"And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. 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. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine."
This quote tells us that Jesus cursed a fig tree because it did not bear fruit, only leaves that benefited no one. He then went into the temple and found the "money changers" doing commercial business therein. He cursed them also and said, "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."
I believe that Jesus, at that very point, condemned the temple and Judaism as an unfruitful place and religion because the priests were only there to make money, and were not doing the work they, and the temple, were ordained of God to do.
Just as the fig tree produced no fruit, the temple no longer produced the fruit of God's labor for which it was ordained, therefore, Jesus cursed them both so the the new temple (His Church) could thrive.~
(The building itself was not yet destroyed, but it later would be, just as Jesus promised.)
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