Daily Devotion for Lent 2019 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:1-22 (NRSV)

Jesus enters Jerusalem as the Messiah since this title is synonymous with "Son of David".  He is cheered by the crowds who would have gathered in Jerusalem for the coming Passover.  As a religious celebration, this holiday would have been ripe for revolution as the people remembered ceremoniously how God freed them from bondage in Egypt.  Note that the crowds not only saw him as the Messiah but as a prophet.

Those in charge would be very nervous as bloodshed and riot could be coming.

A Fig Tree

He then enters the Temple and overturns the money changers.  The practice of donation to the Temple could not be done with Roman coin (which most from out of town would have) but with Jewish coin.  Undoubtedly, the exchange rates were not in the people's favor.  For some, this journey took all their savings.  To be fleeced before you entered the Temple would take the shine off of your sense of majesty and worship.  It kept the relationship with God from prospering.

The chief priests and the scribes become angry after Jesus heals people in the Temple.  They may be jealous that they came to him rather than them.  Their anger was likely in combination with all of these things.  They are afraid of revolution.  They have an order and while it is not ideal, they are in power - at least over their domain.  

We then have this curious passage about Jesus cursing the fig tree.  This seems out of character for Jesus if it is taken literally.  I believe that this is written allegorically in reference to the coming destruction of the Temple.  We remember that Matthew records this Gospel in light of that catastrophic event.

Jesus is hungry and finds no fruit on the fig tree.  It is reminiscent of Jeremiah 8:13 which states 

"When I wanted to gather them, says the Lord, there are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them."  (NRSV)

This passage is in reference to the judgement that came on Jerusalem in the past.  God's people are compared to grape vines and fig trees.  Their fruit is their faithfulness to God and God finds them barren.  When Jesus curses the fig tree, it is foreshadowing the destruction that will come to the Temple.  Jesus was hungry - he came to the Temple looking for spiritual nourishment - and he found none because of the policies put into place.  The cursing of the fig tree is a reflection of the turning over the tables.

Something new must come into being.

Lent is a time to examine our own practices - to see what needs to be overturned.  

Are there places, habits or ideas that are leading to our own destruction?

Now is the time to sweep them out.  We want to be careful about singing praises of Hosanna to Jesus with our lips while not following through with our actions.

Prayer of the day:

God, we reflect on Jesus as the one who changed the world.
As we read his story again, 
we may be afraid that we are more like the ones 
who are comfortable with the way things are.  
We may not need much change if things are good for us.
Yet, we may need to look around.  
Do we see the blind and the lame among us?
It may not be so comfortable for all of your children.
Help us to be more open to restoring their sight and mobility, 
so that all may see you and walk with you.
Amen.

Photo by *starrynight1 via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.