JESUS IN JERUSALEM: MARK 11

 

The Triumphal Entry

11:1-11

Jesus travelled from Jericho, on the road to Jerusalem, and stopped at the village of Bethany. This was a village about 2 miles east of Jerusalem, on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives. It was also the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. 

Jesus sent two unnamed disciples into the village to acquire a donkey colt for him to ride into Jerusalem. Interestingly, he referred to himself as “Lord” and told them to tell the colt’s owner that the Lord needed it.  It was Jesus exhibiting divine authority. The owner responded by letting them have it. Jesus may have prepared for this in advance. 

Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

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.” 

Jesus was signaling that he was the Messiah. He was showing the Jewish people of Jerusalem “your king is coming to you”. He was righteous, having perfect obedience and without sin. He brought salvation to those who believe in him. And he was humble. Many Jews had forgotten this part, though, expecting a messiah who would exalt himself through military victories. 

Jesus’ followers understood that he was going to Jerusalem as the messiah and David king. They put their cloaks on the donkey so Jesus would not touch it as he sat. They covered the ground with cloaks and branches so his feet would not touch the dirt. It was a symbol of being too great to touch common things. 

They also shouted “Hosanna”, who means “save”,. (9) But they did not mean save us from our sins, but save us from our enemies, including the Romans. They said “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”, citing Psalm 118:25, 26. This Psalm was speaking of the coming of the Messianic kingdom. 

Jesus arrived at the beginning of Passover week. Passover celebrated Israel’s liberation from Egypt. So, their thinking was naturally on their liberation from Rome at the hand of the Messiah who entered Jerusalem in triumph. 

Jesus did enter the city, but did not go to the palace. He went to the temple and observed all that was going on. What he saw would not have pleased him. Instead of worship and prayer, he saw commerce. He then retired for the night back in Bethany. 

Cursing the Fig Tree

11:12-14

The next morning, on the way back to Jerusalem from Bethany, Jesus looked at a fig tree for fruit since he was hungry. Although it was too early in the year for fully ripe figs, there were buds that could be eatn. But, though the tree was fully leafed out, there was no fruit. Jesus then cursed the tree in the hearing of the disciples. 

Judging the Temple

11:15-19

Returning to the temple, Jesus took action. He overturned the tables of the money changers. They were changing money for those who lived outside of Judea so they would have the required coins to pay the temple tax.  

He drove out the vendors. They sold animals for the sacrifices, since it was hard to carry animals for a long distance to use for the required sacrifices. Both groups did these things for a profit. They were also paying the priests for the privilege of doing so in the temple.

Jesus also would not let anyone carry animals or other goods through the temple. You can imagine how disruptive all of this would have been to anyone who actually came there to pray. 

Jesus gave his reason for doing all this. He said “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)

By saying “is it not written”, Jesus was referring them to Scripture. Jesus combined two scriptures for this saying, as he often did. First, he cited Isaiah 56:7. Isaiah 56 spoke of foreigners coming and joining themselves to the Lord, who would come to the temple as a house of prayer and offer sacrifices to God. That was the ideal. 

The second verse is Jeremiah 7:11. God pointed out Israel’s idolatry and breaking of the commandments while they pointed to the temple as the source of their deliverance from Babylon. God said “has this house, called by my name, become a den or robbers in your eyes?”. That was the reality. 

Looking one verse forward to Jeremiah 7:12, we see God referring to the destruction of Shiloh, the first residence of the tabernacle in Israel, due to the corruption of worship there. 

Instead of using the Court of the Gentiles to encourage Gentiles to come and pray, the priests and the vendors were hindering the coming of the Gentiles, who they did not want anyway.

Jesus was not cleansing the temple in a restorative way; he was showing that he judged it and condemned it for the way it was used.

The chief priests and scribes heard and understood Jesus’ words as a condemnation of their running of the temple. So, they sought a way to destroy him. They actually feared Jesus because his teaching astonished the people. (18) 

The Withered Tree

11:20-26

This is the second part of the sandwich concerning the fig tree.

