February 26, 2014
Jesus, the King
Mark 11:1-26
I What a Welcome 11:1-11
II Jesus Takes Charge 11:12-26
Teaching Using Fig Tree
Cleansing the Temple
(Kent Hughes, pastor of College Church, in Wheaton, Illinois, remembers being miserably hot, as he sat on a 747 jet, at Manila’s international airport, in the Philippines, for over an hour, with the air conditioning turned off-----while the whole plane waited to disembark, as the Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos and his wife, gave a state welcome, to the visiting prime minister of Sri Lanka.
Since he couldn’t do anything but watch, he said that he took careful note of what he saw---knowing it would turn into a sermon illustration, sometime in the future.
He says, that alongside the president and his wife, stood a platoon of navy-clad honor guards wearing shining gold pith helmets, And next to them was another platoon dressed in forest green, with white gloves and hats. Standing to the side, he could see the crimson and gold uniformed, marching band. And beyond them, was a naval platoon, resplendent in solid white. Add to the scene, swaying Philippino dancers, in chartreuse and purple, a baby elephant clad in scarlet, a long red carpet, a Philippine jet, with the epigram on the side, reading “Hurrah for Hollywood”, a 21 gun salute, several gleaming black limousines, a temperature of 100 degrees. Dr. Hughes says that the scene was unbelievable. There were a few words spoken, some rousing band music played, some vigourous hand shaking, and then everybody dispersed, except for the workmen, who were rolling up the carpet and sweeping up the asphalt….
He says, as he sat, gazing through the mirage-like-heat-waves, rising from the runway, he thought to himself, “This is the best the world has to offer in honor and material pomp and circumstance, and it is so transitory!”
And history has proved him right------we all have read about the Marcoses’ incredibly obsessive materialism: and about how Mrs. Marcos owned over 3000 pairs of shoes and hundreds upon hundreds of designer dresses. On one occasion she spent 1 million dollars in one day, on a shopping spree. The excess was obscene. And then, suddenly, it was all gone! The reign, the shopping sprees, the shoes, the palace----when they fell from power, it was all gone. The Marcoses tried their very best to make it last forever, but obviously they couldn’t.
And that’s how it is, with the rulers of the earth----their reign eventually will come to an end. But the King of Kings--- was a different kind of king, He operated from a different kind of principle----when we see His example, we see what a good king He is, and we see the beauty, of what it means for us to be His servants, with Him as our King.
Before we discuss the lesson, we need to catch a glimpse, of some of the flavor, of that 1st Palm Sunday…To begin with, Jesus was at the end of the journey that had started some 3 years before…and for the last 9 months of it, He had ministered in at least 35 different localities…timing the journey, so that He would wind up in Jerusalem for the Passover----He had not been back to Jerusalem, for Passover, since He had started His ministry, even though all Jewish males were required, by law, to show up for the Passover Feast in Jerusalem once a year----but Jesus had deliberately stayed out of the limelight, because of the animosity of the Jewish religious leaders.
He stayed with friends in Bethany, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, waiting for events to unfold the way that God had planned for them to.…
Expectations were running high….Earlier in His ministry, He had raised Lazarus from the dead there, and that sensational news had spread around Jerusalem numerous times----and the numbers, of people, swelling the crowds, around Him and His entourage, had dramatically increased---thousands of devout Jews had arrived in the Holy City, their hearts filled with excitement and nationalistic fervor----the population of Jerusalem more than tripled during the feast, which made it necessary for the Roman military units, to be on special alert----and the news about Jesus swept through the crowd like wildfire---….And after Jesus had healed Bartimaeus in Jericho, the people who had witnessed it, were enthusiastically spreading the news to everybody they came in contact with…which galvinized the religious leaders to begin plotting together, trying to figure out how they could kill Jesus, because so many of the people were believing in Him----and at the same time, they were also afraid to do anything, because so many people were believing in Him….
There was unparalleled tension in Jerusalem-----not even the oldest people had ever seen anything like it…Wherever there were people; in the marketplace, in the doorways, on the corners, in the Temple courtyards, everyone was talking about Jesus…The Passover was just a few days away---the speculation was, “Would Jesus make His move then?” And if He did, indeed act, “what would the authorities do?”
As the pressure mounted in-----the Lord stepped out and did what He had never done before---He took definite, calculated and premeditated action, which escalated His journey to Calvary…
I What A Welcome 11:1-11
Jesus had repeatedly cautioned the disciples, and, the people that He had healed, not to make a scene about Him, to anybody----until God said the time was right. And, apparently, the time had come, because Jesus finally permitted His followers, to give a public demonstration in His honor.
