HIS ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM Up till now we have been used to see the Lord Christ, withdrawing from the multitudes, ordering the evil spirits, and those He healed, to refrain from telling about Him. Yet, in this chapter, and for the first time, we find Him giving much attention to prepare for His entry into Jerusalem, on a similar level of the preparation for the feast of Passover (14:13-16). He enters in a great procession that rocked the whole city. That action was not meant to seek glory, dignity or authority, but was a spiritual procession that touches our inner life and our eternal salvation. 1- His triumphal entry 1–10. 2- The barren fig tree 11–14. 3- His jealousy for His temple 12–19. 4- Withering of the fig tree 20–26. 5- His authority questioned 27–31. 1- HIS TRIUMPHAL ENTRY In our study of the Gospel according to St. Matthew we experienced the Lord Christ, as the True King, who came to reign over the heart through His Cross. We saw in His entry into Jerusalem (Mt. 21), the royal procession by which the Lord set forth, to reign on the Cross, offering His life for the sake of His people. Now, in our study of the Gospel according to St. Mark, what do we see in this procession? The previous chapters, were like an invitation to receive the Lord Christ, the Worker in suffering, the owner of authority, ordering the evil spirits to be cast out, and touching the sick to chase the ailments away... All submit and obey. But now, He is setting forth towards Jerusalem to realize what He had already proclaimed more than once, that the Son of Man is to suffer pain. He is entering into a battle against the evil one for the sake of humanity, in order to grant it the power of conquest and victory, to enter with it into His exalted Jerusalem and His heavenly Holies, into the bosom of His Father. He set forth in a great procession, not seeking a worldly glory, but to proclaim the general triumphal procession of the Church, abiding in Him. In other words, that procession is that of the catholic (universal) Church, from the time of Adam till the end of ages, setting forth, through union with the Head, to receive the life of suffering and the fellowship of crucifixion, then to enjoy triumph in the Lord, and resurrection, by and in Him. The evangelist says: “When they came near Jerusalem, to ‘Bethphage and Bethany,’ at theMount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples.” ( 1) The Master, Himself, began to make preparations for the procession, as the route of His passion and crucifixion; and accordingly, our own passion and crucifixion, are not merely, the result of a human plan, or the fruit of malice on the part of evil people, and their plotting for opposition and murder, but it is actually a route, prepared by the Lord Himself, who allows it for us, in order to gain the power and joy of resurrection through the Cross. Thus, whatever sufferings and temptations we encounter in our life, are not mere chances or a destiny that we have to go through, but it is a route prepared by the Lord for us, to walk along the procession of His triumph, to reach Jerusalem with and in Him. By saying, “When they came near Jerusalem,” he proclaims that the way, however narrow and difficult, yet, it is very short. As the heavenly Jerusalem is not far 6 from us, but very near, or rather, we came to be very near to it, through joining the procession of passion of the Lord Christ. That is why the first words of His preaching were: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mk. 1:15; Mt. 4:17) The same was proclaimed by His forerunner who came to prepare the way for Him (Mt. 3:2); and were as well, put by the Lord, on the tongues of His disciples, as He sent them on their way to preach (Mt. 10:7). The Lord Christ came to lead by Himself the procession of the Cross, through which we got very near to His true Jerusalem, His heavenly kingdom, to enter by Him into it, saying with the apostle Paul: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” ( 2 Cor. 2:14). The start of the procession was the two villages ‘Bethphage and Bethany.’ The evangelist did not mention just one of them. Number 2, as St. Augustine says, refers to love for God and men. By two mites, the widow gave all the love of her heart in the treasure box of the Lord; and by the two dinarii, the good Samaritan proclaimed his love for the wounded man. We too, shall not be able to start the procession of the Cross, and will not have a share in the suffering and glorified body of the Lord, unless we start by the two villages, and encounter Him in His procession through love. The Cross is not an injustice or temptation we endure, but it is rather the opening of the inner heart in love to God and men, without any prejudice or discrimination, in order to embrace all, to bear the sign of the Crucified, of whom is said: “While being enemies, we were reconciled with God by the death of His Son.” (Romans 5:10). By true love, even towards our adversaries and enemies, and all humanity, the Holy Spirit will let us join the procession of the Cross, to experience the fellowship of divine love through passion, and to enjoy spiritual triumph, as we see ourselves yearning to occupy, even the last rows of the procession, to watch with joy the souls glorified in the Lord, saying with the apostle Paul: “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” (Rom 9: 3) He, who, when he sees the people of God joining the heavenly procession, counts their glory as his glory, and their joy as his joy (Phil. 4:1). If ‘Phage’ means “Jaw,” and ‘-any’ means “tribulation,” or “obedience,” we would be joining the Lord in His procession, if we keep the commandment concerning the jaw or the other “cheek,” when we turn it to those who slap (Mt. 5:39); and if we receive with joy every tribulation and pain in complete obedience to God. It is as though, these two villages are