Chapter 11
“Hosanna!”
Mark 11:1-11
MARK 11:1-11
1 As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, 2 and *said to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? you say, The Lord has need of it; and immediately he will send it back here. 4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, What are you doing, untying the colt? 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 They *brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:
Hosanna!
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
MARK 11:1-3
1 As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, 2 and *said to them, Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, Why are you doing this? you say, The Lord has need of it; and immediately he will send it back here.
He *sent two of His disciples...
During the Passover Jerusalem would be packed with people. Estimations are that hundreds of thousands would gather on such occasions and that the Kidron River would flow red with the blood of sacrificial lambs.
A large room for meeting and dinner within the walls of the city would be difficult (if not impossible) to find. Sending disciples over a kilometer from Bethphage to Bethany to find an unridden colt was not an act of chance. This leaves us with two alternatives that are not mutually exclusive:
1. Did Jesus have some prescient ability with which to foretell the future?
2. Did Jesus plan ahead for this trip to Jerusalem and pre-determine his kingly entrance?
All of my instincts tell me that the second conjecture is most like our Lord. Jesus did not stumble into the Jordan to be baptized, he did not stumble into Jerusalem and his execution and he did not inadvertently ride into Jerusalem as the King of Peace. This was the his plan all along; to enter Jerusalem in the manner foretold by the prophets.
Here is the incredible revelation: If Jesus planned ahead (as I purport he did) then his planning included fulfilling the prophecies of old, standing up to the religious authorities and finally, dying upon the cross. The moment Jesus turned to Jerusalem after Peter professed him Christos, our Lord knew he was going to die. Bravely he walked — without a moment’s hesitation — onto the crossbars of eternity with only our restoration at heart.
And we, are we even willing to bypass one selfish notion to take an act of selfless kindness beyond church walls and out to the cells, street corners and lonely deathbeds of those who desperately seek compassion in our own communities? This week, let us go forward to accompany the King of Peace as he rides into the lives of the most downtrodden.
“You will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here”
At this point in the Gospels the images of all the writers become suddenly more detailed. It was very important for them to let us see the acts of Jesus in direct comparison with the prophecies of the Old Testament.
We must also understand the role of the crowd during this Passover because they will remind us of our own capriciousness. By conservative estimates, those around Jesus must have numbered in the thousands if not tens of thousands. They had witnessed the healing of the blind man in Jericho and the raising of Lazarus in Bethany. They had been stunned by our Lord’s miracles and amazed by his preaching. As he approaches Jerusalem the whole town would have vibrated by the footsteps of his followers.
The details about this unridden donkey colt are extremely important. Only animals that had never been used could be dedicated to a sacred purpose [Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7]. In addition, it was prophesied that the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt.
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This was symbolic of a king returning in peace. Quite often rulers in ancient history would find themselves in military campaigns lasting for years. There was no guarantee that upon the ruler’s return the executors of his kingdom would have acted in the king’s best interest. In fact, Christ has many stories in this regard. Both Mark 12:1-9 and Matthew 21:33-41 tell the parable in which a vineyard owner leaves his slaves in charge while he goes away. When the owner sends servants to collect profits those left in charge kill the collectors. Finally, the owner sends his only heir and even he is killed.
Matthew 21:40-41
40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? 41 They *said to Him, He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.
The evil slaves knew that (according to the law) if they squatted on the land for seven years, then they would own the land. Killing the owner's son would only double their illicit claims. When the rightful owner of that vineyard returned, it would not be on a donkey colt. It would be on a warhorse with an army to back him.
We have also been promised that someday our Lord will return as undisputed king of his domain:
Revelations 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
When this scripture tells us he will judge according to righteousness, it means that he will judge us according to how we “set things right” in his vineyard. Those who “made things wrong” by neglecting the widow or abusing the orphan will find themselves waging war not against mere earthly beings; but against the Lord himself.
On the future day of eternal judgment, things will be quite different. However, on that day 2,000 years ago, when the son rode into Jerusalem — his Father’s city — it was as a gesture of peace.
Into each of our lives Jesus offers the way of peace. He comes into our hearts and communities on the colt of a donkey seeking to bring us the peace within chaos; a life of gentleness, gratitude, humility, and service. We must ask ourselves two critical questions:
Will we step aside for the Son of the Father to take his rightful place in our lives? Will he see the fruits of justice that he demands of his laborers in the vineyards he has leased to us?
