There are two things Jesus says that are vital for us to know: the Scriptures and the power of God. But to have one without the other is dangerous.

The resurrection of Jesus is the central part of this message. We have a living Saviour who has conquered death and the grave. His victory is our victory. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus.

During the years of His ministry, Jesus has largely avoided Judaea and its capital Jerusalem in particular. It’s here where His enemies are: the ones who are out to kill Him. So now, in His final week, right here in Jerusalem, He is walking on dangerous ground. Jesus is surrounded by those who hate Him, and by the traps they set. Here is one of those traps.

Jesus explained why He had cleansed the temple by saying: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.” The church should be a welcoming place for everyone, where they can connect with God. We turn the church into a den of robbers when we push our own agendas instead of God’s. It’s all about the attitude of our hearts and that’s something to think about.

To some people, what Jesus did in cursing the fig tree might seem petty and unreasonable. But Jesus did nothing out of spite or malice. Everything he did, he did for a purpose.Jesus was acting out what would happen to Jerusalem, for having the appearance of righteousness, but not its fruits: for rejecting him. Without Jesus, there can be no fruit. Fig trees exist to bear figs. We – you and I – exist to bear fruit. The fig tree was all show and no substance. It was covered in beautiful green leaves, but there were no figs there. You can fool others, but you can’t fool Jesus. Jesus is coming to look for fruit in your life. It’s the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy peace and patience. Will he find it? Or will he just find green leaves?

Hosanna! Around 550 years earlier, the prophet Zechariah had prophesied: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” By entering Jerusalem in this way, Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, and He fulfilled the people’s expectation of how the Messiah would enter Jerusalem to claim His throne. And so, the people acclaimed Him as Messiah and King.