referring to life of practical love, mixed with sufferings1. As to saying “At the Mount of Olives,” the reference to the Mount of Olives, according to several scholars, proclaims the ‘Messianic’ nature of that procession. There are three things that gave to the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, a Messianic concept: His connection to the Mount of Olives, His sending for a colt, and His reference to the kingdom of David. These three points revealed the nature of that procession, that it is not that of a man going to war, but of the Messiah, the Savior; the procession of God Himself, as previously proclaimed by the prophet: “In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem from the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley;...Thus the Lord, my God will come, and all the saints with You.” (Zech. 14:4, 5) The Mount of Olives is the mount or hill of oil for الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 1 .434 7 anointment, proclaiming the coming of the anointed One, who plants us as “a green olive tree in the house of God” (Psalm 52: 9); who establishes us, on His holy mountain, as a true Paradise, in the spiritual garden east of Eden (Gen. 2:8), where He would shine on us with the light of His Cross. That is why the Jews’ expectations was that the advent of the Messiah was connected to the Mount of Olives, as confirmed by the Jewish historian Josephus in more than one occasion1. That procession was characterized by several amazing situations, but the Evangelist St. Mark, gave special interest to the issue of bringing the colt on which the Master is to ride; narrating in some detail: “And He said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this? ‘ Say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.’ So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.” (s 2- 4). The Lord, Himself, sent His two disciples to bring the colt, after providing them with information concerning its location and condition, as well as telling them what they should say to whom who might question their action. All this bear spiritual concepts, that touch the procession of triumph, concerning: (1) The interest of the evangelist in concentrating on the Master’s entry riding on a colt, was to proclaim, that His procession was that, of those with open eyes. The Romans used to gather around those of authority who come riding on mighty chariots; while many of the Jews were expecting the new leader to come in a procession from heaven; and as the priest ‘Josiah the son of Levi’ (around 250 A D.) said, ‘If Israel is worthy, the Messiah will come riding on the clouds of heaven, but if unworthy, will come riding on a colt2. The evangelist, contradicting those two theories, presents to us the Messiah riding on a colt, in order that only those with open spiritual eyes, would be able to apprehend the truth of Him, who is coming to Jerusalem, of whom the prophet Zechariah has prophesied, that, “He will come riding on a donkey, and a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). The evangelist St. John, commenting on the way the Lord entered into Jerusalem, riding on a colt, said: “His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him, and that they had done these things to Him” (Jn. 12:16). Even the disciples, were unable to apprehend the significance of the procession, before their eyes got opened by the Holy Spirit, to understand the secrets of the Messiah, and the realization of the prophesies in Him. (2) The Lord said, concerning the colt He wanted: “You will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.” ( 2) If many of the Fathers of the Church3, saw in the nations of the Gentiles, qualities of animal life and idiocy of a colt, because of their bitter deviations and abominations, the Lord has received these nations to be a throne for Him, to become “the clouds of heaven” on which He would ride to come. The Master describes it as being “tied.” The Romans thought of themselves as free and who have absolute authority on the whole world; they did not realize that they were in need of the disciples of Christ, to preach them the Gospel of salvation, in order to 1 Joseph. :Antiquities 20: 8: 6, Jewish Wars 2: 13: 5. 2 Nineham: St, Mark, p 292. 3 .440- الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 435 8 untie their inner bonds, and to turn them into a divine throne for the Lord. As to saying “No one has sat on it,” Origen comments that the nations of the Gentiles, were not worshipping the Living God, did not receive His Law, nor His Covenants, as the Jews did. They were without spiritual experience, as if “no one has sat on them.” The expression, “no one has sat on it,” proclaims that that procession was religious, heavenly, spiritual, and divine. We recall what the priests and the diviners said, as they saw what happened to the Philistines, because of the Ark of the Lord: “Give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you... Now therefore make a new cart; take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart... then take the Ark of the Lord and set it on the cart... then send it away, and let it go.” (1 Sam. 6:7) The priests and diviners of the Gentiles knew that the divine procession requires a new cart and two cows which have never been yoked..., a thing known to the prophet David, who demanded from the choice men of Israel: “to set the Ark of God on a new cart” (2 Sam. 6:3). And when the prophet Elisha wanted to cast salt in the bad water to heal it, as a symbol of the Lord Christ who heals the world, he demanded a new bowl to put the salt in it (2 Kings 2: 20). So also, the soul, in which the Lord dwells, to become His bride, has to be a virgin (Mt. 25: 1), not belonging to anyone else. It may be, for this reason, that the Lord Christ has granted His Church His Holy Spirit, that casts away the old man, to turn the new one, who is in the likeness of his