The News from Jerusalem

The News from Jerusalem

Series: Holy Week 2023

Text: Mark 11:1-25

Introduction: (What?)

Welcome to the Monday News from the Beautiful City (Jerusalem). With Passover scheduled for later this week the roads are clogged with people arriving from everywhere. Of particular interest are the events of yesterday when a young itinerant Rabbi from Nazareth, whom many are hailing as the Promised Messiah made His entrance into the city. He came riding on the colt of a donkey, followed by His disciples and people who had gone by Bethany to see the man Lazarus whom, it is said, was raised from the dead by this Rabbi. He was met by thousands who were already in town and who were curious to see Him for themselves. Many were shouting, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD” signifying their belief that Messiah has come. The entry was so tumultuous that local authorities feared a riot might break out. Once He arrived in town, He went directly to the temple, looked around, and then departed back to Bethany to stay with His friends for the night. Because of all this interest we assigned reporters to shadow the Rabbi and keep us updated on His activities. They observed some very interesting events.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Monday morning

Mark 11:12-14 “The next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it.”

Evidently Lazarus and his sisters had not prepared breakfast for Jesus and His disciples on Monday morning. On their way back into Jerusalem, Jesus, prompted by hunger, noticed a fig tree in leaf. Conventional wisdom of that day was that the fig tree first produced fruit, and then the leaves appeared. When He looked to see if there were figs, and found none, He had an “aha moment”. This would provide a perfect object lesson for His disciples. The fig tree had long been a symbol for Israel. God spoke to Jeremiah in chapter 24 using a vision of good and bad figs relating to the spiritual health of Israel. One commentator noted: The fig tree reveals what is happening in regard to the change in seasons. It naturally responds to God’s patterns on His calendar. The same can be said for Israel as the fig tree and how it responds to the prophetic and political seasons. When you see the “branches become tender and put forth leaves,” it is a picture of preparation, restoration, and abundance.

When Jesus cursed the fig tree it was not in a fit of anger. Instead it was a prophecy of the coming judgment on the mis-guided religion of Israel. Although they gave the appearance of being “spiritual”, they bore no spiritual fruit. By extension those who today profess to be Christ-followers by have no “spiritual fruit” are included in this judgment. What is the fruit that Jesus expects from true followers?

The fruit of Christian Character (the fruit of the Spirit in Gal.5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.”

He also expects to find the fruit of Christian conduct; Col 1:10-11 “so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully”

Finally, Jesus expects His true followers to produce the fruit of Christian disciples; Matt 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

It seems that Jesus is saying, “If you are going to profess to believe in me, but produce no fruit, then you are in the cross hairs of judgment.

2. Monday afternoon and evening

Mk 11:15-19 “They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!” The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching. Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.”

Having given the disciples an object lesson regarding individual fruit-bearing, Jesus proceeded into town and back to the temple. On Sunday evening He had observed the Court of the Gentiles being co-opted by merchants, plying their merchandise and displacing Gentle worshippers. Once again, the actions of Jesus are not angry outbursts, but rather are reasoned actions for the sake to driving home a lesson. He reminded these OT experts of what the prophet Isaiah had written in Isa 56:7 “I will bring them to my holy mountain and let them rejoice in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”” When the word “nations” is used in scripture it usually refers to Gentile nations. Remember, this event was taking place in the “court of the Gentiles” the only place a Gentile believer was allowed to worship. The message of Jesus was/is “Don’t impede the worship of any ethnic group in your houses of worship. Give everyone the freedom to unite in prayer in your place of worship,”

3. Tuesday morning

Mk 11:20-25 “Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.””

Finally we must look at what took place on Tuesday morning to get the full lesson of the fig tree. The lesson of fruitlessness was exhibited visually. When the disciples noticed the result of Jesus’ curse of the fig tree, He made another point. That point was that faith and prayer are inextricably connected. When we pray for things that we cannot believe will happen, we are exercising futility. Paul reminds us in Ro 14:23 “everything that is not from faith is sin.” Every endeavor in the Christian life, including prayer, must be grounded in the belief that God responds to faith. Paul told us in Eph 2:8-9 that even our salvation is received through faith. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)

So what should be our take away from the events of Holy Monday and into the morning of Holy Tuesday?

We must acknowledge that mob-mentality can easily be swayed. As you will see as this week progresses, some of the same people hailing Jesus as Messiah on Sunday, screamed for His crucifixion later in the week.

We must recognize that our “traditions” can easily get in the way of true worship. Jesus didn’t cleanse the courthouse, He cleansed the temple.

We must acknowledge that appearances without fruit brings the condemnation of Jesus.

We must realize that salvation…and answered prayer are dependent on faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God.