Jesus sent 2 of His disciples (most scholars think it was Peter and John, because their accounts of the event, sound like they were eye-witnesses…) to get the colt, that He used to fulfill the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 that said,” that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a young donkey. “ Today, a donkey is considered to be an inferior animal, used as a beast of burden----but in King David’s day and in Jesus’ day, a donkey was considered to be, an animal, fit for a king----a horse was used for purposes of war, but when a king rode anywhere on a donkey, everybody knew he was coming in peace…
In fulfilling the Zechariah prophecy, Jesus accomplished 2 purposes---1.) He was declaring Himself to be Israel’s King and Messiah and 2.) He was deliberatly challenging the religious leaders…This deliberate,
in-your-face, exposure, of Himself, fulfilling the prophecy-----set in motion the official plot, that led to His arrest, trial and crucifixion---God had already predetermined, since the beginning of the world, that the unblemished Lamb of God would be sacrificed at that Passover. And Jesus was obedient to His Father, above all else.
Many patriotic Jews, from the crowd, eagerly joined the procession that proclaimed Jesus, as the King, the Son of David, come in the name of the Lord; and the Messiah…The visitors from Galilee were the most, outspoken, loudest people in the procession, along with the people from Bethany, who had witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead…All my life I’ve heard that the people who shouted “Hosanna,” on Palm Sunday, were the same people who cried “Crucify Him!” on Good Friday, but Warren Wiersbe says that’s not true----he says that based on the 1st century, historian, Jocephus’ writings----- the crowd that wanted Jesus crucified, came largely from Judea and Jerusalem---- and the Jews that had come with Him down from Galilee, and had heard His teaching and witnessed His miracles, were on His side---they were sympathetic with Jesus and His ministry.
When welcoming a king, it was customary for people to lay their outer garments on the road and then add palm branches on top of them, creating a special carpet for him to ride or walk on…It was also customary to wave palm branches in the air, shouting the kings name and praises for his exploits----In Jesus’ case, the crowds were shouting “Hosanna”, which means “Save Now”, and “Son of David, coming in the name of the Lord”, and “Praise God”----Jesus knew that they were quoting from the Messianic Psalm 118:25-26, and He allowed them to go right ahead and shout it, as much as they wanted---He knew that it was time for Him to openly affirm His kingship, as the Son of David.
You can’t help but wonder what the Romans were thinking about all this, as they watched Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, and down the street to the Temple----they were used to parades and official public celebrations….We call this, ”Jesus’ Triumphal Entry”, but I don’t think the Romans would have viewed it in the way that they viewed their own triumphant parades----their’ were more along the lines of what Kent Hughes saw, when he was watching the Marcoses’ display of grandeur and importance…A Roman triumphal parade was something to
behold-----When a Roman general came back to Rome, after a complete conquest of an enemy, he was welcomed home with an elaborate official parade. In the parade he would exhibit his trophies of war and the illustrious prisoners he had captured. The victorious general rode in a golden chariot, priests burned incense in His honor, and the people shouted his name and praised him. The procession ended in the arena, where the people were entertained by watching the captives fight with wild beasts….it was a glorious sight to behold…
The Lord Jesus’ “Triumphal Entry” was nothing like that----but it was the greatest triumph of all time. Jesus was God’s anointed King and Savior of the world----but His conquest was spiritual not military…A Roman general had to kill at least 5000 men to merit a triumphal parade----but Jesus, a few weeks from His triumphal entry, into Jerusalem---- on the Day of Pentecost, would send the Holy Spirit, to SAVE 5000 Jews and transform their lives….The Lord’s triumph would be the victory of love over hatred, and truth over error, and salvation over sin, and life over death….
After looking in the Temple area, knowing that He would come back the next day and purge it of the sin going on there, Jesus left the city and spent the night in Bethany, where it was safer and quieter, even though it was only about 2 miles away----and I’m sure that He spent most of the night in prayer alone, and with His disciples, and the others, trying to prepare them for the difficult week that He knew was stretching out in front of them……plus I think they just spent time, talking and fellowshipping, it is precious how Jesus loved to spend time with His friends….
(Bill Wilson pastors an inner city church in NYC. His mission field is a very violent place. He himself has been stabbed twice, as He has ministered to the people in the community, surrounding the church….
Once, a Puerto Rican woman became involved in the church and was led to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus. After her conversion, she came to Pastor Wilson and said, “I want to do something to help with the church’s ministry.” He asked her what her talents were----and she couldn’t think of anything----she could barely speak English. But, they finally came to the conclusion, that she loved children. So, he put her on one of the church’s buses, that went into neighborhoods and transported little children to church. Every week, she rode that bus----and she would pick out the most raggedy dressed, or surliest attitude child, and pull them onto her lap, and whisper over and over again, the only words that she could say well, in English, “I love you and Jesus loves you.”
