- V1-11 - Authority of Yeshua recognized by the people
- V12-14 - Yeshua curses the fig tree
- V15 - Yeshua and disciples enter Jerusalem
- V15-18 - Yeshua cleanses the Temple
- V19 - Yeshua and disciples leave Jerusalem
- V20--26 - Disciples see the withered fig tree
- V27-31 - Authority of Yeshua challenged by the elite
Yeshua (Hebrew for "Jesus") doesn't require anyone to recognize his authority for it to be real, but he has chosen the lowly, rather than the religious or political elite, to reveal his purpose and nature to the world. This chiasm is bracketed by people's recognition or opposition to his authority, illustrating that everything between those brackets is under that authority.
There are also three geographic domains of authority within Israel represented by the three scenes of this chapter.
- All of Israel outside of Jerusalem. (The fig tree might actually represent the religious leadership of Judah instead. See this parallelism in Matthew 21.)
- Jerusalem.
- The Temple.
There is no "Court of the Gentiles" in God's design for his Temple. Although no unauthorized people are allowed to enter the Temple itself, all people--Jew and gentile, man and woman, slave and free--are supposed to be able to enter the courtyard and approach the altar. The Jewish leadership at the Herodian Temple had barred gentiles from the area of the altar, relegating them to an outer court, which had also become an open air marketplace. The God-fearing gentiles were left with no place to worship at the Temple in peace. (H/T: Ryan White of Faith of Messiah Ministries)
When Yeshua chased the money changers and vendors from the outer courtyard, he asserted his authority as the Son of God to restore the Temple to its rightful purpose. When he stopped everyone from carrying anything into or out of the Temple area, he effectively suspended all Temple activity. The sacrifices and offerings stopped. In doing this, Yeshua asserted his authority over the entire religious system of Israel.
There is no division between civil and religious law and life in God's plan for his people. The King of Israel is the King of all Israel, the land and the people, inside and out.
