The Temple, The Tree, & The New Order

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Scripture

Mark 11:12-26

Prayer

Intro:

Have you ever had the reaction, “what does that have to do with anything?”

Like, you’re talking with someone and then someone buts in with a random statement that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Or, you pull up some random junk in an argument that has nothing to do with the argument at hand?

That’s the question some of us are asking when we read today’s passage.

Jesus, why in the world are you doing that to an innocent fig tree and what does that have to do with you going hard in the temple?

What does that even have to do with anything?

Honestly, the fig tree feels like the kid who went over to his friend’s house after school and then sat on the couch while his mom chewed him out for bringing a friend over.

It’s like “Jesus, leave the figs out of this!”

But the fig tree actually plays an important role in the story, but only if we understand what’s going on at The Temple

The Temple:

Mark used a literary device, what scholars have called the Markan Sandwich, to prove certain points throughout his gospel.

IDK about you, but when I order a sandwich my first focus is on what’s inside, and then I handle the bread.

Let’s press pause on the fig tree and make our way to the temple with Jesus.

Jesus pulls up on the temple with His followers and straight up causes a ruckus.

The temple was the largest religious structure in the Roman empire at this point in time. It was called Herod’s temple because Herod built it to placate the Jews who were under Roman authority.

The temple itself was the size of 35 football fields and was broken up by various courts. The three main ones are the Court of Gentiles, The Court of Women, and the Court of the Israelites.

Only ritually clean Jewish men could enter the temple’s heart to worship.

The Sanhedrin, comprised of the High Priests and the scribes ran the temple.

Jesus walked into the Court of the Gentiles, where the money changers and merchants were, and began to drive out those who were buying and selling. He then began to teach to the people.

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.’” Mark 11:17

Jesus was rebuking the Sanhedrin for their divisiveness and greed.

Divisiveness

The temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations.

But Gentiles were separated from the Jews in worship

There was a wall separating the sanctuary from the Court of the Gentiles with a sign that read “No foreigner may enter within the railing and enclosure that surround the Temple. Anyone apprehended shall have himself to blame for his consequent death.”

Jesus rebukes them for their xenophobia and ethnocentrism.

The commonly held notion was that the Messiah would clear the temple of Gentiles, but Jesus came to clear the way for the nations to worship.

Greed

The Sanhedrin was benefitting financially off the backs of the poor.

“The theology buttressing this system said that you are poor, suffering, and oppressed because you have sinned against God. To be forgiven you must offer sacrifice, which ultimately lined the pockets of those primarily responsible for the oppression of the poor. When Jesus pronounced forgiveness of sins by God (Mark 2:5,10), he bypassed the sacrificial cult and subverted one of the repressive factors in society.” David E. Garland

Jesus rebukes the greedy Sanhedrin that were lining their pockets

It reminds me of the prosperity gospel… false preachers lining their pockets off the offerings of the poor.

Under the leadership of the Sanhedrin, the temple had become a perversion of what it was supposed to be.

Jesus was joining with the prophetic voices of Jeremiah and Isaiah, who hundreds of years earlier, rebuked Israel on separate occasions for similar reasons.

The leadership of Israel had, for hundreds of years, missed the mark, and finally, God’s judgment was at hand.

It’s often said that Jesus cleansed the temple but that’s not what Jesus was doing. He wasn’t cleansing it, He was condemning it.

Keep that in mind as we take a step back to the tree.

The Tree:

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.

Jesus could have expected some edible paggim… but He found nothing that could provide actual sustenance.

The fig tree looked like it had fruit to offer, but it had none.

So Jesus curses the fig tree, saying “May no one ever eat fruit from you again”

And then He and the disciples leave for the temple.

The next day, as they were making their way back to the temple and Peter catches a glimpse of the fig tree. To which he exclaimed “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

The tree had withered. The day before it looked like it was teeming with life and now it looks lifeless.

It’s important to note that the tree had withered, it hadn’t been chopped down, or lit on fire, nor did it vanish. We’re told that it had withered from the roots.

Now, what does this have to do with the temple?

Jesus often spoke in parables, short moral stories with symbolic meaning, in this case however, He was enacting the parable.

The fig tree symbolized the temple.

It looked amazing! 35 football fields worth of glory. The Sanhdrien that ran it were so religious and had everything on lock.

Yet, there wasn’t even a paggim that had matured to the point of being edible.

There wasn’t even a little bit of fruit, let alone an entire fig.

So Jesus, brought judgment upon the fruitless facade of proper worship.

He went straight for the roots.

The tree, like the temple, is replaced by Jesus from the roots, as the centerpiece of worship.

Jesus’ judgment went past a simple pruning, He uprooted the Old Order. This was physical as much as it was spiritual. The temple would be destroyed by Rome some 60 years later

The Old Order of worship was replaced by the New Order.

The Old Order of things centered around the temple under the leadership of the Sanhedrin, the New Order centered around Jesus, under the leadership of the Triune Godhead.

This is so important for us to hear.

It’s important because while the Old Order was done away with, the spirit of the Old Order has continued to plague the church.

How many years did the American church endorse slavery and then segregation?

How many years did the American church silence women and functionally consider them second class?

How many news stories have we read about pastors mishandling money?

How many stories have we heard about the church sweeping the sex scandal under the rug?

Pointing with three fingers pointing back

It’s us too folks!

How many times have we preferred comfort over conviction?

How many times have we pushed that “weird” person away because they aren’t like us?

How many times have we allowed hedonism to be the thrust of our lives?

How many times have we subjected His truth to “our truth”

The spirit of the Old Order has continued to plague the church and has reinforced a poor witness to the world around us and rendered us powerless.

No wonder the back doors are bigger than the front.

No wonder so many of us feel like we’re living a lackluster life.

Don’t you want something better? Don’t you want to devote your life to something of substance?

Don’t you want to devote yourself to something that actually bears fruit in your life?

Don’t you want to lay your life down for something worthy of your life?

I’m here to tell you this morning, that this cannot be found on the fruitless fig tree.

This can only be found in the well that never runs dries.

Transition: So how do we overcome the Old Order and destroy it at its roots?

The New Order:

At the end of our passage, Jesus reveals the essence of the New Order.

The New Order is grounded upon faith, prayer, and forgiveness.

The slippery slope from this place leads to the fruitless fig tree.

Faith

Faith

We choose to trust in Jesus and what He says, even if it doesn’t make sense to us.

Prayer

We make a habit out of prayer.

EX// My morning prayer habit

Forgiveness

We forgive to be forgiven because we’ve been forgiven.

This may not make the most logical sense but we’ve been forgiven by God, but He places the burden of forgiveness on us to forgive, and if we don’t we are risking …

Practice: Pray the Lord’s Prayer Daily

Question: Is the fruit tree you’ve been going to actually satisfy your hunger pangs? If not, I’d love to chat with you about Jesus after the gathering.