The Temple: Cursed, or Cleansed?
Mark 11:12-22
Introduction: Last week we deviated from our series in Mark for
Father’s Day, and the week before we had just finished Mark 10 and the healing
of Bartimaeus, so you might be wondering if I have lost my place! On Palm
Sunday, two months back, we had jumped ahead to the story of the Triumphal
Entry! We were reminded that the King has come and the
King is coming. He came first as the
Servant-King, willingly laying down His life to make a way for fallen humans to
become kingdom citizens… At the end of that scene we have an incident reported
only by Mark…
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And
when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to
Bethany...
What was He looking at as He entered the Temple? What
was He thinking? Jesus knew what was coming on Friday, He knew what He had come
to accomplish on our behalf. Jerusalem was the City of God, and the Temple was
the center of worship, the place where God had chosen for His Name to dwell. It
makes sense that the Messiah would appear there. It would not have been
expected that when He arrived, the leaders would not recognize the One for whom the Nation, and
humanity, had so long waited!
Three times
on this journey to Jerusalem Jesus had explicitly told His disciples that He
would be rejected, cruelly treated, handed over to the gentiles and put to
death, and then raised the third day. The conflict with the leaders of the
nation would reach its climax shortly. We get an idea of that in the next
scene, the next day, after the triumphal entry, as they return to the city and
the Temple.
This is
not just a historical report of what happened back then. Nor is it just an
indictment of the religious leaders of Israel. Mark would also invite us, as
readers of the Gospel, to examine our own hearts. Recall Paul’s words to
the Corinthians…
Do you not know that you
are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's
temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple…”
(I Cor 3:16,17).
He is talking about the church. Not a building, but
the assembly of believers in the city of Corinth. And the gathering of believers
in this place. What does He think our our worship today? That brings us to…
The Maine* Idea: As followers of Jesus we must live by faith, and
guard against presumption, and religious hypocrisy.
I. Jesus, the
Master, is constantly teaching us (12-14).
We have heard Jesus teach in parables, here we see Jesus essentially acting out
a parable in the sight and hearing of His disciples.
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.
One of
the things that has impressed me as we have worked our way through the Gospel
of Mark is that Jesus is always teaching His disciples. Through His
words, His actions, His example, He is constantly seizing opportunities to open
their understanding of His identity, to deepen their faith, and to prepare them
for the mission that will soon be entrusted to them. That has been pretty
obvious, hasn’t it? I may be a little slow, but it has also impressed me
recently how the Lord is constantly, patiently, and persistently teaching me,
teaching us. Yes, as we read and study the Word, the Spirit will open our
understanding. It is also true that He works through the circumstances of life
to teach us, and to grow our faith.
Here, the
Master, in His humanity, was hungry. He saw a Fig Tree in leaf, which would
indicate that it should have some edible fruit on it. And, finding it
fruitless, the Lord lays the groundwork for another “teachable moment.” Earlier,
according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus had spoken a parable about a fruitless
Fig Tree. We read that in Luke 13:6-9,
And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree
planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look,
for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find
none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let
it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit
next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, the Fig
Tree is sometimes used as a picture of Israel. For example, we read in Hos 9:10
(cf. Mic 7:1-6; Jer 8:13, 29:17),
“Like
grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree
in its first season, I saw your fathers.”
Here, Jesus goes to a Fig Tree in leaf, but the early
fruit, which apparently should appear with the leaves long before the later,
sweeter and larger “in season” fruit, was absent. The absence of the early
fruit was a harbinger of what was to come. A fruitless Fig Tree. Luke 13? What
is “hypocrisy”? According to Webster, it is “the professing of qualities or
character that one does not truly possess.” Jesus called the Pharisees “white-washed tombs, full of dead men’s bones.”
Did you
hear the story of the rather
pompous-looking Pastor who was trying to impress upon a class of boys the
importance of living the Christian life? "Why do people call me a
Christian?" the man asked. After a moment's pause, one youngster said,
"Maybe it's because they don't know you." Uh oh! That is not the
answer he was looking for! Authentic faith will change us, from the inside
out.
In Hosea,
as we’ll see literally happen here, “…their
root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit…” (Hos 9:16). The Lord used
similar language as He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet,
“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…” (Jer 8:13).
Jeremiah was warning that lifeless religion would lead
to exile. Jesus was prophesying the destruction of the Temple which was fulfilled
in A.D. 70. We are called to authentic, living faith. As followers of Jesus we
must live by faith, and guard against presumption, and religious hypocrisy.
II. Jesus is
the Glorious One, and we must worship Him in Spirit & Truth (15-17).
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."
You may
recall that Jesus had a similar confrontation in the Temple at the beginning of
His public ministry, that event reported only by John. John tells us,
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem. 14 In the
temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the
money-changers sitting there. 15
And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep
and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned
their tables. 16 And he told
those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my
Father's house a house of trade." 17
His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will
consume me." (John 2:13-17).
On that earlier occasion Jesus came like a prophet,
indicting the religious leaders for their wrong attitudes. And the disciples
remembered the Scriptures, no doubt considering where this confrontation would
lead. Jesus subtly alluded to the cross and resurrection in the following
verses,
18 So the Jews said to him, "What sign do you show us
for doing these things?" 19
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up." 20 The Jews then
said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you
raise it up in three days?" 21
But he was speaking about the temple of his body… (John 2:18-21).
Now, three years later, that prophecy of Jesus’ death
and resurrection was about to be fulfilled. He had walked among His people for
three years. He taught with authority. He did miracles that gave a glimpse into
the future, showing the multitudes and His disciples vignettes of their future
Hope. And now, once more, Jesus is entering Jerusalem, at the time of Passover,
and will clear the “merchants” from the Temple for a second time. Our God is a
jealous God, He will not tolerate idols. He demands our whole-hearted devotion.
