Mark 11:12-21 "The Fruit Inspector"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Today’s going to be fun! First we are going to partake in the word… and then communion… and then a chili cook-off…

We’ll all be fed spiritually… and then physically… what a day!

Let’s get started! Please turn in your Bibles to Mark 11. Mark 11:12-21 today.

Last time, we witnessed Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

A very significant event… one of the few events recorded in all four gospels, and one prophetically foretold in Zech 9:9…

Which foretold of a just King… a lowly or humble King… one who had salvation… and came in peace… symbolized by Him riding on the foal of a donkey.

The people of Israel cried out “Hosanna!” which means “save now” or “save us, we pray.”

The people recognized Jesus as Messiah… BUT as recorded in Luke… the Pharisees said, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

They did not want people calling Jesus Messiah… in fact… John 12:10 tells us just prior to the the Triumphal Entry…

… the chief priests plotted to put Jesus and Lazarus to death. Jesus because many believed in Him… and Lazarus… because Jesus raised him from the dead and many believed in Jesus because of him.

And, despite this threat upon His life… in full boldness and courage… Jesus proceeded into Jerusalem… in fulfillment of multiple OT prophecies… the Lamb of God presenting Himself… and any inspection the priest would have done… they would find He was flawless.

Last week, V11 wrapped up the account where Jesus entered the temple area… looked around… and then departed Jerusalem to Bethany with the Twelve.

When Jesus “looked around at all things”... I think this tells us that Jesus was not the only one being examined… He also was examining… and fruit from the nation of Israel… was what He was looking for…

Thus, our sermon title today, “The Fruit Inspector.”

Let’s Pray… and then get into the word!

In reverence for Scripture, please stand as I read our passage today.

Mark 11:12-21 “Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

Today, we pick up… V12 “the next day”… the day after Palm Sunday…

We call that next day… anyone… MONDAY… the day after Sunday is Monday… you were expecting something much more profound…

Orthodox churches call this week, “Holy Week” and refer to this day as “Holy Monday”… the day when Jesus cursed the fig tree, cleansed the temple, and was praised by children…

You may have also heard of the week before the cross referred to as “Passion Week” (which is my preference)…

We think of “Passion” as strong emotion or intense love and certainly that is true of what Jesus revealed towards us as He went to the cross…

But, also “Passion” in Latin is passio… and originally meant “to endure suffering.”

So, Passion Week is said to both encompass the strong love and the suffering of Jesus Christ.

Today, we will also dip into the following day… Tuesday (“Holy Tuesday” for some)… and look at the fig tree dried up…

V12 also tells us Jesus and the disciples came “out from Bethany”… in V11 they were in Jerusalem, but Jesus did not stay in Jerusalem… He left and returned to Bethany… a town “two miles away” from Jerusalem according to John 11:18.

He likely returned to the home of one of His friends…

John 11:1 tells us Bethany was the town of Mary, Martha and Lazarus…

And, John 12 and Matt 26 tell us six day prior to the Passover Jesus was in the home of Simon the Leper in Bethany with Mary, Martha and Lazarus…

They made Him supper and Martha served. Mary anointed Him generously with a very expensive oil…

These were people who were life-giving to Him… and to whom He gave life to as well…

Quite literally in the case of Lazarus…

And, quite literally in that He gave the breath of life to all… (Gen 2:7, Jn 1:3-4).

So, it’s very plausible that Jesus went back to Bethany to be with people who filled Him up… just prior to Him giving all.

And, if it was important for Jesus to be with people who filled His cup… How much more important is it for us to also have people like that in our lives?

People who love us… and will come around us… people who are life giving and not life draining…

Jesus had this… and what a blessing it was.

Well… this next day… Jesus departs Bethany… heading back to Jerusalem… and the end of V11 says, “He was hungry.”

In one sense, this hunger testifies of Jesus’ humanity… He hungered… He slept… He wept… today we will see some righteous anger as He cleanses the temple…

In a broader sense… this whole account is symbolic… which we will discuss in a moment.

But, Jesus felt and experienced the human experience that we do… Heb 4:15 states, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Jesus experienced the whole human experience… All the emotions… all the temptations…

He knows what you’re going through… BUT… the difference between Him and us though… is He did it without sin.

And, I long for that… don’t you long for that? Just to do it right all the time?

Not to look back with regret? Not to get caught up in the heat of the moment? Not to let you mouth speak before your brain thinks?