Is the community that I live in a community of justice? Would Jesus ride into my neighborhood on a war horse to protect the poor or a colt to bring peace to his faithful followers. Is my city famous for its justice or for its exploitation of the poor? Who should I ask to answer of that question? Should I ask the mayor? Should I ask the Business Association? Or, should I ask young people at the juvenile center, inmates in the jail or the working poor employed at retail stores like Wal-Mart? Whose opinion would Jesus seek to find out whether my neighborhood or city is just or unjust?
Jesus will return, will he come into my life on a war horse or a donkey colt?
MARK 11:4-10
4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, What are you doing, untying the colt? 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 They *brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:
Hosanna!
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David; Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna!
The term “Hosanna” that the people were crying is not so much a word as it is a prayer. Let’s look at how it is used in Psalm 118:25:
Psalm 118:25
Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
The prayer that the people were praying was “Save us, we beseech thee, O LORD!” That is the full meaning of Hosanna. What is monumental about this prayer is that they were calling Jesus “the Lord who saves!” Even more than that, they were singing to Jesus: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
In addition, the people were spreading out palms leaves and their own cloaks for the coming Savior to ride upon. This action was based upon the rituals of the Festival of Booths, one of the required feasts of the Jews:
Leviticus 23:40
On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
In the Festival of Booths, the people were to sleep under tents and on branches to remind them of their nomadic heritage. They were to remember how God freed them from slavery through the leadership of Moses. Now, a new Savior — and a new freedom — was given to them. The statements and the actions of the people point to only one thing: They were proclaiming Jesus the Messiah; the Expected One of God.
They had waited for the Messiah all their lives. Their parents, grandparents, and family lines all the way back a millennium to King David, had waited for the Messiah’s arrival. There is simply no way to express the exuberant joy they must have felt as Jesus rode into his holy city.
We must note that Jesus did not ride into Herod’s castle but instead, straightway to the temple of Jerusalem. That was his home. Not a political seat but the center of faith; the heart of his people. We must also note that the prayer of Hosanna is not a prayer for self-salvation, but for community salvation. People are crying “Lord, save us,” not, “Lord save me.” The Jewish people cry out for the salvation of their people. Are we of kindred thought? Do we cry out to the Expected One with only our needs in mind? Or, are we mindful of all who are lost, all who need freedom, all who long for salvation?
Yesterday, in a workshop I was giving to religion teachers, one of the teachers asked me; “Whose responsibility is it that so many kids are dropping out, over-medicated and at-risk?”
I know the easy answer is to say it is the fault of politicians or greed. But I replied; “It is our fault! The fault of those of us who call ourselves ‘religious.’ We have the moral commission to create a bridge between those who ‘have’ and those who ‘have not.’ The government doesn’t have that commission, corporations don’t have that commission, we have that commission. If our society structures itself in such a way that it does not attend to the ‘least of these’ it is due to a lack of our involvement, we are the commissioned!”
Jesus knew that the true seat of change lay in our faith. He did not come to be a political leader, nor even a religious leader, but to be a Man of God, his actions, words and where he spent his time were a model of compassion. To follow him is to mold our lives after him.
What do we cry out when we lift our prayers to our Lord and Savior? What do our praise songs express as we await the Lord’s final coming? Are my prayers about me? About my needs? For only my salvation? Or are we crying out for the salvation of all God’s people? “Hosanna: Lord save all of us!”
Has that Savior ridden into our hearts yet?
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David”
Sadly, as Jesus allows the crowd to worship him as rightful occupant of the inner temple, he must already hear the seeds of sin hidden in their praises. They were praising the kingdom of David. The conquering king, the one who united Israel and protected her from all rivals. The one who brought the Ark of the Covenant to its final home. However, their concept of conqueror was ill-matched with God’s concept of conqueror. Everyone, including the people, the disciples, the religious leaders, Herod, Pilate and even Satan, saw Jesus positioning himself to try and storm Jerusalem for an earthly kingdom.
They had no clue that a larger battle — a heavenly battle — was being waged for the souls of God’s children.
Even as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, accompanied by the songs and prayers of the people, he knew that they would turn on him. The only “weapons” our conquering Lord would use were to be broken and blessed. Once more we are challenged by our view of the Messiah who saves:
1. Do we see the just Savior as a threat to our power and position like the religious and political leaders of Jesus’ time?
