Christ Church

Close to the King (The Inescapable Story of Jesus #12b) (CCD)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

Trends come and go. This diet is the secret. This exercise routine of Mongolian herdsman will resolve all your health issues. This legislation will solve all societal ills. The list of such fixes is long. Man wants a law which, if rigorously obeyed, will solve every evil and will give coherence to everything. But Jesus gives us the sum and substance of true righteousness, and the coherence point for the universe.

THE TEXT

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. – Mar 12:28-44

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The contention of the previous section produced fruit in an unexpected place. One scribe is left impressed by Jesus’ answers and so puts his own question to Jesus regarding what the most important commandment is (v28). Jesus draws from Deuteronomy for His answer, and asserts that the Shema is the greatest commandment (vv29-30), and then goes on to add a quote from Leviticus 19:18 as the next greatest (v31). No other commandment surpasses these two, in this order: love God fully, love your neighbor. The scribe is clearly in agreement with Jesus, and comments that obedience to these two commandments is more than all burnt sacrifices (vv32-33). Jesus sees true wisdom in this scribe, and assures him that he is not far from the kingdom of God (v34a); Mark then underscores for us that this is Jesus’ last Q&A session with the Scribes (v34b).

Jesus proceeds to teach publicly about the Christ for the first time. He asks about a scribal teaching that the Christ will be the son of David (v35). He gives His own exegetical case for this, and not so subtly accepts the earlier adulation of the crowds that He was indeed the lawful heir to David’s throne and the Divine Christ of God. To do this Jesus quotes Psalm 110. In that Psalm, David foresees God’s fulfillment of His promise to never leave his throne empty. Yahweh promises one of David’s offspring the throne as well as the eventual subjugation of all His enemies. Jesus points out that David calls this eventual descendent “my Lord.” Jesus then leaves the crowd with a question to wrestle with: if David calls the Messiah “Lord,” is He merely David’s Son or is He more? All of this left the commoners enthralled (vv36-37).

The hammer of Christ’s teaching falls once more. He gives a warning to the crowds: “Beware of lawyers (v38).” The reason to beware is that they love appearances of holiness and importance; but they are actually devourers of widows, even if they make impressive prayers. Jesus says that great damnation awaits men of this sort (vv38-40).

Fittingly, just at that moment a widow appears. As Jesus observes the worshippers putting money in the offering box, He sees a widow put in two mites. The Lord draws His disciples’ attention to this. He says that most certainly she gave more than anyone else because while others perhaps gave greater sums, it didn’t require sacrifice; meanwhile her gift meant sacrifice (vv41-44).

LOVE & SACRIFICE

Pay close attention to all that has taken place since Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. The crowds welcomed Him as the embodiment of David’s Kingdom. He went on to rearrange the temple furniture. Israel’s rulers bring three challenges to His authority, His purpose, and His doctrine. He escapes their snares. But He is not dodging the cross. Jesus is headed straight towards it. His sacrifice is His mission.

The Scribe’s question about the greatest commandment reveals everything. What is the whole point of this Temple? What did all the sacrifices mean? What was the substance of Israel’s laws? Did God really want rivers of blood? Did He really want cakes and incense? Jesus is bringing the Kingdom of God to earth, and this demands wholehearted loyalty to the King. The sacrifices of God, as David said, are a broken and contrite heart.

If you would dwell in God’s kingdom you must humble yourself before God’s Anointed. Jesus has said that His purpose is to lay down His life for sinners, and He invites any who would follow Him to imitate His humility and sacrifice. True love means sacrifice. It means giving one’s self for the good of the other. The greatest command is to give yourself entirely to God (Cf. Rom 12:1).

NOT MORALIZING

Often we want to take the easy lesson that is on the surface, and use Scripture merely to moralize. The two coins of the widow make an easy lesson on generosity. While that component is certainly present, it isn’t the primary point. It would be like thinking the main point of The Chronicles of Narnia was about not eating too much Turkish Delight.

