Helping renew your mind with God's Word

Category: Devotional (Page 1 of 13)

These posts are from my personal Bible study. Some posts are from my own sermons.

Jesus has Authority as the Divine Messiah – Mark 12:35-40

Sermon Text: Mark 12:35-40

Sermon Video

Outline

Jesus is the Divine Messiah (vv. 35-37)

  • The Christ is David’s son and therefore human (v. 35).
  • The Christ is David’s Lord and therefore divine (vv. 36-37).

Jesus exercises his authority as the Divine Messiah by condemning false spirituality (vv. 38-40)

  • Beware of those who put on a show (vv. 39-40).
  • Beware of those to take advantage of others (v. 40).
  • Beware of those who flaunt their false piety (v. 40).

Verses Referenced (sermon order):

Matt 22:41-42; 2 Sam 7:12-16; Jer 23:5-6; Ps 110:1

Context

Mark 11-16 covers Jesus’ final week (Passion Week). We’re still in Tuesday of that week. On Tuesday, Jesus’ authority was challenged by the Sanhedrin. Jesus responded with the parable of the tenants condemning Israel’s religious leaders. Jesus then answered questions about taxes, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment.

Summary

This is only a summary. Watch the sermon video (linked above) for more.

The last few weeks we have seen the Jewish religious leaders question Jesus’ authority. We’ve seen them pelt him with questions in order to try to damage his credibility. Today, we see Jesus go on the offensive.

Mark tells us in v. 37 “a great throng” of people were listening to Jesus. Matthew’s account notes that the Pharisees were gathered (Matt 22:41-42). Jesus questions the Pharisees about the identity of the Messiah and the Pharisees answer that the Messiah will be a descendent of David. The Pharisees are correct (see 2 Sam 7:12-16; Jer 23:5-6).

Everyone agreed that the Messiah would indeed be a descendant from the line of David and therefore the Messiah would be human. However, Jesus was teaching those present in the temple that day something they had perhaps never considered – that the Messiah would be more than a man.

Jesus’ question in v. 37 poses a dilemma about the Messiah’s identity and person. Jesus points them to Psalm 110, a messianic Psalm that was was attributed to David. Psalm 110:1 is the most referred to Old Testament verse in the New Testament and a foundational verse for Christology (the doctrine of Christ). In Psalm 110, David writes about a conversation between God the Father and God the Son (“The Lord said to my Lord”).

So Jesus asks, why does David call the Messiah Lord if the Messiah is David’s son? In a patriarchal society, honor is extended to the elder, not the younger. So why would David give Him this honor? During David’s reign in Israel, there was no higher human being on earth than David. No one outranked him. So why would David call this person Lord?

Jesus was not denying that the Messiah would come from David, but rather stressed that the Messiah is “Lord.” Thus, Jesus is answering the earlier question posed to Him about where he gets his authority (Mark 11:28). He is the Messiah that possesses the authority that David acknowledged to belong to the Messiah as Lord. Jesus is both David’s son [as his descendant] and David’s Lord [as the Son of God].

In Psalm 110, God gave authority to this Lord to sit at His right hand, which is a picture of shared rule on a throne. Thus, Jesus’ authority is that of the Messiah, which He shares with God himself because of course Jesus is God.

In this passage, Jesus turned these theologians on their heads and argued that David, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, penned words showing that the Messiah (the Christ) was David’s Lord and thus must be divine.

We have seen the Christ is David’s son and therefore human (v. 35). Now, we have seen the Christ is David’s Lord and therefore divine (vv. 36-37). We see in vv. 35-37 that Jesus, as the divine Messiah, has authority. If Mark has shown us anything in his Gospel it’s that Jesus has authority. Jesus has authority in his teaching and he has authority over nature, disease, the demonic, and even death itself.

My question to you is this: have you submitted to the authority of Jesus?

