Fr Alex Swain

Beloved in Christ,

Today is Holy Monday. The face of our Lord is resolutely turned towards Jerusalem and the cross. Yesterday, Jesus entered Jerusalem with triumph and joy.

Today, he drives the money changers and venders hawking their wares out of the temple.

The Gospel of Mark gives us another example of a classic “Markan Sandwich” (or, technically, a Markan Interpolation), which is a literary element where Mark begins a story (A) interrupts with another story and (B) returns to the first story (A). Usually, the (A) segments are interpreted by the middle B segment. This device pretty much only shows up in the Gospel of Mark, too!

The cursing of the fig tree withers and it is astounding to the people, and in between is Jesus sending out the robbers who steal and take from those coming to sacrifice at the Temple. 

Traditionally this is interpreted as a critique of not bearing the fruits of repentance.

These venders stand on hallowed ground—literally some of the most holy places one could get—and here they are, defiling the temple by selling presumably exorbitant rates for temple sacrifices.

What was once sacred has become defiled by greed, money and chase for profit.

The fruit tree does not bear fruit, and withers.

In our context, we might ask ourselves, what areas of my life are withered, and what are flourishing? Where, spiritually, am I being given grace and light from Christ? What parts need that grace and light in order to flourish?

We tend to appreciate only the parts of ourselves that are realized and beautiful.

But what parts of ourselves need Christ’s judgement and ultimately Christ’s healing?

A critical purpose of judgement is, after all, to reveal to the light of Christ and be healed by it.

And we don’t just stand on holy ground. We are holy, made so by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

All the more reason to search inwardly, and give to Christ all of who we are, to be made ever more fully into His likeness.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Alex