The next morning, Jesus and the disciples again left Bethany for Jerusalem. They saw the fig tree Jesus cursed. It had withered away. (21) 

The fig tree is a symbol for Israel, with its religious establishment. It did not bear fruit for God, it will be destroyed. It was an enacted parable that came true about 40 years later. The use of the temple as the way to approach God would be destroyed and replaced by Jesus himself.

Jesus concluded this section with a teaching that is a call to faith. Instead of looking to the temple, the disciples should look to God in prayer, believing in the faithfulness of God to answer prayers. When we pray according to God’s will in faith, he will give us what we need. 

Prayer brings us into God’s presence. We are able to be in his presence because we are forgiven. Since we are forgiven, we must forgive those who have wronged us. Jesus said the same thing in the model prayer. (Matthew 6:12)

Confrontation With The Authorities

11:27-33

Jesus was confronted by the religious authorities, including the chief priests, scribes, and elders. They demanded to know what authority he had to disrupt the temple. This was likely a trap, seeking grounds to arrest him. 

Jesus again avoided the trap by asking them if the baptism of John the Baptist was from heaven or from man. Jesus avoided the trap by setting a trap. These men did not want to vouch for John’s authority, because the they believed only they had religious authority. But they knew the people did believe in John as a prophet and did not want to look bad to them. 

The authorities refused to answer Jesus, so he refused to answer them. That had to be a frustrating experience for the religious leaders. 

We know, however, that Jesus as God’s Son, had the authority in himself to take charge of God’s house.  

DISCIPLESHIP: FOLLOWING JESUS - MARK 10:32-52

 Jesus Prophecies His Death

10:32-34

Jesus left Capernaum and headed South to Jerusalem. He seemed very determined, even walking ahead of his followers on the road. Luke wrote that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem”.  (Luke 9:51) The disciples were amazed at this. The other followers were afraid, knowing there would be much opposition to Jesus in Jerusalem. 

When Jesus was alone with the Twelve, he told them exactly what would happen. He did not sugar coat it. He said that they were going to Jerusalem. Once there, he as the Son of Man would be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They would condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles, meaning the Romans. The Romans would mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him. This foretelling is so specific it is astonishing. It is also astonishing that Jesus, knowing all of this, kept going resolutely to Jerusalem. 

This is the third and final prediction of his death. 

The conclusion of the foretelling, though, is that Jesus would rise after three days. (34) He would rise from the dead. 

James & John Want Preeminence

10:35-45

Although Jesus had previously rebuked he disciples for arguing about which of them were the greatest, James and John were undeterred. It is interesting, and shows the disciples’ lack of spiritual discernment, that, after each of Jesus’ predictions about his death, the disciples contend for personal greatness. They are incredibly selfish even as Jesus is incredibly humble. 

They asked Jesus for a favor. They asked him to do whatever they asked. In other words, they asked him to promise to give them what they asked even before they asked. This indicates that they were not sure Jesus would grant their request. 

This is audacious. They presumed to bind their master to their wishes without even making them known. 

Jesus did not promise as they requested, but asked what they wanted. They asked him to give them the right to sit on his right and left sides in his glory. (37) They are thinking of Jesus becoming king in Jerusalem when they get there. They seem to have ignored his statements about dying there. 

They do believe Jesus is the Messiah who will receive his kingdom in Jerusalem. In Jewish thought, the most important person in a gathering sat in the center. The next important seats were first on his right and then on his left. 

Since these two, along with Peter, were the inner circle of the Twelve, it also seems to be a deliberate attempt to remove Peter from leadership and keep it in their family. And, since Mark is writing Peter’s account of Jesus’ life, it was a betrayal that was remembered. 