The story of Scripture is really this – God created everything very good (Gen 1:31). Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s good authority (Gen 3:1-7). Ever since, man has been born into sin (Ps 51:5; Rom 3:23). In our flesh, we rebel against God’s authority and sin against him. The good news of the gospel is that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). Jesus satisfied God’s wrath for our sin (2 Cor 5:21) and offers us eternal life if we will repent of our sin and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Someone who truly trusts in Jesus for salvation will live a life of obedience to Jesus and bow down to his authority. This is the problem of every lost person – they want to have authority over their own lives instead of bowing down to Jesus. I implore you, turn from your sin and follow Jesus today.

In vv. 35-37, Jesus proclaims himself to be the divine Messiah. In verses 38-40, Jesus exercises his authority as the divine Messiah. Jesus issues a scathing rebuke of the religious leaders and their hypocritical religion. Jesus’ message is more fully expressed in Matthew 23, where Jesus issues seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees. Here in Mark we only have three verses.

Jesus exercises his authority as the Divine Messiah by condemning false spirituality (38-40)

Jesus tells those listening, “Beware of the scribes” (v. 38).

First, Jesus said to beware of those who put on a show (vv. 39-40) by walking around in long robes, inviting greetings in the marketplace, and enjoying the best seats in the synagogues and at feasts.

The scribes wanted to be seen as spiritual. They were more concerned with what people thought of them than pleasing God with their lives. They loved being called, “Rabbi” and the special recognition they received in the marketplace. Finally, they loved the attention from sitting in the best seats. By sitting in these seats, they faced the congregation, which forced people to look at them. This made the Pharisees feel distinguished.

Second, Jesus warned of those who take advantage of others by devouring widows’ houses (v. 40). Because the scribes were the experts in the law they often served as estate planners for widows. The Old Testament was clear that widows and the poor were to be granted mercy and to be treated fairly – “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). Despite the clear teaching of the Old Testament, many of the scribes would use their position to convince poor widows to support the work of the temple or their own work rather than taking care of themselves.

Third, Jesus said to beware of those who flaunt their piety (v. 40). The Pharisees tried to flaunt their piety by praying long prayers. They didn’t love God, but desired to be seen as spiritual by the people.

Why should people beware of the scribes? Jesus says in v. 40 they will receive the greater condemnation. Jesus was telling the crowd if their religious practice and spirituality was like that of the scribes, then they would receive the same condemnation.

If your religious practice and your spirituality is like that of the scribes, then you will be condemned just like them.

Jesus knew that the Pharisees’ religious practice was hypocritical, insensitive to others, and self-seeking. Rather than devoting themselves to God, they were seeking the praise of men.

What about us? What motivates us?

  • Why do you come to church? Do you seek to praise God and encourage others or do you come to fulfill a religious duty and want to be seen by others?
  • Do you serve in the church out of a love for God or so that you will be praised by men?
  • Do you hope the preacher will be faithful to Scripture or that he will tell you how good of a person you are and that you deserve prosperity and material blessings?
  • When you attend church meals, do you seek to be an encouragement to others or do you only want to sit by the most important people?
  • When you pray with others, do you genuinely pray to seek God or do you use big words and long prayers so that you will be seen as spiritual?
  • When you post Bible verses to your social media, are you seeking to honor God and encourage others or are you wanting to be seen as spiritual?

The words of Jesus should challenge us this morning. We may have an impressive outward appearance, but nothing is hidden from Jesus (1 Sam 16:7). He knows the motives of our heart (Mark 2:8; John 2:24-25).

The choice is clear: you can put on a religious show, seek the applause of men, and be condemned to hell or you can submit to and worship Jesus, the divine Messiah who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18) and spend eternity with him. Friends, there is no sitting on the fence with Jesus. You are either with him or against him.

The Greatest Commandment – Mark 12:28-34

Sermon Text: Mark 12:28-34

Sermon Video

Outline

BIG IDEA: True followers of Jesus love God supremely and love others genuinely.

Verses Referenced (sermon order):

Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 John 4:19

Context

Mark 11-16 covers Jesus’ final week (Passion Week). We’re still in Tuesday of that week. So far on Tuesday Jesus’ authority was challenged by the Sanhedrin. Jesus responded with the parable of the tenants condemning Israel’s religious leaders. Next, Jesus answered a question about taxes. Last week, Jesus answered the Sadducees’ question concerning the resurrection.

Summary

This is only a summary. Watch the sermon video (linked above) for more.

