🐂 Mark – Chapters 11 and 12

🙏 Heavenly Father, let us humbly submit ourselves to You and listen to Your teachings in these next two chapters of Mark’s Gospel. You have shown us already how easy it is for us to lose our perspective of Your holiness as You condescend to draw near to us.  Let us remember that the drawing near is always meant to lift us to You and Your Kingdom, never to reduce Your almighty Son, Jesus, to ours.  You have told us who HE IS.  The great I AM. And we sit now to LISTEN TO HIM.  It is in His name that we pray that You soften our hearts to hear You today. Amen.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“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 heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Points to Ponder: We call this point in history as Jesus’ triumphal entry as Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.  Reading His words to His disciples, you have to wonder how that would play out… How should it? How could it? – What would be my thoughts if a leader had asked me to go into town and basically take the first colt I see. Then if someone questioned it, I should tell them the Lord needs it!  Imagine what my thoughts would be IF I obeyed THEN someone did question me AND I responded the way He told me to… AND the people let me go with their donkey!  

We get this story to see how two of His disciples might have gained some experiential knowledge of what listening to the Lord means. It baffles the mind and hits the heart, speaking directly to our spirit… are we really listening and obeying our Lord?

And why the donkey? What a contradiction to human expectations!  He does not ride into Jerusalem like a king in a royal chariot or mounted on a great horse like a mighty warrior; instead, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey – a symbol of peace.  And the people respond with the shouts from Psalm 118:25-26 (Hosanna means Lord, save us!)

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” ^[26] 

Points to Ponder: Hunger – we have a natural need for food but there is spiritual hunger as well – to return to God and His Kingdom from the cursed life we are living now in this broken world.  Mark combines the fig tree episode with the cleansing of the temple courts for a reason. And by quoting Isaiah 56:7, Jesus is calling the religious leaders our for their failure to live out their purpose. In Hebrew history, the other nations are barren trees with nothing to offer, but Israel was to be the tree of life, bearing fruit for people of all the nations.  Instead, they are only a tree with leaves – religious trappings with a profession of faithful allegiance to God, but living a lifestyle that brings no justice or compassion to the people. 

Charles Spurgeon writes: “The blighted fig tree was a singularly apt simile of the Jewish state. The nation had promised great things to God. When all the other nations were like trees without leaves, making no profession of allegiance to the true God, the Jewish nation was covered with the leafage of abundant religious profession. Scribes, Pharisees, priests, and elders of the people were all sticklers for the letter of the law and boasted of being great worshipers of the one God. They were a fig tree in full leaf. But there was no fruit, for the people were neither holy, nor just, nor true, nor faithful toward God, nor loving to their neighbor. Our Lord had looked into the temple and had found the house of prayer to be a den of thieves. He condemned the Jewish assembly to remain a lifeless, fruitless thing; and it was so.”

God has always promised salvation for His people. But that Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 AD effectively ending the sacrificial system for forgiveness and atonement through the blood of animals.  God moves through history to show the evolution of His salvation plan. Salvation is through Jesus, only – by hearing the Gospel, believing it, and approaching Jesus with a humble heart.  We confess our sins and receive His forgiveness.  We repent from our old ways of living – we are born again as new creations.  Our ‘adult’ brains know that we are but spiritual ‘children’ and need to learn this new life.  Jesus tells us the importance here of belief, prayer, and forgiveness.  But we must learn that these three are defined by Him, not by us. When we believe, we recognize our sinfulness and need for repentance and forgiveness. We recognize our need to forgive others as well.  Without that compassion for others, we will not be forgiven nor will our prayers be heard.  Without that love for others, we are no better than a fig tree with leaves but no fruit!  (Read Isaiah 56 for the prophet’s declaration of God’s salvation for all people as well as His accusation against the wicked.)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

²⁷ They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

³¹ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Points to Ponder: John the Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6, the last words we recognize from the Old Testament.  But hundreds of years have passed and the Jewish leaders have lost their purpose and have become separated from God.  We saw this in the fig tree story.  They have their own ideas of ‘authority’ – they have divisions now – there are the zealots, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the separatists at Qumran, maybe more. These leaders want to know how Jesus fits in with their narrative.  But God 😁 switches the narrative perspective and asks about John the Baptist and what authority was in play when he arrived in history to baptize people into repentance and turning the hearts back to God.  They will not answer – their leadership would be threatened by any answer.

