Readings for Monday

 

Tissot, "The Accursed Fig Tree"

Episodes

·         Cursing of the Fig Tree (Mark 11:12–14; Matt 21:18–19a)

·         The Cleansing of the Temple in Mark (Mark 11:15–19)

·         Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree (Mark 11:20–26; parallel Matt 21:19b‒22)

·         Jesus’ Pattern of Teaching in the Temple (Luke 19:47–48)

·         Teachings in the Temple: Rejection of the Unbelieving in Israel (Mark 11:27–12:12; Matt 21:23–22:15; Luke 20:1–19)

·         Jesus and the Coming Hour (John 12:20–36)

 

The Fig Tree and the Temple: Mark 11:12–25 

The cursing of the fig tree Monday and its withering the next morning frame Mark’s account of Jesus’ actions in the temple. This structure was deliberate, leading Mark to place the temple incident here rather than immediately following the triumphal entry. The framing also provides the interpretive key to the incident, giving it a different meaning in Mark than it had in Matthew and Luke’s versions.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 54–56.

Huntsman photo, Leafy Fig Tree without Fruit

11

 ¹²On the following day, after they had left Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³When he saw from a distance a fig tree that had leaves, he approached it in case he might find something on it. Yet when he reached it, he found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴In response he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard this. 

¹⁵Then they came to Jerusalem, and when he had come into the temple, he began to cast out those who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. ¹⁶Nor would he allow anyone to carry vessels through the temple. ¹⁷So he began to teach, saying to them, “Is it not written that my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a lair of bandits!” ¹⁸The chief priests and the experts at the law heard this and began deliberating how they might put him to death, for they were afraid of him because the entire crowd was amazed at his teaching. ¹⁹And when it was evening, he left the city.

²⁰As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots up. ²¹Remembering, Peter said to him, “Master, look, the fig tree that you cursed has withered!” ²²In response Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³Truly, I say to you, that whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be pulled up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen, it will turn out for him. ²⁴Because of this I say to you, all things you pray and ask for, believe that you will receive, and they will come about for you. ²⁵When you stand to pray, forgive anything you have against someone, so your Father in heaven may forgive your wrongdoings too.” [²⁶But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your wrongdoings.”][1]

 

Teachings in the Temple: Rejection of the Unbelieving in Israel

Two short notices in Luke establish Jesus’s pattern of teaching daily in the temple and returning each night to Bethany, where he presumably stayed with friends like the family of Lazarus. The  earliest versions of Jesus’s temple teaching are found in Mark, the first two episodes of which are given here. John also has Jesus teaching in the temple, but as is typical for that Gospel, Jesus’s teaching is much more direct about his mission and his relationship with the Father.

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 56–61.

Luke

19

 ⁴⁷And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, ⁴⁸And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.

21

 ³⁷And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. ³⁸And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

 

Mark

11

 ²⁷And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, ²⁸And say unto him, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?” ²⁹“And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.” ³¹And they reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we shall say, ‘From heaven;’ he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? ³²But if we shall say, ‘Of men;’ they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.” ³³And they answered and said unto Jesus, “We cannot tell.” And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

12

 ¹And he began to speak unto them by parables. “A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. ²And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. ³And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. ⁵And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. ⁶Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, ‘They will reverence my son.’ ⁷But those husbandmen said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.’ ⁸And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹“What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. ¹⁰And have ye not read this scripture; ‘The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: ¹¹This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?’”

¹²And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

The Johannine Passion Prediction: John 12:20–36

 John also has Jesus teaching in the temple, but as is typical for that Gospel, Jesus’ teaching is much more direct about his mission and his relationship with the Father. As is common in many of the discourses of Jesus in John, his words are in semi-poetic form, signaling the difference between his divine speech and that of other characters in the Gospel.[2]

See the discussion in Greater Love Hath No Man, 61–64.

12

²⁰Now there were some Greeks among those who had gone up to worship at the festival. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you,

Unless a grain of wheat dies after it has fallen to the earth,

it remains one grain.

Yet if it dies,

it yields much fruit.

²⁵                    The one who loves his life,

loses it;

and the one who hates his life in this world,

will guard it to life eternal.

²⁶                    Whoever serves me,

let him follow me.

Where I am,

There my servant will be also.

Whoever serves me,

my Father will honor.

²⁷Now my soul is troubled, so what should I say? ‘Father, rescue me from this hour’? Yet for this I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven,

“I have both glorified it,

James Tissot, "The Voice from Heaven"

and I will glorify it again.” 

²⁹Then the crowd that was standing there and had heard it kept saying it had thundered, but others started to say, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered and said, “This voice has come not for my sake but for yours.

³¹                    Now is judgment upon this world.

Now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

³²                    And when I am lifted up from the earth,

I will draw all to myself.”

³³This he said, indicating by what kind of death he was about to die. ³⁴Then the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ continues to live forever. How are you saying that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” ³⁵Jesus said to them,

“The light is with you for a little while more.

Walk around while you have the light,

so that the darkness does not overtake you.

The one who walks around in darkness

 does not know where he is going.

³⁶                    While you have the light,

believe in the light,

that you may become the children of light.”

 

Jesus said these things, and after he had left, he hid from them.

 

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[1] Verse 26, which is translated as “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” in the KJV, in only found in later, Byzantine manuscripts. It is missing in the earliest, most reliable Greek manuscripts and was probably inserted here by later scribes by comparison with Matthew 6:15 (see Metzger, Textual Commentary, 93)

[2] Brown, Gospel according to John, cxxxii‒cxxxv; Huntsman, “The Gospel of John,” 314.