Failure to Listen

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28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. – Mark 12:28-34 ESV

The Sadducees fared no better than the Pharisees and Herodians. Jesus handled their carefully crafted question with ease, revealing that their misunderstanding of the doctrine of the resurrection stemmed from their ignorance of the Scriptures. These men were supposed to be the brightest and the best that Israel had to offer. They were considered the spiritual rock stars of their day, revered for their knowledge, power, and influence. Yet, Jesus exposed them as pretenders who were ignorant of God’s Word and unaware of His power.

“Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?” – Mark 12:24 ESV

The Jewish high council had two strikes against them, but they were far from ready to concede defeat. Matthew records that they quickly assembled a third team made up of Pharisees, one of whom was a scribe, an expert in the Mosaic law.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” – Matthew 22:34-36 NLT

According to the Rabbis, the Mosaic Law contained 613 commands, 365 positive and 248 negative. Israel’s religious scholars commonly categorized these laws by weight, classifying them as either heavy or light. Some laws were considered more important than others, and these men enjoyed debating which of the 613 laws mattered most.

By posing this question to Jesus, the scribe was trying to put Him on the spot by forcing Him to reveal what He considered the greatest of all God’s laws. But without a moment’s hesitation, Jesus responded by quoting Moses.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV

This well-known passage was one all Jews were expected to recite twice daily as part of their prayers. It was known as the Shema, which is the Hebrew word for “Hear,” the first word in the verse.

This passage was meant to remind them of the covenant relationship between Yahweh and His chosen people. He was to be their only God, and they were expected to give Him their full and unwavering allegiance. Every aspect of their lives was to reflect their faithful commitment to Him. It’s fair to assume this scribe considered himself fully compliant with this command, and so did the rest of the Pharisees who sent him. So, Jesus added a second part to His answer, quoting from another part of the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses that they so greatly revered.

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” – Leviticus 19:18 ESV

They were to love God, but they were also to show love to their neighbor. This second part of Jesus’ answer was meant to expose a flaw in these self-righteous religious leaders’ thinking. They could easily proclaim their love for God, but proving their love for others was far more difficult. Luke records an earlier encounter Jesus had with another scribe who came to Jesus wanting to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responded by asking what the Mosaic law said, and the man quoted from the same passages Jesus used: Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” – Luke 10:27 ESV

Jesus commended the man for his answer, telling him, “Do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:28 ESV). But this led the man to seek clarification, asking Jesus what the law meant by “neighbor.” In essence, he wanted Jesus to narrow the definition so compliance with the law would be feasible. But Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan, which describes a man attacked by thieves and left for dead. In the story, a priest and a Levite both encounter the man lying on the side of the road, but choose to ignore his plight. But when a Samaritan sees the man, he stops and administers aid, even covering the cost of his convalescence at a nearby inn. When Jesus asked the scribe which of these three men “proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” (Luke 10:36 ESV), the scribe answered, “The one who showed him mercy” (Luke 10:37 ESV). Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37 ESV).

In Leviticus 19, God requires the Jews to love their neighbor as they loved themselves, leaving no room for them to decide who their neighbor might be. This wasn’t about loving the lovely or those who loved you in return. Jesus had earlier told His disciples, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!” (Luke 6:32-33 NLT).

The apostle John later expanded on this idea, declaring that failing to love others was evidence of a lack of love for God.

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. – 1 John 4:20 ESV

So, when Jesus combined these two commandments, He indicated that it was impossible to love God without expressing selfless love for others. That is why He told the scribe, “There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31 ESV). These two laws went hand in hand and were inseparable. But the scribes and Pharisees were guilty of expressing their deep love and affection for God while treating their “neighbors” as second-class citizens. They looked down on the lower classes, viewing them as ignorant and incapable of living up to God’s holy standards as revealed in His law. These self-righteous men regularly attacked Jesus for associating with tax collectors and prostitutes, and viewed His love for these people as sin. Yet Jesus told them that failing to love the unlovely was evidence of hatred for God.

Jesus’ answer left the scribe with no choice but to agree with Him.

“Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” – Mark 12:32-33 NLT

Jesus sensed that the man was beginning to see the light. He heard what Jesus said, and it made sense to him. So, Jesus responded, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34 NLT). Jesus was commending the scribe for his willingness to listen and learn. He had shown openness to the truth, a critical first step in understanding who Jesus was and what He had come to offer. Like the rest of the Sanhedrin, this man refused to believe Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, but he was willing to hear what Jesus had to say. 

When Jesus was baptized by John in the Judean wilderness, God spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 ESV). The entire crowd heard this divine proclamation of Jesus’ identity, but it didn’t register with everyone. Sometime later, Peter, James, and John were allowed to witness the transfiguration of Jesus and hear God say, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35 ESV). It wasn’t enough to understand that Jesus was the Son of God; you also had to listen to Him. When Jesus spoke, He did so as God’s Son. He had authority, and His words had power over demons, waves, wind, disease, and even death. But this scribe likely never fully grasped the reality of Jesus’ identity and divinity.

For the third time, the religious leaders swung and missed. They failed to trap Jesus with their cleverly worded questions; instead, he exposed their hypocrisy. By using the Scriptures against them, Jesus revealed their ignorance of God’s Word, which explained their inability to comprehend God’s power. The Son of God stood among them, but they failed to recognize Him. The Old Testament Scriptures they studied so diligently predicted the Messiah’s coming, but their hardened hearts blinded their eyes to His presence among them. The Kingdom of Heaven was near, but they couldn’t see it and would fail to enter it.

With their latest setback, the religious leaders called off their attack and no longer asked Jesus any questions. Their hatred for Him unabated, they came up with another strategy to plot His demise.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God of the Living

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18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” – Mark 12:18-27 ESV

Driven by their mutual hatred for Jesus, the Pharisees and Herodians had set aside their long-standing differences and joined forces in a vain attempt to bring His ministry to an end. But they had failed. They had tried to expose Jesus as a political insurrectionist who stood opposed to the Roman government and its excessive taxation of the people of Israel. But these men misunderstood the nature of Jesus’ Kingdom; it was not of this world. He had not come to free Israel from slavery to Rome, but from slavery to sin and death. His mission was spiritual, not political. 

When the Pharisees and Herodians returned to the Sanhedrin and reported the results of their less-than-successful mission, a contingent of Sadducees replaced them. These men would form the second phase of their well-orchestrated attack on Jesus. The Sadducees were a powerful religious/political sect made up of the wealthy and influential upper class of Israel. They held the majority of the 70 seats in the Sanhedrin and controlled much of what happened in and around the temple. Their aristocratic mindset caused them to disdain the common man and to elevate themselves as members of the religious and political elite.

To preserve their superior status within the nation, the Sadducees became reluctant partners with Rome, willingly accepting its presence as a necessary evil. Compromise with Rome allowed them to maintain their control over the nation of Israel. The Sadducees were essentially a political party that dabbled in religion. While they strongly believed in the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), they rejected many established doctrines of the Hebrew religion.

For instance, they denied any resurrection of the dead, and this led them to reject the concept of an afterlife. They concluded that the soul perishes at death, eliminating any idea of future rewards or penalties. Therefore, their theology included no concept of heaven or hell. They also rejected any belief in an invisible spiritual realm populated by demons and angels. In a sense, they were the religious progressives of their day, espousing liberal views on a wide range of important doctrines that put them at odds with the more traditional Pharisees.

But since the Pharisees and Herodians failed in their mission to entrap Jesus, the more liberally minded Sadducees got their chance. They approached Jesus with a carefully concocted and convoluted story meant to expose His more conservative and antiquated religious views. These men knew that most of the peasant class also clung to traditional views on the doctrines of the afterlife and resurrection. So they made up a hypothetical story meant to reveal the absurdity of these beliefs.

But like the Pharisees and Herodians who preceded them, the Sadducees would meet their match in Jesus. While they saw Him as nothing more than an uneducated peasant from the backwater village of Nazareth, He would prove far more knowledgeable of the Scriptures and more than able to defend the doctrines of the resurrection and the afterlife.

Jesus had made many comments about eternal life. In fact, He told Nicodemus, a Pharisee, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). He offered the Samaritan woman water that would permanently satisfy her thirst and provide her with eternal life.

“…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14 ESV

More recently, Jesus had told Martha, the sister of Lazarus, that her dead brother would rise again.

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” – John 11:25-26 ESV

These statements, and others like them, would have reached the Sadducees, and Jesus’ persistent claims regarding eternal life and the resurrection of the dead would have infuriated them. So, they decided to use their superior intelligence and vast knowledge of the Scriptures to expose Him as an uneducated fool. They set up their trap by recounting a well-known law of Moses.

“Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.”  – Mark 12:19 NLT

They were referring to the levirate law, as outlined in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. This law required that a man’s brother, if the man died without a male heir, marry his brother’s widow. The law’s primary purpose was to preserve the deceased’s name and prevent the widow from becoming destitute. But to expose the ridiculous nature of belief in resurrection, the Sadducees devised a highly unlikely story. It involved a woman who ends up marrying seven different brothers, each of whom dies unexpectedly and prematurely, leaving her a widow without a male heir. Their strange tale ends with the woman’s death, and they summarized their story with a question:

“So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” – Mark 12:23 NLT

You can almost see the smug expressions as they dropped this bombshell on the unsuspecting Rabbi from Nazareth. They knew they had Him. There was no way He could answer this confusing conundrum and maintain His naive belief in the resurrection.

Little did they know their whole story rested on a false premise. Jesus was about to expose their ignorance regarding the doctrine of the resurrection, and it was because they did not understand God’s Word. Jesus boldly proclaimed, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect, they will be like the angels in heaven” (Mark 12:24-25 NLT).

Jesus delivered a one-two combination that must have been a devastating blow to their overinflated egos. First, He accused them of not knowing the Mosaic Law. Then He added that they were ignorant of God’s power. Since they couldn’t fathom the idea of life after death, they simply discounted it. Despite their careful study of the books of Moses, they didn’t believe that Yahweh was God of the impossible. Instead, they viewed Him as limited in power and confined to interacting with men only in this life.

Their primary error was trying to apply a temporal law to eternal matters. They were so obsessed with the here and now that they couldn’t conceive of a hereafter. Jesus had told the Pharisee, Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:12 ESV). These men could not understand eternal truths. They tried to comprehend God’s ways through the cloudy lenses of their earthly perspective. Had he been around, the apostle Paul would have told them, “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” (Romans 11:33 NLT).

Their limited understanding had led to a limited view of God. They couldn’t conceive of an afterlife because they viewed it as implausible and impossible. They were intimately familiar with death and probably feared it. Since they couldn’t see what lay beyond the grave, they simply refused to acknowledge that anything was there. They concluded that this life was all there was.

The whole story they concocted rested on misconceptions and misinterpretations of Scripture. So Jesus told them there would be no marriage in the afterlife. It really didn’t matter how many husbands the fictitious widow had in this life because there will be no marriage in the next life. There will be no need to procreate and fill the earth. By virtue of His vast power, God will give resurrected, glorified bodies to all who live in His eternal Kingdom. Men and women will no longer be expected to bring new life into the world. Their God-given mandate to be fruitful and multiply will no longer apply.

Jesus adds another not-so-subtle clarification meant to expose another of the Sadducees’ errant beliefs. He states that, in the eternal state, men and women will be much more like angels than human beings. They will be divine creatures who can live in unbroken fellowship with God the Father for eternity. Like the angels, they will focus all their time and energy on His glory and offer Him ceaseless praise.

Jesus ends with a lesson on the Old Testament Scriptures. He takes them back to the writings of Moses, recounting the story of the burning bush as recorded in Exodus. There, in the Midianite wilderness, God appeared to Moses and called him to deliver His people. From the burning bush, God declared to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6 ESV). These three men had long been dead by the time Moses came along, yet God refers to Himself as their God, using the present tense, not the past tense. Jesus was trying to reveal to these so-called experts in the Pentateuch what they had missed. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not gone; they had just been relocated; they were in God’s presence.

Like the Pharisees and Herodian before them, the Sadducees failed. They proved no match for the Son of God. Having put all their hope in this life,  they couldn’t comprehend Jesus’ offer of eternal life. But the doctrine of the resurrection was central to Jesus’ teaching, and His resurrection from the dead would validate His offer of eternal life. The apostle Paul summed it up well.

…if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. – 1 Corinthians 15:13-20 NLT

Having rejected the doctrine of resurrection, the Sadducees unknowingly rejected the One who would make it possible. Their limited view of God and their flawed understanding of His word kept them from seeing and believing in the One who could give them eternal life. These men revered Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but couldn’t imagine that they were still alive. Yet, Jesus said His Father was “not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:27 ESV). In God’s Kingdom, death is not the end; it is the beginning. As Cody Carnes wrote in the chorus of his song, Christ Be Magnified, “death is just the doorway into resurrection life.” Christ has been raised from the dead and is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. God’s Word promised it, God’s Spirit fulfilled it, and, as Paul wrote, we can place our hope in it.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. – Romans 8:11 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Give God His Due

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13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him. – Mark 12:13-17 ESV

Jesus’ ransacking of the temple courtyard had caused quite a stir. As a result, His already strained relationship with the Jewish religious leaders took a turn for the worse. These men questioned His authority as well as His sanity, having earlier claimed that Jesus was possessed by a demon and in league with Satan. But when they met Him face to face, they found that He was anything but crazy. Jesus proved to be a formidable debater who, although an uneducated Rabbi from Nazareth, could stand toe-to-toe with the best and brightest members of the highly trained Sanhedrin. These professional religious scholars and experts in the Mosaic law found Jesus to be no pushover. In today’s passage, we see the Sanhedrin take a tag-team approach, sending wave after wave of their best thinkers to confront and confound this backwater Rabbi.

In Chapter 11, Mark recorded the first onslaught. He described the chief priests, scribes, and elders confronting Jesus in the Courtyard of the Gentiles. But their attempt to trap Jesus didn’t go well. This led the Sanhedrin to send another team made up of Pharisees and Herodians. This was a particularly strange alliance because these two groups were normally diametrically opposed. The Pharisees were a highly conservative religious sect, while the Herodians were essentially a political party that, as their name suggests, supported Herod Antipas, the Roman puppet king of Israel. To the Pharisees, the Herodians were sell-outs, whose support of Herod and willing tolerance of Roman rule greatly compromised Jewish independence.

Yet, these two opposing groups found unity in their shared hatred for Jesus. So, they made an unholy alliance, joining forces in an effort to trap Jesus. Luke adds that these “spies” were driven by a desire to find condemning evidence that would lead to Jesus’ arrest.

The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. – Luke 20:19-20 ESV

As soon as the Pharisees and Herodians began questioning Jesus, it was clear why the Sanhedrin paired these two groups together. The entire scene was a set-up that began with false flattery. They tried to lower Jesus’ defenses by stroking His ego.

“Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?” – Mark 12:14-15 NLT

Their reputation as enemies was well known, and that was part of their scheme. They led Jesus to believe that they needed Him to help settle a dispute over the Roman poll tax. The Pharisees saw this annual Roman-imposed tax as violating their own laws about the sabbatical year. This was a head tax that every Jew was required to pay each year, with no break during the seventh or sabbatical year. To the religiously-minded Pharisees, this tax was unacceptable. But to the Herodians, who supported the Roman government, it was a cost they were willing to pay because it helped maintain the peace.

But this entire “debate” was a ploy. The Pharisees must have assumed that Jesus was conservatively minded, just as they were, and would side with them. If He did, this would provide the Herodians with more than enough evidence to accuse Him of fomenting revolution against the Roman government. Their ultimate goal was to get Jesus in trouble with the civil authorities.

But “Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, ‘Why are you trying to trap me?’” (Mark 12:15 NLT). He was not fooled for a second. Their motives were painfully transparent, and Jesus refused to step into their poorly conceived trap. Instead, He asked to see a denarius, a Roman-minted coin. Jesus was about to turn their question regarding taxation into a lesson on veneration.

When they presented Him with the coin, Jesus asked a simple question: “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” (Mark 12:16 NLT, and they quickly responded, “Caesar.” What Jesus said next would leave them amazed.

“Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” – Mark 12:17 NLT

This was not what they expected to hear. With His response, Jesus neither favored nor opposed the poll tax. Instead, He turned the whole debate into a lesson on loyalty and spiritual faithfulness. The Herodians prioritized keeping the Roman-imposed laws; the Pharisees countered that God’s laws took precedence over those of men. But Jesus was emphasizing that both groups were guilty of worshiping the wrong thing.

“The denarius of Tiberius portrayed the emperor as the semi-divine son of the god Augustus and the goddess Livia and bore the (abbreviated) inscription ‘Tiberius Caesar Augustus, Son of the Divine Augustus’ on the obverse and ‘Pontifex Maximus’ on the reverse. Both the representations and the inscriptions were rooted in the imperial cult and constituted a claim to divine honors.” – Lane, William L. The Gospel According to Mark. New International Commentary on the New Testament

For Jesus, this had nothing to do with taxation or Roman occupation; it was all about the heart. Both groups were guilty of false worship. In a sense, the Herodians worshiped Caesar because they believed he provided them with protection and allowed them to enjoy their relative power and freedom. On the other hand, the Pharisees worshiped their oral and written laws, treating them with greater veneration than the One who had originally given them to Moses.

