What is Holy Monday?

A House of Prayer, A Tree of Faith: A Journey Through Holy Monday

As the echoes of “Hosanna!” from Palm Sunday begin to fade, Holy Week invites us into a deeper, more solemn space. We enter Holy Monday, a day that serves as a crucial, yet often overlooked, bridge between the jubilant entry into Jerusalem and the somber, world-changing events to come.¹ It is the second day of Holy Week in the Western Christian tradition and the third in the Eastern tradition, which begins with Lazarus Saturday.³ This is the day after Jesus was greeted with palms and the day before the shadow of betrayal began to fall.⁴

Holy Week is a sacred invitation to slow our pace, to step out of the rush of our own lives and walk with Jesus in real-time through His final days on earth.¹ It is a spiritual pilgrimage we take not just with our minds, but with our hearts.⁶ Holy Monday, in particular, calls us to a time of powerful reflection, a moment to check our spiritual health and be reminded of the unwavering power of a faith that is both pure and fruitful.⁴

On this day, the Church commemorates two pivotal events: Jesus cleansing the Temple and cursing the barren fig tree.³ These actions are not random; they deliberately shift the mood of the week. They move us from the public celebration of Palm Sunday to a place of intense and personal spiritual examination. The confrontational nature of these events forces us to look past the surface-level excitement of the crowds and ask ourselves a deeper question: Is our praise productive? Is our worship pure? Holy Monday sobers the soul, preparing it for the immense gravity and love of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It sets a powerful stage for the rest of our Lord’s journey to the cross.¹

What Happened on the First Holy Monday?

To truly understand Holy Monday, we must travel back in our hearts and minds to the dusty roads of ancient Judea. After the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus did not stay in the bustling city. Each evening of that final week, He withdrew to the quiet village of Bethany, about two miles away, likely finding rest in the home of His dear friends: Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus, whom He had recently raised from the dead.¹

On Monday morning, Jesus and His disciples began the walk back to Jerusalem.⁸ Along the way, He grew hungry. Seeing a fig tree in the distance that was full of leaves, He went to it, looking for fruit. But He found none. In a startling and symbolic act, Jesus spoke to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again”.² The disciples heard His words, and the tree began to wither.⁸

Arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus went directly to the Temple. What He found there was not a serene house of worship but a chaotic and corrupt marketplace.⁷ The sacred outer courts, meant for prayer and for Gentiles to draw near to God, were filled with the noise of commerce. Money changers were exchanging Roman coins for temple currency at dishonest rates, and merchants were selling doves and other animals for sacrifice at inflated prices.⁹

Filled with a holy zeal for His Father’s house, Jesus took decisive action. He began to drive out those who were buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.⁸ Amid the chaos, His voice rang out with the authority of Scripture, declaring, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of robbers'”.¹¹ After clearing the courts, Jesus remained, and the blind and the lame came to Him, and He healed them there, restoring the Temple to its true purpose: a place of prayer, healing, and encounter with God.¹⁰

The Gospel writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were more concerned with theological truth than with creating a strict, day-by-day chronology.⁹ This can lead to some variations in the timeline of Holy Week. Although the Church traditionally follows Mark’s account, placing the cleansing of the Temple on Monday, it is helpful to see how each Gospel presents these powerful events.⁹

These minor differences do not change the powerful message of the day. They simply show us that the early guided by the Spirit, preserved the essential truths of Jesus’s final week through the unique testimony of each evangelist. The core message remains the same: on the Monday of Holy Week, Jesus confronted hypocrisy and called for a faith that is both pure in its worship and fruitful in its practice.

Why Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple?

The image of Jesus, whip in hand, overturning tables in the Temple is one of the most dramatic and challenging moments in the Gospels. It can be tempting to see this as a simple burst of human anger, but it was something far deeper. This was not an impulsive act but a deliberate, prophetic judgment delivered by the Messiah King.⁵ In this one event, we see a powerful convergence of His concern for pure worship, social justice, and the cleansing of our own hearts.