2. Do we see the communal Savior as a fraud because he doesn’t respond to my cries: “Hosanna, save me!”
Do we turn our anger on the sacrificial Savior when we realize that what he is truly asking of us is to die to ourselves for the sake of others? Look at Christ’s discourse with the Sons of Thunder (James and John) on this topic:
Mark 10:35-45
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Justice, community and sacrifice; that's the Jesus who must ride into our hearts?
MARK 11:11
Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.
After looking around at everything…
When Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to rebuild and restore the City of God, the first thing that he does is survey the damage:
Nehemiah 2:11-15
11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there for three days. 12 Then I got up during the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. The only animal I took was the animal I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate past the Dragon’s Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that had been broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool; but there was no place for the animal I was riding to continue. 15 So I went up by way of the valley by night and inspected the wall. Then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
The first step in rebuilding any community is to survey the damage. All too often, we ride into other people’s lives, their neighborhoods or their brokenness and start telling people what to do instead of listening to their hearts. Most people know what their pain is (they’ve been living it) even if they don’t quite know how to verbalize a solution. Shame on us when we start telling, selling or preaching to people or communities without ever listening. The result is we promote our solutions and then get defensive and hostile when people don’t agree with them. We often don’t even stay long enough to ask the right questions that will lead to the right solutions.
Nehemiah didn’t start that way, Jesus didn’t start that way either. They began by surveying the situation, seeking responses from the street, at the gates, even in the dung heaps. Jesus listened to the crippled, the broken and the outcast long before he rode into Jerusalem to assert his authority.
Do we survey the scene as accurately? Do we listen as closely — not just to the ones for whom the system works — but to the ones for whom the system is broken?
Jesus “looked around at everything,” before deciding his next move. Then, when he was ready, that next move was swift, unexpected and decisive. Never in a thousand years would the religious leaders, the people, the disciples or even Satan, expect that the first action of the Savior would be to single-handedly take over the Court of Gentiles. Radical, stunning; the sting from his belt has been felt for two thousand years. The snap of those cords can still be heard whenever we stand for the rejected or tormented whose access to the love of God has been blocked by religiosity or exploitation.
Before we try to be the “Messiah” in people’s lives by giving them our views, judgments and opinions, let’s walk their gates, let’s stand in their brokenness, let’s hear their pain. Only then, will we understand the king who rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey colt. Only then will we be able to cleanse ourselves from the false messiahs of power, manipulation and control. Only then will we truly understand what it means to cry out; “Hosanna, save us!”
Mark11:15-26
“My House Shall Be Called a House of Prayer for All the Nations”
Mark 11:15-26
MARK 11:15-26
15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say 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 robbers’ den.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
19 When evening came, they would go out of the city.
20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
MARK 11:15-18
15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 7 And He began to teach and say 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 robbers’ den.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
Momma’s Angel
Dion was raised by his mother in a rental unit adjacent to a church parking lot. His mother worked two jobs; one to cover babysitting and one to pay the rent. At the end of the month, Dion’s mother, wrapped him in a windbreaker, then tucked a blanket inside it to keep him warm and went to stand in a shelter food line. She could stretch a penny into a dime but there were never enough dimes to make it through the month.
Dion could remember how crowded the church parking lot was on Sundays. People coming and going in leather-seated SUV’s, dressed in their Sunday finery. For some reason Dion would hide on those mornings and watch church members come and go from behind his bedroom curtain. His clothes were threadbare, his shoes were stained, he didn’t own a pair of matching socks let alone a crisply-ironed suit coat.
Once a year the church would have a Vacation Bible School for their kids. Dion would stay inside on those mornings too. It was his neighborhood but it was their parking lot. He watched the children jump in the blow-up castle, listened to the strains of a savvy praise band, saw the stage where a puppet named Noah loaded zoo animals into a big boat and sailed away. Then he heard the hypnotic voice of an elegant man that everyone seemed to admire. Dion guessed that was the man whose name was in big letters in front of the church, the Reverend Doctor something. It was hard for Dion to put together that many letters. Dion didn’t understand what the Reverend Pastor was saying but his sing-song way of speaking was almost like music.
Soon enough the castle was gone, the band loaded up and the puppets thrown unceremoniously into a faded cardboard box.
