War Path (Palm Sunday 2019)

Our Path So Far

’s Woes.

That was just one part of a greater picture leading to the death of Christ.

Today we are going to look at the other pieces that led into his death, you see, when Jesus entered Jerusalem He was on the warpath.

(Figs and prophecy)

Rustling up trouble

Jesus and the fig tree

Mark 11:12–25 NIV

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. 15 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, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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.’” 18 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. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “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. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Mark 11:12-

The fig tree was not in season for fruit, yet Jesus cursed it. This wasn’t a mistake or a Jesus who was hungry and mad. This was a metaphor. It was insight that was made clear by the events that came after it!

The fig tree

Mark 11:27–33 NIV

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” 29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Mark 11:27-

A big question about spiritual authority.

Mark 12:1–12 NIV

1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

Mark 12:1-

Instead of finding fruit, all the master’s servants and son found was death and selfishness.

Sound familiar? The tree. It ended up dying from the roots because of the curse.

Mark 13:1–2 NIV

1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Mark 13:1-

When Christ died, the temple veil was torn. Shortly after the death of Christ the temple was destroyed once and for all by Rome.

It wasn’t Rome that destroyed the way that used to be, it was Christ. Christ changed the way we approach God and receive salvation. Through His death he rescued salvation from the hands of death and religious ideas that were stingy in whom and when they gave it.

Christ changed it all. He cursed the fig tree and told His Disciples how everything changed.

What does this mean for us?

Christ is the only way

Not Holiness Theology

Not a denomination

Not being good

Not sacrifice

We should also take great caution in how we approach distributing the grace of God and make sure (as we mentioned in the woes) that we are not slamming the door in the faces of those trying to come God like the moneychangers in the temple did.

Jesus doesn’t like it when something that is designed to bear fruit, doesn’t.

Challenge

Have you found yourself trying to define how people can come to God?

Are we bearing the kind of fruit that God designed us to? Or are we trying to look nice, like we should have fruit, but don’t really?

Do we act as if Christ is the ONLY way? Or do we act as if there is extra that needs to be accomplished?

What false mountain do we need to command to jump into the sea?

He didn’t waste any time

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Behind the Text

When the fig tree is understood as a metaphorical symbol, the reasons for including it become clearer, even if unanswered questions remain.

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition In the Text

Mark’s explanation of the barrenness of the fig tree alerts readers that there is more to be considered than simply Jesus’ annoyance. This is not about a literal fig tree at all.

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition In the Text

Jesus’ curse of the tree is boldly stated: May no one ever eat fruit [karpon] from you again (see Stein 2008, 513 n. 6). The choice of fruit instead of “figs” may invoke “the biblical motif of fruitfulness or fruitlessness as a symbol of spiritual health or disease” (Marcus 2009, 782). This appears to be an acted parable (see Hooker 1991, 262), or a prophetic-representative action. It is significant in itself; and it illuminates the next event, the clearing of the temple.

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Behind the Text

The importance of the temple can scarcely be exaggerated. This was the national shrine for the Jewish people, the central place of worship and of continual sacrifice, and the destination of pilgrims. The defilement of the temple in 164 B.C. under Antiochus IV Epiphanes led to the Maccabean Revolt. The restoration of temple service, after the cleansing and rededication of the temple was celebrated in Jerusalem as Hanukkah.

The temple was Israel’s central treasury, a major part of the economic existence of Jerusalem. It generated great commercial activity, providing animals for sacrifice and massive building projects. Herod the Great knew its political worth. He attempted to win the support of his Jewish subjects through a massive rebuilding program, begun in 20 B.C. and completed only in A.D. 63, just before its destruction by the Romans in A.D. 70.

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition In the Text

This suggests that the problem is more than temple corruption. It is better to picture this as a prophetic-representative action, symbolizing and anticipating the destruction of the temple, which Jesus explicitly prophesies in Mark 13.

This is an outright rejection of the way things used to be for Israel. Jesus is fortelling what will happen to the religious ways of the day. Jesus set a new president.

Jesus’ comment about the mountain and faith has to do with the temple and the new way to God.

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition D. The Third Entry into Jerusalem (11:27–12:44)

This third visit to Jerusalem and the temple has a series of opponents of Jesus coming to question him. First, the temple authorities (the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders) issue a hostile challenge to Jesus to prove his right to carry out his prophetic act and to speak as he is doing. They are in charge of their temple, and Jesus has usurped their authority (11:27–33). Then Jesus gives the parable of the vineyard, which they rightly perceive is directed at them (12:1–12). Next, the Pharisees and the Herodians (see 3:6) arrive to entrap him on loyalty to God or Caesar (12:13–17), followed quickly by the Sadducees with a riddle intended to show the absurdity of resurrection belief (12:18–27). This brings the parade of hostile debaters to an end.

The tone of the encounter with a single teacher of the law concerning the great commandments (12:28–34) is entirely different. It serves as a summation of the message Jesus is bringing about the Law and the temple system. Mark signals the importance of this short story by concluding: from then on no one dared ask him any questions

Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition In the Text

Jesus responds by stating that he will answer their question if they first answer his: John’s baptism—was it from heaven …?—a circumlocution for God (see Matthew’s “kingdom of heaven” = Mark’s “kingdom of God”) “or was it of human origin? Answer me” (NRSV). Jesus has employed this technique in debate before (see especially 10:3), and somewhat surprisingly, they do not challenge this display of Jesus’ authority but recognize the conundrum he has set for them. Either answer will be problematic. Their refusal to heed John will be seen as refusal to obey God, including his preparation of the way for the One who would come after him (1:2–9) and hence his witness to Jesus. But if they dismiss John as merely a self-appointed and misguided irrelevance, the people will be furious because everyone held that John really was a prophet and therefore from God. Mark has already confirmed the widespread influence of John in Jerusalem and Judea (see 1:4–5).

■ 33 They take the only way out: they admit they don’t know. Their strategy backfires, however, because Jesus then refuses to confirm to them his authority: Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. But the problem is worse than that. These religious leaders are the ones who should know, yet they admit that they know neither John nor Jesus. The Sadducees, who were the chief priests, are confronted with their lack of piety combined with ignorance in 12:24: they “know neither the scriptures nor the power of God” (NRSV).