A quick note on stubborn pride.  Face it now and humble yourself.  (Proverbs 3:5-6) When you repent and return to God, the new life given you comes with God-fidence.  This is the ability to be bold and courageous for Him and His Glory.  He tells us ‘Do not be afraid’ and ‘Fear not for I am with you’ over and over again.  (Deuteronomy 3:22, Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 28:20, Luke 12:32, Mark 5:36, John 14:27, Romans 8:15, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:6, 1 John 4:18, Revelation 2:10 and more.) Trust Him in this because being cowardly is evidence of unbelief. (Revelation 21:7-8) Or if you’re stuck in childlike faith… pray to be released!  Pray for the strength and peace that comes with spiritual maturity.  Pray like the father in Mark 9:24 – I do believe; help me with my unbelief!

The Parable of the Tenants

12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

⁶ “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
¹¹ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

Points to Ponder: A parable is great literary instrument that the Bible uses to convey great meaning in fewer words.  Here all the Jewish leaders understand the parable as a message of God’s judgment against them. The vineyard, the wall, the watchtower, the winepress – these are all familiar references from the Old Testament. God promised them protection as they faithfully work for His glory to make Him known throughout the generations and to remain separate from the other nations.  But they were unfaithful to Him and failed to make Him known even to the people of Israel.  The leadership had become self-focused. God had sent His Word through the prophets and Israel rejected them and Him.  Jesus is clear that He knows that they will reject Him as well and kill Him. He warns them that the owner of this vineyard will remove the current leadership and grant the responsibility/partnership to others. (See also Isaiah 27:2-6)  Quoting Psalm 118:22-23 after the parable implies that it is through Jesus, the cornerstone, that the Church will become responsible for producing fruit of the vineyard for the owner.

It is important to remember that not all Jews rejected Jesus, in fact, THE CHURCH was built first by the Jewish disciples, becoming apostles, sent to preach the Gospel truth – first to other Jews, then to the Gentiles.  (As a Gentile, I am in awestruck wonder that God loves me enough to invite me into the love He’d promised and shown to the nation of Israel.) Read the story of Pentecost and the birth of The Church in Acts 2, especially Acts 2:38-41. Then listen to how we worship the King of Kings.  

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

¹³ Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. ¹⁴ They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? ¹⁵ Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” ¹⁶ They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

¹⁷ Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

Points to Ponder: Three great takeaways from this short story. (1) Divided people, like the Pharisees and the Herodians, can unite against a common enemy. If only Jesus was not their target. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Their word-salad… flattering Jesus for His integrity and truthfulness, doesn’t fool Him. He sees through their deception. (2) Holding up a coin, he asks about the image and the writing on it. Money is stamped with the image and motto of an earthly region/ruler.  Let him have it. (3) We are made in the image of God – we are called to give this broken life to Him, in exchange for the Holy life possible in Him.

Marriage at the Resurrection

¹⁸ Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ¹⁹ “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. ²¹ The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. ²² In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? ²⁵ When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. ²⁶ Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Points to Ponder: The Sadducees now try to trap Jesus with a ridiculous scenario trying to prove their viewpoint against the possibility of a resurrection. Jesus response causes many to almost stumble.  They get lost in His statement about when the dead rise they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. People who long to be married but are not, lose their hope of ever getting married. Happily married couples question if they’ll lose that wonderful blessing they have on earth. Divorced people are torn – should they be relieved?  Jesus’ response here is not to define our relationships in heaven, but to reassure us that there is a resurrection. People who are in Christ will rise to enjoy an eternal life.  And as wonderful as life can be in a broken world, we just know that it will be better in the resurrection. And all the good things we enjoy now, including close relationships, will be even better in heaven even if we can’t fully know them now.  We will not be angels, but like angels – only better. 💖

God is eternal. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were personal and were eternal. These men knew that. The Sadducees knew that there were centuries between the death of these men and the revelation given to Moses by God, Himself.