Caesar required coins that bore his image as payment for services rendered. His troops kept the peace, his government provided social order and stability, and those who benefited from these amenities were expected to pay.

Jesus had no problem rendering unto Caesar what belonged to him. The coins bore his image, so they were rightfully his. But mankind bears the image of God and, therefore, rightfully belongs to Him. That is why Jesus said, “Give to God what belongs to God.”

God doesn’t need our money. He doesn’t even need our feeble attempts at religious rule-keeping and Pharisaical posturing. Jesus knew that the Pharisees were guilty of going through the motions and only pretending to revere and worship God, and He exposed them as nothing more than hypocritical posers.

“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’” – Matthew 15:7-8 NLT

Jesus took the conversation back to the issue of authority. Because of his position and power, Caesar had every right to demand a tax from the people he ruled. But God also had the authority to demand worship from those whom He had made. Every man and woman on the planet bore the Imago Dei (the image of God) and were expected to give God what rightfully belonged to Him: Their lives and their worship. Yet, as the apostle Paul disclosed, ever since the fall, mankind had repeatedly refused to render unto God what was rightfully His.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. – Romans 1:21-23 NLT

For Jesus, the issue was the religious leaders’ failure to honor Him for who He was: the Son of God and the Savior of the world. While it’s doubtful that the Herodians viewed Caesar as a god, they treated him like one, showering him with veneration and willing subjugation. The Pharisees had made Judaism their god, and falsely believed that keeping its rules and regulations was the only hope of salvation. But both failed to recognize that God was among them. The Son of God had come to dwell with them, and all He asked was that they give Him what was due Him: Their lives and allegiance.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

This Is the Lord’s Doing

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1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. – Mark 12:1-12 ESV

The chief priests, scribes, and elders of Israel had just confronted Jesus in the temple courtyard, demanding to know by what authority He had ransacked the place the day before. In an explosion of righteous indignation, Jesus had single-handedly destroyed their little money-making venture of selling sacrificial animals and currency exchange. The greed and graft of these religious leaders and their total disregard for the holiness of His Father’s house had been more than Jesus could stand. The fact that they had set up the entire operation in the Courtyard of the Gentiles infuriated Jesus even more.

Jesus’s actions proved costly for these men in more ways than one. The temporary shutdown of their sales operations hit their bottom line. But their egos suffered the greater loss. Jesus had directly challenged their authority and, in doing so, diminished their standing among the people. That’s what prompted them to confront Jesus about His arrogant display the day before. But Jesus refused to answer their question, instead reminding them that they had refused to accept John the Baptist’s authority as well. These self-righteous and self-appointed leaders of Israel had a habit of rejecting anyone who spoke on behalf of God. In their minds, Jesus had no authority to do what He did. They saw Him as nothing more than a rural Rabbi from the backwater town of Nazareth, with no education or credentials. He was not from a wealthy family and had no standing in their community.

But while Jesus refused to answer their question, He did take time to tell them a parable. In fact, according to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus told them several different parables, each meant to address their question about authority. But more importantly, these parables were designed to expose the religious leaders as rebels against God. Their refusal to accept Jesus was nothing less than a rejection of God Himself.

Jesus told this parable in the middle of the crowded temple courtyard, surrounded by foreign pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. But His primary audience was the religious leaders who had arrogantly questioned His authority. Jesus began His parable by describing a man who planted a vineyard, complete with a winepress, protective fence, and watchtower. Once the vineyard was complete, the man rented it out to tenant farmers who were expected to cultivate and care for it. Since the landowner had paid for the vineyard, he expected to receive a share of the production and profits. But when he sent his servant to collect his portion of the first year’s harvest, the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. So, the landowner sent a second servant, who was treated just as violently and shamefully. Unwilling to turn over any of the fruit of their labor, the rebellious tenants murdered the third servant the landowner sent. According to Jesus, this behavior went on for some time.

“Others he sent were either beaten or killed, until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly.” – Mark 12:5 NLT

By this time, Jesus had the crowd hooked; they were enthralled by His story and anxious to know the outcome. In their minds, they were debating what the landowner should do to the murderous tenants, and the thought of the man risking the life of his son would have been appalling to them. But, according to Jesus’ story, that’s exactly what the landowner did.

“The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’” – Mark 12:6 NLT

The people in the crowd likely gasped at the father’s blatant display of naivete. After all the evil tenants had done to his servants, how could this man be so blind as to think they would show his son any respect? Jesus’ audience knew exactly what was going to happen and probably wanted to scream at the landowner, “Don’t do it!” But as Jesus completed the story, their worst fears were realized.

“But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.” – Mark 12:7-8 NLT

Knowing His audience was shocked by the dark ending to His story, Jesus asked them, “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” (Mark 12:9 NLT). Their minds had already gone there. Each of them would have considered what they would do as the landowner, and their thoughts included nothing about forgiveness or clemency. They focused on revenge and retribution, hoping the wicked tenants got exactly what they deserved. And, much to their relief, Jesus ends the story the way they hoped.

“I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” – Mark 12:9 NLT

The bad guys lost, and justice prevailed. The story was sad, but it had a happy ending. Everything turned out okay, but the crowd failed to realize the story had a far deeper meaning. Jesus revealed the message’s deeper spiritual dimension by quoting Psalm 118:22-23.

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord‘s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.”

This rather abrupt shift in topic was intentional. Jesus quoted from the same Psalm that the crowds had quoted from during His triumphal entry.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! – Psalm 118:26 ESV

That Psalm declares that the Messiah will come in the name of the Lord, but it also states that He will be rejected. Yet, it is all “the Lord’s doing.” It is all part of God’s plan. This rejected stone will become the cornerstone of a great house that will bring glory and honor to God. And not long after Jesus was rejected and crucified, Peter and John stood before the high priests, scribes, and elders of Israel, declaring, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone” (Acts 4:11 ESV).

The same men who stood before Jesus in the Courtyard of the Gentiles would later hear two of His disciples say, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 ESV). Peter picks up this cornerstone theme in one of his later letters.

For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

and

“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.” – 1 Peter 2:6-8 ESV

Jesus would be rejected by the religious leaders of Israel. Like the rebellious tenants in Jesus’ story, they would refuse to accept the Son the Father sent. They would treat the Son with disrespect, reject His authority, and claim His inheritance as their own. In the parable, the vineyard represents Israel, and the tenant farmers represent the leaders to whom God had assigned care of the land. Israel, represented by the land, was always intended as the Son’s inheritance; it did not belong to the leaders. They were merely its caretakers. But in their greed, they had treated Israel as their own, growing powerful and wealthy at the expense of God’s people.

The servants in the story represent the prophets God sent throughout the centuries, calling His people to repentance. But the leaders of Israel killed the prophets, refusing to relinquish their authority over the inheritance. Finally, God sent His Son. But they ended up rejecting Him as well, putting Him to death in an effort to steal His rightful inheritance.

But their efforts failed. They could kill the Son, but would never take what rightfully belonged to Him. The rejected stone became the most valued cornerstone of a grand temple made up of those who place their faith in Him. The apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus’ rejection has resulted in an incredible “building” made up of people from all walks of life and from every tribe, nation, and tongue.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. – Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV

The high priests, scribes, and elders could reject Jesus’ authority, but they could not stop God’s redemptive plan.  As the psalmist stated, “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see” (Psalm 118:23 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Authentic Authority

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27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” 31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” – Mark 11:27-33 ESV

(Verse 26 is not included in the ESV translation because it does not appear in the most important ancient manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel. It is believed that Jewish scribes added it later so Mark’s gospel would align with Matthew’s. See Matthew 6:13.)

For the disciples, it probably didn’t take long for the image of the withered fig tree to be replaced with the thought of wielding power that could cast mountains into the sea. These men had a habit of hearing only what they wanted to hear when Jesus spoke. The true meaning behind most of His lessons escaped them, and this one was no different.

When they had heard Jesus say, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NLT), they were probably thrilled. The very thought of having their every wish fulfilled just by asking God would have been a dream come true. It’s fair to assume the initial ideas that filled their heads weren’t what Jesus had in mind.

So, as they left the withered tree behind and continued their trip into Jerusalem, the disciples were probably thinking about the incredible implications of what Jesus had just told them. But soon, they found themselves back in the temple courtyard, standing in the very place where Jesus had staged a one-man riot the day before. Less than 24 hours earlier, Jesus had ransacked the booths of the vendors selling overpriced sacrificial animals. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, who charged high fees to thousands of foreign pilgrims who needed temple currency to buy their sacrificial offerings. Driven by righteous indignation and zeal for the holiness of His Father’s house, Jesus turned the carnival-like atmosphere of the temple courtyard into chaos and confusion.

