Fulfilling a great Messianic prophecy in which Zechariah foretold "thy King cometh unto thee: . . . and riding upon the colt foal of an ass" (Zech. 9:9), Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah, King of the Jews. (See Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-13; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19.)

He was greeted not only by waving palm branches and clothing strewn in His path, but also argument and confusion as some in the throngs came not to worship Him but to criticize.Jerusalem, the "holy city" of the Messiah's people, was on a downward spiral to destruction. As Jesus approached the city, He "wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." (Luke 19:41-42.)

He then foretold the destruction of Jerusalem, which came to pass less than 40 years later at the hands of Titus and his Roman legions.

In an October 1944 general conference report, Elder David O. McKay, then of the Council of the Twelve, said: "It was the inhabitants of the city, not the beautiful buildings or the commanding view that the Savior saw through tear-bedimmed eyes when he [wept over JerusalemT. He saw the people divided into conflicting and contending sects, each professing more holiness and righteousness than the other and all closing their eyes from the truth. . . ." (Quoted in A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament, by Daniel H. Ludlow.)

In his April 1990 general conference address, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Council of the Twelve said: "The peace the gospel brings is not just the absence of war. It is the opposite of war. Gospel peace is the opposite of any conflict, armed or unarmed. It is the opposite of national or ethnic hostilities, of civil or family strife."

Elder Oaks further said, " . . . each citizen furthers the cause of world peace when he or she keeps the commandments of God and lives at peace with family and neighbors. . . . The Savior and His Apostles had no program for world peace other than individual righteousness."

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Jesus is the cornerstone on which all salvation rests

"Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: . . . ?" (Matt. 21:42.)

In this passage, Jesus identifies Himself as the cornerstone - the most important part in the plan of salvation. All hope of salvation rests upon Him.

Latter-day Saints have particular understanding of Jesus as the "cornerstone." Prior to the dedication of new temples, ceremonies to install the building's representative cornerstones usually contain references to the Savior as the "corner" or the chief stone of the gospel. One example was the cornerstone ceremony at the Johannesburg South Africa Temple on Aug. 25, 1985. President Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency said:

"In ancient architecture, the cornerstone was the largest stone placed in the wall. This . . . gave strength to the corner or angles of the wall. The word `cornerstone' is used a number of occasions in the Old Testament and usually as a symbol of stability and faith. In the New Testament, uses of the word . . . are interpreted as references to Christ. . . . "

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In account of fig tree, many truths taught

"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." (Matt. 21:19.)

In Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that, unique among the Lord's miracles, the account of Jesus cursing the fruitless fig tree teaches a number of truths. (See Matt. 12:17-20; Mark 11:12-14, 20-26.)

Elder McConkie wrote:

"1. By exercising His power over nature, Jesus was testifying in language written in the earth itself that He was Lord of all. As the Lord Jehovah He had in times past created all things in heaven and on earth; now, though tabernacled in mortal clay, He possessed the same eternal powers over life, death, and the forces of nature. By using these powers . . . He was leaving a visible and tangible witness of His own divine Sonship.

"2. Though Jesus had come to bless and save, yet He had the power to smite, destroy, and curse. . . . True gospel ministers seek always to bless, yet curses attend rejection of their message. . . .

"3. Withering and dying at Jesus' command, the fruitless fig tree stands as a type of what shall befall the hypocrites. On fig trees the fruit grows first and then the leaves. But here was a precocious tree, holding itself out as bearing fruit because its leaves were now grown, but in fact being deceptively barren.

"4. `The leafy, fruitless tree was a symbol of Judaism, which loudly proclaimed itself as the only true religion of the age, and condescendingly invited all the world to come and partake of its rich ripe fruit; when in truth it was but an unnatural growth of leaves, with no fruit of the season, nor even an edible bulb held over from earlier years. . . . The religion of Israel had degenerated into an artificial religionism. . . .' (Jesus the Christ, by James E. Talmage.)

"5. Perhaps the most obvious lessons to be drawn from this unusual display of divine power are that by faith all things are possible and that faith is a principle of power which operates in the temporal as well as the spiritual realm."

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Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.

Information compiled by Gerry Avant

Sources: A Companion to Your Study of the New Testament, by Daniel H. Ludlow; Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, by Bruce R. McConkie; and Church News notes of Johannesburg South Africa Temple dedication.