A Fig Sandwich

Intro

New Members Welcome:

Eve Mar

Jill Latuszek

Krysta Peterson

Micah Peterson

Shawn De Vera

Quincy Jones

if you have questions on the book of Mark or just any questions of me…we are going to record a special podcast on the book of Mark and release it at the end of our series. So here is how you can participate.

You can email questions to [e-mail]

or you can just text questions to 916-398-3343

If you haven’t already checked it out, our podcast are just the audio sermons and you can either find them on Spotify or apple Podcasts.

Maybe you have questions on something I didn't cover…Maybe you have questions on something I did cover…So feel free to text or email those in and I would be happy to respond to them.

We just have a couple of weeks left in the book of Mark…I am sad already...

About 18 years ago I was in my very early days as a youth pastor…Our church had built this skatepark as an outreach to youth kids and as you can imagine it was very popular…So I constantly had all of these skater kids that I was telling about Jesus...

So on Wednesday’s I had to get ready for our youth ministry and sometimes that meant running out to pick up food or games and there were always these same 4 kids who were with me…So I would throw them in my car and we would go run errands…And as you can imagine, 4 teenage boys were always messing with me...

so one day we are driving back to the church and right in front of the church and someone slammed on their breaks right in front of me so I slammed on my brakes and it was scary....So 22year old youth pastor …youth pastor dave blurts out OH SH&%!

And obviously, The youth pastor cussing in front of 4 teenage boys was not a great move.

They never let me hear the end of it...

But one of those kids, Chris Berry was a bit smarter than all the rest....

See none of these kids were christians, they were in it for the skateboarding...

But much later like years later…tells me…You remember when you cussed in front of all of us/.....and I am like..>yeah, not my finest moment…He said…well after that I wanted to know if you really believed in Jesus or if you were just faking it....So I watched your life…And I think that was just a mistake because that’s not you...

And at one point he became a student leader within the youth ministry

I tell that story to tell you that our inner life often times comes out…And people are looking at you…They know that you are a christian....

They want to know…Are you just faking it?

Do they look like a christian on the outside but on the inside they are duplicitous...

And I bring this up because Jesus cares about our inner life…Your inner life isn't juts your inner life, it is part of the community and entire organizations are effected by your own inner life that no one else sees

So this morning I was going to Go over Mark 11:1-11 …And that is Jesus entry into Jerusalem and the temple area…and people are shouting Hosanna…So I know time is short for mark so I will add to our podcast, but I think the thing we really need to focus on today is Mark 11:12-25 and this question about our inner lives…so lets go to the text

Mark 11:12–25 NIV

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 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. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. 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, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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.’” 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. When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “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. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

So in Mark we have encountered these little sandwiches right?

The story starts with the cursing of the fig tree, then Jesus clears the temple…and then we find the fig tree again

Then the next morning, Peter is like…Hey Jesus look that tree you cursed is dead!

So we know because we have looked at these sandwiches before that mark does this because he wants you to know that both stories are related…Mark wants us to ponder and compare these stories so that we can see the deeper significance

So what is up with this fig tree?

It is the only miracle of destruction in the gospels

This event when not understood correctly has caused so many problems for people

The Famous Atheist Bertrand Russell accused jesus of “Vindictive Fury” for blaming the tree for not producing figs in season…To Russell this tarnishes the reputation of Jesus

A christian scholar from the 1800’s TW Manson:

The Gospel according to Mark The Barren Temple (11:12–25)

“It is a tale of miraculous power wasted in the service of ill-temper (for the supernatural energy employed to blast the unfortunate tree might have been more usefully expended in forcing a crop of figs out of season); as it stands it is simply incredible.”

So his point is that if Jesus could curse the fig tree, then he could have made it produce figs...

I love it when scholars are smarter than Jesus! And they have better ideas for him

This is a valuable lesson in Biblical interpretation: You might want to write this down. There are three words that will help you to read the bible and understand it.