That means, we take Him at His Word. He has told us who He is. He has shown us
the Way to Life!
Notice
that Jesus quotes the Scriptures. Isaiah had prophesied that the Temple of God
would be “…a house of prayer for all
peoples…” God’s plan always included the nations. When He spoke to Adam
about the Seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head, humanity, all
nations, were included in that hope. When He promised Noah not to destroy the
world again by water he spoke to him as representing the human race. He chose
Abraham and promised him a Seed who would be a blessing to all the
nations. In case we miss what that means and how it would be fulfilled, Paul
told the Galatians plainly, “Now to
Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’
as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ…” (Gal 3:16). Israel is God’s chosen, chosen as the ones
through whom His written word would be brought to humans, and chosen as the
line through whom the Messiah would come.
By the
way, don’t read this passage and assume that God is finished with Israel. We
are told that “blindness in part has come
upon Israel until the fulness of the gentiles come in…” (Rom 11:25). There
will be a turning back to Jesus as Messiah by the Jews. We are also warned in that
context not to be prideful or complacent, that if God so chastened the natural
branches, how will He deal with those who have been grafted in? As followers of
Jesus we must live by faith, and guard against presumption, and religious
hypocrisy.
III.
Humanity is divided over our response to Jesus (18,19).
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.
Words and
actions from Old Testament prophets were rarely received well. Occasionally, as
when Jonah brought a word of God’s impending judgement of Nineveh, people hear,
are convicted, and repent. Not so with most of the leaders of the Jews at
Jesus’ coming. Jesus astonished the crowds, perhaps confusing them, perhaps
leading them to wonder if He was about to restore the Kingdom to Israel. The
leaders were only driven further in their commitment to destroy Him.
The words and works of Jesus
brought division. Some heard and believed. Others would not receive Him.
Jesus expected His hearers to be divided. He said in Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace
to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” At issue is the
response of people to Him. We read in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in Him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” A little further down in
that same chapter we read in John 3:36,
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
remains on him.” Belief or unbelief, condemnation or life. John summarized
it in his prologue when he said,
“He came to his own, and his own people did
not receive him. 12 But to
all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God…” (John 1:11-12).
What will you do with Jesus? Have you trusted Him as your
only hope of salvation? If you have, you
are called to follow Him. As followers of
Jesus we must live by faith, and guard against presumption, and religious
hypocrisy.
IV. Jesus is
Lord, and we must take Him at His Word (20-22).
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…”
Jesus is
revealed in these interconnected events as Prophet, Priest, and King. He entered
the city as the promised Messiah. He cleared the Temple of its corrupt worship.
As a prophet he foretold God’s chastening hand coming against Jerusalem.
Sovereign, Son of David and Son of God. Priest, our great High Priest, the one
mediator between God and man, a priesthood typified by Melchizedek. Only Jesus ultimately
fulfilled all three offices. As they passed by the fig tree the next morning,
Peter almost seems surprised, “Rabbi
look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered!” What he didn’t yet see
was that that Fig Tree was the picture, the symbol, of something much bigger. His
final rejection by the religious leaders was at hand, and His judgment of their
false worship was coming. The story would unfold exactly as He predicted.
The treachery of the leaders would soon reach its climax. Jesus had prophesied three
times on the trip to Jerusalem that He would be rejected, mistreated, handed
over to the gentiles, tortured and killed. Seemingly the disciples could not grasp
what He was saying. Much less did they understand the promise that He would be
raised on the third day.
The final
word in v.22 is a call for response: “Have
faith in God.” Mark has been presenting Jesus, the Son of God, and helping
us to understand what He came to do. The call throughout the Gospel is to
follow Him. Religious ritual or tradition, if it has become rote and empty,
will not make us right with God. Our only hope is salvation by grace through
faith in Christ. David wrote,
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give
it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise… (Psalm 51:16,17).
David knew he had sinned, and he realized that
getting his heart right was essential before any sacrifices would be
meaningful. Jesus said, “Have faith in
God.” He is not simply talking about the need to pray in faith. In the
context it is clear that there is a contrast between those who come to God on
His terms, and put their trust in Him, and those who are relying on their own
religious efforts to stand before Him. It means believing that Jesus is who He
claimed to be, and that He accomplished what He came to do. The leaders of
Israel had gone astray, they would not believe. Their traditions and
their religious system had blinded them to such a degree that they did not
recognize their own Messiah, even as He stood right in front of them. Ironically,
their rejection of Him fulfilled the Scriptures and confirmed His identity. What
will you do with Jesus? Mark has been showing us who Jesus really is. He has
been telling us why He came. Will you follow Him?
What is God
saying to me in this passage? As
followers of Jesus we must live by faith, and guard against presumption, and
religious hypocrisy.
What would
God have me to do in response to this passage? You probably know well that one of the leading
excuses unbelievers give for not coming to church is always, “There are too
many hypocrites!” Most likely what people usually mean when that say that is
that they know the people who go to church are not perfect, that they still
sin. In that they are absolutely correct. We are not yet what we will
be, but, by the grace of God, we are forgiven! What we don’t want to do is to
give any credence to the idea that there are, in fact, too many hypocrites in
the church (see our series in James and in I Peter)! Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me…” We want to be serious about our faith, pursuing holiness, seeking to know God intimately and to walk
in the Spirit. Don’t you know that you are the Temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwells in you? We are not yet perfected, but we should certainly
be changed! We have been set free from
bondage to sin and Satan. With His
presence and power we can say “no” to sin. Walk in the Spirit and you will be
no means fulfill the lusts of the flesh! As we walk with God, people will, over
time, see a difference! Our life is a witness. The nations were invited to
come. We are called to go. Will you? AMEN.
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