Creator, truly into a new throne for the Lord, on which no one has sat. Even if we sinned, and opened the heart to some other God, it is the work of the Holy Spirit to renew continuously, so that God will always find a new heart, not taken over by anyone; a throne on which He sits alone, with no other partner. (3) St. Athanasius the Apostolic commented on sending the two disciples to untie the colt, saying that it is a symbolic mission to untie the bonds of the Gentiles, the bonds of pagan abominations: [Dear brethren, untying of the colt is a gift! A gift granted to the greats, not the greatness of the body, but that of faith, love, mind, and virtue; as was said of Moses, ‘who was great among his people’... Whoever is great, is capable of untying the colt!... As the Scripture testifies, every one of us is tied up by the ropes of his sins. Let us pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, to send His disciples to us all, to untie our binding ropes; as some of us are tied by love of silver, while others by adultery, and still others by drinking, or injustice1.] As such, St. Athanasius sees in that action, a symbolic portrait of the enjoyment of absolution from sins, through apostolic authority, according to the commandment of the Lord Christ and His word. Absolution is a divine gift granted by God Himself, through His priests! (4) “They found the colt tied by the door outside on the street.” ( 4) Representing the prodigal son, who, having desired to leave his father’s house, found himself, as if “outside on the street,” with nobody to have him or to care for him. Anyhow, the Messiah came, as though coming out of His heavens, He, who is filling the heaven and earth, to go to him, who is “outside on the street,” to hold his hand in love, embrace him, and get him back home. St. Athanasius also sees in it a symbolic portrait of the first man, Adam, who was driven out of paradise, to find himself in a village “outside” Jerusalem, standing on the مخطوط 59 طقس المتحف القطبي نشره الشماس یوسف حبیب في كتابه: تأملات القدیس أبیفانیوس حول أسبوع الآلام مع میمر للقدیس أثناسیوس 1 . الرسولي، 1965 9 way, not able, by himself to return to the garden of Eden; saying: [They were sent to untie the colt; as it is the desire of our Savior, and His love for mankind, to bring us back from that village “outside” of Jerusalem, the heavenly city. I believe that, owing to the trespass of Adam, he was driven out of Paradise, and moved to a village “outside” 1.] St. Ambrose says: [They found it “tied by the door,” as he, who is not in Christ, is “outside on the street;” but who is in Christ, would not be outside2.] (5) The Lord instructed them to say, “The Lord has need of it.” Therefore, it is fitting for its owner to offer it to the Lord, if “the Lord has need of it,” as the widow did with her badly needed mites; as the Lord is demanding. He has need of our hearts, to pay Him back, our love for His love. St. Athanasius, the apostolic, sees that the colt had not just one owner, but several ones. He might mean by that the several sins that reigned over him, making a slave of him. But, when the Lord demands what is his, there is nothing that sins or devils could do, except to surrender, and even to escape. Here we quote certain phrases said by St. Athanasius in that concern: [The colt had several owners, as they said to the disciples: ‘why are you doing that? Do not you see how it is tied; we are responsible for it, so why are you taking it away? It helps us in our work. If it gets untied, we will, certainly, be tied in its place.’ The devils got terrified when they saw the colt got untied; the adversary powers got disturbed, when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came. They got frightened and depressed, as they heard the Lord saying to His disciples, “I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.” (Lk. 10:19) They got terrified when they heard Him saying to them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:18). They were afraid that it is Him, who would illuminate the darkness; having heard the prophet saying, “People sitting in the darkness, have seen a great light”.] [The Lord has granted us great gifts: He did not just untie our bonds to sin, but also gave us authority to trample on the serpents and scorpions and all the power of the enemy. For the evil one and the powers of darkness of this world took us captives and tied us with unbreakable ties, to keep us from walking along good paths. But our Lord Jesus Christ came to set the captives free and give the blind eye sight.] [The owners of the colt said to the disciples: Why are you untying the colt?, to which they answered: His owner is in need of it... Listen to the wise answer of the disciples. The false owners of the colt, when they heard that its rightful owner is in need of it, did not respond, but hastened to their evil boss to tell him the new developments... Here, the plot against the Lord started brewing; the bad powers got together, to fulfill the prophesy of the prophet David: “The kings of the earth set themselves; and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed” (Ps. 2: 2). The demons said to their evil boss, ‘What shall we do? The colt was untied and got back to its rightful owner; and from now on, it is no longer in your possession. The devil began to think, what he should do with Jesus; and the Pharisees and priests hurried to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where they held council to destroy Him. Now, having been set free from the slavery of the evil one, let us recognize our Beneficent, our Lord Jesus مخطوط 59 طقس المتحف القطبي نشره الشماس یوسف حبیب في كتابه: تأملات القدیس أبیفانیوس حول أسبوع الآلام مع میمر للقدیس أثناسیوس 1 . الرسولي، 1965 2 In Luc 96. 