Jesus warns about those who devour widow’s houses, meanwhile an impoverished widow appears and gives all she had. Again, our attention being drawn to this offering isn’t mere moralizing on generosity. Rather, Jesus has seen all He needed to see. The next chapter He pronounces judgment on this House that has become full of brigands; brigands who gladly line their pockets with the meager offerings of widows. Israel’s God was a defender of widows and orphans, and He expected His people to do likewise (Deu. 10:18; Ps. 68:5; Is. 1:17). All the distressed, and indebted, and discontented made their way to David’s hideout in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:2). The widow lavishes her offering on the house of the Lord, but soon the house will be torn down. This foreshadows what will soon happen to Jesus himself; another woman will lavish her perfume upon Him before His body is destroyed. Jesus is the true house of the Lord, and forlorn sinners all find refuge and welcome in Him.

UNDER HIS FOOTSTOOL

At the time of Christ, the hope of Israel was that God would raise up a messianic figure who would rid Israel of the Romans. God had done so in ages past. Egyptians. Canaanites. Philistines. Assyrians. Babylonians. The citation which Jesus brings up is full of such longing; longing to see evil subdued and driven out. God had promised David that his descendant would eradicate Israel’s enemies. “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries (Psa 110:5-6).”

But Jesus leaves the Scribes and crowds with a bit of a puzzle, that if solved rightly, leaves no question. Jesus here asserts, publicly, that He is the promised Christ. But it goes further, He also insinuates that He is more than a mere descendant of David, He is the Lord God of David.

This claim actually ties in with the story of the widow’s offering which follows closely behind. The widow’s sacrifice was total. Jesus has said that following Him meant following Him to the cross. So, follow this closely, Jesus lays claim to being not only David’s Son, but being the Lord of David. So, how would Yahweh destroy Israel’s enemies? By giving Himself.

NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM

Judgement looms for those who reject the Messiah. But even in this judgment, the King of mercy shines bright. The Scribe discerns that to love God entirely and then to love one’s neighbor surpasses all the bloody sacrifices which were offered in that very temple in which this exchange took place.

The word of Jesus to this Scribe is a great comfort. If you come near the great King David’s greater Son, with all your love, you are near the kingdom of God. This is because the King has first come close to us, and given us Himself.

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The Comfort of Christ (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #36) (KC)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

We live in a fallen world of turmoil, and we do not yet see everything under the feet of Christ, but we see Christ (Heb. 2:8-9). We do not yet see every nation discipled, every cancer cured, or death itself destroyed, but we see Jesus who has tasted death for every man, so that by Him, we may have a peace in this world that the world cannot give. We see in this text that this was a central part of Paul’s missionary work, and it continues to be a central part of the mission of the church.

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As planned, Paul left Ephesus to go back to Macedonia and Greece, where he comforted the churches for some time before returning with seven assistants, sailing from Philippi to Troas right around Easter (Acts 20:1-6). On the following Sunday, the disciples gathered for worship, and the service went late into the night, and while Paul was preaching, a young man fell asleep and fell to his death out of the third story window of the house they were meeting in (Acts 20:7-9). When Paul came down, he embraced the young man, bringing him back to life, and the service finished with the Lord’s Supper, bringing great comfort to everyone (Acts 20:10-12). From there, Paul made his way back toward Ephesus, coming to Miletus, to take a ship to Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 20:13-16).

ENCOURAGEMENT & TEAMWORK

Following the uproar of Ephesus, Paul spends some time “comforting” the churches that have started (Acts 20:2). The root word for “comfort” is the same that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit, the “Comforter,” who was promised to lead the disciples into all truth (Jn. 14:26, 15:26). Closely related is the fact that Paul is accompanied by a number of companions and disciples, at least seven of which are probably official representatives of churches Paul had planted, perhaps even delegates, bringing an offering to Jerusalem (cf. Acts 24:17). And the result of the worship service in Troas and the healing of Eutychus was “not a little comfort” (Acts 20:12). The ministry of the church is a ministry of comfort and encouragement (Acts 9:31, Rom. 15:4, 2 Cor. 1:4).

LORD’S DAY WORSHIP

At the center of this comfort is worship on the Lord’s Day, “the first day sabbath” (Acts 20:7), which is worth underlining, since it has often been translated as only “first day of the week.” But the word is actually “sabbath.” The same goes for all of the resurrection accounts: Jesus rose on the “first day sabbath” (Mt. 28:1, Mk. 16:2, Lk. 24:1, Jn. 20:1). In the Old Testament, there were various “sabbath days” that landed on different days of the week (new moon, festival days, cf. Lev. 23:39). As Phil Kayser has pointed out, in the first creation, God intended Adam and Eve to enjoy the sabbath as their first full day in the world, but they sinned and the Old Covenant condition was symbolized by a seventh day sabbath (looking forward). But Jesus restored us to the Garden in the New Covenant by His resurrection and restored that original first day sabbath.