Ok are you ready for those three words: The first is Context, the second is Context and the third, Context

Those who get angry at this story miss the bigger context of what is happening.

First and foremost, anyone who is is familiar with fig trees....

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN LITERALLY EVERYONE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD

Knows that fig trees produce fig knops before they even produce leaves

These Knops produce little fruits called Paggim that will ripen into figs later in the season...

Everyone would have know about this because they are edible! And people ate them all the time

Think about any fruit tree…Before its ripe for the picking it produces little fruit and that is what Jesus would have been looking for.

The earliest interpretation of this text that we have shows the proper meaning of it

First, the Old Testament is ripe with shriveled fig tree imagery:

Isaiah 34:4 NIV

All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

Micah 7:1 NIV

What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.

Now these texts are just part of a Scathing rebuke of Jerusalem and the temple...

So Jesus is entering into a prophetic tradition and picking up on these Old Testament verses

Where a withered Fig tree represents a Jerusalem that is being condemned

So Jesus cursing a fig tree is what we call an enacted parable.

It is a parable that Jesus is living out so that his disciples can see the significance of what they are about to walk into

It is what God had the prophets do all the time

Hey Jeremiah wear this yoke as a symbol

Hey Ezekiel, lay on your side for years

Hey Hosea, go marry that faithless prostitute Gomer...

God has a habit of showing his people not just telling his people and this is the same thing that Jesus is doing

The point was that that green lush leafy tree was just as deceptive as the temple that Jesus was about to go to

I think the cursing of the fig tree is a warning to you and me

The cursing of the fig tree points to the deceptive life that looks spiritual but is in fact fruitless.

Its like that moment that I cussed as a youth pastor…My kids wanted to know…are you just deceptive and fruitless

I used to have this adult volunteer in youth ministry who all the time said to the kids, you can live in your garage but it doesn’t make you a car

His point was in order to come to church and see any transformation you need to have a relationship with Jesus

Church is great but it doesn't transform you…it wont produce fruit in your life…Its all Jesus

You have to open the door and let Jesus in…He’s not going to go where he isn’t wanted

So after this: Jesus again re-enters Jerusalem

And lets re-look at what Jesus does

Mark 11:15–17 NIV

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, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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.’”

Again…The temple from the outside…looked amazing…and that is where Jesus was

It would have been absolutely breathtaking in the ancient world to see not just the building but the operation of the temple.

So remember, jesus is there for the passover, a pilgrimage feast where people come to the city to celebrate...the City of Jerusalem swells in population to double or triple its original size.

People come to make sacrifices to atone for their sins and to eat the passover meal

The enormity of the temple industry is shown in this:

An ancient historian named Josephus writes that: in the year AD 66ad, 255,600 lambs were slaughtered for the passover

So there was this massive open air market that that happened and the Sanhedrin put this market right in the court of Gentiles....

See Jesus sees the temple in its original purpose....This is supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations!

And at the people who were watching over the temple at the time flooded the only place for “all nations” to be…The court of gentiles with a market

One of the things that would eventually be unearthed at the temple site is a sign that would read this:

“No foreigner may enter within the railing and enclosure that surround the Temple. Anyone apprehended shall have himself to blame for his consequent death.”

So these signs probably would have ben up in Jesus’ day. So Jesus clears the temple and it appears that he does this for the gentiles because this is a house of prayer for all nations (ethnos) Nations is the same word as Gentiles

So Jesus saying this would have really upset the sensibilities of the sadducees who segregated the temple based on whether or not you were a Jew.

Jesus here is saying I want all people to have access to God instead you have filled this temple court up in an effort to exclude gentiles.

So instead of the temple being a house of prayer for all nations

He calls it a Den of Robbers

A den of robbers would be the place where corrupt people feel safe

A place where robbers would find a hiding place among one another

So when Jesus is saying this, everyone would know that Jesus is tapping into Jeremiah 7

What happens there is that Jeremiah goes and speaks against Jerusalem

He is like all of you think that just because you have this temple in your back yard that you are safe

But God will do to this temple, what he did to Shiloh.