After hearing Jesus’ remarkable responses to the question posed to him about the source of his authority (Mark 11:27-33), taxes (Mark 12:13-17) and the resurrection (Mark 12:18-27), one of the scribes was smart enough to ask Jesus about which commandment is the most important.

Rabbis had identified 613 commands in the first five books of the Bible, and it was a regular point of discussion among the Pharisees about which commandments were most important. And so, this scribe asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” (v. 28).

Jesus answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. Jesus does add the phrase “and with all your mind.” Here is Jesus reply according to Mark 12:29-31.

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Jesus’ answer is basically this – love God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself. In other words, we don’t just do a few religious duties to make God happy. Rather, we are changed by the gospel of Jesus and we respond in a life of worship and obedience to God (1 John 4:19). We are not saved by our good works but we are saved for good works (Eph 2:8-10). We are to worship God with our lives and not just our lips. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

That is what it looks like to love God with everything you have. You no longer live for yourself but for God’s glory. You have a supernatural love and care for others–not just your family and your church family but ultimately everyone you encounter. You care about the eternal destiny of all. Loving God and loving others is the call of every Christ follower. Without love, we are just religious pretenders (1 Cor 13:1-3).

Jesus on the Resurrection – Mark 12:18-27

Sermon Text: Mark 12:18-27

Sermon Video

Outline

BIG IDEA: As Christians, we can have resurrection hope by knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s power.

Verses Referenced (sermon order):

Ex 3:6; 1 Cor 15:20-26

Context

Mark 11-16 covers Jesus’ final week (Passion Week). We’re still in Tuesday of that week. So far on Tuesday Jesus’ authority was challenged by the Sanhedrin. Jesus responded with the parable of the tenants condemning Israel’s religious leaders. Next, Jesus answered a question about taxes.

Summary

This is only a summary. Watch the sermon video (linked above) for more.

In our text, we see the Sadducees set up a hypothetical scenario and ask Jesus a question. They are trying to demonstrate the absurdity of the resurrection and to damage Jesus’ credibility.

Jesus says that the Sadducees are in error for two reasons (v. 24). They don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God. Jesus not only tells the Sadducees that they are in error, but e answers their question (vv. 25-27).

In v. 25, Jesus teaches that when (not if) we are raised from the dead we will no longer be married or given in marriage but will be like the angels. Notice that Jesus did not say that we will become angels or be like the angels in every way but in the sense of marriage, we will be like angels.

In vv. 26-27, Jesus shows the Sadducees how they do not know the Scriptures. Remember, the Sadducees only accepted Genesis-Deuteronomy as Scripture. Knowing this, Jesus goes all the way back to Exodus 3 to show them that God is God not of the dead, but of the living.

Exodus 3:6

And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been physically dead for a long time, but God identified himself as their God. He could be their God only if they were still alive.

This is our hope as Christians. Those who are in Christ are promised a future resurrection and fullness of life in the presence of God. Of course, the opposite of fullness of life in the presence of God is loneliness and suffering apart from God and His people in an eternal hell.

The Christian and Government – Mark 12:13-17

Sermon Text: Mark 12:13-17

Sermon Video

Outline

BIG IDEA: As Christians, we are to render respect to God-ordained government, but we render worship to God alone.

Verses Referenced (sermon order):

Genesis 1:27

Context

Mark 11-16 covers Jesus’ final week. This is sometimes called Passion Week. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and inspected the temple affairs. On Monday Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleaned house. On Tuesday Jesus’ authority was challenged by a delegation of the Sanhedrin, the powerful Jewish religious council consisting of Pharisees, Sadducees, and others. In our last post, we looked at Jesus’ parable of the tenants, which condemned Israel’s religious leaders.

Summary

Note that the following is only a summary. I encourage you to listen to the sermon linked above for a fuller explanation.

Since the Sanhedrin (the powerful Jewish religious council) couldn’t arrest Jesus (Mark 12:12), they decide to try to trap Jesus in his words (Mark 12:13). The Pharisees and Herodians (unlikely bedfellows) try to flatter Jesus and then ask him a question – should Jews pay taxes to Caesar (Mark 12:14)? The questioners are banking on Jesus making someone mad. If Jesus answered in the affirmative then the Pharisees and the common Jews would be angered. If Jesus answered negatively, the Herodians could report to the Roman authorities that Jesus was an insurrectionist.