After several months, she became attached to one little boy, in particular. The boy never spoke----he came to Sunday School each week, with his sister, and sat on the woman’s lap, but he never made a sound. Every single week, she would tell him, all the way to Sunday School and all the way home, “I love you and Jesus loves you.”
One day, to her amazement, the little boy turned around and stammered, “I---I---I love you too!” Then he put his arms around her and gave her a big hug. That was 2:30 on a Sunday afternoon. At 6:30 that night, he was found dead. His own mother had beaten him to death, and then thrown his body into the trash dumpster. “I love you and Jesus loves you,”….. Those were some of the last words that that little boy heard in his short life----from the lips of a Puerto Rican woman, who could barely speak English. That woman gave her one talent to the Lord, and because she did, the little boy who had never heard the word “love” in his own home, experienced and responded to the love of Jesus…
What can we give? What is the “colt” we have to offer? We each have something in our lives, that when we give it back to God, He will use it, just like He did that donkey’s colt, to move Jesus and His message, just a little further down the road….) Mark Adams
II Jesus Takes Charge 11:12-26
A, Teaching Using Fig Tree
When Jesus condemned the fig tree and cleansed the Temple, He was illustrating the sad, spiritual condition of the nation of Israel…Despite its many privileges and opportunities, as God’s chosen people, Israel was outwardly fruitless, like the fig tree and inwardly corrupt, like the shameful, sinful business, going on inside the Temple.
The fig tree typically produces leaves, in March or April, and then starts to bear fruit in June, with another crop in August, and possibly a third one, in December….A lot of times, the first fruits are bitter and inedible, but then the second and the third fruits, are luscious and delicious…
Jesus had the power to kill that tree, on the spot and He had the power to cause it to bear luscious fruit before it was time----but He didn’t do either of those things---He cursed the tree so He could teach us two important lessons….The first one was about failure---Israel had failed to be fruitful for God---In the Old Testament the fig tree was always associated with Israel, as a nation----and just like the fig tree that Jesus cursed, Israel, in Jesus’ day, had nothing but leaves-----and it was dried up from the roots----whenever an individual or a group dries up spiritually, its always from the roots…in the life of a believer, to be fruitless is sin----we have to be so careful to cultivate our spiritual roots, so that our fruit will be good and healthy, and never just just settle for the leaves, even if they are green and thick…
And the second lesson He was teaching the disciples and us, was about faith and prayer….that next morning , when Peter noticed the dead tree, and called everybody’s attention to it, Jesus told them “to have faith in God”----which means, that to constantly be trusting in God, we have to live in an attitude of dependence on Him. He used the Jewish imagery of a mountain---- something that is strong and immovable, a problem that stands in the way….to explain to the disciples---that there is no problem too big for God, mountains can be moved and thrown into the sea---but only if we have enough faith, to truly trust God to do it…
This was a lesson in prayer, but it is by no means, the only one in scripture-----we cannot take out of context, what Jesus says, about “praying for anything, and if you believe you’ve received it, it will be yours…” prayer has to be in the will of God----and the one praying must be abiding in the love of God-----and prayer is not just an emergency measure that we turn to, when we have a problem-----real prayer is being in constant communication with God the Father and worshiping Him in all we say and do-----and trusting Him, enough to know, that whatever comes our way on any given day, has first been filtered through His nail-scarred hands…
And we can’t interpret Jesus’ words to mean----that if we pray hard enough and really believe, that our prayer will be answered, and that God is obligated to answer our prayer, no matter what we ask for----that is wrong theology-----that kind of faith is not faith in God, it’s just faith in faith or faith in feelings…..True faith in God, is based on His Word, and His Word, interpreted by the Holy Spirit, reveals His will to us…there’s an old adage that says, “ the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done, in heaven, but to get God’s will done, on earth.” We would do well to remember this.
And, we need to understand that true prayer involves forgiveness, as well as faith. We have to be in fellowship with both our Heavenly Father, and with our fellowman, if we can expect God to answer our prayers…the first word in the Lord’s prayer is “Our Father, who art in heaven…, not My Father, who art in heaven…”Christians may pray in private, but they never pray alone, because all of God’s children are part of a worldwide family, that unites to seek God’s blessing ----prayer draws us together, it unifies us.
The Lord said, for us to forgive, whomever we have a grudge against, before we pray, so that our prayers will be heard….but I don’t want us to think, that we can earn God’s blessing , by forgiving each other, alone ----because, the purpose for forgiving each other is to show evidence, that our hearts are right with God, and that we want to obey His will-----only then, can the Father hear our prayers, and can answer them…that’s what forgiving each other, is all about---making us right with God,…..
