They were on their way to the cross. Within a week or so, Jesus would be dead and yet He continued to train His apostles as He allowed all kinds of ministry opportunities to invade His last days. These proved to be important lessons for the leaders of the Early Church to understand. This tutorial was all about mercy.
 

Jesus was within a week of the end of His life. The King of Heaven was coming to the heart of the worshipping community in Jerusalem to face a hostile welcome and be rejected as an imposter (John 1:10-11). Jesus was not heading for a military confrontation though, but simply demonstrating what had already been prophesied in Zechariah 9:9.

After Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He went into the temple to see the market of stalls selling animals and birds; and the money changers. Why were they there, in the temple? Well, the temple authorities decreed that people could not use the common coinage to give to God or to buy sacrifices - because the Roman money was 'unclean'. So worshippers had to buy temple money from a money-changer who added a large commission. They also purchased (apparently ceremonially clean) doves or lambs for sacrifice (at an inflated price).
 

We do not usually think that Jesus would do anything destructive; we think of His healings, the power over the storm, and turning water into wine. On all those occasions He was demonstrating His divine power to create and recreate, to undo the ravages of evil and bring new joy. But this passage is different. Jesus sees an unproductive fig tree and curses it so that it would never again bear fruit. His words had an even greater effect because it was subsequently found to be dead with withered leaves.