The question before Jesus was this – can faithful Jews pay taxes to Caesar and still honor the God of Israel? For us today, the question could be, “Can we pay taxes to a corrupt government that spends our tax dollars in ungodly ways and still worship God?”

After looking at a denarius, Jesus makes perhaps the most profound political statement ever uttered – “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). In his statement, Jesus affirms the legitimacy of government (see Rom 13:1-7) but also commands his listeners to render to God the things that are God’s. Jesus is referring to our whole selves. Just as the coin has the image of Caesar, we bear the image of God (Gen 1:27). Therefore, we owe him our allegiance and devotion. Later in the same day, Jesus said that he greatest commandment is for us to love God with everything we have (Mark 12:30).

As Christians, we have live within the tension of two realities. We have a responsibility to be good citizens and respect our government. We also are commanded to love God with everything we have. Taxes should be paid to governments but only God has authority over our souls.

In closing, how should we think about government as Christians?[1]Some of this section is from Christ-Centered Exposition: Mark, 278 by Daniel Akin.

  1. We should be good citizens and live in subjection to governmental authority and seek to influence government policies through our voice and our vote.
  2. We should, like Joseph and Daniel, obey the state, but only worship God.
  3. We should pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-2).
  4. We should acknowledge that governmental authority is established by God (Romans 13:1-7).
  5. We should pay taxes (Mark 12:17; Rom 13:6-7).
  6. We should engage in civil disobedience only when the government prohibits me from doing what the Bible commands or when the government commands me to do something the Bible prohibits (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29).

In summary, let’s be good citizens. Let’s pay taxes. Let’s give respect to God-ordained government. But let us worship God alone.

References

References
1 Some of this section is from Christ-Centered Exposition: Mark, 278 by Daniel Akin.

Rejecting Christ Brings Judgment – Mark 12:1-12

Sermon Text: Mark 12:1-12

Sermon Video

Outline

BIG IDEA: Those that presume upon God’s patience by rejecting His Son will one day face His wrath.

God is patient with sinners (1-5)

God sent His beloved Son and we should honor Him (6-8)

God will judge those who refuse to honor His beloved Son (9-12)

Verses Referenced (sermon order):

Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 7:25-26; 25:4; 25:7; Matthew 21:43; Psalm 118:22-23

Context

Mark 11-16 covers Jesus’ final week. This is sometimes called Passion Week. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and inspected the temple affairs. On Monday Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleaned house. On Tuesday Jesus’ authority was challenged by a delegation of the Sanhedrin, the powerful Jewish religious council consisting of Pharisees, Sadducees, and others.

Summary

We pick up again on Tuesday of Passion Week. In our sermon text (Mark 12:1-12) Jesus uses a parable to pronounce judgment on the Jewish religious leaders. The parable is rich with Old Testament imagery (see especially Isaiah 5:1-7).

In the parable, Jesus speaks of a landowner who planted a vineyard. The landowner planted the vineyard and leased it to tenants. When harvest came, the landowner sent many servants to collect his portion of the harvest. Shockingly, the tenants beat and killed the servants, refusing to render the landowner his fruit. Finally, the landowner sent his beloved son. The tenants killed the son, hoping to acquire the land and its profits for themselves. Jesus speaks of the wickedness of the tenants and the wrath that will be poured out on them by the landowner.

Contextually, the meaning of the parable becomes clear. The parable speaks of God’s (the landowner) provision for the nation of Israel (the vineyard), the wickedness of its religious leaders (the tenants), the prophets (the servants) who were mistreated despite speaking God’s words, and Jesus (God’s Beloved Son) who was sentenced to die three days later by the Sanhedrin. These wicked tenants will eventually experience God’s wrath for their rejection of his beloved son. In addition, God will give the vineyard to others that produce spiritual fruit (Matt 21:43; John 15:8). That is, God’s blessings will not longer flow through ethnic Israel but spiritual Israel – the church which consists of Jews and Gentiles who like Abraham believed the promise of God (see Galatians 3-4).

