This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

It seems like the Kingdom
might finally be arriving.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem
on an unbroken colt.

The crowds gather and shout “Hosanna!”
which means, “Save us, we pray!”

They lay their cloaks in
front of him in deep respect.

They are hailing Jesus
as King and Messiah.

The next day, Jesus visits the temple and
stops by a fig tree on his way in and out.

The fig tree doesn’t have any fruit.

Fruitlessness had long been a metaphor in
the Old Testament for Israel’s
disbelief and disobedience,

especially among their leaders.

Jesus enters the temple and begins driving
out the merchants and money traders.

The temple was supposed to be a house
of prayer where Israel looked to God.

But the religious leaders had turned from
trusting God to trusting their own profit.

As Jesus leaves, the fig tree he
cursed earlier has withered and died.

Just like in the Old Testament, it’s a metaphor.
Israel’s leaders are unfruitful, corrupt,
and they about to be judged.

The religious leaders
are furious with Jesus.

They pepper Jesus with
questions and demand to know

why he believes he has the
authority to do any of this.

Jesus does not answer directly
but asks a question to them

about the identity of the
Messiah from Psalm 110.

The religious leaders cannot answer because the
answer to Jesus’ question would prove his authority.

Unlike the priests who sold
sacrifices at criminal prices,

Jesus is a better priest who
offers himself as a sacrifice for free.

Jesus, by turning over the tables,
sets himself up as a new temple.

That’s why, at his death, the large curtain that separated
the holy from the common was torn from top to bottom.

Jesus is a better Priest, the true Temple
and the one sacrifice we need.

And Jesus has the authority to do this because
he is not merely a son of David, but a son of God.

This is why Jesus asked the
Pharisees a question from Psalm 110.

They believed the Messiah would be David’s
son, but David calls the Messiah “Lord”

- a title reserved for
superiors, elders, and God.

Jesus is hinting that the only reason a king
and a father would call his son “Lord” is
if that son was actually God.

Jesus is the True King of Israel.

And as both the son of David and the son of
God, he has the authority to judge the wicked

and grant salvation to
anyone who calls on his name.

May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the God who
makes a way for us to be finally and forever free of sin.

And may you see Jesus as the
sacrificial Son of David who rules forever.