When Jesus walked out of the temple complex after His attention-getting tirade, it seemed He would never return. If anything, He would be unwelcome and on the Sanhedrin’s watchlist. But He was back, and the first people to greet Him were “the chief priests and the scribes and the elders” (Mark 11:27 ESV). These were the representatives of the Sanhedrin, the high council of the Jews. This august body comprised some of the wealthiest and most influential men in Jerusalem. They were also members of the primary religious sects within Judaism: the Sadducees, Pharisees, and Essenes. Some were experts in the Mosaic Law, and all were knowledgeable of the Hebrew Scriptures. They were powerful men who wielded great authority and saw Jesus as a threat to their way of life. His little escapade the day before had been a public attack on the entire system of greed and graft for which they were responsible.

So, when they saw Jesus, they immediately confronted Him, demanding to know the reasons for His unacceptable and costly actions the day before.

“By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” – Mark 11:28 ESV

By this time, they had repaired the damage He had done the previous afternoon, and things had returned to normal. These men were probably there to protect their investments and to ensure there would be no repeat performance of the previous day’s disruptive and costly episode.

Their question to Jesus revolved around authority. In essence, they were asking Jesus to explain why He thought He had the right to do what He did. They also seemed to fear that He might do it again. His actions had been a direct assault on their authority as the religious leaders of Israel. In their minds, Jesus had invaded their territory and begun a war on their way of life. As the nation’s supreme rulers, they saw His actions as nothing less than insurrection; He was attacking their right to rule, and they wanted to know what possessed Him to do it.

Jesus could have answered by declaring Himself the Son of God. He could have told them that He was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, “the anointed one” (Hebrew – mashiyach). But He knew they would refuse to accept those answers. They had already determined that Jesus had no right to do what He did. He was a loose cannon, operating on His own initiative and in direct opposition to their authority, and nothing Jesus could say would change their minds.

So, Jesus made them a proposition. He offered to answer their question, but only if they could answer one He had for them.

“Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” – Mark 11:30 ESV

Jesus subtly changed the focus from Himself to John the Baptist. But notice that He kept the emphasis of His question on authority. By shifting their attention to John the Baptist, Jesus forced them to consider the true source of all authority.

John had burst onto the scene years earlier. This strangely dressed man had suddenly shown up in the Judean wilderness, preaching a message that the Kingdom of Heaven was near and calling the people of Israel to repentance. A large part of his ministry involved baptizing those were willing to repent and confess their sins.

People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. – Matthew 3:5-6 NLT

John had attracted large crowds of people, who believed him to be a prophet of God. Even Herod Antipas, the Roman-appointed puppet-king of Israel, had understood John’s reputation among the people.

Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. – Matthew 14:5 NLT

Herod ultimately put John to death, but this did nothing to diminish John’s standing among the people. So, when Jesus asked the religious leaders to state the source of John’s authority to baptize, He knew they would refuse to answer. No matter what they said, they would find themselves in a no-win situation. These men had no love affair with John. After all, while he had been alive, he had treated them with disrespect and disdain. At one point, he had publicly humiliated them, calling them a “brood of snakes” and exposing them as spiritual frauds.

“Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:8-10 NLT

But if they said John was acting on his own initiative, they faced the people’s ire. On the other hand, if they tried to placate the people by admitting that John’s authority was from heaven, it would imply that their opposition to John had really been aimed at God.

After weighing their options, the religious leaders decided that pleading ignorance was best. But when they failed to answer Jesus’ question, He refused to answer theirs. Their silence condemned them.

The truth was that John had been a prophet sent by God. Everything he said and did was on God’s behalf. His entire mission had been to herald the coming of the Messiah. That is why he declared, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:23 ESV).

Yet Israel’s religious leaders rejected his mission and message. When John announced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV), the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes refused to believe it. They accused Jesus of doing miracles by the power of Satan. They condemned Him for His association with sinners. They accused Him of being a drunk. They spread rumors that He was illegitimate. They declared Him to be guilty of blasphemy for repeatedly claiming to be the Son of God. And this charge had led them to try to stone Him to death.

These men refused to accept Jesus because they could not bring themselves to believe that His power and authority were from God. While they couldn’t explain how Jesus did all the things He did, they refused to even consider that He might actually be the Messiah. To do so would require them to relinquish their own authority, and their overinflated egos wouldn’t allow them to do that.

Since they were unwilling to answer His question, Jesus responded, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things” (Mark 11:33 ESV). He owed them no explanation. He had provided them with ample evidence that He was who He claimed to be. His miracles spoke for themselves. And yet, these stubbornly self-righteous men had repeatedly refused to recognize and acknowledge the God-given authority of Jesus. One of the greatest assessments of their spiritual blindness came from the lips of a man who had been the undeserving recipient of Jesus’ divine authority.

“He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” – John 9:30-33 NLT

Now, back to the lesson of the withered fig tree. When the disciples witnessed Jesus’ remarkable power to condemn the tree to death, they were amazed. When He told them, “You can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen” (Mark 11:23 NLT), they were thrilled. He was offering them access to the same kind of authority He had. All they had to do was ask, and anything was possible. But there was a caveat. Jesus had told them to “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22 ESV). This was not about their authority; it was about God’s.

Everything John the Baptist accomplished was by God’s authority and for God’s glory. The same was true of Jesus, and it would be true of His disciples as well. God’s authority would be available to them so they might accomplish His will and display His glory. By contrast, the scribes and Pharisees relied on their own authority and sought their own glory, and they were unwilling to have this no-name Rabbi from Nazareth disrupt their way of life.

Jesus used this encounter with the religious authorities to help His disciples understand that faith in God was the key to accessing His power. He would be the key to doing the impossible. With His help, they could “move mountains,” but it would be for His glory, not their own.

In His High Priestly Prayer, uttered in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal, Jesus called out to His Father, “The hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began” (John 17:1-5 NLT).

Little did the religious leaders know that they were standing before the One whom God had given all authority. Their antagonist was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, but they viewed Him as a fraud and troublemaker. When Jesus condemned the fig tree, it symbolized His indictment of these spiritually fruitless leaders’ self-righteous posturing. Their flowing robes and outward displays of piety disguised their true spiritual state, but Jesus saw through the facade. He had the authority to cleanse or condemn them but, in the end, the choice to believe was theirs.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Fruitless Fig Tree: Part II

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20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” – Mark 11:20-25 ESV

When Jesus departed the temple, He and the disciples returned to Bethany for the evening. The next morning, which was probably Wednesday, they made their way back to the city of Jerusalem. After His symbolic exit from the temple the day before, Jesus likely entered the city through the Lion’s Gate rather than the Golden Gate, which led directly into the temple complex. He and the disciples would have taken the same path through the Kidron Valley and the Garden of Gethsemane, so eventually, they came to the spot where Jesus had cursed the fig tree the day before. To the disciples’ shock, the fig tree was “withered away to its roots” (Mark 11:20 ESV).

Just the day before, this same tree had been in perfect health, covered in green leaves and full of life. Yet despite its outward vitality, it bore no fruit. This tree, unlike all the other fig trees in the garden, had bloomed early. Under normal conditions, leaves would indicate that figs would be present. But when Jesus approached the tree the previous day, He found it completely barren. So, He had cursed it.

Peter was the first to recognize the dramatic difference in the tree’s appearance. He recalled what Jesus had said to the tree 24 hours earlier: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14 ESV). Surprised by the tree’s sudden demise, Peter let Jesus know that His curse had worked. He called out, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered” (Mark 11:21 ESV). Overnight, the once-lush tree dropped all its leaves and lost every ounce of life-giving sap. It had withered away, from the roots up.

So much is going on in this scene. The tree is the obvious focal point, and Jesus uses the opportunity to convey two different messages to His disciples. One concerns fruit, and the other, faith. The tree was dead because it failed to bear fruit. It had all the appearances of fruitfulness but, upon closer examination, proved barren. For Jesus, the tree was an apt symbol for the fruitlessness of the nation of Israel.

Keep in mind that Jerusalem was literally overflowing with pilgrims who had come to celebrate the Feast of Passover. As faithful Jews, they practiced all the prescribed feasts and festivals, and regularly brought their tithes and offerings to the temple. They tried to keep the Mosaic Law and, when they failed, they counted on their sacrifices to assuage God’s righteous wrath.

Three years earlier, John the Baptist had confronted a group of Pharisees who showed up in the wilderness of Judea where he was preaching and baptizing. When John saw them, he responded in prophetic anger.