Once again the parking lot was empty save for Sundays and Wednesday night. The dull orange glow of the church’s security lights were all that filtered into his bedroom when his mom finally came home at night. Weary and frayed from her long day, she would always kiss him good-night and the two recited a nightly ritual.
“I love you momma.”
“I know you do baby. Momma loves you too. She’s just tired to her bones tonight.”
“Goodnight momma.”
“Good night my angel. Remember, God’s looking out for my little man.”
“Okay momma.”
One day the landlord’s black Lexus drove up to the parking lot. He met the elegant man whom everyone admired, Reverend Doctor something. They shook hands and the elegant man walked back to the church while the landlord looked up at the apartments, smiled and climbed back into his shiny car.
The next night momma cried when she read a paper that had been slipped under their door. It said they had to move. Their building was being sold. “No, it didn’t say why. They were just going to demolish the apartments.”
“It wasn’t that the place was nice,” Dion’s momma said, “it’s just they weren’t going to be able to find somewhere as cheap.”
She worried about having to get yet another part-time job. She was already gone fourteen to sixteen hours on most days. Dion was so worried for his momma. She already looked pale and he could hear her coughing real bad sometimes at night. He didn’t understand it when she said she couldn’t afford to see a doctor.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” she said as her face melted into tears again.
“Momma,” said Momma’s angel, “Remember, God will take care of us.”
To drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple
Jesus had finally arrived for his last visit to Jerusalem. The poor welcomed him with cries of Hosanna while the powerful sneered behind his back and told him to silence the crowds before Rome called out the riot police.
Instead of acquiescing to their newfound timidity, he did something incendiary. He rode straightway to the temple and set up court in the “parking lot.” There in the Court of Gentiles, Jesus tries the temple priests and finds them wanting. He kicks out the money-changers, dove and sheep-peddlers alike and began pouring out compassion to the crippled, impoverished and victimized. Adulterer and blind man alike found freedom in his presence, Gentile and Israelite witnessed God’s mercy. For one day in history, God’s temple looked as it should. A M*A*S*H unit for sinner and diseased alike. For a shining moment the Good News mission of Jesus and prophesy of Isaiah came true in the City of David:
Luke 4:18-19
18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
And all of that happened in the temple parking lot.
The area where Jesus’ ire was vented was the outermost court of the temple. This was as far as you could go if you were an “outsider.” This was the only glimpse Gentiles were allowed to see of the Jews most sacred site and it was filled with the cacophony of carnies hawking their wears.
What did the high priest’s care what outsiders thought? Space was at a premium already in the inner city of Jerusalem (Detroit, Houston, East L.A.). So that is where the priests had their dirty work done for them. Bribes and confidences were exchanged in order to lease a special booth in that area. Temple taxes were taken–but only in temple dollars. Exchange rates were exorbitant. Sheep were sold to the elite and pigeons to the poor. Only “unblemished” animals could be given for sacrifice. You might have to sell the “blemished” animal you brought for some scrawny replacement at a temple booth, only to see your animal for sale and magically “unblemished” when you left the grounds at the end of the day.
The temple tax was almost a third of the average workers income. That, on top of Roman taxes, pushed the poor into destitution while the robes of the high priests were said to cost three times the annual income of a common laborer. We might scoff at that now, but have you looked through a catalog of altar wear lately? Have you seen what it currently costs to drape a church in seasonal finery?
No, Jesus wouldn’t tolerate this. Not while he was proclaimed King–not even if for a few days.
“Is God gonna look out for us now?”
On eviction day, an old beat-up Bronco pulled up into the parking lot. A hefty old man limped out of the driver seat and shuffled up to Dion’s apartment. Dion was glad to see him. He was like Dion’s grandpa before he “went to live with God.” The gentleman was here to help Dion’s mom move their few boxes. Everything they needed could fit in the back of the blue-rusted Bronco and Dion felt proud to help the older man. Whatever they couldn’t fit in could be left and destroyed with the building
His momma wasn’t well enough to help. Her cough had become worse and she already lost the two jobs she worked. The old man said they were “blessed” because he found them a room at the shelter where they’d been eating. Dion wasn’t sure what blessed meant but it was like “lucky”–only better.
As the older gentleman helped Dion’s mom to the car, the Reverend Doctor drove into the lot and walked over to meet them.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a full-tooth smile, “but you can’t park here while loading up your things. This is church property.”
