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Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:18-22

What do you find among your gathering - love, patience, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfullness, self-control or malice, deceit jealousy, wickedness, envy, strife, immorality? The former group are good things, good to the spirit, good for others - they are evidence of godliness. Jesus arrives at the temple to find the latter group - people who are unhappy that Jesus is so loving; unhappy that they are losing face. The once blessed city is now cursed and the fig tree is symbolic of that. Somethings seem like mountains compared to the fig-tree and far more threatening but Jesus shows the disciples that the solution is not within ourselves as some self-help manuals will tell you.

The bible is not afraid to tell the truth - here the hypocrisy of the 'holy one's' is made apparent. The story of the bible is about God loving people and not forcing them, giving them time to change. If Jesus was God, did he not belong in the temple? Why do they get rid of him, because he is a bad man or because he exposed their hypocrisy? Jesus has nothing bad in him but those who hang onto power, wealth, or reputation do not like him, then and today. Do you have something that Jesus wants you to let go of, then you'll probably want to kill him. He won't be able to spend the night in the temple but will have to go outside.

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.' " The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise' ?" And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. Matthew 21:12-17

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

The King is coming! Today these words do not have the same impact as they did in Jesus' time. Nowdays it is unusual to find many people respecting a king, or even wanting one. But at the time of this document, a King was a sign of might and power, som,ething that gave people identity and cohesion. From Zecharaiah 9 "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." Only those who have nothing to lose celebrate the arrival of such a King. It is those who are holding onto power and their own identity that don't want to become subjects of such a humble king. The true King was coming into the City of Peace, but he wouldn't find any peace there!

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the LORD needs them, and he will send them right away." This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' " The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. Matthew 21:1-6

What a difficult task to carry out, and how hard to follow through with it. You'd have to be pretty sure Jesus was something very special in order to go and do this - was he really the fulfillment of the prophecy? If it happened here I would be worried that I would be accused of stealing. 'The Lord needs it' what a statement! Perhaps it was difficult for the hearers (daughter of Zion) of the prophecy ever to perceive a King being gentle and riding on a baby donkey (perhaps he would like a little silly).