Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome to Corona Chronicles. We are back in Mark's Gospel after a a brief journey through the Lord's prayer. And if for whatever reason you missed those sessions, then we encourage you to go back and have a look because that was a really a really helpful study in the lord's prayer that we did. But we're here. We're back in Mark.

We're back in Mark chapter 11. And we're gonna look at verse 12 to 19. So just to catch you up, we've we've had the the triumphal entry, what is often called the triumphal Jesus has ridden into Jerusalem and that there's been great shouts of celebration. He's been showered with praise 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 heaven, the Savior is here, And now that he's coming into Jerusalem, what's he what's he gonna do?

What's he seeing? And so let's pick it up chapter 11 verse 12. The next day is they were leaving Bethany Jesus was hungry, seeing in the distance of fig tree and leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, may no 1 ever eat fruit from you again.

And his disciples heard him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there, he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And he as he taught them, he said, is it not written? My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers. The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way kill him for they feared him because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. You can really tell when you when you're reading it sort of through like this, you can see that this is everything that happens is done according to God's plan. Yes. So this is not an accident that he's just walking past this victory. Mhmm.

And he just so happens say this loud enough for the disciples to hear. Yes. You know? And his disciples heard him say it. He everything that Jesus is doing is trying to show her something, isn't it?

And so so you wonder, oh, what what what's what's this about? Why is he getting angry at this victory? But it but it is interesting where he's as you as you reminded us, where he's come from before this. Yes. He's come he's entered Jerusalem to the sound of cheers, and people crying out Hozana, which means savior or or to being saved, isn't it?

So here comes the savior. It appears that Jerusalem has the right idea about him. Mhmm. But do they? Mhmm.

Do they? And, I mean, he'd gone in verse 11 to the temple courts. I forgot to say. Mhmm. And he looked around, but since it was already late, he went out.

So there's a kind of ominous note there -- Mhmm. -- halfway through the chapter. Jesus has seen something that he wants to return to and that he wants to address. Yep. And this fig tree is going to be the beginning of the lesson.

And so Jesus sees this fig tree, he sees that there are leaves, but he finds out there is no fruit, and then he curses it. And this is 1 of Jesus only. Perhaps if the only destructive miracle Yeah. So we're used to him healing and opening eyes -- Right. -- and raising people from the dead.

But this is a this is a miracle of judgment upon a tree. And it's not because Jesus has got anything against figs -- Yeah. -- you know, or this particular type of tree. Mhmm. But here, we've got something that has leaves but it has no fruit.

Mhmm. It is a statement of false advertising. You know, it it's saying there is fruit here. Look, there's life and activity. Roll up.

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Your figs. You fresh figs, you know.

But he turns up and there are no figs there. In other words, it's a sham and it's a show. It's it's screaming life, but actually, it's it's death. And Jesus says, may no 1 ever eat fruit from you again? And his disciples heard him say it.

So as I say, that that's what this is about. You know, some people say, well, it wasn't the season for figs. So why is there not why, you know, why is Jesus current 1? It's unrealistic expectations. You know, why is he expecting it if they're not there.

Mhmm. But but no, the point is there were leaves. And therefore, they should have been fixed. Right. You know, but there isn't.

So it's it's the appearance of life without the reality. Right. And that is supposed to lodge itself in the decide those mines -- Yep. -- for what they're about to see next. Yeah.

Yes. Because they enter the courts again -- Mhmm. -- and where the temple is meant to be the place of life -- Yes. -- come and come to the life giver, Yahweh. Worship here.

But there's not worship going on. There's buying and selling going there. But all but not not just not even a kind of normal okay buying and selling. Mhmm. But a den of robbers, sort of, so hyperinflated pricing ripping people off, not even trying to just be an honest businessman here.

Yes. But intentionally, sort of, almost stealing money from people. Yeah. Yeah. That's right.

And that's why he calls it that den of robbers because apparently, that exactly sort of thing would happen. So when pilgrims arrived at temple in order to worship, there were these, you know, tradesmen who were selling the the sacrifices that were needed for the temple. But they were selling them at massively inflated prices, you know. So whereas you might have bought a dove for, you know, a couple of quid or something. Yeah.

They might because of where they were and who was coming in, they might charge 20 quits. You know, they would massively inflate the prices. And you get back on holiday, don't you? You know, when they see tourists coming? Yeah.