Anyone else besides me?

I’m so thankful that we can look to Jesus… our High Priest… who has hungered… and can sympathize with our weakness. It’s He who saves us.

I’m thankful for the process of Salvation… the Christians journey from spiritual birth to resurrection…

I don’t know if I talk about it enough. The full process of Salvation is three-fold… justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Our High Priest… who understands us… has saved, is saving, and will save us. Past… present… and future…

In the past… upon confession and belief in Jesus, not by works… we have been saved from God’s wrath… from the penalty of sin… as we were declared righteous before God or justified… which was a one-time event.

Presently… we being saved from the power of sin… where God is purifying us from the old nature… setting us apart from the world (or making us Holy)… and conforming us into the image of His Son… this is Sanctification… and is an on-going process until we die.

In the future… we will be saved from the very presence of sin… sin will be removed… and we will stand faultless before God in glory! This is glorification.

When we look at this Passion Week of Jesus… Salvation is the big point of it all…

He came to “give His life as a ransom for many.”

To suffer, die, and rise again…

And, by His stripes we are healed…

Don’t lose sight of Salvation in the weeks ahead… it was a high price to pay, for a gift that is free.

Back in Mark… Jesus comes out of Bethany and as we read He was hungry…

And, while He naturally did hunger… if we overlook the broader symbolic interpretation…

We are left with a Savior who curses a fig tree because it had no fig on it… even though it was not the season for figs as we read in V13…

And, that proved a difficulty for some scholars… who view the tree as innocent… and cast accusation against Jesus… even so erroneously as to say He had “vindictive fury” in this scene… which is ridiculous.

When you accurately zoom out… you see that our Gospel writer Mark has written, once again, in a “sandwich construction”…

A1: cursing of the fig tree vv. 12-14

B: clearing the temple vv. 15-19

A2: withering of the fig tree, vv. 20-21

And, what our author is helping his readers to see is that these events are related…

The expectation of fruit from the tree… relates to His expectation of fruit in the Temple and when He find NO Fruit on the tree or in the Temple… He judges… cleansing the temple and cursing the tree.

The earliest commentary on Mark’s Gospel comes from Victor of Antioch in the fifth century, and even then… he understood the cursing of the fig tree as a parable symbolizing impending judgment on Jerusalem.

Let’s back track and look at this again… now with Mark’s end game in sight…

They are traveling towards Jerusalem… and Jesus sees a fig tree off in the distance (V13)… and it had leaves…

There was an appearance of life.

V13 says, “He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.”

Because it had an appearance of life… Jesus had an expectation of fruit.

But, they needed to get closer to investigate because figs are green just like the leaves. Figs don’t turn purple until later stages of maturity.

So, from a distance, they would blend in.

And, notice that NOT one of the disciples question Jesus. No one says, “It’s the month of Nisan Jesus… you won’t find anything on the tree...”

The thought of finding figs in our spring time scene here in Mark 11 was not foreign to the disciples.

Now true… as V13 also says, “… it was not the season for figs”, but Jesus still had an expectation to find something… why?

Was He a Carpenter out of touch with agriculture? I don’t think so.

Jesus demonstrated He knew when the season for figs was… in Matt 24:32 Jesus taught, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.”

Jesus knew summer was the season for figs. He was from Israel and grew up in an agrarian society. The seasons, feasts, fruits…all of it was a way of life. They were attune to the crops of the earth.

And, "All things were made through Him” (Jn 1:3)… pretty sure He knew the season.

It’s kind of ridiculous how in our society… we have access to fruits even out of season… just go to the grocery store right now in the winter and you can buy some delicious Honeycrisp Apples.

Even though apple season is not until August - October… depending on the variety…

Fig season in Israel is mainly in June/Summer, but a second season in September/Fall is also common.

But, when Jesus cursed the Fig tree it was April/ Spring…the time of Passover…the Jewish month of Nisan...our April.

So, why would Jesus expect fruit… knowing it was not the season for figs?

There are actually two or three seasons for figs in Israel… and Hebrew uses three different words to reflect the figs during these seasons:

The “bikkurah” is an "early-ripe fig" (Micah 7:1; Isaiah 28:4 ; Hosea 9:10, Nah 3:12)… “first fruit” or “ripened figs”…

These figs first appear green around March or April and ripen in June… this fig is considered a great delicacy in Israel.