The Cleansing of the Temple
(Imagine you are on your way to church one Sunday morning. You’ve had a more difficult week than normal ----you are physically, emotionally and spiritually drained-----You realize that you’re running on fumes and you’re looking forward to getting your tank filled up, so that you can face the world again, on Monday morning.
You are particularly excited about the worship service because you know that it’s the Lord’s Supper Sunday, and that’s always a special service.
But when you pull into the parking lot, you quickly notice that it’s already full---and you have a hard time finding a place to park .You finally find a place, in the overflow lot, on the baseball field, and start rushing, across the field, to get inside, before the service starts, still excited about being there, and still looking forward to what God has for you, that day.
You notice that there are a lot of people standing out on the front steps, and you wonder what’s going on…When you get a little closer, you realize that a couple of tables have been set up and people are waiting in line in front of them before going in…You also notice that people are writing checks and are converting them and the paper money they have into silver coins…
You wonder what’s going on and so you ask the person in front of you, if they know what’s going on-----They inform you that the members of the Stewardship Committee recently made the decision to have everyone start using a new type of currency for tithes and offerings, You wait patiently in line, and sure enough, when you finally make it to the table, you are told that you need the new church currency in order to make an offering. So, you take out a $20 bill and lay it down on the table, and the person at the table takes your money and gives you a $10 church coin in return.
When you finally get through the front door, you immediately notice more tables and more lines, At one table, you notice some people are buying hymnbooks, while other people are just renting them. At another table you discover that they are selling communion wafers for $5 and a cup of grape juice for $7.50.
The longer you stand there, the madder you get…you make a vow to never miss another business meeting and to do your best that heads should roll over this…
Now if you can imagine an experience like this and how frustrating it would be, then you can relate to how Jesus must have felt, when He entered the Temple Courts during Passover, to worship His Heavenly Father…) Matthew Sickling
Jesus had cleansed the Temple during the first Passover after His ministry started….but, unfortunately, the results had just been temporary…It wasn’t long before the religious leaders permitted the money changers and the merchants to return. The priests received their share of the profits and the kickbacks, so they turned a blind eye, to what was going on, even though they had to know that it was wrong ----they rationalized to themselves and to each other, that the services that were being provided, were a necessary convenience, that was being provided for the foreign Jews, who were always traveling to Jerusalem, to worship in the Temple. So what, if the money rates were always changing, so that the merchants and priests and moneylenders, were making more and more profit…they were still helping the travelers do what they had come to the Temple, to do…
The “religious market” was set up in the Court of the Gentiles-----the very place where it should not have been, because that’s where some serious missionary work could have been going on…A Gentile would have been totally turned off by what the Jews and their leaders were doing in the name of the one true God…they would never want to believe them after that kind of experience…The court of the Gentiles should have been a place for praying, but instead it had become a place of paying….
Mark, specifically mentioned, the people who sold doves, and their gouging of them, because the dove was one of the few sacrifices that a poor person could afford----it was the sacrifice that His parents had brought to the Temple when He was dedicated----This victimizing of the poor, must have especially, grieved, the Lord’s heart, since he felt so tenderly toward the poor…
Jesus used 2 scriptures, Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 to defend His actions in the Temple…And at the same time, He exposed the sins of the religious leaders. The Jews looked on the Temple, primarily as a place of sacrifice-------but Jesus saw it as a place of prayer…True prayer is in itself, a sacrifice to God…Jesus had a spiritual perspective, of the scripture and the Jewish religious practices, and the Pharisees and the Saddusees and the other religious leaders, had a traditional view that they cluttered with rules and regulations…
If you look up what a “den of thieves” is----- you realize it is the place where thieves run, when they want to hide…The chief priests and the scribes were using the Temple and it’s religious services to “cover up” their hyprosy and their sin. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah had warned the people of their day, that just because the Temple was physically present, in their midst, did not mean, that that was a guarantee, of God’s blessing on them. They tried to tell them, that it was what people felt and did, in the Temple of their hearts, that was really important. But the nation of Israel had not heeded those ancient prophets, and they wouldn’t listen to Jesus either.
When the Sanhedren and the other leaders heard about Jesus activities, they resolved, all the more, to find a reason, and a way, to get rid of Him…
We need to think about what this story about the Temple means to us and how we can apply it….
We need to make sure that we are not merchandising the Gospel----that we don’t turn it into just another business that we have to use marketing tools and gimmicks to lure people in with…
We need to make sure that the unbelievers and believers, in our community see our church buildings as houses of prayer, not houses of payment.
We need to make sure that all nations are welcome in our churches.
We should not flee to church, in order to cover up our sins, or to make ourselves feel better, and then leave, and go right back out and do the same sins all over again.
We do not need to go to Church because it’s the thing to do, and it maintains our reputation in the community, we need to go to church so that we can worship and glorify God.
No comments:
Post a Comment