They know there's a tourist menu and a low calls menu and they work out who you are and then give you that 1. You know, there's a sort of there's an inflation which is designed to exploit. And that's the that's, you know, it's 1 thing when you're just about to, you know, buy spaghetti bolognese on holiday. But it's quite another thing if someone is coming to worship the living God and your profit hearing off them. Yep.

You're you've become a a a basically a robber. So these tradesmen, it looks like they were probably in league with the priests. Yeah. And they worked out the most Well, there's profitable way here to do this. Because the priests aren't coming out saying, what on earth are you doing?

No. They're probably taking a slice of the cut. You know, so everyone's happy. Yeah. Everyone's happy.

Yeah. There there are 2 things that have struck me just looking at this. 1 is, if this is the only time Jesus has cursed something, Doesn't that say a lot about his self control the rest of the time? And his withdrawal from administering judgment -- Mhmm. -- on Mhmm.

Mhmm. Veratiously is Yeah. He doesn't do this to the pharisees that constantly threaten his life and berate him. Mhmm. You know, it could have said, may no 1 hear from you again and their mouth dries up or something.

So, you know, the the mercy and the self restraint and the patience of God in Jesus. The second thing is that Jesus' passion here is for the nations. Yes. Because it seems to be that the sort of the inner courts of the temple are untouched here. You probably wouldn't get you probably wouldn't get this kind of behavior on the inside.

The priest wouldn't let it. And so Jews would probably walk around going, well, you know, the Jews are alright because our bits not touched by this filth. We keep the filth on the outside. But Jesus' angry because the temple is meant to be a house of prayer for all nations. So, you know, Jews you you aren't the only ones.

No. I want my people come from all over the world. Yeah. Every nation every tongue in nation, my people will come and worship. And when they arrive here at this place of worship, what they see is What do you call it?

When you when you get out the other end of like a a ride -- Mhmm. -- a souvenir sort of shot. Yeah. Exactly. It's like Yeah.

The gift shop. The gift shop. That's it. Yeah. You've arrived at the gift shop.

You're not really getting the the full experience. No. I think that is what is going on. So it seems to be, as you say, that this propheteering was reserved for the outer courts, which were the courts for the gentiles. So, if you were a sincere gentile worshipper who wanted to worship the 1 and true living God.

This would be the place that you could do it. Yeah. But lo and behold, you arrive and the place is covered in market stalls and it's a racket, there's animals running all over the place. Yeah. There's What what that's saying is, we we don't give a monkey's about you participating in this.

Yeah. You know, if you wanna worship it fine, but you're gonna have to sit over there with the camels on the and put up with it. You know, there's nothing that they're not making away as you say for the nations to praise God and that is just the opposite of not just Jesus' vision because God God's vision. This is drawn from the old testament. This is what he wanted.

Yep. You know, worship puts faithful worshipers from all over. So Jesus is furious about this. Not only is there exploitation going on here, but they are actually stealing the opportunity from the gentiles to worship God. Yep.

And that's that that that, as you say, you know, we don't see Jesus doing this kind judgment miracle very often. Mhmm. And so when we do, we really work out what makes him furious, don't we? And it's It's stopping people through exploitation and oppression coming to know him. That's really gets gets on his nerves and and, you know, so that's what's happened.

In verse 18, the chief priest in the that all heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, which only which if you ever wanted proof that this is a leafy but figless place. Yes. You know, that's it. Yeah. Yeah.

You know, they're gonna go out and try to kill their own Messiah for exposing them. Yeah. And and and that's that's where we are. So Yeah. There's a what there is a warning here for us, isn't there?

Mhmm. That, you know, we need to be aware of this kind of religious which which looks healthy and godly. Yep. But scratch below the surface and you find that it's not only fruitless, but actually it's putting up barriers and stopping people coming in. Yep.

It's leading people down the wrong sort of the wrong track, isn't it? Telling us wrong things about God. And Jesus will give you over to to what you are in the end. Yeah. If you are if you are lifeless, then this sort of mirage of life will eventually be gone.

We'll see that in the next section. But you you can only play this game for for so long. Who you are, deep down, will be shown in the end. It will. Yeah.

And we're gonna come back to the fig tree next time because there's still something more to learn from it. So join us again.