The Outer Courts

Why the Outer Courts:

The linked details of missional and evangelistic.

What is missional… What is evangelistic…

FIRST – from the Tree

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

Fig tree moment.

SECOND – from the Temple Courts

- Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Jesus Cleanses the Temple And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

Mark 11:15 ESV

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

In between the curse and the explanation. Jesus does another radical thing in that age.

The money lenders had turned the Lord's house into a den of thieves.

The Temple layers…

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The most holy place - high priest once a year

The holy place - priests

The court of priests - Altar of priests

Court of women

Court of Gentiles

The Problem...

They were profiteers who exchanged foreign currency and also sold the animals that worshipers from distant towns would buy to sacrifice before the Lord.

·By shrewd marketing they could charge exorbitant rates and make a killing off the pilgrims who came to worship.

The whole scene angered our Lord because he knew that the temple should be a house of prayer for all nations.

· We know from John’s Gospel that Jesus first cleansed the temple of the merchandisers at the beginning of His ministry ().

· Later His disciples remembered His statement at the time: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

· Now, three years later in this second cleansing of the temple, Jesus’ zeal remains undiminished.

· Following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the previous day, Jesus entered the temple area and simply “looked around at everything” (v. 11).

· Now, we know the reason why.

WHY?

One of the greatest missional passages in scripture.

One of the greatest missional passages in scripture.

• in between the lesson of the withered tree.

· Later His disciples remembered His statement at the time: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

· Now, three years later in this second cleansing of the temple, Jesus’ zeal remains undiminished.

· Following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the previous day, Jesus entered the temple area and simply “looked around at everything” (v. 11).

· Now, we know the reason why.

WHY?

This is missional scripture because

Definition:

Missional - the way we set our lives up so anyone could come.

Evangelistic - To go to places beyond us, beyond our location.

Evangelistic

My moment in New Orleans Just given a card about Jesus… Holding a drink in one hand and Jesus in the other!!!! Was not an immediate change. Was a part of my process.

We need in our lives both missional and evangelistic.

Missional - the way we set our lives up so anyone could come.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

We need to argue with our

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Evangelistic - To go to places beyond us, beyond our location.

The temple cleansing moments points toward the missional heart of Christ… worship not coin.

· They point towards the missional heart of Christ… worship not coin .

They point towards the missional heart of Christ… worship not coin .