mark 11: The honoured king

Sermon first preached at Twynholm September 21st 2008.
Audio available here

There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ's moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment. ... one does find repeatedly a vindictive fury against those people who would not listen to His preaching -- an attitude which is not uncommon with preachers, but which does somewhat detract from superlative excellence. You do not, for instance find that attitude in Socrates. You find him quite bland and urbane toward the people who would not listen to him; and it is, to my mind, far more worthy of a sage to take that line than to take the line of indignation.
Then there is the curious story of the fig tree, which always rather puzzled me. You remember what happened about the fig tree. "He was hungry; and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came if haply He might find anything thereon; and when He came to it He found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it: 'No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever' . . . and Peter . . . saith unto Him: 'Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.'" This is a very curious story, because it was not the right time of year for figs, and you really could not blame the tree. I cannot myself feel that either in the matter of wisdom or in the matter of virtue Christ stands quite as high as some other people known to history. I think I should put Buddha and Socrates above Him in those respects.
So said Bertrand Russell on March 6, 1927 only 3 miles from here at Battersea Town Hall, in a lecture that became his well known pamphlet, “Why I am not a Christian.”
There were other elements of Jesus’ teaching that Russell was rather more comfortable with.
You will remember that He said, "Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." That is not a now precept or a new principle. It was used by Lao-tse and Buddha some 500 or 600 years before Christ, but it is not a principle which as a matter of fact Christians accept. I have no doubt that the present prime minister [Stanley Baldwin], for instance, is a most sincere Christian, but I should not advise any of you to go and smite him on one cheek. I think you might find that he thought this text was intended in a figurative sense.

How is it that the same Christ who encourages us to turn the other cheek, in the story we are going to read not only curses a pretty innocent looking fig-tree, but also in what seems to be definite anger destroys various people’s businesses and drives them out of what had become a centre of commerce.
Is this angry Jesus a sign that he too had his faults, or is it possible that in Jesus his anger as well as his love are functions of his goodnes, and are therefore not to be dismissed as unworthy, but revered as right and praiseworthy?
We have seen Mark in his gospel present Jesus as praiseworthy
The true king outlasts false praise.
1(A) Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to(B) Bethphage and Bethany, at(C) the Mount of Olives, Jesus[a] sent(D) two of his disciples 2and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied,(E) on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'" 4And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" 6And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8And many(F) spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9And those who went before and those who followed were shouting,(G) "Hosanna!(H) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessed is(I) the coming(J) kingdom of(K) our father(L) David!(M) Hosanna in the highest!"
11(N) And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late,(O) he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus has been telling his disciples for some time now that their destination would be Jerusalem, and that at the heart of his mission is what would happen in Jerusalem. What happens in that one week is so central to what Jesus is about that it takes up 6 of 16 chapters in Mark’s gospel, more than a third of the book. In John’s gospel it takes up half the book.
There are those who would call themselves Christians who think that the most significant thing is the brith of Jesus, that God has become man to reveal himself to us. That is surely significant, but the death and resurrection of Jesus is why he came. As we saw last week the whole reason Jesus came he summed up in verse 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,”
So, though Bertrand Russell and others might like some of Jesus moral teaching, he was right to call his talk “why I am not a Christian.” A Christian is someone who trusts in the death of Jesus as their ransom, and entrusts their whole life to Jesus.
So significant was this last week of Jesus’ life that he has made very deliberate plans as to how it would begin on that first Palm Sunday.
Whether the word’s given to the guardian’s of the donkey were a prearranged password, or a sign of Jesus’ supernatural knowledge, the point is clear. Jesus was the king who might apprehend any of his subject’s property for ceremonial use.
The fact that the donkey hadn’t been ridden by anyone else made it fit for a king.
But the fact that it was a donkey meant that he was intending to signify that he wasn’t any old king. He was the long expected king. 400 years earlier the prophet Zechariah has prophesied, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
(B) Behold,(C) your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
(D) humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