Dion wasn’t really sure what happened. But just for a moment, the old man didn’t look so old. And he didn’t look so humped over and he didn’t look like he much admired the elegant Reverend Doctor like everyone else seemed to.
Instead the Reverend Doctor seemed to shrink. His alligator smile turned into a trembly-sort of pout and he quickly trotted back through the brass double-doors of his church.
Just as suddenly everything returned to normal. The old man seemed older again and maybe just a bit more bent and a tad more worn.
“Is God gonna look out for us now,” asked Dion?
The old man turned with a beautiful smile. He replied, with the warmest voice Dion had ever heard (except for his momma), “Yes, Dion. God’s gonna look out for you now.”
“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”
In order for us to understand the full scope of what Jesus said to those surrounding him we must remember that he was speaking in the parking lot — the Court of Gentiles. These words were destined to give hope to the excluded but they were said in front of the elite. They were meant for prestigious ears too.
What did Jesus hope to accomplish with these insightful actions and words? Did he expect to curry the crowd’s favor and actually start a riot? It would be a misconception to believe that this had anything to do with our Lord’s motivation. For almost a year he had been telling his disciples about the cross. Was he making himself out to be a martyr so that he would be killed? No, the Sanhedrin had already determined he must die regardless of what he did or said.
Jesus was making a prophetic announcement and using the tools of the prophets before him. Concise words and dramatic action were the prophet’s tools to confront a self-serving people who called themselves “God’s Nation.”
To an Israelite there was “The House” and “the nations.” The Israelites were “The House [G3624 Oikos]” of God. The Hebrew version was Bayith [H1004] as in the House of Jacob [Genesis 46:27] or the House of Israel [Exodus 16:31]. The fullest sense of the word does not mean the temple. It did not refer to a place but a people. It would best be translated as, “A community of people where even my daughter can be raised in the safety and intimacy of God.”
Can you think of any better definition of church for a Messiah who pronounced: “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these [Mark 10:14].”
This is the “church” Jesus comes to restore in Jerusalem. But wait... there’s more!
Jesus makes his pronouncement in front of the privileged but to the prevented — those prevented from the inner courtyards of worship because of illness, poverty or background. Our Lord’s invitation is to “the nations [G1484 Ethnos].” That word meant “the other ethnic groups.” Those whom the Israelites called “the goys [H1471]. Over time it became a derogatory term, but look at how Isaiah used it:
Isaiah 2:2-4
2 Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations [goy] will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.”
This was the kingdom of God made manifest through Jesus on that eventful day when the temple became the House of the Lord.
“God’s looking out for my little man.”
Dion’s mom never did recover. She gave her last bit of strength to him when they moved into the shelter. By then, the cancer had progressed too far for the doctors to treat it.
One night, the kind old man rushed Dion to the hospital only in time for the boy to hear these words one final time; “Good bye my angel. God’s looking out for my little man.”
MARK 11:19-22
19 When evening came, they would go out of the city.
20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.
“It was not the season for figs”
This story is broken up and comes to us in two halves. Let’s combine them to the whole event uninterrupted:
Mark 11:12-13
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
Mark 11:20-21
20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”
This story may seem unrelated to the clearing of the temple but in actuality the two are intricately related. The fig tree showed the appearance of spring so as to beguile the hungry passerby. But its promise was empty. For all its beauty it provided no substance. It was judged for its false promises — even though it was out of season.
The temple of Jerusalem was a fig tree full of false promises. Beautiful to behold yet all the more condemned because it stole hope from the hearts of those who hungered for it most. When should the promise of God be “out of season?” We might just as well ask, “When should it be false?
Look at how Paul prepares Timothy to bear fruit:
2 Timothy 4:1-4
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
The harsh action in the temple and the wilting of the fig tree were inseparable lessons to the followers of Jesus. The Word of God must never return empty.
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire.”
Here — in these two inseparable lessons — the disciples of Christ learn what Jesus will judge and the finality of his judgment. The message is quite clear: To be given the nutrients of full life and invite the weary sojourner yet then only deliver false promises is unacceptable to the Messiah.
In the temple sinners weren’t given fruit, they were despised. The crippled and the blind weren’t offered solace, they were barred from entering. Widows and orphans didn’t find respite, they were ignored or manipulated. The weary found no sustenance — and that’s what Christ abhorred.