Jesus, using the metaphors of cup and baptism, referred to his suffering God’s wrath and death. The cup is a symbol for something allotted to a person by God. It can be something good, but usually symbolizes the pouring out of God’s wrath. For example, Psalm 11:6 says “Let him rain coals on the wicked, fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” 

Baptism is used as a parallel to cup here. It is a symbol of being overwhelmed with sorrow. (Luke 12:50)  

For Jesus, the cup represented his suffering and death for our sin. It is preordained by God. It is the portion allotted to him by God. That is why Jesus prayed “Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will”. (Mark 14:36) Acts 2:23 says that Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. 

James and John are confident that they can do what Jesus will do. At this point, it sounds like naive bravado. They cannot do what Jesus would do; only he could die to make atonement for sin. 

But, Jesus told them they would eventually suffer as he would. (39) Acts 12:2 tells us that James was murdered by the sword at the order of Herod. We do not know how John died.

 Jesus, of course, denied the request, saying it was not his to say who sat where in the kingdom. Nonetheless, the other ten disciples were upset at James and John for making the request.

This dispute led to Jesus teaching them again about leadership. He told them that leaders in the kingdom would not act like those in the secular world, lording it over them. Instead, the greatest must be the servant of the others, following the example of Jesus. Jesus would indeed die to ransom from sin the many who would believe in him. (45)

One Last Healing

10:46-52

Having just dealt with James and John, who were spiritually blind, Jesus proceeded to deal with a man who was physically blind. 

Jesus had now travelled all the way to Jericho. This city is not far from Jerusalem, about 20 miles. But there is also an elevation change of 3400 feet. That is why the gospel writers sometimes speak of going “up” to Jerusalem.

As Jesus left the Jericho, headed to Jerusalem, he was confronted by a blind man. Mark gives us very specific details here: the man’s name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. (46) 

When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was approaching, he began to cry out to him, asking him to have mercy on him. (47) He was asking to be healed. 

Unlike the rich young man that addressed Jesus merely as “Good Teacher”, Bartimaeus addressed Jesus as “Son of David”. The is a Messianic title. Bartimaeus believed in Jesus as the Messiah and believed he had the power to heal blindness. 

Unfortunately, people tried to shut him up. We see this hard heartedness among Jesus’ followers, trying to keep away people who want or need to come to him. Why not see the need and carry the man to Jesus? 

Fortunately Jesus had the man brought to him and healed him. He recognized the man’s faith and acted in response to it. Once healed, Bartimaeus joined the crowd and followed Jesus. 

It is a little picture of salvation, isn’t it? We are spiritually blind before we come to Christ. God opens our eyes to our need for Jesus. We believe in him and are saved\healed. In response, we follow him. (1 Corinthians 4:4-6)

TAKEAWAYS

Jesus taught discipleship within the context of marriage, with children, and with possessions. 

Now he has taught that discipleship is ultimately about following Jesus. 

Don’t seek to lead, seek to serve.

Don’t keep people from coming to Jesus; bring them to Jesus.

Jesus loves and saves all kinds of people. 

JESUS & POSSESSIONS: MARK 10:17-31

 

Jesus & Possessions

10:17-31

The Encounter: Jesus and the Rich Man

10:17-22

This is often called the story of the rich young ruler. Mark does not say he is young or a ruler. Luke called him a ruler (18:18) and Matthew called him young (19:22) Mark focuses on the most important thing: he is rich. 

Having taught about marriage and children, Jesus taught about our relationship to our possessions. Discipleship includes the way we use and value our money and possessions. 

The occasion for this lesson was the approach of a rich man. He is a striking contrast to the little children who came to Jesus. 

The man’s approach was dramatic. He came running and knelt down before Jesus. It was a humble approach and well as dramatic. Obviously, the young man had something on his mind and sought Jesus’s council. The man’s concern was eternal life and how to inherit it. (17)  

He addressed Jesus as “Good Teacher”. He did not address him as Lord or Son of David, so he does not appear to believe that Jesus is the 

Christ or the Son of God. 