The cleansing was a prophetic act to reclaim the sanctity of His Father’s house.¹⁴ When Jesus quoted Scripture, He masterfully wove together two powerful prophecies. From Isaiah 56, He declared what the Temple was

meant to be: “a house of prayer for all nations.” This was a vision of inclusive worship, where people from every background could come and meet with God. He then contrasted this with a quote from Jeremiah 7, describing what it had become: “a den of robbers”.¹¹ This was a searing indictment of the religious establishment, which had allowed God’s house to be desecrated by greed. Jesus was not just tidying up; He was passing judgment on a corrupt system that had lost its way.⁵

This leads to the second layer of meaning: social justice. The commerce in the Temple was not merely inconvenient; it was deeply unjust. Pilgrims, especially the poor and those traveling from afar, were being exploited.⁹ They were forced to exchange their money for special Temple currency, and the money changers charged predatory fees. The merchants selling sacrificial animals, like doves, charged inflated prices, creating a major barrier for the poor to participate in the worship life of the community.¹⁰ The very court that was designated for Gentiles to come and pray was clogged with this commerce. By driving them out, Jesus was defending the poor and making a radical statement that access to God should never be for sale.

This physical act of cleansing the Temple was a powerful foreshadowing of the spiritual reality He would accomplish on the cross. The corrupt system He dismantled had created barriers—economic and ethnic—that kept people from God. Just a few days later, with His death, the great veil of the Temple would be torn in two, symbolizing the end of the old system of mediated access. His sacrifice would open a new and living way for all people, regardless of status or background, to approach God directly. The cleansing of the physical temple, therefore, was a prophetic declaration of the new covenant He was about to establish in His own body.

Finally, this event carries a deeply personal application for every believer. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).¹⁰ Holy Monday calls us to allow Jesus to enter the temple of our own hearts and conduct a similar cleansing. It is an invitation to bold introspection. What tables have we set up in our lives that get in the way of true worship? What idols of worldly success, selfish ambition, or hidden sin are cluttering the space meant for God alone? Jesus’s righteous zeal was born of love—a love for His Father’s honor and a love for His people. In the same way, His desire to cleanse our hearts is not an act of condemnation, but an act of powerful love, to free us for a deeper and more authentic relationship with Him.¹⁰

What Is the Meaning of the Cursed Fig Tree?

The story of Jesus cursing the fig tree is one of the more perplexing miracles in the Gospels. It seems, at first glance, to be an uncharacteristic act of frustration. Yet, like all of Jesus’s actions during Holy Week, it is a deeply symbolic “parable in action,” rich with meaning for both its original audience and for us today.¹⁷

The most common and ancient understanding of this event is that the fig tree is a symbol for the nation of Israel, particularly its religious leadership at the time.¹ The tree was full of leaves, giving it the outward appearance of life and health. It looked promising. Similarly, the religious life of first-century Jerusalem was full of outward signs: a magnificent Temple, elaborate rituals, and respected teachers of the Law. It had all the “leaves” of religion. But when Jesus, who was hungry for righteousness, came looking for the “fruit” of true faith, justice, and mercy, He found none. The curse and the subsequent withering of the tree symbolized God’s coming judgment on a nation that had the form of religion but lacked the substance of a real relationship with Him.⁸

This interpretation is strengthened when we see the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the Temple as two parts of a single, powerful message. The two events are like bookends to a sermon against spiritual hypocrisy. The fig tree guardò fruitful but was barren. The Temple guardò like a house of prayer but was a den of thieves. In both cases, Jesus confronts a deceptive outward appearance that masks an inner corruption or emptiness. He is condemning performance without piety, ritual without righteousness. This unified message against inauthentic faith was a direct challenge to the religious establishment just days before they would conspire to kill Him.

The lesson also extends beyond its original context to all believers in every generation.⁷ It serves as a sobering reminder that genuine, living faith must produce spiritual fruit in our lives.⁸ It is not enough to have the “leaves” of church attendance, religious vocabulary, or outward morality. God is looking for the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians

5:22−23). Holy Monday asks us to examine our own lives: Are we spiritually fruitful, or are we just putting on a good show?

