 19:45-48
When you see something wrong, are you more likely to act without thinking or think without acting?
If you could change one thing about modern Christianity, what would it be?
Jesus Curses a
Fig Tree and Cleanses the Temple
Matthew 21:12–19; Mark 11:12–19; Luke
19:45–48
Mk 11:12–14The next day, when they came out from
Bethany, He was hungry. 13After seeing in the distance a fig tree
with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to
it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14And
He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again! [Mt 21:19bMay no fruit ever come from you again].”
And His disciples heard it.
15They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began
to throw out those buying and selling in
the temple. He overturned the money
changers’ tables and the seats of those who were selling doves, 16and
would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex. 17Then
He began to teach them: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of
prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves’!”
Mt 21:14–16aThe blind and the lame came to Him in the
temple complex, and He healed them. 15When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that He did, and
the children in the temple complex cheering, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
they were indignant 16aand said to Him, “Do You hear what these
children are saying?” Mk 11:18aThen … [they] … started looking for a
way to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, Lk 19:48abut they
could not find a way to do it, because all the people were spellbound by what
they heard.
Mt 21:17Then He left them, went out of the city
to Bethany, and spent the night there.[1]
[1]
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (pp.
185–186). Holman Bible Publishers.
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- How does Luke 19:45-48 relate to Jesus' concern about Jerusalem? Why does he take such extreme action?
- What upset Jesus so much about what he saw in the temple (see Isaiah 56:6-8)?
- Although the merchants once performed a useful service for out-of-towners, how had it become corrupted?
- This profiteering on the sale of sacrificial animals took place in the only area where Gentiles could worship. Why would that especially anger Jesus? What was Jesus threatening when he called the temple a "den of robbers" (see Jeremiah 7:9-15)?
- In this passage, which groups of people did and did not recognize the significance of Jesus? How do you explain that?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- If Jesus were to visit our church, where would he begin "turning over tables"?
- Like the temple, no church is perfect. What have you done to make Christ's church a better place?
- How has Jesus "turned over tables" in your life? What has he been cleaning out recently?
- How do you feel about expressing anger? Have you ever expressed righteous anger? What happened?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment