Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
It seems odd to place these two stories side by side, but I think you will see how they are related.  In the first story Jesus is hungry and he approaches a fig tree with leaves, which would suggest it had fruit, but it did not.  Though it was not the season for figs the tree was still misleading by its show of leaves.  One commentator says, 
"Essentially, the tree was a picture of false advertising, having leaves but no figs. Ordinarily this is not the case with these fig trees, which normally do not have leaves without also having figs."  
Jesus then curses the fig tree and says may no one ever eat fruit from you again.  Pretty strong words. 
Then Jesus enters the temple courts, which was supposed to be a place of worship.  The one purpose of the temple should be a place where people honor God and worship Him alone.  But instead, as one entered the temple courts, people were buying and selling doves and trading currency.  It wasn't necessarily what they were doing but how they were doing it.  The moneychangers were overcharging the Gentiles coming into the temple who needed to trade their own currency to pay the temple tax.  So instead of welcoming the visiting nations to God's house, they were profiting off of them. 
This is one of the few stories were we see Jesus visibly angry, which is shown by overturning the tables and 


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