A Man of Christ
Dion was raised in the foster care system but the older man never forgot him. Wherever Dion wound up, he could be assured the old man would be there reminding the young boy how blessed he was to be momma’s angel. Dion grew from momma’s little man into a grateful and humble adult.
Years later, Dion gave the valedictorian speech at one of the nation’s preeminent theological schools. He had his choice of churches but only one job interested him. He became the director of the homeless shelter where he had been fed and sheltered all those years ago.
MARK 11:22-26
22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
“Believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you”
The disciples are even more amazed at what Jesus did to the fig tree than what he did in the temple. How often are we similarly more enamored by the power to destroy than the power to free, liberate or create? Yet Jesus doesn’t dissuade them, instead he tells them the three traits at the heart of the miraculous life.
1. Faith without doubt
Everyone has doubts — something that Jesus knew his followers would wrestle with — then and now. But the miraculous person is one who acts on his or her faith rather than waiting upon their doubts. The statement, “let’s wait and see what happens,” is not a statement of faith. God would not roll back the waters of the Jordan for Joshua to cross until his priests first stepped into the rapids [Joshua 3:12]. Do I wait in doubt or act in faith?
2. Prayer with action
If you find yourself waiting for God to answer your prayers — perhaps he is waiting for you to act on it. Nothing moves God to respond so much as a person who acts on what he or she is asking for.
3. Seeking forgiveness and being forgiving
We cannot act in one way and expect God to act in another. That is like asking God to grow a crop while refusing to plant a field. Yet, worse still is when we plant weeds and expect God to grow grapes. Our universe operates under the principles of gravity. It takes an enormous amount of energy to compensate for its pull.
Similarly, our lives are ruled by the law of reciprocity. In the long run, we always get what we give. The amount of energy required to stave off the consequences of living an angry, unforgiving life will eventually be too much to sustain. First because we are operating against the laws of the universe and second because we are acting against God’s will.
In order to live a miraculous life we have to 1) confront our doubts and choose faith, 2) act on our prayers and 3) live a forgiving life. This is the life that God will bless abundantly with joy and peace. On that day, two thousand years ago, Jesus was showing his disciples not just the way the temple should look but the way our hearts should look. Our churches are the house of God, but so are our hearts. Will God find me ready bear fruit in and out of season?
“This man was God’s angel…”
Dion applied himself to the neighborhood where he was raised. His outreaches expanded to meals-on-wheels for the elderly and job retraining for the unemployed. He started GED classes and college prep courses for the kids in his neighborhood. There were so many mouths to feed and minds to shape and square footage was at a premium.
One day, a member of his board brought Dion an interesting offer. A large church in the neighborhood was selling their property. The pastor was older and the congregation had dissipated to younger churches with a more vibrant message and exciting programs. People didn’t like coming to the area and the church was having a hard time keeping up with its expenses. “It’s perfect for expanding our residential program to battered women and our high school equivalency programs,” said the board member.
When Dion went to look at the property, the pastor met him in the parking lot. The years hadn’t been good to the older gentleman. He seemed weary and stooped. Frayed from the stress of trying to meet expectations and bills alike. The older man hardly looked up into Dion’s eyes.
“Reverend,” Dion asked, “what will you do when you sell this building?”
“I don’t know,” said the old man. “I’m really tired and — if you don’t mind me saying — I just feel empty. It is like all I worked so hard to achieve seems somehow meaningless now.”
“Sir,” Dion ventured, “perhaps I could persuade you to stay. I could use someone who knows the promise of God to help me with those who are broken by life.”
Fourteen years later, the old Reverend died. But not before helping find homes for hundreds of the homeless and mentoring many of the neighborhood’s toughest kids into college. His last request was to have a quiet funeral at the shelter.
The funeral was quiet, but not for lack of people. The center hall was packed into the street. Six pallbearers bore the elegant old man’s body to the front of the building. All six wore their graduation tassels in honor of the mentor who carried them through their tough teen years.
The Reverend Doctor who eulogized the elegant man’s life was Dion. It was brief but poignant and ended with the words, “This man was God’s angel to many and it is God who is looking out for him now.”
Mark 11:27-33
By What Authority?