John calls Sunday “the Lord’s Day” in Revelation 1, which is the same construction for the “Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11). In the same way that we set apart ordinary bread to “remember” Christ’s work on our behalf, so too we set aside an ordinary day to “remember” Christ’s work on our behalf, and so a “sabbath rest” remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:9). And gathering for worship and resting from your ordinary labors is a crucial part of the “comfort” of the Holy Spirit. Slaves have no days off, but we are freemen in Christ.

SLEEP & RESURRECTION

At the center of this episode is the incident with the young man, Eutychus, whose name means “good luck,” and which might indicate that he was (or had been) a slave. It was a large upper room, full of torches (likely crowded), and Eutychus may have been sitting in the window for fresh air (Acts 20:8-9). The imagery was surely not lost on the first century audience: this would have reminded early Christians of Pentecost when the fire of the Spirit filled the upper room, and perhaps it would have also had echoes of Hannukah, and earlier still, the temple itself. They gathered to “break bread,” which was an early euphemism for the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7), and after Eutychus fell and was raised by Paul’s embrace (much like Elisha, 2 Kgs. 4:34), they celebrated the Lord’s Supper, our resurrection feast (Acts 20:11).

All of this emphasizes that the Spirit of the same Christ who conquered death is with Paul and with the Church. It’s no accident that after the resurrection, even death itself is likened to a “sleep,” that believers will rise from (1 Cor. 15:20, 51, 1 Thess. 5:10). And we comfort one another with these sure promises (1 Thess. 4:18, 5:11).

APPLICATIONS

Whether we wake or sleep: The foundational comfort of a Christian is eternal security – eternal life. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Sinners deserve death, but Jesus took those wages by dying in our place and taking away our sin. The power of the devil was only in his ability to wield the fear of death for the punishment of sin (Heb. 2:14-15). But death is a defanged enemy because it is no longer our punishment. Jesus has the keys of death and hades (Rev. 1:18). Death is a river that all must pass through to get to the Celestial City. But it is a river crossing that Jesus personally oversees.

Worship is the engine: We often say that worship is the engine that drives everything we do. Fundamentally, this simply means that Jesus is Lord, and therefore, everything we do must submit to Him, bow before Him. But God has also made it clear that He wants us to gather as congregations to worship together. There is something particularly powerful and comforting when God’s people renew covenant together in word and sacrament on the first day sabbath, the Lord’s Day. This doesn’t turn everything into a church service, but rather it frees us to work and enjoy everything as a gift from our Risen King.

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Many Infallible Proofs (Acts of the Apostles #2)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

The first verse of Acts contained the formal introduction to the book, but the following verses fill it out a bit more. These verses refer to the Lord’s resurrection appearances, and the proofs He gave His disciples that He was in fact alive. Second, He taught them about the kingdom, and told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had been given kingdom power. When that power had descended upon them, they would be ambassadors of that kingdom out to the ends of the earth. And then last, the angels promised that Christ  would at some point return in the same way that He left, meaning that He would descend from the sky.

THE TEXT

“THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins volume two of his history by referring to volume one. The former book, also addressed to Theophilus, recorded all that Jesus started to do (v. 1), up to the point of His ascension (v. 2). Before He ascended, He delivered commandments to His chosen apostles (v. 2). Over the course of forty days, He appeared to them alive and provided many proofs of His resurrection, and taught them about the kingdom of God (v. 3). Gathering together with them, He required them to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father came, which He had told them about (v. 4). John baptized with water, but in a very few days, they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit (v. 5). On one of their gatherings, they asked Him if this would be the moment when the kingdom was restored to Israel (v. 6). He replied that this was not for them to know, as the Father had it put under His authority (v. 7). But when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they would be imbued with power, and would be made witnesses of Christ—in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the far reaches of the earth (v. 8).

After saying this, while they were watching, He ascended into the sky and disappeared into a cloud (v. 9). They were staring as He went, and suddenly two men, clearly angels, clad in white, appeared next to them (v. 10). You men of Galilee, they said, why are you staring? He will return in exactly the same way that He left (v. 11).

