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Before driving the merchants from the temple.
“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he
came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs
was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple,
and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should
carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations
the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:12-17
After driving the merchants from the temple.
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,” Matthew 21:12
“And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. Now in the morning as he returned into
the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and
said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” Matthew 21:17-19
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Explanation:
The problem seems to exist in the Mark passage. Here is the phrase that needs special attention:
“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple” (Mark 11:15)
In the sequence of events, “and” can mean different times. It is a vague word that can imply before, the present,
or after. In this case, it means before. If instead of “and”, and had Mark used “after” or “straitway”
in this context, then there would be a contradiction-- but that is not the case here.
Basically, we must rely on the Matthew account since it is more specific, and the Mark passage is rather vague: meaning its
chronology is unclear. Jesus went into the temple first, and then later cursed the fig tree.
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