Mark 11:27-33
MARK 11:27-33
27 They came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 “Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 They began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 “But shall we say, ‘From men’?” — they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. 33 Answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
MARK 11:27-29
27 They came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
“By What Authority”
Jesus returned to the temple the day after he cleared it. No longer do the temple politicians send their minions to confront him. Now the chief priests and the scribes and the elders come to confront him. They no longer debate whether Jesus is doing the miraculous, they debate by whose authority he is doing his work. It isn’t the first time Jesus was questioned in this manner.
The question of authority comes up multiple times in Mark’s Gospel.
Jesus teaches with amazing authority.
Mark 1:22
They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
He has the authority to command unclean spirits.
Mark 1:27
They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and heal the crippled.
Mark 2:10-12
10 “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — He *said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”
He has the authority to pass on his healing power to others.
Mark 3:14-15
14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.
But he asserts that his authority is based in serving God not being served by others.
Mark 10:42-44
42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. 43 “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.”
It is an interesting contrast between the religious leaders viewpoint of authority and our Lord’s. The Religious Leaders viewed authority as a derivative of education and networking. You had authority if:
1. You had the means to get the right education
2. You had the proper lineage
3. You had the right connections that resulted from the right education and the right family.
Authority, to the religious leaders, was privilege disguised as knowledge. Thus their questions of Jesus avoided authority by influence and focused instead on authority by title and position. Specifically their questions revolve around the term, exousia [G1849]. This term would be similar to asking, “What jurisdiction do you have?”
Exousia comes from the word, exesti [G1832] which would also mean, “Who gave you permission?”
The root words of exesti are ek [G1837] meaning “foundation” and eimi [G1510] meaning “your existence.” The religious leaders believed that the foundation of their existence was a combination of birthright and income. Thus they saw leadership as a privilege, not a responsibility. They thought they could silence Jesus by asking “What is the foundation of your existence?” Because of their paradigm, they thought Jesus would be forced to admit he had no formal schooling, Unlike someone like Saul of Tarsus, this lowly son of a poor means hadn’t been a student of a great master like Gamaliel. Instead, he was raised by a common laborer in a minor city that all of Israel despised.
What did Jesus see as his “foundation for existence?” Where did Jesus find his authority? Certainly not in the ways of humans:
John 2:24-25
24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
The key to Jesus’ foundation can be found in how he stated that all people would be judged. It wasn’t by our heredity, education, wealth or ability to draw a crowd. Look at how Jesus said God would measure our lives:
Matthew 16:27
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
Jesus measured the authority — the foundation — of a life by the deeds committed. No wonder the religious leaders despised him. The work of Jesus showed the impotence of the “authorities.”
These so-called leaders didn’t question Jesus’ power; they questioned his authority. They didn’t question his ability; they questioned his credentials. Do I ever act like that in order to protect my beliefs or self-proclaimed expert status? Am I more enamored by titles or accomplishments?
Where does my authority lie? Is it in my position and portfolio or is it in my deeds. Would my deeds glorify a God committed to the least accepted and most rejected?
What question would I put to Jesus? Would I question his authority or even his existence?
MARK 11:27-33
30 “Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 They began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 “But shall we say, ‘From men’?” — they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. 33 Answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
“Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
There are a number of lessons about false leadership and true leadership in this short paragraph.
First of all, it wasn’t like the Religious Leaders had been opinion-less on John’s authority. Obviously they had a very strong opinion. They despised John as much as they despised Jesus. Once again, John’s effectiveness revealed the Religious Leaders impotence. However, they won’t share their opinion because it would reveal their deceitfulness.
This is one of the first signs of an ideologue; hide any truth that conflicts with your ideology.
When Jesus confronts them with their falsehood, they are struck dumb. Truth is always the enemy of the ideologue. It reveals his/her (or their) compulsion to control through manipulative devices.
The second aspect of leadership revealed in this paragraph is that the deeds of the compassionate always speak for themselves. True leadership will never question effectiveness springing from justice. Authoritarian leaders always question effectiveness that isn’t submissive to their agenda or within their structure. That’s why the Religious Leaders could not acknowledge Jesus or John the Baptist.
The disagreement at the temple plays out within each of us daily. We must confront the struggle within ourselves that exists between wanting to control others for our own ends and liberate others to find meaning in the Immortal. Our fears and desires fight daily to defeat our availability and sacrificial love for the least of God’s beloved. Will we cling to authority or abandon ourselves to service? That is the crux of the temple dispute.