“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:7-10 ESV

As the religious leaders of Israel, these men were thought to be icons of virtue and the symbols of moral rectitude. But John recognized them for what they were: withered, lifeless trees incapable of bearing good fruit. Their flowing robes and outward displays of righteousness were nothing more than “green leaves” that gave the impression of faithfulness without fruitfulness.

Jesus later picked up on this same theme, warning His disciples to watch for false prophets, and He told them exactly how to spot these dangerous charlatans.

“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” – Matthew 7:16-20 NLT

Jesus had also warned His disciples that only those who abide in Him can bear good fruit. Those who refuse to abide in Him and fail to produce fruit will be dealt with severely by God.

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” – John 15:2 NLT

The Jewish people were God’s chosen vine, but they had failed to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. When God sent His Son, the people of Israel rejected Him. So these fruitless “branches” would be cut off, eliminating any hope that they would ever produce good fruit.

The apostle Paul would later elaborate on this “cutting away” of the fruitless branches. In his letter to the Gentile believers in Rome, he reminded them that they were branches grafted into the olive tree of Israel. To make room for them, some of the natural branches had been removed.

Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in the richness of the olive root, do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. – Romans 11:17-20 NLT

With the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus was making a statement about the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel.His foray into the temple complex the day before had revealed just how spiritually fruitless Israel had become. They were rotten to the core, down to the very roots. Their religious leaders were exactly what John the Baptist had called them, a brood of vipers. Their venom had poisoned the people, leaving them as withered and lifeless as the cursed fig tree.

But none of this was on Peter and his companions’ minds as they stood looking at the dead tree. They were fixated on how quickly it had died after Jesus had cursed it. Jesus knew they were more interested in His display of power than in any lesson He might be trying to teach them. So, rather than expounding on Israel’s fruitlessness, Jesus took the opportunity to teach His disciples about faith.

“Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” – Mark 11:22-23 NLT

First, He pointed them to God. He wanted His disciples to understand that God must be the focus of their faith. The people of Israel became fruitless because they failed to stay focused on God. Remember what Paul said: “They [Israel] were broken off because of their unbelief, but you [Gentiles] stand by faith” (Romans 11:20 NLT).

The real point of Jesus’ lesson was God’s power. We place our faith in God because He is all-powerful and nothing is impossible for Him. Jesus used an impossible scenario to describe God’s unfathomable power. If the unlikely situation arose where a mountain needed to be moved from one place to another, God could make it happen. The lesson Jesus was trying to teach had nothing to do with getting whatever we pray for. He was not suggesting that His disciples had a blank check from God to fulfill their hearts’ desires. They were to focus their faith on God, not for what they could get from Him but because He was the sole source of all their needs. Having the power to curse a fig tree would become a curse itself if God were left out of the equation. God is not to be viewed as a source of power to accomplish our desires. He is to be the focus of our faith and the object of our affections. His power is not why we love Him, but it is always at the disposal of those who do love Him.

This desire to tap into God’s power for personal gain is seen in the story of Simon the magician recorded in Acts 8.

A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone, from the least to the greatest, often spoke of him as “the Great One—the Power of God.” They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. – Acts 8:9-11 NLT

When this influential magician heard Philip preach the gospel message, he believed, placed His faith in Christ, and “began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed” (Acts 8:13 NLT). Sometime later, Peter and John arrived in town to observe Philip’s ministry. When they saw that the new Gentile believers had not yet received the Holy Spirit, “Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17 NLT). Blown away by this supernatural display of power, Simon was determined to get his hands on it and was willing to pay.

“Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!” – Acts 8:19 NLT

But Peter rebuked the misguided magician, saying, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought” (Acts 8:21 NLT).

Simon missed the point. Fruitfulness is the byproduct of faith. Power is not a commodity to buy and use for our own benefit. It is a manifestation of God’s presence and the byproduct of our faith in His matchless power and provision. As long as the disciples kept believing in God, they would experience His power flowing through their lives and producing the fruit of righteousness.

But Jesus also wanted His disciples to understand that while their access to God would place His power at their disposal, it came with conditions. The privilege of entering into God’s presence through prayer could prove dangerous. Trying to use God’s power for selfish reasons is always a risk. That is why James wrote, “you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure” (James 4:2-3 NLT).

But we must avoid an even more dangerous tendency. God’s power is not to be used to seek revenge on your enemies. That’s why Jesus warned His disciples, “whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25 ESV).

Jesus didn’t use God’s power to wither the fig tree because He was angry; He did it to teach His disciples a lesson. Jesus never used God’s power to seek revenge or call down divine wrath on His enemies. Yet, He knew that this would be a temptation for His disciples. In fact, just days earlier, as they made their way to Bethany, Jesus sent a few of His disciples into a Samaritan city to find accommodations for the night. When they returned, they announced to Jesus and the other disciples that the Samaritans wanted nothing to do with Jesus. This news infuriated James and John, the “Sons of Thunder,” and they asked Jesus for permission to use divine power to destroy the entire town.

“Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” – Luke 9:54 ESV

But Jesus rebuked them for their spirit of revenge and their desire to use the power of God for self-centered purposes. If they had recalled His Sermon on the Mount, they would have responded differently.

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:44-45 ESV

Faith and fruitfulness. These two vital characteristics are inseparable. Without faith in God, you cannot produce fruit, and the absence of fruit is evidence of a life devoid of faith in God. But as Jesus had told His disciples, God would be glorified by their future fruitfulness, and the key would be their faith.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” – John 15:7-8 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Fruitless and Faithless

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12 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.” 

15 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.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city. – Mark 11:12-19 ESV

After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus did a quick tour of the temple complex, then returned to Bethany with His disciples. Evidently, they stayed at Lazarus’s home in Bethany. The next morning, Jesus and His disciples returned to the city, passing through the Mount of Olives, the Kidron Valley, and into the eastern gate. But Mark records a somewhat strange incident as they made their way back to the city, noting Jesus’ hunger. Mark could have known this only if one of the disciples he interviewed for his gospel account told him, and the only way the disciples could have known of Jesus’ hunger is if He had said something about it that morning.

Having made His hunger known, Jesus spied a leaf-covered fig tree in the distance and made His way to it “to see if he could find anything on it” (Mark 11:13 ESV). The context indicates that He was looking for fruit to satisfy His hunger. But when He and the disciples arrived at the tree, they found it had leaves but no fruit. This point matters because when a fig tree’s leaves begin to appear, the fruit is not far behind. But this tree, though covered in leaves, had no figs, and Mark makes sure his readers know that “it was not the season for figs” (Mark 11:13 ESV).

The important fact was that the tree looked fruitful. Its foliage suggested it was fruit-bearing as well. However, this tree had bloomed out of season. From a distance, it looked fruit-bearing, but on close examination, it proved disappointing. It lacked what was necessary to satisfy Jesus’ hunger. So, Jesus cursed it.

“May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” – Mark 11:14 ESV

At first glance, it might appear that Jesus had either an eating disorder or an anger problem. After all, He cursed a tree for failing to bear fruit out of season, and all because He was hungry. But Jesus orchestrated this entire scene to drive a point home to His disciples. His actions were premeditated and reflected His knowledge of the prophet Hosea’s writings.

They have deeply corrupted themselves
    as in the days of Gibeah:
he will remember their iniquity;
    he will punish their sins.

Like grapes in the wilderness,
    I found Israel.
Like the first fruit on the fig tree
    in its first season,
    I saw your fathers.
But they came to Baal-peor
    and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame,
    and became detestable like the thing they loved. – Hosea 9:9-10 ESV

Hosea was warning the people of Israel about God’s pending judgment because of their sin and rebellion against Him. While at one time they had been faithful and fruitful, they had ended up seeking other gods and committing spiritual adultery. They were like a fig tree that bore fruit in season and then had suddenly lost its capacity to bear fruit at all.

Jesus designed this entire scene as a powerful object lesson for His disciples, but it came in two parts. The real point of the lesson would not be revealed until sometime later. In the meantime, Jesus and His disciples continued their walk to the city, most likely entering the eastern gate, which opened directly onto the temple grounds. Once inside, Jesus encountered a familiar scene that caused His blood to boil. There, in the Courtyard of the Gentiles, were the same moneychangers and other vendors He had cast out a year earlier.

During the Passover season, tens of thousands of pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the temple. Because many had to travel long distances, they couldn’t bring their sacrificial animals. So the priests set up a market within the Courtyard of the Gentiles where pilgrims could buy sacrificial animals at exorbitant rates. Because only local currency was accepted, pilgrims had to exchange their foreign coinage with a temple-approved moneychanger. Of course, this service came with a high surcharge.