Don’t get stuck on ‘How can this be?’ questions – that’s exactly the point of these sections. First it was the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders… then the Pharisees and the Herodians… now it’s the Sadducees. Everyone has their idea of what ‘should be’.  That’s pride – that’s a lack of trust in the God who from the beginning of time, loves us, and has committed Himself to shaping us into something far greater that we can ever imagine. Christianity shapes us to know God and follow the ways of Jesus. His resurrection gives us a glimpse of both the love and the power of God.  His resurrection gives us the assurance that there is something far greater for us than the life we are experiencing now.  His resurrection allows us to let go of trying to control our own lives, lay them down at the cross, and continue to pray like Jesus, ‘Not my will, but Yours be done.’  

The Greatest Commandment

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³ To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Points to Ponder: Here is a teacher that has witnessed all the discussions between Jesus and the religious leaders – he is compelled to separate himself from the pack and approach Jesus directly.  (This is different!  The other leaders were concerned with other people’s opinions, this man seems to be earnestly seeking truth from the one person that appears to answer with integrity.)

He asked for the most important and Jesus gives him two answers – Loving God and loving others.  It is the paradox of doing both that is most important.  The man recognizes that the living out of loving God and others is greater than the religious trappings that many hope will earn their salvation. (Matthew 25:35-36)

Jesus tells him that he is not far from the kingdom of God. 💖Of course not, he was standing in the presence of God!  🥰 (Sometimes in the midst of the deep, spiritual realities of Scripture, Jesus speaks to me with a simple, obvious humor – like a parent telling a cool joke to their child. 💞) But notice also that the man was seeing the motivation and intent behind the Mosaic law.  It is always refreshing to see, recorded in the Gospels, that NOT ALL Jewish teachers and leaders were opposed to Jesus.  

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
    “Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
    under your feet.”’

³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with delight.

Points to Ponder: A paradox or riddle in earthly relationships, not so with God.  Just another reminder that God controls time and divine relationships cannot fit into earthly boxes.  Being a Christian will stretch your mind, if you let it. If you try to fit Christianity into your knowledge base, you will fail.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

³⁸ As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Points to Ponder: These men had great responsibility – to teach the Israel nation about God, to prepare the whole nation to be a witness of God’s great glory. Israel’s history is marked by great acts of disobedience and disloyalty. God calls their behavior adultery.  Instead of drawing other nations to their great God, they sought after the favors of the gods of other nations. 

There is a great warning for the teachers that made a display of themselves so that they drew the praise, respect, and adoration for themselves instead of God; they will be punished severely.  The same warnings are made to the leaders of the Church that do not do their work for Jesus with integrity. (James 3:1)

The Widow’s Offering

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Points to Ponder: A small offering is recognized by Jesus as a great act of faith. This small story can be so used and abused that it is intentionally placed after the warning against religious leaders that promote themselves over God – those that devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. 

My heart is heavy for those who believe that their generous gifts are earning them a place in eternity. My heart is heavy for those who give nothing because ‘religious leaders’ have taken advantage of many. And finally my heart is heavy for those who don’t pick up Scripture to read that God understands them – He knew this would happen – He knew the defilement that continues to fester in men’s hearts.  Yet He continues to stand at the door of their hearts and knock, because He loves us.

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Summary: As Jesus rides into Jerusalem as our King, He shows us that He knows us – the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of us. During such a unique moment in the history of humanity, men want to stand around God, question his authority, test His wisdom, and find some way to justify their own behaviors instead of submitting to Him and calling Him, Lord.

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🙏 Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit. You convict us of the ugliness that still lives inside of us so that we can pray for the cleansing that will draw us closer and make us more like Your Son Jesus.  It is His name, that we pray that our influence in this world will only bring others closer to You.   Amen.