The "cleansing of the temple" is one of the most famous episodes in the life of Jesus. Popularly, it gives us an image of Jesus the "radical." Indeed, he's being very radical here. But not in the way we might initially think. Especially when viewed side by side with the story of the fig tree, this passage shows us something incredibly important about the deepest needs of our heart, and how Jesus moves powerfully and sacrificially to provide that need.