See Shiloh was the original capitol of Israel, where the Ark of the Covenant was…And When Israel’s enemies attacked they took the ark and brought it into battle...

They were basically trying to use God as a tool to win at life....So God allowed Shiloh to be destroyed…And you can go there today…its an active Archeological dig but its obvious it was ransacked!

So Jeremiah is standing in front of the temple telling the people it looks good on the outside but the inner life is corrupt

And Jesus is tapping into that and telling the temple leaders

So Jeremiah is telling the temple leadership:

you rob and steal and then come to the temple and feel safe

you oppress people and come to the temple and feel safe

you bow to the gods of money, sex and power and then come to my temple and feel safe

you trust in deceptive words…and then come to the temple and feel safe...

Then Jeremiah says

Jeremiah 7:11 NIV

Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

Because we attend church regularly we can deceive ourselves into looking like a leafy green fig tree without any fruit

This is what Jeremiah is saying…The temple establishment is rotten at the roots but its still keeping up appearances

I said last week there are times when we need to ask ourselves if we have a deeper relationship with the church than we do with Jesus.

I think this is what Jesus was facing

A group of people who over centuries made their tradition, made their building, made their status their religion

And this can happen easily if your not careful

Oh yeah I am saved I go to church

Im good I’m in a small group

I’m fine my spouse is a christian and they pray for me

But there is just no relationship with Jesus

Loose association with Jesus isn’t relationship with Jesus…You can’t live in a garage and call yourself a car...

So when the disciples see the fig tree that was withered from the roots....They were shocked at Jesus’ miracle but then Jesus takes this opportunity to say this It’s about relationship with God!

Mark 11:22–25 NIV

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “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. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

SO Basically if the disciples Got it and they are reacting to all of what is happening…Wow, Jesus your cursed the fig tree…You called the temple a den of robbers and now this fig tree is rotten! now what!

What is Jesus saying

Have faith in God, not the temple.

And what does this look like for you

The temple system was all about how good you were through keeping the law

Faith in God is about how good he is...

See at the end of the day we have to ask ourselves…Do you want to be judged by your life or by what Jesus did on the cross?

Because that is the offer of Jesus....Heap your sin onto me on the cross I will take it

Its about relationship with God rather than your religious reputation

I feel like this last section of Jesus teaching his disciples is so key because it is the anthesis of what just happened

Jesus just took the disciples to a place that looked religious but had no faith

The temple was all set up to be about forgiveness of sin…Thats what the market was for…But jesus pointed out that it was intentionally set up to keep the gentiles away from god

Now Jesus tells his disciples that when you stand before God praying, if you hold anything against anyone them just forgive them so that God will forgive you!

Sometimes we read this and are jus not sufficiently blown away by what Jesus just said.

Jesus just took his disciples through the market where there were doves, lambs and a thousand other sacrificial animals that were unblemished…so that you can buy them and offer a sacrifice for your sins

But Jesus is opening them up to the idea that through faith in God and a relationship with him that your sins will be forgiven…This would have been a revolution in thought

and although they could imagine how their sins will be forgiven…Jesus would show them in a bout a weeks time

Response

People know you go to church and they are looking at you…

They want to know what Chris Berry wanted to know about me...Are you just faking it…Are you a leafy tree with no fruit?

When you say you attend church, is it about faith in this building or is it about surrender to Jesus?

maybe you look good on the outside but you just know…you are sitting in your seat today and you just know…that there is no fruit

Maybe your life has been about trying to be good rather than having faith that he is good

Maybe your here today and you simply need to repent. To confess to God that you are just like that withered fig tree....You put on a good show but your inner life is like a dumpster fire

Just a week after all of this, Jesus would take to the cross and show them what true forgiveness would really look like