OUR TABLE OF CONTENTS

The eighth verse provides us with a fine overview of the entire book of Acts. It almost serves as a table of contents. They would be witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), Judea (Acts 2:14), Samaria (Acts 8:5), and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 13:4ff). Imagine a rock thrown into a pond, and the place where the rock entered was Jerusalem. The concentric ripples going out from that place were Judea (the province where Jerusalem was), then Samaria, just to the north, and then out to the rest of the world. Infallible Proofs
What does it mean to prove something? The Lord appeared to His disciples and provided them with convincing proofs. To prove something means that what you have done is created a moral obligation to believe. A person might be stubborn, and continue to say nuh uh for a while, but if he is sinning by doing so, then this means that the thing was proven to him. The existence of proof is not dependent upon whether or not the person you are talking to is continuing to hold out. The issue is whether he is sinning by continuing to hold out.

What we are told here is that the resurrected Lord met with His disciples over the course of almost a month and a half, during which time He convinced them that He had risen from the dead bodily. The proofs therefore ruled out dreams, hallucinations, wish fulfillment, or anything else like that. He offered His wounds to Thomas (John 20:27). He asked if they had anything to eat in the fridge—ghosts don’t eat (Luke 24:42-43). He had angels add their testimony (Luke 24:23). He conducted Bible studies, showing how it had to go this way (Luke 24:27). And since that time, because the Holy Spirit was poured out in power, the resurrection of Jesus is not so much an historical fact to be proven as it is an historical proof of two other great doctrines—first, that Christ is in fact the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), and second, that He is going to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).

REASONING ON FIRE

When the Holy Spirit is given, as we will see in the next chapter, He comes down upon the disciples in the form of fire. They were given convincing proofs in the first verses of Acts. But it is quite striking that these proofs were insufficient. You have the proofs, Jesus said, but you must still wait in Jerusalem. So their proofs just sat there waiting, like so much tinder and kindling. Wait, Jesus said. Your syllogisms will not be worth anything unless the Spirit sets them on fire first. Some Christians just want to stack and organize the wood, and also conduct conferences, seminars, and lectures about the wood. Other Christians just want the fire—and because it is just a massive Kleenex fire, their talks devolve into mere harangues. Why not both? The Scriptures are a vast forest, with wood enough and to spare. How long will this fire burn? We are stocked with enough wood to burn until the second promise of these verses comes to pass, and Jesus Christ returns. The first promise of the Father was the outpoured Spirit. The second promise of the Father is the return of the Son. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

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The Lord’s Vineyard (The Inescapable Story of Jesus #12) (CCD)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

Jesus did not come to leave things status quo. Those who want Jesus to be merely a good teacher or a nice example of love and kindness really just want a Jesus they can whistle up. He came to be our prophet, priest, and king and nothing less.

THE TEXT

And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.[…] Mark 12:1-27

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Right on the heels of Jesus leaving the scribes tied up in knots, He launches into a parable whose meaning is as obvious as a Yankee in Tokyo. A man planted a vineyard (Cf. Ps. 80:8, Is. 5:1-4, Jer. 2:21), furnished it with all the latest tools; once it was well established he entrusted it to caretakers and departed to a far country (v1). In time, the owner sent a servant to receive his lawful portion, but the caretakers manhandled him and sent him back empty-handed (vv2-3); so the owner sent another messenger which they killed, and still more which were likewise cruelly persecuted (vv4-5, Cf. 2 Chr. 24:21, Jer. 37:16). The owner then sent his beloved son, thinking that certainly he would be honored; yet the caretakers conspire to kill this heir and take his inheritance (vv6-8). Jesus rhetorically asks what the lord of the vineyard would do in such a situation, with the plain answer being that he will come to take righteous vengeance on the caretakers (v9). To make sure His point is abundantly clear, Jesus cites Psalm 118: the builders of the Lord’s temple rejected the very stone which would bring the utmost glory to the house of the Lord (vv10-11). If the fuse hadn’t been lit already, now it was. The chief priests intended to arrest Jesus, but once more the crowds prevented this injustice to be done (for now); but the Pharisees knew that Jesus was talking about them so they shuffled off to whisper their dark designs in backrooms (v12).