Finally, Jesus uses this dramatic moment as a teaching opportunity for His disciples on the nature of faith. When they marvel that the tree has withered so quickly, Jesus tells them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21).⁴ He was preparing them for the immense challenges that lay ahead, teaching them that their power would come not from themselves, but from an unwavering trust in God.

How Do Catholics Observe Holy Monday?

In the Roman Catholic the journey through Holy Week is a deeply liturgical one, where the prayers and readings for each day are carefully chosen to guide the faithful into the heart of the Paschal Mystery. Although the dramatic events of the temple cleansing and the cursed fig tree are traditionally associated with this day, the official Mass readings for what the Church calls the “Monday of Holy Week” turn our attention to a different, more intimate scene.⁶

The liturgical color for the day remains the Lenten purple, a sign of penitence and preparation.²¹ The days between Palm Sunday and the beginning of the Easter Triduum on Holy Thursday are a time for quiet prayer, personal reflection, and often, the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) as believers prepare their hearts for the great feast of Easter.¹⁹

The Church’s choice of Scripture for the Mass on this day is intentional and spiritually powerful. It deliberately shifts our focus from Christ’s public, confrontational acts to His interior disposition and the dispositions of those closest to Him. This prepares our hearts for the deeply personal and relational drama of the Passion.

The First Reading is from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 42. It is the first of the “Servant Songs,” which paints a portrait of the Messiah who will come not with loud cries or crushing force, but with gentle, restorative justice. “A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench,” the prophet declares.²⁰ This reading presents Jesus as the humble, suffering Servant, on His way to the cross, rather than the conquering king exercising immediate judgment. It sets a tone of quiet strength and sacrificial love.

The Gospel reading, from John chapter 12, transports us to the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethany.²⁰ Here, in the warmth of friendship, Mary performs an act of extravagant love. She takes a pound of costly perfumed oil, made of pure nard, and anoints Jesus’ feet, drying them with her hair. The fragrance fills the entire house.²¹ Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Him, objects to this “waste,” suggesting the money could have been given to the poor. But his objection is rooted in greed, not charity.²⁴ Jesus defends Mary’s beautiful gesture, saying, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial”.²⁰

By focusing on this intimate scene, the liturgy invites us into the internal movements of Holy Week. We are called to contemplate the meaning of lavish love, the comfort of true friendship, the bitter shadow of betrayal, and Jesus’s calm acceptance of His coming death. The liturgy poses a question not to our minds, but to our hearts: as we walk this week with Jesus, will our disposition be more like Mary’s, pouring out our best in selfless love, or more like Judas’s, calculating the cost and holding back? This contemplative focus is a powerful spiritual preparation for the personal stakes of the days to come.

How Do Eastern Orthodox Christians Observe Holy Monday?

For Eastern Orthodox Christians, the first three days of Holy Week form a distinct liturgical unit, and the services are filled with a sense of solemn urgency and rich biblical symbolism. The day is known as “Great and Holy Monday,” and its observance is characterized by its focus on eschatological readiness—that is, being prepared for the Second Coming of Christ—and its deep connection to Old Testament foreshadowing.³

Central to the observance of Great and Holy Monday is the “Bridegroom Service” (Akolouthia tou Nimfiou).¹⁷ This beautiful and somber Matins service is celebrated on the evenings of Palm Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, in anticipation of the following day.²⁵ The name comes from the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25, in which Christ is depicted as the Bridegroom who comes “in the middle of the night”.²⁵ The service is filled with a sense of watchful expectation, calling the faithful to be spiritually vigilant and ready to meet the Lord. This theme is captured in the central hymn, or Troparion, of the service: “Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching…”.¹⁷ During this service, an icon of “Christ the Bridegroom” is often placed in the center of the portraying Jesus crowned with thorns and wearing the purple robe of mockery, a poignant reminder of the suffering He endures for His Bride, the Church.³

The services for Great and Holy Monday commemorate two main themes drawn from Scripture:

1. The Barren Fig Tree: As in the Western tradition, the story of Jesus cursing the fruitless fig tree is a major theme of the day.¹⁸ It is understood as a powerful symbol of judgment against those who possess an outward appearance of faith but fail to produce the spiritual fruits of repentance and good works.³ It serves as a stark warning to the faithful to examine their own lives and ensure their faith is authentic and productive.
2. The Patriarch Joseph: A unique feature of the Orthodox observance is the commemoration of Joseph from the book of Genesis.²⁷ The story of Joseph’s life is read and reflected upon because he is seen as a 

   digita or prefigurement of Christ.³ Like Jesus, Joseph was a beloved son, betrayed and sold by his own brethren, suffered unjustly, resisted temptation, and through his suffering, became the means of salvation for his people, forgiving those who wronged him.²⁷ This use of typology places Christ’s Passion not as an isolated event, but as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s saving plan woven throughout all of history.

This powerful combination of eschatological urgency and Old Testament typology creates a powerful spiritual atmosphere. The faithful are not simply remembering a past event; they are participating in a cosmic drama that connects Genesis to the final judgment. They are being called to live in a state of constant readiness, with lamps lit, waiting for the return of Christ the Bridegroom.

How Do Anglicans and Episcopalians Observe Holy Monday?

Churches within the worldwide Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, approach Holy Week with a rich liturgical heritage that seeks to walk the faithful through the events of Jesus’s Passion day by day. The observance of Holy Monday in many Anglican parishes today reflects a beautiful convergence of ancient tradition and modern ecumenical understanding.²⁸

Many Anglican and Episcopal churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a three-year cycle of scripture readings shared by many Christian denominations.³ The development of the RCL was a fruit of the 20th-century ecumenical movement, which sought to find common ground among Christians by returning to ancient liturgical sources. As a result, the lectionary readings for Holy Monday in the RCL are identical to those used in the Roman Catholic Mass, creating a shared spiritual focus across much of Western Christendom on this day.²⁴

The appointed readings are:

• First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9
• Psalm: Psalm 36:5-11
• Epistle: Hebrews 9:11-15
• Gospel: John 12:1-11

As in the Catholic tradition, these readings guide the worshiper to contemplate Jesus as the gentle, suffering Servant from Isaiah, and to witness the lavish, prophetic love of Mary as she anoints His feet in the Gospel from John.³⁰ The reading from Hebrews further deepens the theological reflection, presenting Christ as the great High Priest whose own blood, not the blood of animals, obtains eternal redemption for us.²⁴

Perhaps one of the most powerful elements of the Anglican observance is the Collect for the day. A collect is a short, structured prayer that “collects” the themes of the day’s liturgy. The Collect for Holy Monday is a masterpiece of spiritual depth that encapsulates the theology of the entire week:

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.²⁴

This prayer beautifully articulates the central Christian conviction that the path to glory and resurrection life passes directly through suffering and the cross. It asks for the grace to walk this same path in our own lives, not with fear, but with the confidence that in following the way of the cross, we are truly on the way of life. By participating in this liturgy, an Anglican is joining with millions of other Christians in a modern expression of unity, approaching the Passion with a contemplative focus on devotion, sacrifice, and the powerful mystery of the cross.

How Do Other Protestant Churches Approach Holy Monday?

Within the diverse family of Protestant denominations, the approach to Holy Monday is varied. For many churches, particularly in the evangelical and non-liturgical traditions, there is no formal, special service designated for Holy Monday.³² This practice is rooted in the Reformation principle of

Sola Scriptura, or “Scripture alone.” Without a specific biblical command to hold a service on this day, the emphasis shifts from a corporate, liturgical observance to a more personal and text-focused one.

For these traditions, Holy Monday is primarily a day for personal reflection, private Bible reading, and family devotions.⁴ Believers are encouraged to engage directly with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s final week. The focus is typically on the dramatic narratives of the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19).³² The spiritual engagement is one of reading the story and seeking to apply its lessons directly to one’s life, without the interpretive lens of a formal lectionary that might point to a different passage, such as the anointing at Bethany.

While formal services for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week are rare, many liturgical Protestant churches—such as Methodist, Lutheran, and Presbyterian congregations—place a strong emphasis on observing the latter part of the week, with special services for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday being quite common.³³ This represents a selective and meaningful adoption of the broader Holy Week tradition, focusing on the key events of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion.