10 Christ, to whom is the glory forever, Amen1.] St. Ambrose says: [It did not have just one owner, but many. Strangers tied it to have it in their possession, but Christ untied it to keep it as His own. He knows that gifts (absolution) is stronger than ties2.] Fr. Theophlactius says: [Those who tried to stop them were the devils, who are far weaker than the disciples3.] (6) Who were these two disciples sent by the Lord to untie humanity, but the preachers of salvation all along the New and Old Testaments? The Lord granted His people His word, to let us enjoy reconciliation: in the Old Testament, through shadows and symbols, and in the New Testament through the truth. Sending the two disciples. may refer to ‘love,’ as we know that number 2 refers to ‘love;’ for nobody can enjoy absolution from his sins, unless his faith is working through love! If we have love for God and men, we shall be granted forgiveness of our sins, and enjoy getting into the bosom of God through love! That is why it is written: “Woe to him who is alone” (Eccles. 4:10). When the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they were led by two (Moses and Aaron); Joshua sent two persons to spy the promised land. The Ark of the Lord was carried by two poles. The Lord spoke to them through two Cherubs. We praise the Lord by Spirit and mind; and The Lord Christ sent His disciples to preach two by two. “They threw their garments on (the colt) and He sat on it; and many spread their garments on the road.” (s 7, 8) Placing garments under Him, refers to their acknowledgment of Him as their King, as what happened with ‘Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat’ (2 Kings 9:13). That action, may also refer to what the apostles did with the Gentiles, throwing on them their garments, namely, their apostolic teachings, their virtuous life in the Lord, and their exegesis of the Holy Scriptures4, in order to clothe their life after so many years of nakedness, to turn them into a throne for God to sit on and reign. These garments, the Church still throws over every naked heart, trembling of cold, to turn it into a place for the Lord to rest! As to spreading the garments on the road under His feet, that refers to the submission of the body to the Lord, after it was submissive to unclean lusts. Many people spread their garments on the road for the Lord. The martyrs spread their bodies, through their readiness to spill their blood for the sake of faith, as a path for God to walk through the simple people who accepted faith. Also the spiritual ascetics, spread their bodies through spiritual evangelic asceticism, turning their life into a path for God to walk along the ages. The same could be said of preachers, laymen, and even children, who may spread their garments under the Lord’s feet to walk on. St. Ambrose says: [The spreading of personal garments by the disciples, under the Lord’s feet, is a reference to the illumination in their preaching the Gospel. Garments, in divine Scriptures, often refer to virtues5.] The evangelist goes on to say: “Others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then, who went before and those who followed cried out مخطوط 59 طقس المتحف القطبي نشره الشماس یوسف حبیب في كتابه: تأملات القدیس أبیفانیوس حول أسبوع الآلام مع میمر للقدیس أثناسیوس 1 . الرسولي، 1965 2 In Luc 9:6. 3 Cf. Catena Aurea. 4 St. Jerome. PL 26. 5 In Luc 19: 28-38. 11 saying: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (s 8, 9) Those who went before the procession of the Lord, are patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament; while those who followed Him, are the apostles and the disciples of the New Testament. For all of them - believers of both Testaments - have gathered around Him, seeking His salvation. The former, walked with Him through symbols and prophesies, and the others are walking with Him through preaching the Gospel. It is, nevertheless, one and the same procession, whose center is occupied by the One Christ, who dwells in the midst of His extended Church, from the beginning of creation to the end of time. Fr. Theophlactius believes, that this procession relating to the Lord Christ, is realized within the believing soul, through good works in the Lord. It would not be enough to celebrate our previous works for His sake, but also through continuation of spiritual work for the sake of the Lord’s glory. This procession reminds us of the feast of Tabernacles, when people used to go out to the fields every day of the feast, then return to the temple in a great procession, carrying tree branches; to gather around the altar waving them and joyfully and loudly praising the Lord, asking for His salvation, crying out: ‘Hosanna.’ It is true that the feast of Palm Sunday was not on the same day of that of ‘Tabernacles.’ Yet, the multitude, unknowingly, saw in the Lord Christ a realization of all the prophecies. In Him Passover is realized, being the One sacrifice, that crosses over with them, not from the servitude of Pharaoh, but from the captivity of the devil, to the freedom of glory of the children of God. In Him the feast of the ‘Tabernacles’ is realized, where they carry the palms and tree branches and sing the liturgy of the feast. In Christ, we enjoy the joy of the feast of the ‘Tabernacles,’ apprehending that we live as strangers and foreigners within a body, that resembles a grass booth, which will come to an end, to enjoy it as a spiritual body in the day of the Lord, and to dwell in an eternal house, not made with hands, as expressed by the apostle Paul, “For we know, that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1). The multitude were holding tree branches, as in the feast of the ‘Tabernacles,’ that were called ‘Hossana’ or ‘Hoshaana1,’ being connected with the outcries of the people, asking for the salvation and help of the Lord. Everyone was crying out for the Lord Christ with the liturgical cries of the feast of the Tabernacles. As if the multitude, seeing in Him both the altar and the sacrifice, were rejoicing, for the day of their salvation has come. It is as if the Psalmist saw that procession, as he sang the same liturgical outcries, saying, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.” (Psalms 118: 24-26) The Psalmist celebrated the feast of the ‘Tabernacles,’ his eyes being illuminated by God to realize that the Lord is God; and apprehended the secret of the sacrifice, that was bound to the Cross “the horns of the altar.” To reveal that the procession was that of the anticipated Messiah, the evangelist presented one of His main signs, which is His relation to the prophet David; The 1 Nineham, p 293. 