Thankfully, God’s shows us great patience and offers sinners a the wonderful salvation in the sending of his son Jesus Christ. To receive this gift, we must repent of our sins and trust in the person and work of Jesus.

Does Jesus Have Authority – Mark 11:27-33

Sermon Text: Mark 11:27-33

Sermon Video

Outline

BIG IDEA: Like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, many people refuse to acknowledge Jesus’ authority over their lives.

Summary

Keep the context in mind. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and inspected the temple affairs. On Monday, Jesus cleaned house. Now on Tuesday Jesus’ authority is challenged by a delegation of the Sanhedrin, the powerful Jewish religious council consisting of Pharisees, Sadducees, and others.

Again, the key issue is authority. Notice v. 28: “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” The religious leaders are questioning Jesus’ authority to preach and teach in the temple (Luke 20:1) and to cleanse the temple (Mark 11:15-17). In their minds, he was the lowly son of a carpenter from Nazareth and they are the religious elites that have control over the temple and its affairs – not Jesus.

I encourage you to watch the sermon for more. Even though there is no temple today many religious people still struggle the same problem the religious leaders did. They refuse to give Jesus his rightful authority over their lives. They want the salvation and blessings of Jesus without the commitment of discipleship. But this is not the way of Jesus. Jesus has all authority (Matt 28:18; Col 1:15-20; Mark 8:34-35; Luke 6:46). Will you submit to the his authority in every area of your life?

The Lesson of the Fig Tree – Mark 11:12-25

Sermon Text: Mark 11:12-25

Sermon Video

Outline

Jesus curses fruitless faith (12-14)

Jesus condemns fruitless faith (15-19)

Jesus calls us to living, fruitful faith (20-25)

Sermon Notes

Last week, we saw Jesus, God’s Messiah King, enter Jerusalem in judgment and salvation on Palm Sunday. He also looked around in the temple (Mark 11:11).

Today we see Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders beginning to come to a head. What is the real issue behind the conflict?

Jesus curses fruitless faith (12-14)

12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

The presence of the leaves indicated that the tree would have fruit on it. Jesus saw the leaves from a distance and he came to the tree hoping to find the small figs that would ripen with the leaves before the main figs appeared a couple months later. However, when Jesus got close to the tree, there were no fruits to be found.

By its outward appearance, the fig tree was inviting because of its leaves. But, upon further examination, the tree was all show and no substance.

This is what Israel had become, especially the temple and those who oversaw it. They gave an outward appearance of spirituality and devotion to God but they were hypocrites. Gentiles were restricted to worship in the outer court. The religious elites had made the temple a place of fake religion and commerce instead of a place for authentic prayer and worship.

Thus, the cursing of the fig tree was an acted parable and not a petty loss of temper. In the OT, the fig tree was a symbol of faithless Israel (Jer 8:13; 29:17; Hos 9:10, 16–17; Joel 1:6–7; Mic 7:1). One verse that illustrates this is Jer 8:13. In fact, Jesus may have had this verse in mind when He cursed the fig tree.

Jer 8:13

When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
    there are no grapes on the vine,
    nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
    and what I gave them has passed away from them.” 

The chosen people had rejected the chosen one.

The Jews, who were called to be a kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6) to display God’s glory to the nations had failed to offer true worship and they had failed to trust in the Messiah.

The state of worship in Jerusalem and the temple was as useless as a tree that doesn’t produce fruits.

A fig tree with no good fruit is worthless. Likewise, a faith with no good fruit is worthless.

Charles Spurgeon said, “The great majority of persons who have any sort of religion at all bear leaves, but they produce no fruit.”

If you are a professing Christian, is your faith bearing fruit?

  • In your life, is the Holy Spirit at work within you producing Christlike character and the fruits of the Spirit?
  • Are you seeking to further God’s kingdom?
  • Or, are you like the do you come to church hoping to feel better about yourself, receive a blessing, and check your box for the week?

There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian.

