Day 2: Holy Monday

This devotional comes from BibleProject

Though the gospel accounts vary on the timeline of Holy Week events, Monday possibly included Jesus cursing the fig tree and exposing the temple system’s corruption (see Matt. 21:17-22; Mark 11:15-26; Luke 19:45-48). Both moments are symbolic sign-acts that declare God’s dissatisfaction with Israel’s most respected leaders. And the people were shocked by Jesus’ acts!

Imagine Jesus in the middle of a bustling market filled with the smell of livestock and smoke from the temple’s altar. He’s in the temple’s Court of the Gentiles, which is not supposed to be a marketplace. It’s the largest space on the temple mount, dedicated for non-Israelites to pray and worship. The temple leaders who disliked non-Israelites were happy to turn their prayer space into a busy market, so Jesus staged a prophetic protest.

Standing in the center of the courtyard, Jesus shouts words from Isaiah and Jeremiah, “My house will be called a house of prayer,” but you are making it into a “den of robbers” (cf. Isa. 56:7; Matt. 21:13, Jer. 7:11). Jesus is saying that the leaders are valuing themselves and their profits over their non-Israelite neighbors. Israel has been called to bless their neighbors (Gen. 12:1-3), and in the courtyard, Jesus observes just the opposite.

In today’s video, dive deeper into the importance of the temple throughout Scripture to shed new light on the story of Jesus.

BibleProject ~ We Studied the Temple in the Bible (Here’s What We Found)

If the embedded video won't play, you can go straight to YouTube here to watch it.

Mark 11:12-33

12 The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. 14 Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement. 15 When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. 19 And when evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city. 20 As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots. 21 Peter remembered it and said, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree You cursed has withered.” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said to them. 23 “Truly I tell you that if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and has no doubt in his heart but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.” 26 27 After their return to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him. 28 “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You the authority to do them?” 29 “I will ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me!” 31 They deliberated among themselves what they should answer: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’...” they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John truly was a prophet. 33 So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

You can read the entire chapter here

John 2:13-25

13 When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. 15 So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.” 18 On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” 19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20 “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” 21 But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body. 22 After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this. Then they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. 23 While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name. 24 But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. 25 He did not need any testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

You can read the entire chapter here

Luke 19:45-48

45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46 He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 47 Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48 Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

You can read the entire chapter here

Prayer* for Holy Monday: Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

• All prayers in this reading plan are from the Book of Common Prayer (2019).