12 multitude were crying out: “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosannah in the highest.” ( 10) It is the procession of the promised Messiah, the Son of David; a heavenly procession, as the One who came, came from “the highest.’” It is the kingdom of God Himself! Fr. Theophlactius says: [They called Christ’s kingdom, “the kingdom of David,” as Christ came as a descendent of David; as well as ‘David’ refers to the one with the strong hand, as by his strong hand, as that of the Lord, so many miracles were done1.] It was noteworthy, that the Lord Christ did not avoid the procession, nor forbade the multitude from calling Him King; though He taught them that His kingdom is not of this world, nor of that earthly level. He is the heavenly King, His path is that of the Cross and death. The outcries of the multitude were in harmony with the words of the Archangel Gabriel, when he gave the Holy Virgin the good news of the birth of the Lord Christ: “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk. 1: 32, 33) As to cutting the palms and tree branches, and using them in the procession of the Lord Christ; it refers to our plucking of the spiritual words and teachings of the Fathers out of their mouths, being the spiritual palms and heavenly trees growing in the Paradise of the living Church, for us to use in the procession of the Lord Christ, on His entry into the Jerusalem of our inner heart. Fr. Theophlactius says: [I wish we cover our life path with the branches we cut from the trees; that is to say, be like the saints who are holy branches; Whoever follows the example of their virtues, would be like cutting branches for himself.] 2- THE BARREN FIG TREE The Lord Christ did two things on His entry into Jerusalem, namely, cleansing the temple, and cursing the barren fig tree. These are, as a matter of fact, two integrated actions that bear one significance, namely, destroying the deadly literalism of the old man, in order to establish a new temple, based on deep and renewable spiritual work. Because many scholars questioned the significance of cursing the fig tree, the Church dedicated its readings, on Monday of the Paschal (Holy) week, and the eve of Holy Tuesday, to deal with the spiritual concept of the issue of “the fig tree.” The fig tree, according to the biblical concept, symbolizes Israel (Jer. 8: 13; Hos. 9: 10; Joel 1: 7; Ezek. 17: 24; Mic. 7: 1-6). That tree - Israel - having rejected its Savior Messiah, has fallen under the curse of denial. That curse did not come to it promptly, but constituted the fruit of long term denial, that started since its beginning, and continued until the coming of the Savior. God, did not stand doing nothing, before what happened to old Israel, He established the new Israel, the fruitful fig tree. The readings of Monday and the eve of the Holy Tuesday revealed the following points: (1) The readings began by proclaiming God, as the Creator of the world (Gen. 1, 2). Thus, if the fig tree has withered, it is, nevertheless, a creation by the hands of God, who loves and desires nothing but its salvation. The reason behind its withering, is its persistence on denying, that deprived it of God, the source of its life. If the story of the fig tree terrifies the soul, for fear of falling under a similar curse, 1 Cf. Catena Aurea. 13 yet, the Church elevates our heart with hope towards the Savior, being the Creator and Renewer of our nature, who does nor avenge for Himself, but carries love for us. If we wished for salvation, we would find the eternal arms waiting to save us and to renew our life. (2) We probably wonder: if God is the Creator of that tree, why would He curse it?! We shall find the answer to this, in the prophecies of the Holy Monday, that proclaim that: “the Spirit of God divided the light from the darkness.” (Gen. 1) It is as though, the curse that came on that tree, is a natural fruit of the division of good from evil, and the discernment of the children of God from those denying Him. If God, with His love has created us, He will never, with His goodness, leave the good, attached to the evil. That is why the readings came, concentrating on the spirit of discernment, to be likened to our Creator, to discern good from evil. The prophet Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5: 20)1 The readings2 also warned us against mixing the worship of God with that of the golden calf, as did the children of Israel (Exod. 32). The loving God hates the destruction of His creation. That is why He keeps exhorting us, to spare ourselves falling under the curse, “‘Return to Me,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will return to you’” (Zech. 1: 1)3, to escape from that curse we brought upon ourselves, and to enter into God, our refuge. The cause of the curse of withering, is the loss of true wisdom. That is why the readings of the Holy Monday, dealing with the withered fig tree, draw our attention to the necessity of acquiring wisdom (Sirach 1; Isaiah 5; Wisdom 1:1-9; Prov. 1); that “does not enter into an evil soul, and does not dwell in a sinning body.” So, if Israel has been defiled, in soul and body, wisdom would not find a place in it; thus would losing its blessing, and wither. (3) If the Lord has uttered His verdict, putting the tree under curse, because of its evil and denial; yet, the readings confirm the true relationship of the Lord with His people, calling Israel “His beloved vine” (Isaiah 5:1)4; also, “I have loved you” (Mal. 1:2)5. "When Israel was a child, I loved him" (Hos 11:1)6; and then says in bitterness, “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing.” (Lk. 13:34) Although God dislikes divorce; yet, Israel, His beloved, like a bride, compelled Him to write her “certificate of divorce” (Isaiah 50:1-3)7. Thus, the tree did not fall under that verdict in haste; as the judge was her Creator, and father of all, who wants to gather His children under His wings; and the heavenly Groom who hates to divorce His bride. What occurred was the deed of the tree, that brought condemnation on itself. We can add, that that action was unique in the life of the Lord Christ. We have not ق ا رءات الساعة الثالثة من اثنین البصخة. 