The not yet ripe… still green, but edible bikkurah may have been what Jesus was looking for.

After the Bikkurah, comes the “kermus”, or "summer fig," which is ripe around August.

Safe to say, this was not the fruit Jesus was looking for.

Then there is the “pag” or "green figs," (as spoke of in Song 2:13).

Song of Solomon 2:13 states, “The fig tree put forth her green figs...”

This crop doesn’t have the rich flavor of the main crop, but it’s still edible.

This is sometimes called a “winter fig”, “early fig” or “unripe fig”… it ripens after the leaves fall and sometimes remain in winter months.

But paggah sometimes ripen in sheltered spots in spring.

So, who knows it may have been the “pag” that Jesus sought.

There’s also a fig term called a “Breba Crop” which is a bonus fig crop that comes in the spring.

Whichever kind of fig was on the tree at this time (the Bikkurah or the Pag)… some fig crop should have been present when Jesus inspected the tree.

The leaves Jesus saw on the fig tree were an indicator that an early crop should have been present…

And, so what do you call it when there is untrue or misleading information designed to mislead a consumer?

False Advertising. We experience this all the time when we grab a burger from a fast food restaurant… the ad shows a lush and delicious burger, but when you unwrap it… you wonder if the worker sat on it before delivering it to you. A great disappointment.

And, the false advertising of the fig tree is linked to our next scene when Jesus goes into the temple…

The Temple was supposed to be the Holy Place where people came near the presence of God… where they worshipped and sacrificed to Him…

It was supposed to be a light in the world for all nations… drawing people to truth…

The Priests and Religious leaders were tasked with being guides to the people… to teach them God’s law and His love…

But, just like this fig tree with leaves… it looked good from a distance, but upon closer inspection… there was no fruit.

Besides “false advertising” you could also use the term “hypocrisy.”

In the OT, for their failure, Jeremiah pronounced judgement on Judah, Jer 8:13 “I will surely consume them,” says the LORD. “No grapes shall be on the vine, Nor figs on the fig tree, And the leaf shall fade...”

Israel, in it’s early days, was a delight to God, Hos 9:10 reflects this, “I found Israel Like grapes in the wilderness [a rare delight]; I saw your fathers As the firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season.” [delicious…irresistible].

But, Hosea wrote that Israel became an abomination... turning to idols, child sacrifice, evil, wickedness, rebellion, and God said He would cast them away. Hosea 9:16 states, “Their root is dried up; They shall bear no fruit.”

And, you see in those OT verse that Israel and Judah were pictured symbolically as a fig tree… “I found Israel… as the firstfruits on the the fig tree...”

And, when you understand that the fig tree is often used in the Scripture to symbolically represent Israel… you can see this passage beyond Jesus encountering a innocent tree and cursing it…

40x in scripture either “fig” or “fig tree” appears… and a fruitful fig tree was symbolic of blessing and prosperity for Israel.

The absence or death of a fig tree symbolized judgment and rejection.

Mark intentionality to write in a sandwich structure…draws his readers to understand the greater context of this Passion Week scene…

The religious leaders rebuked Jesus for receiving praises of “Hosanna” during His Triumphal Entry…

They were fruitless… though they dressed like Holy men.

Just like the fig tree with no fruit. The fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel… who were very religious outwardly, but were spiritually barren inside.

In Matt 23:27-28, Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

And, so Jesus approaches the fig tree… hungering for fruit… coming with an expectation of fruit, but He finds nothing but leaves...

Fig leaves… the same thing Adam and Eve covered themselves with in the garden after they disobeyed God.

In Mark 11:14 we read, “In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

And, it wasn’t like the religious leaders were not warned… early on… John the Baptist… Jesus’ forerunner… rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees and told them to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Matt 3:8 and Luke 3:8.

And, John warned them, “… every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

So, when Jesus came… in response to it’s fruitlessness, Jesus curses the fig tree… a symbolic curse upon Israel for it’s fruitlessness of failing to repent… to change it’s mind and accept Messiah…

And we’ll see in the next scene… they even turned the temple into a “den of thieves.”

So often Jesus’ miracles were that of restoration, but here Jesus curses the fig tree… His only miracle of destruction.