Not long after this, they send a contingent (including some Herodians) to confront Jesus with what they think will be a stumper (v13). With a sickly layer of flattery they ask Jesus about His tax policy (vv14-15a). He discerned their ill-intent and asks for a coin (v15b). He turns the question back to them, asking whose image was stamped on the coin. Since Caesar’s image is on the coin, Caesar has a claim on the coin; but whatever bears God’s image should be rendered unto God (vv16-17). A marvelous reply indeed.

They have another attack ready, this time from the Sadducees. They pose a nonsensical question to him regarding the marital state in the resurrection of a woman who was successively married and widowed by seven brothers (vv18-23, Cf. Deu 25:5–10). Jesus doesn’t bite. Instead, He rebukes their ignorance of Scripture and their low view of the power of God (v24). Earthly marriage is a lesser glory than what shall be revealed in the Resurrection (v25). But Jesus pursues a vein of gold which to extract from all this. When the Lord first called Moses in the bush the doctrine of the resurrection was part and parcel of that revelation. Jesus proves this by making a grammatical point. God revealed Himself this way: “I am the God of Abraham, etc.”. Not was. I Am. Therefore, God is the God of the living. So then, the Sadducees, and their co-conspirators by association, are in grievous error (vv26-27). This will be their last open opposition to Jesus. From here on out their opposition will be crafty and serpentine, aimed at Jesus’ death (Mk. 14:1-2).

LIKE WAVES ON THE ROCK

Like waves upon the rock the Pharisees, Scribes, Herodians, and Sadducees all mount their attacks upon this Son of David. In true Davidic fashion He silences their deceitful tongues (Ps. 31:18). First, they challenged His authority. Second, they challenge His purpose. Third, they challenge His doctrine.

The parable of the vineyard is a continuance of the exchange in Mark 11 regarding Jesus’ authority. This parable is Jesus cornering the tiger. His question at the end of the parable left the air thick with tension. The rulers of Israel are clearly the wicked caretakers. They, and their fathers, had persecuted and killed the prophets. The people would have responded with variations of “the lord will bring judgment and vengeance.” In the next chapter, Jesus will prophetically declare in detail the apocalyptic horror of this judgement. The cursing of the fig tree and driving out the moneychangers from the temple, and now this statement, it is clear Jesus is driving all things toward His cross.

The Lord has been patient with Israel. Prophet after prophet warned and rebuked God’s people with patience. Their messages weren’t vague. Yet still they were cruelly persecuted. Now the Lord’s only-begotten Son has been sent to receive that which was His lawful tithe. The vinedressers will kill the Son, and “cast him out of the vineyard.”

These Jewish rulers will kill the Son. Jesus quotes Psalm 118 to this effect. The builders of the Temple determined to reject the Stone which was plainly fit for being the cornerstone, to give reference and shape to the whole structure; but God is going to do something marvelous. Jesus plainly calls out the murderous envy in the hearts of the rulers, assuring them that He can plainly see the play they are running, even daring them to run it. They are going to crucify Him in just a few days. But even though He sees the play they are running, He warns them that their plans to kill Him will result in Him being the exalted cornerstone. They reject His authority, but He will soon receive all authority. The long-suffering of the Lord is great, but He will not always bear with the wicked.

MORE THAN A TAX QUESTION

The second challenge regards Christ’s purpose. They hoped to embroil Jesus in a tangle with the Roman IRS. Taxation was certainly a financial burden. But more onerous was that Roman taxation revealed that Israel wasn’t free. She was under bondage once more. Jesus’ answer to their question is staggering in its shrewdness. On one hand His answer cannot be misconstrued. He plainly tells them to pay the tax. However, Jesus points out what the coins bore upon them: a graven image along with statements of Caesar’s claim to being the High Priest and Son of God. Jesus’ answer “[…] is contemptuous, without opening Jesus to the charge of sedition.”

Jesus had come to be not only Israel’s lawful King, the heir to David’s throne. He came to rule the entire world. All the Caesars and Czars, all the Presidents and Princes, will be made to acknowledge His universal rule, for the God who made man in His image had come to remake man in the image of Christ. This is Christ’s purpose. Yes it was sedition. Sedition to Satan’s empire. His battles with unclean spirits made this plain.