1 2 .( ق ا رءات الساعة السادسة من نفس الیوم (خر 32 ق ا رءات الساعة الأولى من لیلة ثلاثاء البصخة. 3 ق ا رءات الساعة الثالثة من یوم الاثنین. 4 ق ا رءات الساعة الثالثة من لیلة الثلاثاء. 5 ق ا رءات الساعة التاسعة من لیلة الثلاثاء. 6 ق ا رءات الساعة التاسعة من یوم الاثنین. 7 14 heard Him curse any other tree, nor passed a severe chastisement on anyone; but we see Him all along the four gospels, as the compassionate and merciful Master, who feels the weaknesses of sinners, and supports them till they stand up. Thus, if this story was narrated in all the gospels, that is to confirm that, though He is the compassionate Lord, who came to save, and not to condemn, yet, He is likewise the Judge! He wishes that no one will fall under the curse of witherness: thus He only cursed that one tree. (4) In the prayer of the ninth hour on the Holy Monday, we recall the fall of man, and his expulsion from Paradise (Genesis 2, 3). As though, the Church proclaims, that God has planted that fig tree (Israel), in His divine Paradise, to live and to give fruit by Spirit and truth. So, if it has deprived itself, by itself, of spiritual fruit, it is not fitting to leave it there, but should be expelled and fall under curse. In the sermon by St. Shenouda the Archimandrite, he says: [God has not sown in Paradise, both good and bad trees, but only good ones; has not sown fruitless trees, or trees with bad fruits. Even people whom He put there, once they disobeyed, they were driven out. From this dear brethren, take notice, that the holy dwellings of God should not embrace good and bad people, as does the world, that is full of both saints and sinners; the latter should be promptly driven out. I know that all the earth is God’s, so if His house is like any other place, what will, then, be its privilege? If I, as a priest, do what sinners on earth do, I am not worthy of being called a priest1.] Now, we return to the gospel text according to St. Mark: “And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He has looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” ( 11) The procession was heading towards Jerusalem, to the temple. He wishes to lead His people to His heavenly sanctuaries, through the altar that was in the temple, that is through the Cross. And as the temple was His sanctuary, “He looked around at all things.” Being the zealous God, who does not stand corruption or evil in His House, His eyes examined everything to discern the sanctified from the corrupted, to drive out the later. He looked around, as though, He is seeking someone to accommodate Him in Jerusalem, but did not find. As the hour was already late, the Lord did not find His comfort in Jerusalem, wide as it is, and with so many people of religion in it, but found His comfort with His disciples in a small village, “Bethany,” that is (house of suffering, or house of obedience). There, He would find the few remnants, who could stand suffering, and would accept the Cross, through obedience; There, the Lord would find His comfort with His disciples in their life. “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps, He would find something on it. And when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you again’” (s 12 - 14) The Lord Christ was hungry! And as St. Augustine says: [What is Christ hungry or thirsty for, but for our good works?2] All along the ages He was hungry, wishing to find good fruits that are joy to heaven; but the fig tree - the nation of Israel - which He has provided with all possibilities to produce fruit, has given only leaves, but no fruits. Some may question:Why did the Lord Christ demand fruit out of season; and when He ق ا رءات الساعة الحادیة عشر من یوم الاثنین. 1 2 On Ps. 35. 15 did not find, He cursed the tree?! Some explain that by saying, that Palestine was known to have two kinds of fig trees. Thus, although it was not, as a whole, the right season, yet, the presence of leaves on that tree, would indicate that it was of the kind, that should have already carried fruits. Probably, that may also refer to the situation of the world at that time. It was not the time for figs! As the world so far, has not yet carried true spiritual fruit, because the Lord was not yet glorified by His Cross, to present the fruit of His obedience to the Father. It was fitting for the Jewish nation, having preceded the pagan world in knowing God, and in receiving the Law and prophesies, to produce fruit, but it produced leaves without fruit. That is why it was worthy of withering, to be replaced by the fruitful fig tree of the New Testament. St. Cyril, of Jerusalem1 states that the Lord Christ Knows for sure that it was not the time for figs, yet, He came, not to curse the tree itself, but to remove the curse that befell us, by cursing the fruitless trees. St. John Chrysostom2 responding to that question, ‘How could the Master order the withering of that fig tree, when it was not the time for figs?’ says that there is little sense in giving all that importance to cursing a tree, while not contemplating in what the