First, we saw the short-term prophecy of obtaining a colt to enter Jerusalem, and quoted the detailed discussion in the past. Second, we talked about Jesus riding a colt into Jerusalem. Third, we explained the reason why Jesus cursed the fig tree. Fourth, we talked about Jesus’ second cleansing of the temple. Fifth, we continued to talk about the miracle that took place on the fig tree and Jesus’ talk about having faith as small as a mustard seed and forgiving others, pointing out the obvious contradiction in the inspiration about this matter and its reason. For those who believe that the Bible must be consistent in words, it is to recognize Satan as the father according to the Bible, and ultimately, it is to not believe that the existing Bible is inspired by God. Finally, we see Jesus answering the chief priests, scribes, and elders with the word of wisdom, knowing that His authority comes from God.
1. The prophecy of obtaining the colt to enter Jerusalem
“As they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here.” They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they untied it. Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission.”(Mark 11:1-6)
The same event is also recorded in Luke 19:28-35 and Matthew 21:1-7. In the former, we see the fulfillment of the short-term prophecy about the colt, for “So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them.”(Luke 19:32) We specifically mention this as a short-term prophecy because Satan cannot make prophecy about things, but he can make predictions like weather forecasts. The closer the prediction gets, the more accurate it becomes, but it will not happen 100% as predicted. For 100% happening example, “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”(Daniel 9:1-2) At that time, the temple in Jerusalem began to be rebuilt.
This event is not only recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, but also briefly mentioned in the Gospel of John: “Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”(John 12:14-16) No king rides on a colt, “…for I (Jesus) am gentle and humble in heart, …”(Matthew 11:29) We also see the word “remembered” and know its importance as previously discussed in “1. Preparation of the donkey’s colt” under “1075 Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt and cleanses the temple – Jesus (28)”. We have also discussed Luke 19:28-35 in detail there and will not elaborate on this here. Please go to the website “https://a-christian-voice.com/” and click “On spiritual understanding about life” to find this article.
2. Jesus riding into Jerusalem
“They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:
“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!”
Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.”(Mark 11:7-11)
The same incident is recorded in Luke 19:36-40 and Matthew 21:8-11. The latter says, “When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.””(Matthew 21:10-11). At the time, the Jews were under Roman rule. They thought Jesus came to restore the glory of the David’s kingdom on earth and lead them out of Roman rule, so they spread clothes and field branches on the ground. However, after entering Jerusalem, He turned to the temple and cleansed it. Jesus knew clearly, “…for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”(Luke 13:33). Therefore, He would not spend the night in Jerusalem before His crucifixion.
3. Jesus curses the fig tree
“On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.”(Mark 11:12-14)
Some might ask, since it was clearly not fig season and nothing should be found, why did Jesus have a problem with the tree? That’s not the case. While fig season is autumn, it’s spring, close to the Passover when Jesus was crucified. Fig trees should at least bear their first fruits in spring. However, this tree only had leaves, and being on the road, it was standing in vain without any fruit.
The Bible says, ““I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”(John 15:1-2) And then, “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’””(Luke 13:6-9) We see that God is a merciful and gracious God. He made sure the fig tree was not bearing fruit before he cut it down. Jesus clearly knew about the tree not bearing fruit forever but standing on the ground along the way to Jerusalem and thus cursed it. His sound must be high enough for the disciples hearing this judgment and learn the consequences of a life without fruitfulness.
4. Jesus cleans the temple
“Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching. When evening came, they would go out of the city.”(Mark 11:15-19)
This clearly states that Jesus did not spend any nights in Jerusalem before His crucifixion. The cleansing of the temple is also briefly mentioned in Luke 19:45-46 and Matthew 21:12-13, but it is explained most clearly here. We previously discussed these and related scriptures in detail in “4. Cleanse the Temple” in “1075.” Please visit our website as before to find this article.
Please note that this was the second cleansing of the temple. The first occurred early in Jesus’ ministry, as recorded in John 2:13-17. Apparently, the Jews had not learned this lesson, hence the second cleansing.
5. The miracle of the fig tree
“As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]”(Mark 11:20-26)
We see that the cursed tree withered to the root, not just superficially, to be revived by the spring breeze. The same will be true of judgment. Jesus’ response did not refer to this miracle, but to the need for mustard seed faith. As the Scripture says, “And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”(Matthew 17:20) Then it clearly speaks of forgiving others, as it says immediately after the Lord’s Prayer, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”(Matthew 6:14-15)
The story of the fig tree is also recorded in Matthew 21:18-22, with an obvious contradiction. The Gospel of Matthew says, “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered. Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have (mustard seed like) faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.””(Matthew 21:18-22)
Here, it refers to what happened on the return journey, and the tree withered immediately. The Book of Mark says that the curse was cast on the tree on the way there, and only on the return journey did the tree’s roots become withered. The rest of the text is consistent. Therefore, this apparent contradiction in inspiration calls our attention to what happened; when or how it happened is less important than what happened. Don’t lie to yourself by claiming that the Bible must be consistent in its words, acknowledging Satan as the father. The Bible clearly states, “…Whenever he (devil Satan) speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44). Or perhaps you’re playing with words and claiming the original version is consistent in its words, but the original version has been lost and no one can verify it. Ultimately, both approaches contradict the belief that the Bible as it exists today is inspired by God.
Finally, you may have noticed that I added the words “mustard seed like” before the word “faith.” This is because the Bible speaks of “…if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; …”(Matthew 17:20). This kind of faith is what we are referring to. Only with this kind of faith can we receive, not ask in vain. As the Scripture says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”(James 4:3). For someone who believes that “What God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” this is the only conclusion.
Finally, I want to discuss the Holy Spirit’s endorsement. Although I had all the relevant scriptures, I did not see that this faith referred to mustard seed faith. It was not until I was preparing the slides that the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to this fact. Knowing that lying is acknowledging Satan as the father, I will not lie consciously for sure. Therefore, “allowing the Holy Spirit to lead the Bible study” is extremely important and indispensable.
6. The source of Jesus’ authority
“They came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” They began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. Answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.””(Mark 11:27-33)
The same incident is recorded in Matthew 21:23-27 and Luke 20:1-8. The Scripture says, “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.””(John 20:21) This clearly states that the incarnate Jesus was sent by God, and “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”(John 3:34). The Scripture also says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, …”(1 Corinthians 12:7-8). We see that Jesus answered the question He was challenged with the word of wisdom this time, causing them “Answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” …”(Mark 11:33). This is an example of the word of wisdom.
We see that the chief priests, scribes, and elders were lying. They were afraid of the people, because people truly considered John a prophet, so they did not dare to say, “From men.” It was only during the final minute of preparing the slideshow that my eyes were opened to realize this point. How could one not let the Holy Spirit lead his Bible study?
In fact, as can be seen from Luke 5:17-26, the scribes and Pharisees knew that no one except God could forgive sins, but Jesus could. Therefore, Jesus had long ago told them that He was the Son of Man and could forgive sins on earth, but they simply didn’t believe. Although Jesus didn’t tell them the source of His authority this time, He clearly understood that it came from God.
(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)
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