And, I think it’s important that we take note of that. If Jesus expected Israel to bear fruit, but they did not and were cursed… and some 40 years later Rome destroyed Israel… and dispersed the Israelites throughout the Roman world…

If Jesus did that to His precious chosen people… we are not exempt.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever… and if He expected fruit then… surely He expects fruit now…

Today, we stand as the light of the world… as the salt of the earth…

Jesus gave us the great commission to “make disciples” by going, teaching, and baptizing…

We were given the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Dear Christians… Jesus placed expectations upon our lives…

It’s no accident the Jesus told the parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19… just prior to the Triumphal Entry…

The disciples thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately, so Jesus corrects them through a parable of a nobleman who went away… entrusted his servants with wealth, and expected them to be fruitful when he returned.

He would reward the faithful, and judge the fruitless… and destroy His enemies.

Go back and read that parable, because it applies to us as the church who are waiting for His return.

He’s blessed us and placed expectations upon us.

And if here were to come an inspect the fruit of our lives what would He find? Good fruit… or no fruit?

“Well… what do you mean by fruit Pastor Marc?” Great question…

After you accept Jesus as Savior… remember that term? Justification…

After that… during the Sanctification process… there is all kinds of fruit that Jesus should find in our lives…

Of course Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.”

And, Eph 5:8 “Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)”

Jesus wants to see fruits of the Spirit in our lives… transformative fruit of our character…

Which sometimes comes through chastening… Really? Oh yes!

Heb 12:11 states chastening “yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Jam 3:18 states, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Peace is a seed sown that yields a harvest of righteousness… spiritual maturity… holiness…

God also wants to see fruit come from out lips… Heb 13:15 states the “fruit of our lips” is offering praise and thanks to His name.

Rom 15:28 speaks about financial giving as fruit.

When you support kingdom work financially… that’s fruit.

Spurgeon put it this way, “The first Adam came to the fig tree for leaves, but the second Adam [Jesus] looks for figs. He searches our character through and through to see whether there is any real faith, any true love, any living hope, any joy which is the fruit of the Spirit, any patience, any self-denial, any fervor in prayer, any walking with God, any indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And if he does not see these things, he is not satisfied with churchgoing, prayer meetings, communions, sermons, and Bible readings, for all these may be no more than leafage. If our Lord does not see the fruit of the Spirit on us, he is not satisfied with us, and his inspection will lead to severe measures."

There’s a lot of fruit that we should be bearing in our lives… and when Jesus is hungering for fruit… and comes to inspect for fruit in our lives… will He find fruit? Or will He find only fig leaves?

And, if you don’t know how to bear this fruit… Just look to John 15… when Jesus said in…

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The branches that are plugged into the vine… the source of life… the source of nourishment… those branches bear much fruit…

And, that’s it… the branches don’t have to work hard to bear fruit… they just have to be connected to the vine.

And, then the fruit comes naturally.

If you’re not abiding, which means “remain, continue, stay...” If you’re not walking with Jesus… it’s hard to expect that you’ll bear much fruit.

We abide in our personal relationship with Him… beyond corporate worship… we stay plugged in daily to the source… in prayer… in His word… we see that promise of Rom 12:2 unfold....

Being “transformed by the renewing of your mind...”

And, don’t forget the final words of V14… “And His disciples heard it.”

After Jesus cursed the fig tree…

The disciples took note… they hid the word in their heart…

And, sometimes we need to take His word and file it away in our heart and be ready to open that file again… to look back upon the supernatural over time…

Jesus’ words would make sense to the disciples in time… even the next morning.

But, first… they come to Jerusalem… where like the fig tree, Jesus will neither find fruit in Temple.

Let’s re-read vv. 15-16 “So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple."

Let’s pull up our map… From Bethany, Jesus and Disciples went towards Bethphage (the house of unripe figs)… and somewhere near there they encountered the fig tree… all on the Mount of Olives… then they descended and crossed the Kidron valley and into Jerusalem… about a 2 mile journey.

Jesus goes into the temple and upon inspection… again He does not like what He sees.

Coming to the Temple was filled with expectation for many… from all nations.

There was an expectation that they would have a God encounter… that they would find truth… but so often pilgrims left empty.

I think about the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8. Here was a non-Jewish man who travelled a far distance and came to Jerusalem to worship.

Upon returning he had obtained a scroll of Isaiah and had no understanding.

The Priests or peddlers at the market were happy to sell him the scroll… no doubt at a high price.... but no one took the time to explain it to him.