He wasn’t coming to bring war, if so he would have ridden on a white horse; he is coming to bring peace to Jerusalem through the events that would unfold.
And people seem to understand something of the significance of the entry. Cloaks are thrown onto the road, so that even the king’s donkey could have a comfortable journey. Palm trees were waved, and the words spoken were full of anticipation: “Hosanna” meaning “Save now!”
And
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord”
Both come from psalm 118, that was sung as pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem, but this wsa no ordinary pilgrim. He was to be the one in David’s line who would restore David’s kingdom.
We would half expect the crowds to follow him into Jerusalem, raise him to their shoulders and seat him on a throne.
But the day finishes with an extraordinary anti-climax. He enters the temple; he looks around, but it appears that nobody is paying him any attention once more.
The irony is incredible.
The temple was to be a symbol of how God dwelt with his people. Now God was dwelling with his people in the person of Jesus –he has come to the temple, but the temple is unresponsive. It’s whole existence was for this day.
Even the route that Jesus took, coming in from the mount of olives was to remind the people that God’s presence had left the temple via the mount of Olives 500 years earlier; now the glorious king has returned; and there is not a word of praise for him.
The crowds that had cheered moments earlier have dispersed; their praise was empty.
There would be crowds soon calling out not for his coronation, but his crucifixion.
As we sing “sometimes they strew his way and his sweet praises sing, resounding all the day Hosannas to their king. Then crucify is all their breath, and for his death they thirst and cry.”
Popular opinion can turn in a dramatically short time. I guess the last year in british politics has reminded us of that fact.
We need to be aware of allowing popular opinion decide our eternal destiny. Don’t be satisfied with what you have heard about Jesus. Examine him for yourself. Christianity Explored Course.
Christian, will your praise endure? We have sung Jesus’ praises this morning. It is easy to be conviced that our praises are true and not false because of the joy we feel in the moment of exhilaration. This can be when we are singing with God’s people; or it could be that conference, or that sermon that really moves us.
Adrenaline is one of God’s incredible creations. In moment you can do incredible things on adrenaline. You could lift a car off someone who is trapped. You can hold on. You can stay awake for a whole night.
But it doesn’t last. It is impressive, but short-lived.
But true Christian praise is to be more like the heart muscle than adrenaline.
Not so impressive; but constant. B-Boom b-boom….
Do you find yourself praising through the day, whatever circumstances you face?
Form sustaining habits, rather than depending upon momentary bursts of enthusiasm, which will wax and wane.
And those sustaining habit need to be built on praise: we were thinking about how we can sometimes even feel hypocritical beginning family devotions, or starting to meet with a friend regularly to pray when we don’t feel things have been going well spiritually. Well, if you find it hard, start with praise! Praise the Lord for who he is, then you don’t even have to start by talking about your state… use the Lord’s prayer –begins with praise. Use some other bible praises like the reading that Grace read from Luke 1 – the Magnificat.
The crowds praise had faded even before Jesus had reached the temple. But Jesus was not put off. He was not coming to Jerusalem to receive praise now; he was coming that he might be rejected and killed. “yet steadfast he to suffering goes, that he his foes from thence might save.”
Jesus wasn’t after any throne but the cross; and it would be because of the cross that he might receive from millions of people from every nation eternal praises, that would never wane, but only grow in magnitude, in joy and in depth of understanding.
The true king outlasts false praise.
The true king condemns false religion
12(P) On the following day, when they came from Bethany,(Q) he was hungry. 13(R) 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(S) it was not the season for figs. 14And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.

15(T) 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(U) the money-changers and the seats of those who sold(V) pigeons. 16And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written,(W) 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But(X) you have made it a den of robbers." 18And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and(Y) were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because(Z) all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19(AA) And when evening came they[b] went out of the city.