  • If you are not producing the fruits of the Spirit…
  • If you do not have Christlike character…
  • If you are not seeking to please God with your life…
  • If you are not loving your neighbor as yourself…
  • If you have no desire to help others to know Christ…

Then Jesus will curse you like he did the fig tree.

Like this fig tree, we can put on a show, but Jesus knows the true spiritual condition of our hearts. We should ask him to make us useful and fruitful for his kingdom work.

Jesus curses fruitless faith and he also condemns it.

Jesus condemns fruitless faith (15-19)

The acted out parable of the fig tree comes to life in vv. 15-19.

15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

Throughout his ministry Jesus has angered the Pharisees, but during his Passion week, Jesus angered his most powerful enemies – the chief priests and the nobility of the Sadducees, which made up the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a powerful ruling council that controlled and administered the temple affairs. It was this group that Jesus angered during his temple cleansing.

When Jesus went into the temple complex and looked around (11:11), he saw a lot of religious activity but very little spiritual fruit.

Those celebrating Passover had to bring an acceptable sacrifice that had to pass a rigorous inspection. Most chose to buy an approved animal that had been approved by the temple priests that were backed by the religious leaders.

This business was conducted in the court of the Gentiles.

In v. 15, Mark mentions the moneychangers and those who sold pigeons. The moneychangers were in charge of the exchange of currency. They would take the foreign currencies of Jewish pilgrims in exchange for Jewish currency (which was acceptable for temple transactions). They would often extort people with the exchange rate and then the merchants would mark up the prices on the animals. Mark mentions those who sold pigeons. Pigeons were the sacrificial animal for the poor and the price for pigeons was outrageous. One commentator suggested the price may have been 16x the normal price.

This irreverence and corruption in the temple courts is what angered Jesus. The temple had been transformed into a place of corruption. Commerce and convenience in the temple court was a sign of hearts that had moved away from worship. The money changers represented a worship where sacrifices were available but did not come with the proper preparation of the heart.

In v. 17, Jesus quoteed from Isa 56:7 and Jer 7:11.

Isa 56:6-7

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
    and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
    for all peoples.”

The prophecy from Isaiah concerns the true purpose of the temple – the temple was to be a place of true and sincere worship of God for Israel and all the nations.

In the Old Testament the only separation in the temple was between priests and people. In Jesus’ day, however, the temple was also segregated by race (Jew and Gentile) and gender (male and female). By quoting Isa 56:7, Jesus showed his concern for the Gentiles. They were not to be second class citizens in God’s kingdom.[1]Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Mk 11:17.

Most Jews hated the Gentiles and hoped that when the Messiah came, he would cleanse the temple of all Gentiles and get rid of them once and for all.

Ironically, instead of cleansing the temple of the Gentiles, Jesus cleansed the temple for the Gentiles. It was to be a house of prayer for all the nations, not a building to be admired and praised. There should have been no racial or gender segregation.

The prophecy from Jer 7:11, which was Jeremiah’s famous temple sermon, is a warning that false religion is worthless in God’s eyes. This false religion was exactly what Jesus witnessed in the temple.

Jeremiah 7:8-11

8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the Lord.

In Jeremiah, God’s people were worshiping Baal and other false gods and believed that God would preserve them because of the temple. They thought that because they oversaw God’s temple that he would not destroy them. In Jesus’ day, just like in the time of Jeremiah, the temple had become a place for criminals to hide. The temple had become a refuge for rebels against God. Jesus is saying that the temple will not protect them—it too will be destroyed. Jesus is condemning the belief that empty rituals would cover the people’s crimes and spare them from the coming judgment.

Sacrifices without a heart for God are meaningless. God desires faithfulness and not just sacrifice (Hos 6:6).

The despicable practices of the religious leaders and those who ran the temple business were robbing God of true worship. All wickedness is an abomination to our Lord, but especially religious wickedness that is done in His name.

This is why Jesus burned with righteous rage and cleaned house (vv. 15-16).

Jesus was purifying the building and restoring its original purpose as a house of prayer and worship.

As we see Jesus’ response to false worship, it is worth asking: What is our attitude towards worship and prayer?