God had to miraculously send Philip who sat with him, guided him, preached Jesus to him… and then the Ethiopian professed Christ, was saved and got baptized.

NONE of that happened in Jerusalem… and it was a sore miss.

The Temple here… is not the Temple proper… let’s pull up an image of the temple at this time… which was called Herod’s Temple… since Herod greatly renovated the previous temple.

Outside the Temple which housed the Holy of Holies… was the Court of the Priests and the Court of the Women…

And, around all of that was a wall called the “Soreg” with posted signs promising death to any non-Jew who entered.

There were a series of “stay out” signs… it’s not surprising that when Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom… God wants people to come to Him, and made a way through Jesus.

Beyond the wall of separation was a very large courtyard called the Court of the Gentiles… this was where the nations were to gather… where the Priests should have greeted them and led them to Yahweh God, but instead… what did the Gentile find?

They found a Bazaar… a marketplace containing many small shops.

Have you ever been to one of those outdoor markets in a foreign country?

You walk in like a fish out of water… and you might as be wearing a sign that says “sucker!”

I’ve been taken on more than one occasion walking into those markets.

You almost have to mentally prepare to either accept you are going to be ripped off… or you can get a good deal, but then you’re gonna haggle, and hopefully not act like a jerk.

In first century Israel… this market was commonly known as the “Bazaar of the Sons of Annas” who was the High Priest… and immensely wealthy.

They had a racket going on where they took advantage of Pilgrims. If you brought your own sacrifice… as was the expectation during feasts… they would carefully inspect the animal… not for it being acceptable… but, they would scrutinize to find any small blemish and disqualify the animal as an acceptable sacrifice.

BUT… they had good news! They had temple approved animals… ready for sacrifice… and at a highly inflated amount… they would gladly take your money....

And, after being a long way from home… after that almost 3000’ climb up to Jerusalem… what were you going to do?

It was bad enough trying to avoid the thieves on the road to Jerusalem… remember the Good Samaritan (Lk 10) … the man he helped fell among thieves leaving Jerusalem… heading to Jericho…

But, there were also thieves in Jerusalem… and once there… you just take the hit… you buy the animal.

EXCEPT… the Priest won’t except Gentile coins… only the Temple Shekel was approved currency.

So then, you had to exchange your coins by visiting the money changers the kollubistēs in Gk.

And, don’t expect any small favors from them… they would gauge you with exorbitant exchange rates.

So… now that you’ve been had two times… NOW go worship…

How on earth could one come to God with the right heart attitude after being ripped off… and even worse ripped off by the Priests themselves…

Annas became so wealthy… raking in millions by today’s standards…

His house was a mansion… they called it the “Palace of the High Priest”… take a look at this recreation… nice real estate.

But, built on the back of the people… even the poorest of people and the foreigners… and it was truly an abomination before the Lord.

The religious leaders were ripping people off not only financially, but also spiritually.

People would walk away both financially and spiritually broke.

And based upon Jesus’ response… He was not happy about this… He enters the Temple and drives out the peddlers… those who bought and sold…

He overturned the tables of the money changers… and flipped the seats of those who sold doves… He was totally disrupting business.

V16 even states Jesus stopped people from carrying wares through the temple.

People were treating the Temple like a shortcut…

This was a total lack of reverence. Can you imagine if in the middle of church service someone just walked through the sanctuary because they didn’t want to take the long way around?

If you recall, this was not the first time Jesus did this… this is the second Temple cleansing…

Back in John 2… again during Passover… Jesus cleansed the temple at the beginning of His ministry…

John recorded He made a “whip of cords” to drive out the money changers and those who sold oxen, sheep and doves…

Not the worshippers… Jesus didn’t drive them out… just the peddlers of wares…

Did Jesus make a whip of cords again here in Mark 11?

Jesus rebuked them, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Now… two years later… they are still at it. They did not heed Jesus.

Jesus’ disciples in the first cleansing remembered Ps 69:9 at that time, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

Zeal is “warmth of feeling for or against”… and Jesus was zealous for God’s house and true worshippers… and zealous against anyone who would take away from that.

The Temple was the Holy Place and they turned it into a Bazaar.

