WATCHWORD:
12 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves! Matthew 21:12-13
Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Mark 14:61
Meditation:
Holy Week – Monday
Jesus and the disciples spent Sunday night in Bethany and now, Monday morning, they are returning to Jerusalem. Can you imagine how the disciples felt, remembering the triumphal entry of the day before, all the crowds cheering and welcoming them. Perhaps in their minds they were thinking now our Master will begin his reign. I can only imagine that their hearts were overflowing with the expectation of a conquering King entering the city to free them of the domination of the Roman Empire. After all, He can do miracles. We saw them, so why not?
As they came down the slopes of Mount Olive from Bethany they passed an olive tree. When Jesus found no fruit, he cursed the tree and immediately it began to wither. The disciples found this to be curious, even when He told them that we, too, were to produce fruit.
Jesus entered the temple courts and found them full of corruption, money changers and filled with animals offered for sale as sacrifices. He began by overturning their tables, scattering the animals, and clearing the temple, saying, “The scriptures declare my temple will be a House of Prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” The meaning of the olive tree was still lost on the disciples. How about you?
The chief priests and the elders came to him and challenged him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” Jesus replied saying “If you answer me, I’ll tell you by what authority. The baptism of John, where did it come from? Was it from heaven or from human origin?” That stumped them and they confessed that they did not know. “Neither will I tell you by what authority.”
Later in the day, Jesus and the disciples returned to Bethany where they stayed the night, probably in the home of his friends; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. I can imagine, this was a joyous occasion, even though Jesus was fully aware of what was coming by the end of the week, for Him, and for them. Judas sat there but his mind was elsewhere, thinking how to get the rebellion started.
Will we, like the olive tree, lacking fruit, cause us to whither? Holy Week and God is in charge, even of this. How do we give Him the glory? Yes, How do we?
A Prayer for Holy Monday:
Almighty God, grant that in the midst of our failures and weaknesses we may be restored, and be fruitful, through the passion and the intercession of Your only son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
