Connect with Jesus or Wither Away - Matt. 21:12-27
When the child of God
Looks into the word of God
And sees the Son of God,
They are transformed by the Spirit of God
Into the image of God
For the glory of God.
-Warren Wiersbe
“You had better converse with him yourselves.”
Matt. 21:12-27
Jesus gives the Temple a cleansing - V. 12-17
The purpose of the Temple was for Jews and even the rest of the world to come and connect with God through prayer, praise, and Bible teaching – but their actions had made it hard to really connect with God.
Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, hear from Heaven Your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may fear You, as do your people Israel. - 2 Chronicles 6:32-33a
Jesus gives the fig tree a curse - V. 18-22
What’s the deal with the cursing of the fig tree? The fig tree was a symbol for Israel (Hosea 9:10). The Purpose of a Fig Tree was to bear fruit. The purpose of Israel was also to bear fruit. Neither the fig tree or that generation of Isarael’s leaders were fulfilling their purpose.
They ask Him in verse 20 why the Fig Tree withered at once. What He is concerned about is that they don’t wither also by not being people of faith and prayer, yielding to God’s purposes for their lives.
The simple lesson in verses 21-22 is that there must be faith in our prayers as we embrace God’s purposes for us. Obedience to Jesus will feature seemingly impossible obstacles before us, but we can have confidence that God’s will certainly will prevail even if it means we die on a cross.
Jesus gives the disingenuous a comeback - V. 23-27
The word for authority is the word exousia (G 1849), which occurs 93 times in the New Testament. It is translated as right (John 1:12), authority (Matt. 7:29; 9:6; 28:16), and power (Rev. 20:6). Matthew’s gospel has proven that Jesus Christ is the ultimate exousia over the world.
