When Jesus spent time in the garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in Matthew 26:36-46, He faced an hour of enormous anguish that required angelic help to recover from. What took place in Gethsemane? What caused His soul to be ‘troubled to the point of death?’ And how is it that we can speak of the ‘victory’ of His time in the garden? What had He come to do there and how is it linked to His death on the cross?  Matthew gives us answers to all these questions and more!

After Jesus made a clear declaration of who He was on Palm Sunday, then righted the wrongs of the Temple, Matthew 21: 18-22 records this curious incident of the fig tree which he cursed. Going up to the tree which was covered in green leaves, Jesus expected to find figs, but there were none. As a result Jesus cursed the tree and it withered and died. The disciples were amazed at what took place, so Jesus reminded them that faith filled prayer can move mountains. The cursing of the tree has puzzled many, but it stands in the Bible as a picture of what was true of Israel at that time. All leaves, but no fruit, just hypocritical religion. This ‘fruit-less-ness’ is linked of course to ‘faith-less-ness’. Where there is no faith, there will be no fruit! The challenge for us is to be people who are full of faith and fruit and empty of hypocrisy (the ‘greeen leaves’ of religion).

After Jesus made a clear declaration of who He was on Palm Sunday, in Matthew 21:12-17, He set out to make an even clearer statement the following morning, when he entered the Temple, and overthrew the moneychangers and the market that had become part and parcel of religious life, instead of being a place of prayer for all nations. Following these events which would have incensed the Jewish authorities, Matthew tells us that Jesus healed many outcasts and welcomed the praise of little children. The Bible tells us that when left to ourselves, man corrupts the worship of God and turns it into something that suits. It also tells us that when Jesus returns, He will cleanse the whole world, separating the sheep from the goats and the chaff from the wheat. Again, Jesus forces us to give a response to Him.

When Jesus rode in to Jeruslaem on a donkey as recorded in Matthew 21:1-11, He made a very deliberate statement. It was the start of the last week of His life. He knew what was going to happen to Him on the Friday. yet, to make a point and to draw attention to Himself, and to show that He was the King foretold in the Old Testament, Jesus rode that day to varied responses from the crowds. Some like the Pharisees, totaly rejected Him. Others were forced to ask the question ‘Who is this’? And many others proclaimed Him as the great prophet. Still, others believed in Him as Lord. The claims Jesus made still challenge and divide today. He may be the most worthy of Kings to serve, but is He your King?