Jesus was infuriated by the carnival-like atmosphere and the blatant displays of greed and graft that filled the temple grounds. And, just as He had done before, Jesus cleaned house.

Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts… – Mark 11:16 NLT

We can only imagine the chaos Jesus caused as He ransacked the stalls of the various vendors, upsetting their tables, and letting loose the sacrificial animals. He became a one-man wrecking machine, disrupting this Sanhedrin-sanctioned display of corruption and vice. And all the disciples could do was stand back and watch in slack-jawed amazement. But had the disciples understood the motivation behind Jesus’ actions, they would have joined Him in His efforts.

The location of this scene matters; it took place in the Courtyard of the Gentiles. This was the only area on the temple complex where non-Jews could enter. Any Gentiles who wished to worship the God of the Jews were free to do so, but they were restricted to this one area. In a sense, they were treated as second-class citizens. And the transformation of their courtyard from a place of prayer into a place of commerce was more than Jesus could stand. His righteous indignation stemmed from His understanding of His Father’s love for all people. Jesus quoted from Isaiah 56 to reveal the nature of His wrath.

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
    to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
    and holds fast my covenant—
these 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 peoples.” – Isaiah 56:6-7 ESV

The temple priests were more than willing to profit off the Gentiles who came to offer their burnt offerings and sacrifices to Yahweh. They gladly sold them sacrificial animals above market value and filled the temple treasury with the tidy profits. But amid the chaos and confusion, the people’s prayers were drowned out, and the Son of God’s anger spilled over.

He accused the religious leaders of Israel of turning His Father’s house into a “den of robbers.” This time, Jesus quotes from the book of Jeremiah.

“Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” – Jeremiah 7:8-11 NLT

God had condemned the people of Israel for their hypocrisy and for treating the temple as some kind of talisman or good luck charm. They were guilty of violating every one of God’s commands and then returning to His temple as if they were innocent of any wrongdoing. In a sense, they were using the temple like a hideout, a place of sanctuary they hoped would protect them from the punishment they deserved for their crimes against God.

And here, hundreds of years later, Jesus echoed the words of His Heavenly Father and condemned the Jews of His day for continuing the apostasy of their ancestors. Nothing had changed, and the proof is in the reaction of the religious leaders.

And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. – Mark 11:18 ESV

Rather than displaying remorse, these men sought revenge. They showed no signs of regret or even a hint of conviction. In their minds, Jesus was the guilty party; He was the one who deserved to die. So, with Jesus’ last public outburst fresh on their minds, they began to plot His demise. But Jesus simply walked away, leaving a path of destruction in His wake.

Jesus’ departure from the temple recalls another instance when the prophet Ezekiel received a vision from God. In that vision, Ezekiel caught a glimpse of God’s glory filling the temple.

…the cloud of glory filled the inner courtyard. Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the entrance of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord. – Ezekiel 10:3-4 NLT

But as Ezekiel kept watching, something significant and disturbing happened. The glory of God slowly moved toward the east gate, which opened onto the Kidron Valley. Then, the glory of God departed; God Almighty vacated the premises.

Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the entrance of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim. And as I watched, the cherubim flew with their wheels to the east gate of the Lord’s Temple. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. – Ezekiel 10:18-19 NLT

Mark records that when evening came, Jesus and His disciples “went out of the city” (Mark 11:19 ESV). Jesus walked out the same gate He had walked in, and it symbolized the departure of God’s glory. That same temple, which the Jewish people revered and worshiped, would soon become a pile of rubble, destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. And to this day, the Jews have no temple. The glory of God, as revealed in the Son of God, now resides in all who have become the children of God. We are His temple, His dwelling place, a point the apostle Paul regularly drove home in his letters. 

For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them
    and walk among them.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16 NLT

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NLT

Jesus left the temple that day, and His departure signified that the sacrificial system could not remedy the sins of God’s people. A greater sacrifice was necessary, and He would make it, and the author of Hebrews explains why.

For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
    But you have given me a body to offer.
You were not pleased with burnt offerings
    or other offerings for sin.
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God…

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” – Hebrews 10:4-7, 10 NLT

Jesus did return to the temple, but He was unwelcome. The religious leaders saw Him as a threat to their way of life and confronted Him over His unauthorized actions. They failed to recognize Him as their Messiah and, rather than welcoming Him into their midst, they would plot to kill Him. His final destination would not be the temple mount, but Mount Calvary, where, as the Lamb of God, He would take away the sins of the world.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Prince of Peace

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1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. – Mark 11:1-11 ESV

According to John’s gospel, when Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany, just east of Jerusalem, they attended a dinner given in His honor. It was held in the home of Lazarus, the man Jesus had recently raised from the dead. John indicates that a large crowd had gathered outside the home where the dinner took place, hoping to get a glimpse of Jesus and Lazarus, who had become something of a celebrity because of His unique death-to-life experience. John adds that while Lazarus’ newfound fame brought adoring fans, it also earned him serious enemies.

…the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. – John 12:10 ESV

It was now just six days until the Feast of Passover and Jesus had His sights set on the task at hand. He knew He was nearing the final days of His earthly life and would soon be facing the prospect of a horrific death by crucifixion. The events in Bethany and Bethpage were preparatory, setting up what would happen in the days ahead. Even at the dinner in Bethany, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with costly nard, a humble act of gratitude for what He had done for her brother, and when His disciples had expressed concern over what they believed was Mary’s wasteful use of the expensive ointment, Jesus told them, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial” (John 12:7 ESV).

The next day, Jesus sent two of His disciples on a rather strange assignment to the nearby village of Bethphage. They were given specific instructions to find a donkey’s colt that no one had ever ridden. When they found it, they were to bring it back to Jesus. If anyone questioned what they were doing, they were simply to respond, “The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately” (Mark 11:3 ESV). Matthew adds that the disciples were instructed to bring the colt and its mother, which indicates that the colt was not yet weaned. In chapter 21, verse 5 of his gospel, Matthew indicates that this entire episode fulfilled two Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Say to the daughter of Zion,
    “Behold, your salvation comes. – Isaiah 21:11 ESV

Behold, your king is coming to you;
    righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey. – Zechariah 9:9 ESV

Looking back on the events of that day, Matthew understood that everything Jesus had done was purposeful and in keeping with God’s long-standing plans.

The disciples found everything just as Jesus had predicted, and as soon as they returned, He mounted the young colt and began the last leg of His journey into Jerusalem. As He made His way, the crowds grew. Some had come with Him from Bethany, while others were among the many pilgrims lining the streets leading into the city.

A festival-like atmosphere was already in the air because of the Passover holiday. Throngs of people were making their way into Jerusalem, eager to participate in the Passover celebrations. But suddenly, all eyes seemed to fix on this strange scene: Jesus riding a very undersized donkey. One of the disciples likely led the female donkey, and the colt simply followed its mother wherever she went. This entire scene must have been somewhat embarrassing to the disciples. Despite what the prophet Zechariah had written, this was not how a King should enter His own royal city. The disciples had expected Jesus to enter Jerusalem as a military hero, riding a white horse and leading His army in victory over the Roman occupying forces. But here was Jesus, making His way into Jerusalem “mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9 ESV).

And yet, what happened next must have taken the disciples by surprise. As their little procession made its way from Bethphage to the city gates, people in the crowd began to take off their outer robes and cast them down the road before Jesus. Others cut palm branches and used them to pave the path into the city. The disciples must have been shocked and pleased by these displays of homage to Jesus. It would have been totally unexpected, and when the disciples heard what the people were shouting, their hearts must have soared.

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” – Mark 11:9 ESV

This must have been music to the disciples’ ears. The crowds shouted Jesus’ praises, clearly indicating their belief that He was the Messiah, the son of David, and the rightful heir to the royal throne. This was exactly what the disciples had been hoping for all along. At this point, thoughts of Jesus’ suffering and death must have disappeared. The disciples must have been euphoric, joyously taking in the thrill of the moment as they walked alongside their triumphant King.

The people, who would have been singing the Psalms of Ascent as they made their way to Jerusalem, began shouting the words of another psalm, proclaiming Jesus to be its fulfillment.

Save us, we pray, O Lord!
    O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! – Psalm 118:25-26 ESV

Hosanna is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew phrase, hosi ah na, which means “Lord, save us!”

When we read the gospel accounts of this remarkable scene, we envision Jesus as the focal point of the procession, like a celebrity on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But much of what the gospel writers describe may be nothing more than the normal activities of pilgrims making their way into the city. Singing and celebration were a normal part of the day because Passover was one of Israel’s annual mandatory feasts. Their shouts of “Hosanna!” were part of the Passover celebration because it commemorated God’s past deliverance of His people from slavery and subjugation. As the throng of travelers caught sight of the gates of Jerusalem, they would have shouted with joy, crying out to God for yet another deliverance from their enemies.

