Mark 11:1-25
Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Court
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
John 15:1-17
The Vine and Its Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus asks His Disciples to go and get Him a colt to ride into Jerusalem for His last Passover...Jesus came into Jerusalem, riding a small colt, as a King with crowds cheering Him...As Jesus entered Jerusalem on the colt, some shouted, “Hosanna!”...“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!”...“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”...“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”...Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts...He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve...His seeming riding into Jerusalem as a King would be short lived...
And this timing is important for Jesus, when He curses a fig tree and clears the Temple courts...These two events are wrapped together in Mark's gospel...We might concur that there is a reason St. Mark wrote these two stories together instead of separating them, and the timing of His arrival...It seems that a healthy fruitful fig tree with all the leaves gives one a tree a beautiful appearance...But the beautiful tree is without any fruit...The nation of Israel in its prosperity, could be like the fig tree...Seemingly beautiful in its appearance, but with something lacking in its belief about the Messiah and the One who was to come...The nation of Israel, the nation of God, did not recognize their Own Son, their own King of Kings that was to come...So as Jesus drives out the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and merchandise, He is the One over the Temple, and He shows us He is over the Temple...But who there in this display of running out the money changers sees Him as the Christ...He tells us and teaches us that His house will be called a house of prayer for all nations...But the people had made it ‘a den of robbers.’...
The King of Kings was in Jerusalem and His people did not recognized Him...
We can often look give a good appearance of ourselves but fail to give fruit and to provide for the helping of others to the faith, like the beautiful tree, without any fruits or figs...To bring others to believe is a way to be fruitful...Jesus wants us to help others towards His Father...
Jesus is the true vine, and His Father is the keeper of the vineyard...His Father examines every branch in His Son and cuts away those who do not bear fruit...His Father leaves those branches bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit; already you are clean because you have heard His voice...Abide in Jesus, and He will abide in us...A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the Vine, and neither will any of us if we are not connected to the Son of God...Jesus is the Vine, and we are His branches...He wants us to provide and promote fruit...If we abide in Him and He is in us, then we will bear great fruit...Without Him, we will accomplish nothing...If anyone does not abide in Jesus, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into a fire to burn...If we abide in Him and His voice abides in us, anything we ask will come to pass for you...Our abundant growth and our faithfulness as being His followers will bring glory to the Father as we help others to believe in the Father and the Son...