  • Is it a box you check or a privilege you enjoy?
  • Do you prepare yourself for Sunday worship? Some ways to do this would be by getting enough sleep, praying for the service, listening to worship music, confessing your sin, and reading the sermon text beforehand.
  • Is the worship of God important enough to you to show up on time?
  • Do you love your fellow church members enough to get here before the service and stay late to hear how they’re doing and love on them?

Do you think you can live however we want during the week and that if you come to church and look good in front of everyone else that God will spare you? Like the Jews of Jesus’ day, it is entirely possible to live a life of rebellion against God and to still convince yourself that you’re okay with God because of some religious activities in a building once a week.

We must realize that:

  • Going through the motions of religious rituals is not sufficient to please God.
  • God is not impressed by outward actions that are accompanied by a calloused heart.
  • God is looking for those who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
  • We are to honor God with our lives every moment, not just with occasional activities.

In vv. 18-19, Jesus’ cleansing of the temple caused the chief priests and scribes to commit to destroying Jesus (economic interests).

The rulers were angered when Jesus upset the status quo. Friends, there are a lot of professing Christians that don’t want their church to be biblical. They don’t want a church that holds people accountable. Rather, they want a religious social club that hands out blessings but doesn’t reflect the holiness of God. There are pastors fired every week because they tried to get churches to be more biblical. This angers God.

We must seek to be a church that seeks to conform to God’s Word in every way.

Jesus curses and condemns fruitless faith. Instead, he calls us to a living, fruitful faith.

Jesus calls us to a living, fruitful faith (20-25)

20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Mark sandwiches the account of the temple cleansing between the account of the fig tree to show the relationship between the temple scene and the state of the Jewish people as pictured by the fig tree. The temple situation is symptomatic of a larger national problem.

The cursing and withering of the fig tree is a metaphor for God’s judgment on the dead, fruitless religion of the Jewish people that opposed him. Jesus did not just cleanse the temple – he cursed it. The temple and the religious leaders had failed in their assignment and it would be destroyed less than 40 years later.

In vv. 22-25, Jesus concludes the lesson of the fig tree and temple cleansing with lessons on faith, prayer, and forgiveness. These are the very things people should have found in the temple.

What is true faith?

  1. True faith is in God (v. 22) – “Have faith in God”
  2. True faith believes that God can do the impossible (v. 23) – move mountains
  3. True faith is believing without doubt (v. 23) – “does not doubt”
  4. True faith believes that what we pray will come to pass, as long as we are seeking God’s purposes and not our own (v. 24, cf. Matt 6:9-10; John 15:7) – “believe that you have received it, and it will be yours…”

True faith manifests itself in prayer that trusts in God’s power to give us what we ask but also trusts in God’s wisdom to give us what we need. When God says no to a prayer request, we should trust him enough to know that he knows what’s best. We have confidence in God’s power but are willing to submit to his will. True faith desires what’s best for God’s kingdom and not our own personal comfort.

True faith allows you to forgive others (v. 25). We are able to forgive others because we have been forgiven.

In the lesson of the fig tree, Jesus teaches about true faith, which is expressed in dependent and believing prayer. This kind of faith is willing to forgive and can accomplish great things.

Conclusion

John 15:5-8

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

There are only two options. You can be a fruitful disciple of Jesus that bears fruit or a tree that withers and is thrown into the fire and burned.

I don’t want our church to be barren like a fig tree or a temple that was condemned by Jesus and later destroyed. I want our church to be fruitful for the kingdom of God.

To do so, we must be people that truly worship God by having a living and fruitful faith.

We must be people that go to God regularly in believing prayer.

We must be willing to forgive others because of the forgiveness we have experienced through Christ.

We must love and welcome all kinds of people – we must be a church that is a place of prayer for all nations.

These are the things Jesus demands of us as his followers.

Do you worship God with your whole life or are you putting on a show like those in the temple?

Do you have faith that trusts that God can move mountains?

Are you able to forgive others including those you once hated because of the grace you have experienced through Jesus Christ?

In closing, I want to ask you, which picture best describes you? A barren fig tree that withers and dies or a branch, like John 15:8, that bears much fruit? What is the spiritual fruit of your life?

References

References
1 Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Mk 11:17.
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