Lord meant by that miraculous act, to glorify Him! 3- HIS JEALOUSY FOR HIS TEMPLE Entering Jerusalem, the Lord headed to His temple, to be seen holding a whip of cords (Jn. 2:16), to cleanse it from buyers and sellers, from moneychangers and dovesellers. We are used to see the Lord Christ, the meek, the gentle and the compassionate, mildly treating all, and taking children in His arms; but now we see Him dealing firmly with those who are corrupting His temple; realizing what He has symbolically done to the fig tree, in driving out the evil people from the temple. We can apprehend the Lord’s attitude, if we meditate in the readings of the Church, of the two hours following the Liturgy of Palm Sunday (the ninth and eleventh), and also those of the eve of the Holy Monday; which deal with the issue of “the Lord cleansing the temple,” revealing what He meant by His actions. This can be summarized in the following points: (1) If the Lord has entered Jerusalem riding on a colt, “on which no one has sat” ( 2), He meant by that to make everything new. He wanted to destroy in us, completely, the deeds of the old man, to establish His new temple, “The new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” (Col. 3:10) Thus, while the Jews, especially their various leaderships, were preoccupied with the appearances of apparent worships, and the temple was crowded with dove-sellers, and moneychangers, the eyes of the Lord aimed to establishing His new temple in the souls, through His exalted sacrifice. We hear the prophet Zephaniah saying3: “For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has invited His guests...; will punish all those who leap over the threshold; who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.” (Zeph. 1:7, 9) The Lord does not care for the great number, of those who crowd the threshold, in appearances of worshipping, and present spiritless offerings; but desires to draw all to His sacrifice, and to proclaim the sanctification of His guests by His Holy blood! 1 Cat. Lect. 13: 18. 2 In Matt. hom 67. الساعة الأولى من لیلة الاثنین. 3 16 St. Cyril the Great, believes that the Jews, having preoccupied themselves with the Mosaic liturgy in their worship in the temple, they did not practice it in the spirit, but in dry literalism. So the Lord came to destroy the dry letter, to replace it with the new Spirit1. (2) If the action of driving out the dove-sellers and overturning the tables of moneychangers, have caused sadness and bitterness in the hearts of many. Yet God turns that bitterness into sweetness, and the sadness into exhilaration, through establishing the new man, sanctified by His holy blood, in place of the destroyed ancient one. That is why we hear in the prophesy of the first hour: “The sound of a mournful cry from the First Gate; A wailing from the second quarter.” (Zeph. 1:10) As to the secret of turning the mourning into exhilaration, it is the grain of wheat that dies when buried in the ground, to grow into a plant that bears new fruits in abundance (Jn. 12:24). (3) If the Lord made a visible whip of cords, in order to cleanse the temple; yet, He actually sent His fiery Holy Spirit, to burn up the deeds of the old man, and to grant in Baptism, the new man; then to keep working persistently, to destroy in us our earthly man, to establish the heavenly. That is why, in the prophesy of the third hour, we hear the prophet Zephniah saying: “In the day of the Lord’s wrath, the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy.” (Zeph. 1:18) (4) He was acting with authority in the temple; nobody could oppose Him, as He was cleansing His own temple. The prophesy of the ninth hour came to reveal the secret behind driving out these people from the temple, that is, their evil and corruption: “Arise and depart, for this is not your rest, because it is defiled; It is ruined beyond all remedy.” (Micah 2:3-10) His entry into the temple, spoiled for the evil people, their worldly enjoyment; the temple is no longer a place of comfort; they turned into fugitives, with nothing to drive them out, but their evil and their persistence on not repenting. (5) Who are those dove-sellers but people of religion, who sell the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Its symbol being the dove) for money; where Simonism (Getting Clerical positions for money) is followed in ordainments; or where spiritual ministry, is used to gain material benefit. Dove-sellers are also, those who sell what they gained through Baptism - the work of the Holy Spirit - because of lusts of the flesh and committing sins; losing therefore, their purity and deserve to be driven out of the temple. Moneychangers, are those, who sell the word of God for money; that is to say, who use their preaching mission for getting worldly benefits. St. Ambrose comments on driving out the sellers from the temple, saying: [God does not want His temple, to turn into a marketplace, but a place for sanctification; teaching that positions of clergy should not be given for money, but for free. Meditate in God’s planning for that effect: He began by driving out those who buy and sell, and the moneychangers who used to seek wealth, without discerning between good and evil. The wealth of God are the Divine Scriptures. When He traveled He delivered His goods among His slaves (He gave them His Word) (Mt. 25:14; Lk. 19:13). And for treating the wounded, He gave two dinarii to the inn-keeper (Lk. 10:35). Driving out the evil moneychangers refers to driving out the leadership of religion, who trade in the holy Scriptures for their own benefit... He likewise warns us, through driving out the dove- 1 See: In Luc. Ser. 132. 