Resurrection Glory

The rejected stone would be raised up as the “head corner”. We know to look for it, but all of Mark’s Gospel is readying us for the Resurrection. The Sadducees denied the resurrection as a fanciful innovation of later Jewish writings, and claimed this doctrine couldn’t be found in the Torah. But Jesus–once more (Cf. Mk. 10)–goes back to Torah.

Resurrection is the scandalous doctrine of Scripture. When we think of what happens after death we have a hard time grasping what is “over there.” But Jesus teaches us here that the Resurrection is not business as usual just more wispy and floaty. Rather, God revealed to Moses that He intended to be the omnipresent tense God of Abraham. Marriage in the resurrection will not be necessary. Not because we won’t have bodies, but because these bodies will have flowered into their fuller glory. Hunger will be surpassed by Eternal Satisfaction. Sex will be superseded by divine communion. Weariness will be washed away by an Everlasting Sabbath rest.

THE POWER OF GOD

As then, Jesus calls you to know the Scriptures and the power of God. By faith in Christ you are made a partaker of that Resurrection (Eph. 1:19). The Sanhedrin challenged Jesus’ authority, so He challenged them by a floodlight parable to reflect on God’s great long-suffering and to take heed lest His judgement fall upon them. They challenged His purpose, and He responded by coyly revealing that He was come to overthrow the whole system of envy, pride, and vainglory found at the heart of taxation and tyranny. They challenged his doctrine, and He pointed them to the power of God. God made the world from nothing, and now––through Jesus the Christ––God was about to remake the world. The power of God was about to undeniably sprout up right in the middle of history.

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The Cursed Fig Tree (The Inescapable Story of Jesus #11) (CCD)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

Being asked a question you can’t answer is embarrassing. Embarrassment can produce two emotional outcomes: humility or vindictiveness. This portion of Mark’s Gospel exposes the envy, fear, and wickedness of the scribes and Pharisees, and their response is not repentance but to plot an assassination.

THE TEXT

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. […]

Mark 11:1ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Blind Bartimaeus was like a royal herald declaring that the Son of David was on his way (Mk. 10:47-48). As Jesus draws near to Jerusalem, He sends two disciples to procure a previously unridden colt, a fitting royal symbol for such an occasion. (vv1-6). Having obtained the colt, they place garments upon it; Jesus mounts the colt and the royal procession begins, as the crowd place their cloaks and branches before Jesus, and sing out from Psalm 118:26, welcoming Jesus as the return of the Davidic Kingdom (vv7-10). Jesus inspects Jerusalem and the temple, but since evening had fallen He withdraws to Bethany (v11).

As they return to Jerusalem the next day, Jesus, being hungry, inspects a fig tree for fruit. Finding nothing He curses the tree, and Mark notes that the disciples heard the curse (vv12-14). Jesus then enters the temple and begins driving out the moneychangers and forbids the continuance of the commerce which had filled the courts which ought to have been used for prayer (vv15-17). This strikes a chord of fear within the scribal ranks, and the conspiracy to kill Jesus begins (v18). Having accomplished a good day’s work, Jesus returns to Bethany (v19); on reentering Jerusalem the next day, the disciples notice the fig tree has shriveled up entirely (v20), Peter takes the lead on pointing this out to Jesus (v21). Jesus response to this is to summon His disciples to faith in God (v22). This faith is manifested most clearly by bold prayer (vv23-24). Prayer pairs with unforgiveness like orange juice and toothpaste. So, alongside this call to bold prayer Jesus admonishes His disciples to forgive lest God not forgive them (vv25-26).

Then reentering the temple the temperature rises. The scribes confront Jesus as to who gave him authority to do “these things” (vv27-28). Ever a strategic debater, Jesus returns their challenge with a no-win question for the Pharisees: Was John’s baptism from heaven or of men (vv29-30)? The Pharisees huddle amongst themselves and Mark lets us in on their musings. If they say John’s ministry was heavenly, Jesus scores a point. If they say it was merely human they would lose any credibility with the crowds who reckoned John as a prophet (vv31-32). So, they come back with a lame-sauce answer, “We dunno.” And so Jesus refuses to play their game by answering their challenge to His authority (v33).