Had Jesus been the main attraction that day, the crowds’ actions would have drawn the Romans’ attention. But evidently, the Roman authorities saw nothing unusual. It was all just part of the annual activities surrounding the Jewish Feast of Passover.

It almost seems Jesus was taking advantage of the usual Passover frenzy to accentuate His entrance. While the people shouted and proclaimed God’s salvation, the Son of God rode in their midst. He entered the city of David, mounted on a lowly colt; their salvation had arrived, in the form of the Savior of the world. But despite all the throwing of cloaks, the casting down of palm branches, and the shouts of “Hosanna,” the people failed to recognize Jesus as who He truly was. It seems that as soon as Jesus entered the city, the crowds quickly dispersed. To the disciples’ disappointment, Jesus was no longer the focal point of the moment; He was just another pilgrim walking the city’s crowded streets.

Some of the hype surrounding Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem can be explained by those who had accompanied Him from Bethany. According to Matthew, these people were the ones who started the shouts of “Hosanna!” When the crowds began to ask what was going on, they were told, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11 ESV). Luke’s account also shows that the Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke His disciples for stirring up the crowds. But Jesus refused, saying, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40 ESV).

Luke also adds that Jesus knew the people did not understand the significance of what they were saying. Their shouts were meaningless, and their cries for deliverance would go unheeded because they would not recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Luke indicates that Jesus wept over the city, saying, “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes” (Luke 18:41 NLT). This statement is significant because Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) means “City of Peace.” The Prince of Peace had entered the city of peace, but the people failed to understand who He was and what He had come to do.

Centuries earlier, Isaiah had prophesied Jesus’ coming and His role as the Prince of Peace.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 ESV

The crowds would have truly rejoiced had they believed Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah. But He didn’t look like a king. His arrival in Jerusalem was well-timed, and their shouts of “Hosanna” sounded sincere, but they failed to understand who Jesus was. Soon, their shouts of acclaim would turn to jeers and cries of “Crucify Him!”

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, had come to sacrifice His life, not sit on a throne. His mission was to offer sinful men a way to have peace with God, not the Romans. Jesus had repeatedly warned His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die, not reign. But He had also told them He would rise again. And long before He entered Jerusalem for the last time, the Prince of Peace gave His disciples the promise of peace, even in the face of uncertainty.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.” – John 14:27-29 ESV

The joyous, celebrating mass of people were oblivious to what was taking place around them. Despite all the hoopla surrounding His entrance, Jesus quickly became an afterthought, lost in the season’s hustle and bustle. He was just another Jew among the tens of thousands of pilgrims crowding the streets of Jerusalem. So Jesus made His way to the temple without trouble and without further fanfare. Mark indicates that after taking stock of the scene taking place at the temple complex, Jesus returned to Bethany with His 12 disciples. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Restoring Sight to the Blind

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46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. – Mark 10:46-52 ESV

Jesus and the disciples continued their journey to Jerusalem. James and John must have been demoralized by Jesus’ response to their request that He grant them positions of authority in His new Kingdom. They hoped for key roles in His royal administration, but instead received a lecture on servanthood. He told them the path to glory was through humility and sacrifice, which was not what they had hoped to hear.

The disciples struggled to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. They were suffering from spiritual blindness, an incapacity to comprehend all that was taking place around them. It seems that no matter what Jesus said or did, their spiritual eyesight remained darkened by doubt and false perceptions. What happens next drives home their need for enlightenment.

As they passed through Jericho, Jesus and the 12 disciples encountered a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Both Matthew and Luke provide their versions of the same event, but with slightly different details. Mark is the only one of the three who notes the beggar’s name, even telling us who his father was. Matthew reports two blind beggars, while Mark and Luke mention only one. But their stories share a common link: it took place not long after Jesus revealed for the third time that He was going to Jerusalem to die.

“Listen, we’re going up to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. They will flog him with a whip and kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.” – Luke 18:31-33 NLT

All three gospel authors note that the disciples struggled to comprehend the significance of Jesus’ announcement.

But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. – Luke 18:34 NLT

This wasn’t the first time the disciples found Jesus’ words hard to understand. In chapter 8, Mark records Jesus trying to warn them about the leaven of the Pharisees. But while Jesus was talking about the pervasive and dangerous nature of the Pharisees’ teaching, the disciples misunderstood and thought He was upset with them because they had failed to bring bread. This led Jesus to rebuke them for their hard hearts.

“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” –Mark 8:17-19 ESV

On that occasion, Jesus followed up their display of spiritual blindness with a miracle of healing. He met a blind man in the town of Bethsaida, and “he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly” (Mark 8:25 ESV).

Now, as Jesus entered Jericho, He had another “chance” encounter with a blind man. This was no coincidence; it was a divinely timed opportunity to give the disciples one more living object lesson. As if to prove this was a real story about a real person, Mark gives us the man’s name: “Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus” (Mark 10:46 ESV). If any of Mark’s readers ever passed through Jericho, they could look the man up and hear his story firsthand.

But Bartimaeus, upon hearing that Jesus had come to Jericho, began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47 ESV). This physically blind man could “see” something about Jesus that many sighted individuals had failed to comprehend. He called Jesus the Son of David, acknowledging His royal lineage and verifying His legal right to inherit the kingdom of His forefathers. The Jews used the title, “Son of David,” to refer to the coming Messiah. This long-anticipated Savior of Israel was to be a descendant of King David, fulfilling God’s promise to David.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.…And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” – 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16 ESV

While this prophecy was partially fulfilled by David’s son, Solomon, his kingdom was far from everlasting; it ended in disappointment. Solomon failed to remain faithful to God, worshiping the false gods of his many wives and concubines. So, after Solomon’s death, God divided his kingdom. Ten tribes formed the nation of Israel in the north, and two tribes formed the kingdom of Judah in the south. Most of the kings who reigned over these two kingdoms would also prove unfaithful. Eventually, God punished both kingdoms by causing their defeat at the hands of their enemies and sending their people into exile.

But this blind man could see Jesus for who He really was. He believed Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the Son of David, and the rightful heir to the royal throne. He cried out, begging that Jesus might show him mercy, but “many rebuked him, telling him to be silent” (Mark 10:48 ESV). Luke indicates that “those who were in front” tried to silence him, and this group likely included some of the disciples. I can imagine Peter being one of the first to silence this poor beggar. After all, Peter was the one Jesus had blessed when he rightfully confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16 ESV). Peter wasn’t about to share his glory with some disheveled blind beggar living in the middle of nowhere.

But Bartimaeus refused to be silenced. As they tried to stifle his cries, he called out even louder. He would not allow this opportunity to pass him by. The Messiah was nearby, and he longed for his sight to be restored. So, when Jesus called for Bartimaeus, he responded as quickly as he could, despite his disability. Then Jesus asked the blind man a question with a seemingly obvious answer.

“What do you want me to do for you?” – Mark 10:51 ESV

Jesus did not ask this question because He was unaware of the man’s problem. He gave Bartimaeus an opportunity to express his desire and, in doing so, reveal his faith. And Bartimaeus did not disappoint.

“Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” – Mark 10:51 ESV

Bartimaeus addressed Jesus as rhabbouni, which means “Lord and master.” He believed Jesus could restore his physical blindness. He longed to regain his sight and knew that Jesus was his only hope. And Jesus graciously fulfilled the man’s request and expectations. But before Jesus healed Bartimaeus, He gave him a command:

“Go your way; your faith has made you well.” – Mark 10:52 ESV

The Greek word Mark used is hypagō, meaning “to depart” or “to go away.” It is the same word Jesus used when speaking to Satan during His temptation in the wilderness. When Satan offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matthew 4:9 ESV), Jesus responded, “Be gone (hypagō ), Satan!” (Matthew 4:10 ESV).

Jesus commanded Satan to leave, and Matthew records, “the devil left him” (Matthew 4:11 ESV). But when Jesus told Bartimaeus to “depart,” the blind man did just the opposite. Mark reports that, with his sight miraculously restored, Bartimaeus “followed him on the way” (Mark 10:52 ESV). He had what he longed for: restored sight. At that point, he could do whatever he wanted. No longer hampered by blindness, Bartimaeus could have gone anywhere, but he chose to follow Jesus. Just imagine the distractions that appeared before his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he could see the sun, the trees, and the long-forgotten faces of friends. Yet, when Jesus told him to go, Bartimaeus chose to follow.

