Journey Through Holy WeekSample

A Radical Response

Imagine it’s the day after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He had briefly visited the temple the day before and then spent the night in a neighboring town, and now He’s walking back into the city. But on His way, something peculiar happens: He discovers a fig tree with leaves on it. If you lived in first-century Jerusalem, you would know that leaves wouldn’t be on this tree unless it had fruit.

But this tree is fruitless … so Jesus immediately curses it. Then, He enters the Jerusalem temple and angrily drives out the merchants and money-exchangers.

God intended for the temple to be a place where anyone could come and draw near to Him. But the Jews turned His house into a marketplace that took advantage of others. This wasn’t just a temple problem—it was a reflection of the spiritual state of the Jewish people. Like the fig tree, they looked like they were flourishing, but their actions weren’t producing fruit that aligned with God’s heart.

This angered Jesus because God was the One who established Israel. God was the One who called them by name, blessed them, and promised them a Savior. And now, their Savior had arrived—and they didn’t even recognize Him. They had walked so far away from God, that they couldn’t see Him standing in their midst.

Their spiritual state grieved Jesus because He knew how much God loved them. It was God’s love for them—and for us—that was leading Jesus to the cross.

Even though we have all turned away from God, He placed our wrongdoing on Jesus and made a way for anyone to come and worship Him.

Jesus gave up everything to show us how deeply God cares.

But in response, He wants us to abide in Him. Not because we have to—but because when we are deeply rooted in His love, we reflect His love to others. And by reflecting His love, we prove to the world that we are alive in Christ.

So right now, ask Jesus to uproot anything in your life that might be causing you to drift away from Him. Then, seek His forgiveness, and ask Him to realign your heart with His.