1 In Luc. Ser. 133 17 sellers; that those who gained the grace of the Holy Spirit, should not trade with it; He said: “Freely you have received; freely give.” (Mt. 10:8) When Simon thought that he could purchase the gift of sanctification with money, he was told by St. Peter: “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.” (Acts 8:20)1] 4-WITHERING OF THE FIG TREE In the morning, as the disciples, were passing by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. In amazement Peter said: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away. So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain: Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (s 21–23) Scholars believe that the moving mountain refers to every thing difficult; the Jewish Rabbis used to call whoever interpret a difficult Scripture text, ‘a mountainmover2.’ Who is that mountain, that, by faith, could be moved and cast into the sea, but the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, “The Mountain, cut without hands, that filled the whole earth” (Dan. 3:35, 45) By faith, that mountain will move into the soul, as though, into the sea, where it Will dwell. That move probably refers to His transfer from the Jewish nation into the sea of the Gentile nations, to dwell in their midst, to make of them a holy Church. St Cyril of Jerusalem speaks to us about the activity of faith saying: [Faith performs miracles within the soul in quick moments; by which it gets illuminated to enjoy the vision of God; and as much as possible, looks up to Him, and reaches to the ends of the earth. It beholds the judgment and the promised rewards, before the world comes to an end3.] If the prayer, coming from a believer’s heart, could transfer to it the divine mountain, to grant its inner sea, calmness and peace; In order that prayer can be active and receivable, the Lord says, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” ( 25) In other words, the prayer to be received, has to come out of a heart, with practical faith; the sign of that practical faith is the forgiveness of the trespasses of others, in order to get the forgiveness of our Father, and the purification of our hearts... The Lord intended, to let the response to prayers be in our hands; namely, if we listen to others, He will listen to us; and whatever is our verdict on them, will be the verdict on us. And as St. Cyprian says: [There is no more excuse... When you are judged by your own verdict, you are getting what you have earned4.] In order to enjoy a response to our petition, our faith should go hand in hand with sanctified life in the Lord. And as St. John Chrysostom says: [How could I be sure of the response to my petition? By not asking something contradicting what He is ready to give; or something unworthy of the Great King; or something worldly; but I should, instead, seek all spiritual blessings. Also, if I approach Him without anger, but with pure and sanctified hands, that are used in giving; If you approach Him that way, you will 1 In Luc 19: 45 etc. 2 Nineham, p. 305. 3 Cat. Lect. 5: 11. 4 On Lord’s Prayer 23. 18 surely have your petition granted1.] 5- HIS AUTHORITY QUESTIONED The high priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees got disturbed, when they saw Him, alone, able to cleanse the temple from the moneychangers, the dove-sellers, and all the corrupt people; so they came to Him asking, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” ( 28) In other words, who appointed You a teacher; or who ordained You a High Priest? They posted that question in order to catch Him with a word. If He says, it is by His own authority, He would be condemned as a blasphemer; and if He says, it is by an authority of somebody else, people would begin to doubt Him, because they saw Him performing divine works! That is why the Lord answered them by a question of His own, concerning the Baptism of John the Baptist, “Is it from heaven or from men? And as they found themselves in a corner, they did not reveal what was in their hearts. St. Cyril the Great says: [They approached Him asking, ‘You are teaching in the temple, while you are of the tribe of Judah, not having the right to be among ministers who serve the temple. Why do you teach what is against the commandments of Moses, and what contradicts the law given to us? Let us ask these people, Did His work sting your minds, and arouse in you such distasteful envy? Tell me, ‘Do you accuse the Giver of the Law, that He is corrupting it?... Tell me, ‘should the Lord submit to His Law? Did He set His commandments, that He uttered through His saintly prophets, for our sake, or for His own?... God said plainly (through His prophets), that the Mosaic Law will come to an end, to get replaced by a new Law, to be presented by Christ. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; My covenant which they broke...” (Jer. 31:31, 32) He promised a new covenant; and as the wise St. Paul says, “In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old, is ready to vanish away.” (Heb. 8: 13) As the old grew old, it has to be replaced by the new. That was realized, not by one of His saintly prophets, but rather by the Lord of all prophets2.] St. Cyril the Great believes that the Lord Christ presented them with a question concerning John the Baptist, as the Jews used to accuse the true prophets of being false ones... The Pharisees got confused, and were afraid to accuse John of being false; so they refrained from answering the Lord’s question, proclaiming that they were not seeking the truth, and were not worthy of recognizing it. Thus the Lord refused to answer their question. St. Augustine presents us with an explanation for that attitude of the Lord, by saying: [They closed the door to themselves, through pretense of ignorance of what they know, that is why He did not open it for them, as they did not knock, according to what is said, “Knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7: 7) They did not only refrain to knock, but they also denied what they know; so tightly closing the door before their own face.]
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