Holy Week Devotional: Day 2
Monday, April 14, 2025
by Eric Ryan
Mark 11:12-19 (ESV)
2 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
There is a lot of talk these days about knowing your “why.” Whether we’re talking about business strategy or family life, understanding why you are working as hard as you are seems to be an important determining factor in whether or not you will be successful. Passion week is fraught with moments that seem to whisper to us, “This is why Jesus came to die.”
The day after His triumphal entry, Jesus encounters a fig tree that isn’t producing fruit. Now, the passage says that it wasn’t fig season, but what that is alluding to is the fact that fig season was actually over and there wasn’t any sign it ever had produced fruit.
Apparently with fig trees, the leaves bloom and the fruit grows simultaneously. This fig tree had leaves, but no fruit. So, Jesus curses it by saying it will never produce fruit again.
Some would say that the cursing of the fig tree anticipates what happens next in the cleansing of the temple. In many ways, the temple had all the leaves of busyness, ritual, and activity, but it was fruitless.
Jesus walks in and would first have to walk through the court of the Gentiles. There He finds essentially a farmers market designed to make money off the sacrifices of the people visiting. Mark specifically points out that Jesus says, “…house of prayer for all the nations.” In other words, the one area of the temple permissible to Gentiles was being filled up with self-serving activity that was making it difficult for the nations to come and worship God. They were robbing the attendees by marking up prices and selling insufficient sacrifices to unaware customers.
Jesus is having a tough first day in Jerusalem. The day before was His triumphant entry, but on this day He comes face to face with His “why.”
The people of God are fruitless blasphemers who use the name of God for selfish gain. They are a people who show a lot of leaves but have no fruit. They are a people who prevent the nations from coming to worship.
Jesus came to die because He is the True Vine. Apart from Him no one can bear any fruit. Jesus came to die because we all, like that fig tree, have been cursed by God for our sin, and yet He came to take that curse upon Himself.
Jesus came to die, because without the proper sacrifice, the nations could not come to know God and experience His glorious presence.
Reflect today on Jesus’ “why.” You and I are His “why”—cursed and fruitless apart from His death on our behalf.
Related Resources:
- Listen to our worship music playlist to help prepare your heart this Easter.
- View our Holy Week services and plan to worship with us this week.