After Jesus drove out the corrupt people, then He taught the rest (Pilgrims, Jews, and Gentiles)… look af V17 “Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

Jesus quotes Isa 56:7 a passage which contextually speaks about salvation for the Gentiles…

… how the foreigner and the Eunuch need not fear being separated from the Lord…

Isa 56:7 reads, “Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

All this is further support that the setting is the Court of the Gentiles…

And, this was not a one time teaching…

Lk 19:47 states, And He was teaching daily in the temple.”

Lk 20:1 states “He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel...”

Jesus was teaching and preaching for several days leading up to the Cross. We don’t have those messages recorded.

Those are some of the teachings John spoke about at the conclusion of his Gospel when he wrote, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

We’ll have to wait to glory to hear those teachings.

And besides teaching, Matt 21:14-16 records, “Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” [Can you imagine that? Right in the middle of Jesus’ ministry, they interrupt with hostile words] And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, [quoting Ps 8:2] ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”

Isn’t that something… the pure praise of children… Jesus calls that “perfected praise.”

What a scene… once Jesus drove out all the corrupt people.... the Temple became what it was supposed to be.

The people were taught, healed, and praised the Lord. Jesus set things right,.

And, while the people were happy… in that last passage we saw the Chief Priest and Scribes were indignant… they’re hot… furious.

How dare Jesus heal people and be praised in the Temple? Truly, how dare Him disrupt their enterprise of selling “temple approved” animals and changing money!?

But, besides being indignant… they were also powerless. Luke 19:48  adds they “...were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.”

The people were happy to have Jesus close… sad that the religious leaders were not.

Mark 11:18 records, “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.”

What did they fear about Jesus?

Well after Jesus raised Lazarus, John 11 gives us this insight. The chief priests and Pharisees gathered a council and asked in John 11:47-48 “What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. 48 If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”

There’s the motivation… they feared they would lose their Temple and nation… and then they’d be out of a job. Their livelihood was at stake.

The Bazaar… their great source of wealth was at risk of being cut off.

And, man I hope we’re different… I think we are, but it’s so easy to go sideways…

It can sneak up on you quick… a little wealth… a little prosperity… a little fame… a little power…

And then compromise. We have to be careful that if Jesus inspects the temple of our lives… and your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)…

Will He be pleased with what He finds? Will His temple be full of ministry, miracles, teaching and praise?

A tree full of fruit…

Or is there something else that He would find that He would want to drive out and cleanse His temple?

Is there any corruption that He would overturn and drive out?

We all clean up nice when we come to church, but what does the Lord see below the surface?

The religious leaders looked great on the outside, but Jesus said they were whitewashed tombs…

Under the appearance was dead man’s bones… uncleanliness… corruption.

We’re going to take communion today… and if there are things in your life you need to repent of… do it… do it today as you pray to Him and take communion.

Wrapping up… V19… evening had come after a long day of cursing the fig tree… cleansing the temple… and then a fruitful ministry of Jesus teaching, preaching, and healing the people…

The encounter with God so many of them had never experienced in the Temple was fully realized in Jesus…

Then, Jesus departs at night and went out of the city… back to Bethany and lodged there (according to Matt 21:17).

And, then the next day… (worship team please come)… Tuesday of the Passion Week… vv. 20-21…

Jesus and the disciples once again pass by the fig tree and it was dead…

Which was not normal… in Matthew’s account the disciples asked, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”

In Mark’s account, Peter remembered Jesus had cursed the fig tree the day prior and said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

Mark records it was “dried up from the roots...”

What are the roots? They are the part that draws the nourishment out of the source.

Much like how the branch must abide in order to bear fruit.

What are the roots? They are the part hidden under the surface that no one sees.

But, Jesus does. And just as He cursed the fig tree and cleansed the Temple for it’s fruitlessness… because Israel did not abide in the vine.

And, just as Jesus exposed the corruption… and dried up the roots then… He’s the same Fruit Inspector today.

Let’s enter into communion now with a humble heart… searching ourselves to see if there is anything we to expose… and lay at His feet, so that we walk upright in His sight.

Let’s Pray!

1 Cor 11:23-29 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Please distribute the elements...

Communion is a time for us to look three directions…

We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.

His new covenant. Salvation by faith and in grace.

Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.

And, looking inward to examine yourself…and take communion in a worthy manner.

Time to do business with God.

Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.

Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...

...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...

...accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today.

Pray to God and tell Him you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and ask for forgiveness.

...then take communion. And, be sure to let us know. Salvation is something to celebrate!

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