Now, consider the disciples. They were also following Jesus to Jerusalem, but somewhat reluctantly. They were not thrilled by Jesus’ reports of what awaited Him in the royal city. They couldn’t see the benefit of going to Jerusalem if it meant that Jesus was to be arrested, tried, and killed. But Bartimaeus, his sight newly restored, got in line behind Jesus and gladly followed the one who had delivered his life from literal darkness.

You almost expect to see Jesus turn to His disciples and ask them again, “Having eyes, do you not see?” His journey to Jerusalem was a necessary part of God’s divine plan to bring healing to the nations. In time, the disciples would have their eyes opened as well, allowing them to see the true nature of Jesus’ mission. While the announcement of His pending death shocked and saddened them, the day would come when the message Jesus spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth would all make sense.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4:18-19 ESV

Bartimaeus’ blindness had been healed by the Messiah, but his real problem wasn’t physical; it was spiritual. Even with his restored sight, Bartimaeus remained spiritually blind. He believed Jesus was the Messiah, but he knew nothing about Him being “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:19 ESV). He would have been shocked to know that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem, where He would be arrested, tried, and crucified. Like the disciples, that narrative didn’t fit his understanding of the Messiah’s role. 

Even John the Baptist, the one who called Jesus “the Lamb of God,” struggled to understand who He was and what He had come to do. When he found himself in prison, he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” (Matthew 11:3 NLT). Jesus replied: “The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor” (Matthew 11:5 NLT).  John, Bartimaeus, and none of the disciples understood that the good news had a dark side. Jesus was the Messiah, but He had not come to set up an earthly kingdom. Yes, He could restore sight, cure diseases, and even raise the dead, but His mission had a more long-term objective. 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep…The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” – John 10:11, 17-18 NLT

Jesus would continue to tell His disciples, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 BSB). That was the mission. Restoring sight to the blind and making the lame to walk might be impressive, but they did nothing to change one’s spiritual condition. They were simply meant to demonstrate Jesus’ authority and power.

“Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” – Mark 2:9-11 NLT

Jesus came to provide forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation with God, and it required His death and resurrection. The disciples were still blind to that reality, but one day they would see the truth and rejoice.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Greatness and Glory Redefined

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32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant. 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:32-45 ESV

For the third time, Jesus reveals to His disciples what awaits Him in Jerusalem, including additional details that paint an even bleaker picture. They are making their way from the region of Perea to the capital city, and the procession is somber and silent. The disciples are no longer arguing over who is the greatest, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped thinking about it. They are still trying to process all that Jesus shared with them in Perea, and the last thing they heard Him say must have affected them.

“I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions…” – Mark 10:29-30 NLT

In a sense, Jesus told them that one reward for following Him was persecution. They each aspired to greatness, but Jesus had thrown cold water on those lofty aspirations, promoting a lifestyle of humility and service instead. In fact, He turned their expectations upside down by claiming, “many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31 ESV).

So, as Jesus leads the way, the 12 disciples and a small contingent of other faithful followers tag along behind Him, confused and perplexed about what may lie ahead. Jesus, fully aware of their reservations about returning to Jerusalem, pulled the 12 aside and gave them one last reminder of His fate.

“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and experts in the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, spit on him, flog him severely, and kill him. Yet after three days, he will rise again.” – Mark 10:33-34 NLT

Jesus was painfully explicit, refusing to hide the truth from His disciples. They are on the path that leads to Jerusalem, and Jesus reminds them that once they reach their destination, all hell will break loose. The religious leaders of Israel will allow their hatred of Jesus to come to an explosive crescendo, resulting in His torture and execution. The one the disciples believe to be the Messiah of Israel is telling them that He is going to die. Rather than being crowned the King of Israel, He will be condemned to death. Instead of being revered as the chosen one of God, He will be ridiculed and mocked as a common criminal, then killed.

But as before, the disciples miss the most important detail of His announcement: “after three days, he will rise again” (Mark 10:34 NLT).

What happens next is truly amazing, and it portrays the disciples in an unflattering light. But this isn’t the first time these men have revealed their true colors. In the previous chapter, Mark recorded their response to another one of Jesus’ attempts to explain His destiny in Jerusalem. It happened immediately after the disciples argued over which of them was the greatest.

This time, James and John are exposed for their insensitivity and apparent stupidity; they just didn’t get it. Nothing Jesus said seemed to register with them. Perhaps they were simply trying to avoid the awkward subject Jesus had raised. But, whatever their motive, their actions are difficult to comprehend or justify. Immediately after hearing Jesus describe His pending death in Jerusalem, these two brothers have the unmitigated gall to approach Jesus with a totally self-centered request.

“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” – Mark 10:35 NLT

These brothers were the sons of Salome, Mary’s sister. This made them half-cousins of Jesus, and it seems they believed their blood ties to Jesus qualified them for special treatment. In essence, they asked Jesus for a blank check; they wanted Him to affirm their request even before they made it known. But Jesus makes no such assurances; instead, He asks them to state their request, and what they share is truly remarkable and unfathomable.

“Permit one of us to sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.” – Mark 10:37 NLT

Had they heard nothing Jesus said? Were they so incredibly dense that they couldn’t comprehend a single word He spoke? All His comments regarding greatness in the Kingdom of God had gone in one ear and out the other. They still expected Jesus to ascend the throne of David and establish His Kingdom in Jerusalem, and they hoped to nab the two most powerful and influential positions in His administration. These two fishermen from Galilee demanded that Jesus reward them with royal postings that came with power and prominence. When they had heard Jesus say, “many who are first will be last, and the last first,” they misconstrued His meaning. They must have assumed that their lowly estate as fishermen made them the perfect candidates for these two highly prestigious roles. But they had no idea what they were asking.

When they mentioned Jesus coming into His glory, they pictured a throne, royal robes, and a restored kingdom of Israel. But Jesus referred to His glory as being His crucifixion. He told His disciples, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:23-25 ESV). 

The cross would be the means by which Jesus received glory from the Father. He would die, but then He would be raised back to life again. His death and resurrection would provide the final proof that He was the Messiah and the Savior of the world. That is why Jesus could say, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32 ESV). John clarified what Jesus meant when he wrote, “He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die” (John 12:32 ESV).

So, when James and John asked for the right to sit on Jesus’ right and left when He came into His glory, they were unwittingly asking to take the place of the two thieves who were crucified beside Him. That’s why Jesus told them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I experience?” (Mark 10:38 NLT). 

Their understanding of glory was filled with images of thrones, crowns, royal robes, power, and prominence. But Jesus spoke of doing His Heavenly Father’s will. He would be “lifted up,” but to a cross, not a royal dais with a golden throne. Jesus’ path to greatness and glory would pass through the valley of death. He would drink the cup of God’s wrath and be immersed in the suffering that must accompany the sacrifice of His life for mankind’s sins.

James and John, still unable to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words, boldly proclaimed their readiness and willingness to handle whatever responsibilities came with their new positions. But Jesus informed them that their time would come. They would have the opportunity to prove their allegiance by experiencing the same kind of harsh treatment from the world that Jesus was about to undergo.

“You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I experience.” – Mark 10:39 NLT

James was the first of the disciples to become a martyr for the cause of Christ (Acts 12:2). John was later exiled by the Roman Emperor to the island of Patmos. And it is believed that he too eventually suffered a martyr’s death. But both men would be glorified and reunited with Jesus in His heavenly Kingdom.

When news of what James and John had done reached the other disciples, they were incensed. Once again, the issue of greatness raises its ugly head as the remaining disciples fume over James and John’s attempt to secure for themselves the two best spots in Jesus’ royal administration. None of the 12 disciples could understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. Their anger reveals their jealousy and thinly veiled hope that they might be chosen for greatness. So, once more, Jesus tries to open their eyes to the truth by contrasting the ways of the world with the ways of God’s Kingdom. They are two diametrically opposed systems that promote completely different brands of leadership.

In the Gentile world, leadership is about power and domination, is maintained by wielding authority, and is motivated by self-promotion and the subjugation of others. But God’s Kingdom operates on a completely different paradigm.

“…whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all.” – Mark 10:44 NLT

To make sure they understood what He meant, Jesus used Himself as the quintessential example of true greatness.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45 NLT

Jesus was about to lay down His life for the sheep. Though He was the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel, He would make the ultimate sacrifice to pay the ransom for mankind’s sins. He would lead by serving, display His sovereignty by sacrificing, and achieve glory through dying. And when James and John later saw the two thieves hanging on either side of their friend and teacher, they likely remembered their awkward conversation with Jesus. There before them was the greatest display of what Jesus had been trying to tell them: the innocent Lamb of God dying for sinful men and flanked by two common criminals who deserved to die. In that moment, James and John must have realized that those were the two positions they had so arrogantly requested and so rightfully deserved.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.