20(AB) As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21And Peter remembered and said to him,(AC) "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." 22And Jesus answered them, "Have(AD) faith in God. 23(AE) Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,(AF) 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not(AG) doubt in his heart, but(AH) believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you,(AI) whatever you ask in prayer,(AJ) believe that you(AK) have received[c] it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever(AL) you stand praying,(AM) forgive,(AN) if you have anything against anyone, so that(AO) your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."[d]

I don’t know if Bertrand Russell really believed that fig trees had feelings, but he certainly misunderstood what Jesus is doing here.
Jesus doesn’t curse the fig tree because he selfishly wants to satisfy his hunger, and flies off the handle in an impatient rage.
No, the cursing of the fig tree was an enacted parable. Vines and fig trees were common symbols for Israel and her leaders.
This fig tree was fruitless because it was out of season –it was not even in its nature to bear fruit.
Mark arranges the material in such a way that he makes it very clear what the meaning of the parable was. The two stages of the parable fell either side of the visit to the temple.
The temple was supposed to be like a tree bearing much fruit. It was even adorned with fruit all over. It was to be like the Garden of Eden where once again people could know the presence of God and not die. If anyone had spiritual hunger, the only place in the world that should have been satisfied was the temple. There they would learn of the great God who was intent on blessing people from every nation. And providein atonement for sins.
But the temple had become as fruitful as a fig tree with only leaves present: not even a hint of blossom, let alone fruit. It would leave any pilgrim who visited as spiritually hungry as when they arrived.
The only thing that fig leaves are good for in the bible is as a pathetic covering for the nakedness of a broken covenant when Adam and Eve sewed them together and hid. It had become not a model of entering the presence of God, but of hiding from him.
Well, Jesus cursed the fig tree so that the shameful nakedness of the broken religion of the temple would be exposed.
And that’s exactly what he does when he visits the temple.
V17. "Is it not written,(W) 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But(X) you have made it a den of robbers."
There was nothing intrinsically wrong with selling animals somewhere near the temple: they were needed for the sacrifice. But the selling had come right into the temple courts, and had squeezed out the space for those who had come from the nations – the whole court of the Gentiles was overrun with commerce.
Jesus brings together two quotations from the Old Testament about the temple. Isaiah 56:7 had shown that the temple’s ultimate aim wasn’t to just be the centre of Israel but the centre of the whole world. All nations would come to the temple and be welcomed by the Lord. Yet the “den of robbers” comes from Jeremiah 7:11 (Steve will preach more on that this evening).
It is where Jeremiah castigates the false religion of the day. The people thought that they had peace with God merely because they had the temple. “Peace, peace when there Is not peace”
So it was with the temple. It was business as normal; yet it was hiding people from God rather than bringing people to God.
- so, is the anger of Jesus here a momentary lapse; something less than attractive about him; would, as Russell suggested, it be far more worthy of a sage to be bland and urbane rather than indignant? Well, it depends what is at stake, doesn’t it. Was it right for Nero to be bland and urbane whilst Rome burned!
No, Jesus’ indignation here is a function of his compassion.
The temple had become a den of robbers because it was robbing all nations of peace with God.
Gospel.
You know, it would be possible for us to do the same thing as a church.
There could be several ways in which we could do it.
- Let’s be a church that doesn’t rob people of the gospel.
o Everyone welcome. Speak to the visitor first, and then your friends.
o Lives with connections to Non-Christians.
o Let your light shine!

