Hello and welcome to Bible Stories as we continue our Easter Devotion series.

Today we take a look at what Jesus did on the Monday before Easter.

So we're going to start in the book of Mark chapter 11, verses 12 through 14, Jesus

curses a fig tree.

The next morning, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.

He noticed a fig in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find

any figs.

But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit.

Then Jesus said to the tree, may no one ever eat your fruit again, and the disciples

heard him say it.

Chapter 19 verses 45 through 48, Jesus cleanses the temple.

Then Jesus entered the temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices.

He said to them, the scriptures declare, my temple will be a house of prayer, but you

have turned it into a den of thieves.

After that, he taught daily in the temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of the

religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him.

They could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word, he said, let's

pray together.

Father, we thank you for the Monday before Easter.

We thank you for Jesus' righteous anger toward folks who would bring business into the

church, who would take space in the temple that's meant for worship and would cause distraction.

I've got to pray that you would help to cleanse each one of us, that you would cleanse

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