Mark specifically records that Jesus returned to the temple the next morning after the Triumphal Entry. As he traveled along, he was hungry and saw a fig tree in the distance, full of leaves. It looked good from far away, but when he got closer, he noticed that it had no fruit. The next line is unique to Mark’s account. He mentions that it was not the season for figs. More on that tomorrow. Jesus cursed the tree, then headed into the city. 

When Jesus entered the temple, he was greatly angered by what he saw. People were buying and selling in the Court of the Gentiles. They were exchanging money to pay the temple tax and charging the poor for pigeons. They were also carrying things through the temple, which annoyed Jesus because everything was supposed to be set up and ready before the services began. Jesus went ballistic. He flipped tables and drove people out of the temple. He shouted, “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” (Mark 11:17, ESV). 

What was going on? This was completely uncharacteristic of everything we've already read about Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. He didn’t get angry when the men cut a hole in his roof to lower their paralyzed friend. He wasn’t upset with the lady who touched the hem of his garment to be healed. He allowed the little children to come to him, even though his disciples were irritated by their presence. Was Jesus just hangry on a Monday morning? 

Again, Jesus was using an object lesson to teach his disciples. The fig tree was a parable for the judgment Jesus was bringing upon Israel. It was an accusation against their worship in the temple. But what was wrong with their worship? To get the answer, we have to look at some of Jesus' teachings on Tuesday as commentary for his actions on Monday. 

First, we see that Jesus angered the religious leaders, and they were looking for a way to destroy him. The next day, they would try to challenge his authority (Mark 11:27-33). But Jesus refused to answer them and instead told a parable about the owner of a vineyard and the tenants he rented it to (Mark 12:1-12). When the harvest arrived, the owner sent his servants to collect his share, but the tenants beat them and sent them away. When the owner sent his son, the tenants thought they could kill him and take his inheritance. Jesus was describing the religious leaders who had rejected the prophets and were planning to murder Jesus. They had been using the temple to build their own power and prestige instead of demonstrating devotion to God.  

Second, Jesus was upset with those who had turned God's worship into a transactional relationship. They were buying, selling, and exchanging money for profit. The next day, the Pharisees and Herodians, two opposing political groups, joined forces to ask Jesus if paying taxes to Caesar was appropriate (Mark 12:13-17). Jesus took a Roman coin and asked whose image was on it. Then he said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's” (Mark 12:17, ESV).  

Later, Jesus observed the rich placing bags of money into the offering and a widow who contributed her last two copper coins. He noted, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44, ESV).

These two stories about money reveal what Jesus desires in our worship: that we dedicate our lives to Him. Like the fig tree full of leaves or the worship that happened the day before in the streets, it looked impressive from afar but lacked spiritual fruit. As with the teachings throughout the rest of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus will accept nothing less than all that we have and all that we are. 

When we consider our worship on Sundays, does it reflect what Jesus is seeking? Are we caught up in a transactional relationship with God? Are we simply consumers, criticizing worship services when they don't match our personal preferences? If we don’t use the same excuse to miss work that we use to skip Church, our priorities are out of alignment. When we come together to worship, we should be offering ourselves as living sacrifices. Our worship on Sunday should extend into Monday and through the rest of the week.

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