We have seen that by cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple the Lord was making the necessary preparations for His redemptive service. In particular, His cleansing of the temple stirred up the chief priests and the scribes, who sought how they might destroy Him (v. 18). Actually, the Lord’s cleansing of the temple caused His opposers to speed up their efforts to put Him to death. This work of preparation, hastening the activity of the opposers, insured that the Lord would die on the day of the Passover. Therefore, the cleansing of the temple certainly was a preparation for the Lord’s redemptive death.
Suppose the Lord Jesus had come into the temple and simply looked around, behaving Himself in a very polite manner. Then His followers might have said, “Lord, everything is excellent. Let us go somewhere to rest.” If this had been the situation, I do not think that the opposers would have been as serious in their efforts to put the Lord Jesus to death. They might even have let Him go for a long period of time. In that case, the Lord would not have been crucified on the Passover. Hence, the Lord prepared the situation by cleansing the temple, and in so doing He stirred up the opposers so that they put Him to death at the time appointed by God.
The Lord prepared not only His opposers but also His followers. No doubt, the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple made a deep impression on the Lord’s followers. Of course, they did not understand the significance of these things when they took place. But later, after the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, they must have recalled these things. Then they began to understand why He cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple.
In chapter eleven of Mark, we can see that Peter, John, James, and the other disciples were very much under the influence of tradition. To them, Jerusalem was blessed by God, and the fig tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel, a nation chosen by God. Their minds were filled with the traditional understanding. They must have been shocked when the Lord cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple. Now we need to realize that in doing this the Lord not only stirred up His opposers that they might put Him to death, but also impressed His followers that God was absolutely through with the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel was cursed, condemned, and soon-to-be overthrown.
On the day the Lord Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple, the disciples did not have much understanding of what had taken place. But later they no doubt began to recall these things and were able to understand that God had given up Israel. Hence, the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple were a preparation for those who were to put the Lord to death and also for His followers, that they might take His death and receive His resurrection.
The scene in chapter eleven is very different from that in chapters one through ten. In the first ten chapters of Mark the Lord Jesus is meek, merciful, gentle, and compassionate. But in chapter eleven He behaved in an altogether different manner. The Lord’s purpose in this chapter was to prepare the environment, the situation, the opposers, and His followers for the great event of His redemptive death.
This work of preparation lasted for six days. We may compare these six days to the six days in which God created the universe. During the six days before His death, the Lord prepared the environment and everyone involved for His death. He did this work of preparation not by teaching, preaching, or explaining. Rather, He did it by His actions.
While the disciples were lodging in Bethany, they must have talked with one another about what the Lord had done in cursing the fig tree and cleansing the temple. Peter may have said to John and James, “Why did the Lord curse the fig tree and cleanse the temple? The fig tree is a symbol of our nation, but He cursed it. Then He immediately went into the temple, stopped all the traffic, and overthrew the tables. He even said that they were making the temple a den of robbers. What is the meaning of all this? It is better that we not ask the Lord. Let’s wait until tomorrow and see what happens next. We don’t know what else He will do.” I believe that the disciples had some private conversation like this.
If you had been with the disciples, would you not have talked with them about what had happened? If I had been there, I doubt if I would have had the heart to eat or sleep. I would have gone to the others and asked them their impression of what had happened that day. Furthermore, I certainly would have been eagerly awaiting the next day, wondering what the Lord would do. My point here is that the Lord in an unusual way was preparing all things and all people, especially His followers, for His death.
When many Christians read the Bible, they take things for granted. They may read about the Lord’s entering Jerusalem, His cursing of the fig tree, and His cleansing of the temple without inquiring into the meaning of these things. Let us learn to study the Bible without taking anything for granted. We need to delve into matters, consider them, and seek to understand them. As we consider the significance of the events recorded in 11:1-26, we see that the Lord was making preparations to carry out the greatest act in the universe—His redemptive death.