In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation within some evangelical circles for the spiritual richness of observing the whole of Holy Week.³⁴ Many who were once suspicious of what they might have considered “high church” rituals are now discovering the powerful value in slowing down and walking intentionally with Christ through each day of His Passion. This has led to the creation of new resources, devotionals, and informal gatherings designed to help people connect with the deep spiritual heritage of this most sacred time of the year.

How Can I Personally Observe Holy Monday?

Holy Monday offers a precious opportunity to deepen our walk with Christ as we journey toward the cross and the empty tomb. Whether your church holds a special service or not, you can make this day spiritually meaningful through personal prayer and reflection. Here are a few ways to observe Holy Monday in your own heart and home.

Cleanse the Temple of Your Heart. The most direct application of the day’s events is to invite Jesus to cleanse the temple of your own heart.¹⁰ Take some quiet time to pray and ask God to reveal any areas of your life that have become cluttered with things that do not honor Him. Are there “tables” of compromise, sinful habits, worldly distractions, or idols that need to be overturned? You might consider praying through Psalm 51, a powerful prayer of repentance, asking God to “create in me a clean heart”.¹⁰

Cultivate a Fruitful Faith. Reflect on the lesson of the barren fig tree. Look at your life honestly and ask, “Where do I have the ‘leaves’ of outward religion but lack the ‘fruit’ of genuine love?”.⁷ Pray for the Holy Spirit to cultivate His fruit in you, so that your faith is not just a show, but a living, breathing reality that nourishes others.

Practice Lavish Devotion. Ponder the beautiful, selfless act of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. Her love was extravagant and uncalculating. In contrast, Judas saw it as a waste.²³ Ask yourself: What is one “costly” thing I can offer to Jesus this week? It may not be money. It could be your time in focused prayer, your talent used in service to someone in need, or the forgiveness you offer to someone who has wronged you. Pour out your love for Jesus as a fragrant offering, without counting the cost.

Engage with Scripture and Create Space. The simplest and most powerful way to observe the day is to read the stories for yourself.⁴ Set aside time to read through Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12. To help create a sacred space for this, you might consider a small sacrifice, like abstaining from social media or turning off the television for the evening.⁴ Use that time for quiet prayer and listening.²³ You may also find it enriching to explore the different scriptural starting points that various Christian traditions use to enter into the spirit of the day.

By engaging with these themes, you can join with the global Church in spirit, walking the path of Holy Week with intention and an open heart.

What Is the Message of Holy Monday for Our Hearts Today?

As we draw our reflections on Holy Monday to a close, we are left with a powerful and unavoidable challenge: the call to authenticity. This day strips away the celebratory veneer of Palm Sunday and asks us to look inward. It questions the very nature of our faith: Is it real? Is it pure? Is it fruitful?.⁹

The Jesus we meet on Holy Monday is not passive or sentimental. He is full of a divine, righteous zeal born of infinite love.³⁶ His cleansing of the Temple and His cursing of the fig tree were not acts of petty anger, but acts of a loving physician seeking to heal His people from the cancer of hypocrisy.¹⁴ He saw a worship that had become hollow and a religion that had become barren, and He loved His people too much to leave them that way.

These dramatic actions set the stage for the rest of Holy Week. They intensified the conflict with the religious authorities, hardening their hearts and setting Jesus firmly on the path to the cross.³⁷ Yet, even on this day of confrontation, we are given the beautiful image of the anointing at Bethany. It is a tender reminder that even on the road to suffering and death, there is powerful love, intimate friendship, and unwavering loyalty to be found.³⁸ It shows us that the same Jesus who confronts sin with righteous power receives our humble acts of love with gentle grace.

Let us, therefore, move forward from Holy Monday into the rest of this sacred week with courage and purpose. Let us carry with us the image of a cleansed temple, and pray for the grace to have our own hearts continually purified. Let us remember the withered fig tree, and commit to cultivating a faith that bears real fruit in the world. And let us be inspired by Mary’s fragrant offering, resolving to pour out our own lives in loving service to the One who poured out His life for us.