Holy Week: Monday

This week I'm going to read the accounts of what Jesus did each day of the last week before his crucifixion.  My Bible (the NIV Study Bible) has a timeline of what event took place on what day.  I'm sure if I studied the accounts myself thoroughly I could see how they determine what happened when.  In any case, the events that happened on Monday were Jesus cursing a fig tree, and his cleansing of the Temple (See Matthew 21:12-13, 18-19, and Mark 11:12-18).  I'm not going to get into any deep interpretation of the passages, just pondering what happened during this holiest of weeks.

Considering that yesterday was Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, I imagine that his disciples were pretty pleased with how things were going.  Jesus had entered on a donkey, true, not on a horse as a conquering king would.  But he had been awfully well received!  The people had praised and honored him.  They were glad to have Jesus in Jerusalem.

This Monday morning, on their way into Jerusalem, the disciples witnessed Jesus curse a fig tree that had no fruit on it, despite the fact that it was full of leaves.  He explained his reason for this to them the next day.

Upon entering the Temple, he drove out the people who were selling livestock to be offered for Passover sacrifices, and those who were changing money for pilgrims who had come for the Passover.  Jesus was indignant because the money-changers were cheating people, and in turning the Temple into a marketplace they had desecrated the house of God.  After the Temple was clear, Jesus healed the blind and lame people who came to him there, while the religious leaders watched indignantly.

I wonder if the disciples were as shocked and angry at the proceedings happening in the Temple as Jesus was, or if they were more shocked at his response.  Perhaps some of the people there were among the ones who had praised him just the day before.  Didn't he know that?  Didn't he know he would offend them?  Did he have the right to throw the merchants out of the Temple? the disciples might have wondered.

When Jesus cleared out the temple, he said, "It is written, 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers'" (Matt 21:13).  Did the disciples know who he was by then?  Did they know he was the son of God?  Did they have any idea what the end of that week would be like?  Did they realize how much he was still teaching them, as his time with them neared its end?

I wonder how Jesus was feeling at this point.  He knew it was only four short days until he would have to die. Not permanently, of course, but he would have to experience the complete and utter wrath of his Father.  But then he would rise again, and the course of human history would be altered for the salvation of many.  And yet he continued preaching, healing, and teaching his disciples.  He carried on as if very little was changing.  This is an example I could follow; we all could.  Right now I have one month and eleven days until my wedding.  I can hardly wait; I just want that day to get here, and yet I have school work to finish and a dorm room to pack and finals to take, and it's hard when I'm so focused on the wedding.  But I can, and should, make the most of every day, doing my best, continuing to serve and work hard, and think of others more than myself--as Jesus did.

The same thing can apply to believers who are anxiously awaiting Christ's return.  We don't know when it will happen; Jesus said that only the Father knows the day or hour (Mark 13:32-33).  So instead of sitting around and waiting for him to come again, we can be constantly ready, constantly serving, living our lives to his glory as best as we can every day.

[If you've stuck with me through this whole post, I realize it's not very insightful or poetic or theological today, but I was just writing what was on my thoughts.]