Jesus brings true religion.
- He gets rid of the old model that had become defunct; I think that is what he’s saying with the mountain being thrown into the sea. It isn’t just that prayer can move mountains… 23, no, it is whoever says to “this mountain” ‘be taken up and thrown into the sea’. Well, which mountain is that? It is the temple mount, mount Zion itself. Jesus has done away with the model of the temple as surely as if it had been thrown into the sea. For he is the true temple. He truly brings us peace with God; so that we can now approach God as the Father who hears and answers prayers. V24
- The true religion that Jesus brings then has a vertical peace with God. But if we have true religion it also has horizontal effects: v25
We could rob people of the opportunity to have peace with God also if we do not work on our relationships with each other.
Pray that we would be a community marked by forgiveness so that our religion is not false; but it is demonstrably life-changing.
I know that there have been many tough years at Twynholm in one way or another. Tough years can bring a depth of relationship. They can also bring the temptation of rifts and unforgiveness. Pray that the Lord would not allow bitterness or grudges grip this church.
Pray that we would so delight in the peace that we have with God, that we are quick to make peace with one another. Pray that we would so recognize the enormity of what we have been forgiven by our father at the cost of his only son, that we would be quick to forgive one another; it is costly to truly forgive – especially if we have been deeply hurt –but it is not as costly as the forgiveness Jesus was intent on purchasing with his blood just 4 days after this incident.
Corrie Ten Boom. The Hiding place.
The true king condemns false religion,
Yet the false religion was seeking a way to condemn him. V18.
Yet he would be condemned to purchase true religion for all who would trust in him.
The true king defies false authority.
27(AP) 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, 28and they said to him,(AQ) "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" 29Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30Was the baptism of John(AR) from heaven or from man? Answer me." 31And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say,(AS) 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32But shall we say, 'From man'?"—(AT) they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was(AU) a prophet. 33So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Together the chief priests, theee scribes and the elders formed the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court that was allowed some jurisdiction even under Roman rule. If they were going to be able to kill him with even a veneer of righteousness, the Sanhedrin must therefore be involved.
And they are trying out the only charge that they think might be able to stick.Blasphemy. It was considered blasphemous to claim that something was from God that wasn’t at all. So important was it that God’s people could hear from God that there was the death penalty for false prophets – those who claimed to speak in God’s name, but really spoke only for themselves.
Jesus reply is not merely evading the evading the authority of the Sanhedrin; it is defying it as a false authority.
You say you have authority to judge me! To say that I am not from God! You wouldn’t know God if he walked into the room… Why didn’t you listen to the last prophet whom God sent, John the Baptist?
If you had, you would know if my authority came from Heaven or from men, for when he baptized me Heaven was opened, and God himself spoke, “this is my beloved son.”
I am the God who has given you authority. You will answer to me one day for it.
Do you recognize that all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Jesus? Whatever authority we have is not innate. It is not earned, it is borrowed. It is entrusted to us by Jesus, and we will answer to him for how we have used it.
Learn from the time where you are under your parent’s authority… learn to trust authority – if your natural inclination is to circumvent it, them you will find it harder to sit happily under the authority of God.
My authority as pastor comes from this word…
Explain why we have expository preaching.
Fire me!! Not just the right, but the responsibility to fire me if I stop preaching this word.

The first thing we need to with any authority we have is recognize who Jesus is.
Note how compromised they are in their exercise of authority. They are not interested in what is right and true, but what is convenient. All they want to do is protect their authority for themselves, rather than exercise it for the good of others and the glory of God.
And in doing so, they will not even consider John’s evidence that they had got Jesus wrong. They just end up non-committal, “We do not know”. John had been the most significant religious figure for at least 400 years; and all they, the religious leaders, the guardian’s of the temple can say is “I don’t know.”
Agnosticism can seem so reasonable, can’t it. It’s not ugly aggressive atheism; it’s not dogmatic indignant religion. It is bland and urbane – far more worthy of a sage. It keeps an open mind. It seems so peaceable. But it cries peace, peace where there is no peace. For it leads to hell.
It is leaves a person forever unsure as to whether the lifeboat of Jesus’ salvation will sink or float, and therefore stays on the ship unaware that the ship itself is sinking fast.
There is a time when the mind cannot remain open for ever. It has often been said that an open mind is to be rather like an open mouth – it is open so that it can close down on something solid.
Friends when it comes to religion there is only one who is solid ground to stand upon. For we cannot stand by ourselves.
But upon his life, death and resurrection we can stand.
He has been steadfast beyond our fleeting praises.
He has provided peace with God, where without him there was not peace
He is the true king, with all authority.
And he has exercised that authority by laying down his life and taking it up again for us:
For Jesus is the True King. Meek, peace bringing, but warning that religion without him is a promise of a peace that is not coming.
We were created to bow to his authority. Yet without his body broken for us, and his blood shed for us, we would know him only as a judge; we depend upon this glorious king. And in him we find true peace with God.