Jesus’ response was to address the word “good”. Why do you call me good since only God is good. (18) This confronted the man on two fronts. First, Jesus should be recognized as God, the Son of God, not just a good teacher. Second, the man should not claim to be good. Neither of these truths were recognized by the man.

The standard of good for a Jew was the covenant law, summarized in the Ten Commandments. So, Jesus refers him to the commandments. But, all the commandments he mentions are from the second table, those that dealt with one’s relationship to other people: do not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, defraud, and honor your father and mother. (Exodus 20:12-17) He did not mention any of the commandments of the first table, those dealing with one’s relationship to God. 

The man claimed to have kept all of those commandments “from his youth”. Given the interpretations of the law at that time, he may well have been able to convince himself that he was sinless. By the standards of the day, he was probably thought of as a good man. 

Jesus must have been impressed with the man’s sincerity. Mark said he loved him. (21) But, Jesus then directed the man to the first table of the commandments, indeed the first commandment: “you shall have no other gods before (or “besides”) me”. (Exodus 20:3) 

Jesus told the man, to inherit eternal life, he must sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. That would give him treasure in heaven. Then he must come and follow Jesus. (21) In other words, you must put Jesus before your money. You must become like the little children in the previous story. Like the hymn reads: “nothing in my hands I bring; simply to thy cross I cling”. (Rock of Ages by Augustus Toplady)

Mark tells us the man was disheartened and sorrowful. (22) He felt that way because the price of eternal life was too high for him. He could not give up his wealth in order to follow Jesus. He chose comfort and status in this life over eternal life with Jesus. 

The Lesson: Jesus Teaches The Disciples About Money

10:21-31

Having seen the rich man walk away, Jesus began to teach the disciples the problem with money. He said it was very difficult for the wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. (23) 

The disciples were amazed. Wealth was seen as a sign of God’s favor, so, surely, rich people would get priority passes to the kingdom. In response to their amazement, Jesus doubled down on the thought. He said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom. (25)

That statement is an exaggeration to make a point. Some people with no sense of humor claim it could not be a statement Jesus said because it cannot be done. But that is the point. Jesus later says it is indeed impossible for the wealthy to the wealthy person, on their own, to come into the kingdom. 

In response to the criticism, though, someone invented a story that there was a narrow gate called the Eye of the Needle that was too small for a camel to pass through. No such gate has been found. Both groups miss the point. Jesus made an outrageous statement to drive home a truth.  

Now, if the disciples had absorbed Jesus’ teaching regarding children, this teaching about rich people would not have been so surprising. Jesus welcomed children who had nothing to offer, no status, no power, no possessions. He emphasized the simple trust that brought them to Jesus. 

However, the disciples again display no discernment. They explained “then who can be saved”. (26) They were thinking “if a rich person cannot be saved, no one can be saved”. Jesus agreed that it was not possible with man. But, it is possible with God, as are all things. There is no limit to what can do. (27) 

The fact is that no one can come to Christ through their own effort. Jesus said “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him”. (John 6:44) 

 After Jesus spoke, Peter could not resist the temptation to elevate the disciples in contrast to the rich man. He said they had left everything to follow Jesus. (28) That was true. We know that Peter, Andrew, James and John left their fishing businesses. Matthew walked away from his tax collecting franchise. The rest of the Twelves must have left their lives behind also, since they spent all their time following Jesus around. 

Jesus cut off this line of thought, though, by saying all who left their lives to follow him would be rewarded, but also persecuted in this age (in this time). They will receive houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and lands. I think this is a reference to the growth of the church. Jesus said it will also come with persecutions in like measure in this age. (30)

When you come to Christ, you come also to the church, the body of believers all over the world. You come to a family. All of the brothers, sisters, mothers, and children are yours in Christ. Homes and possessions of the family members are shared with you. All of this happens in this age, which is the age that goes on until the return of Christ. 

But in the age to come, they will receive the ultimate reward: eternal life. (31)  

Jesus did not let the main point be overlooked, though. He ended his teaching by reminding the that many who are first in this life will be last, and the last first.