THE RETURN OF THE KING

Early in Jesus’ ministry He held the truth of His Messiahship close the vest. Steadily, those who have had their ears and eyes opened can hear the living Word and see glorious splendor that Jesus is the Son of God come to drive out evil. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to bring His whole ministry to its prophesied climax: His death as a ransom for sinners, and His resurrection as the restoration of mankind.

The scene of His entrance to Jerusalem has a handful of images worth dwelling on. First, we go back to Jacob’s prophetic blessing of his son Judah. More familiar to us is his statement that the scepter would not depart out of Judah (Gen. 49:10-11); less familiar is the second image of the blessing: a colt tied to a vine. Second, when David bequeathed the throne to Solomon, he sent two “servants” (Zadok & Nathan) to bring Solomon in upon a mule (1 Ki. 1:33-35). Third, during the time of Maccabees, when Judas Maccabees had succeeded in driving out the Syrian king and had rebuilt the temple the Jews rejoiced by waving branches and songs and hymns (2 Mac. 10:1-9); this began the Hasmonean Dynasty. There are certainly more images/allusions which we could consider (Cf. Zec. 9:9), but these three suffice to show that Jesus is openly proclaiming the King has returned to claim His throne.

BOLD PRAYER

This chapter teaches us the potency of prayer. The people cry out “Hosanna.” This is a cry for salvation, deliverance, and prosperity drawn from Psalm 118. The Lord inspects the temple (a house for prayer) and finds it prayer-less. He inspects a fig tree the next day and finds it fruitless, and then pronounces a curse upon it which we later find has miraculously taken place. In between the withering of the fig tree Jesus drives out the uncleanness from the house of prayer.

Jesus wraps up both the cursing of the fig tree and pronouncement of judgement on the temple together. And then He calls His disciples to have faith. The sort of faith that prays bold prayers. Jesus tells His disciples that if they command (in prayer) this mountain to be cast into the sea, it would be done. Jesus tells them, and us, something that seems too big to be believed: prayers of true faith are heard and answered with the marvelous power of God. Whatsoever prayers. While we need to pray bold prayers, our prayers must dwell within the wide borders of God’s will. The mountain in view is the whole Temple Mountain. Jesus summons His disciples to pray for a decisive overthrow of the entire wicked and unbelieving order of things which had taken root in the midst of Israel. Like Babylon before her, the Mountain of Jerusalem was soon to be uprooted and cast into the torrent of God’s judgement (Cf. Jer. 51:25, 42). Jesus will soon teach more about this looming Judgement on Jerusalem (Mk. 13).

Alongside our prayers for the overthrow of our enemies, Jesus instructs us that we also must stand ready to forgive. This is a profound lesson in our own time, and in our own relationships. Pray for the wicked to be overthrown. Stand ready to forgive as God forgave you. Jesus calls you to pray for big things; things like Christ being confessed and obeyed in the halls of DC, Wall St., and City Hall. So, how much more will Christ hear our prayers for daily bread, deliverance from evil, grace for temptation, the conversion of unbelieving friends and family? You can’t pray for such things while harboring unforgiveness. Christ came to reconcile us to God, so that our prayers would be heard and received. And He came so that we might also be reconciled to each other. So, pray that DC gets the full measure of the judgement which its vile schemes deserve. But be prepared to welcome to the Lord’s table any repentant sinner that comes.

JESUS BREAKS THE SPELL

The house of prayer had become full of brigands. They had hijacked the things of God and were misusing them. The temple institution was firing on all cylinders, but the power and the glory were absent. This is what infuriated the scribes. God’s power and glory were found instead in this teacher from Galilee. What got the scribes so fearful that the conspired to kill Jesus? It was the fact of the astonishment of the crowds at Jesus’ doctrine. The Word of Jesus was breaking the spell which had lulled Israel into apathy, indifference, and idolatry. The Jews had become zealous for the system, but were not zealous for the glory of the Lord.

This is why they question Jesus’ authority. Who gave you permission to do such righteous deeds? Where is your license to glorify God? Jesus doesn’t answer their question directly, but He leaves no mistake. The King has come. If the temple complex had become a den of brigands and blackguards, the King had all authority to drive them out. The glory would no longer reside in the temple apparatus, but in the person of Jesus alone. This all leaves us with a plain course of action. Do not dwell in fear of the brigands and their paper thin authority. Instead, come to the King  along with all your requests to Him? For the power & glory dwells in Him.

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