Can You De-Scribe Him? (Mark 12:28-40)

John Wheeler was a brilliant physicist. He helped establish the basic principles of nuclear fission. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the development of the hydrogen bomb.^[1] He coined the term “black hole.”^[2] He was the mentor and advisor to 46 different PhD students at Princeton University.^[3] An amazing scholar. But in 1939, he came across someone who was even more brilliant. A young man named Richard Feynman, assigned to Wheeler as a teaching assistant.

Wheeler was astonished by Richard’s scores in the daunting Putnam Mathematics competition. Wheeler said, “Nobody else who’s applying here at Princeton comes anywhere near so close to the absolute peak.”^[4] Feynman also produced a perfect score in physics on Princeton’s entrance exam – something no one had ever done.^[5] This young man understood things on a new level.

But the higher ups in the scientific communities at the time didn’t like that Richard Feynman was a Jew. He had been rejected by Columbia University for that very reason. At Princeton, the head of the physics department wrote a note saying, while they didn’t have a hard rule against accepting Jews, they wanted to keep the proportion of Jewish students “reasonably small.”

But John Wheeler didn’t ignore Richard’s genius. He “quickly realized that he could treat [Richard] as an equal in discussing physics, and that he could rely on [him] to find…solutions to the most challenging problems.”

Once, John posed a hard question to Richard. Richard identified an error in the professor’s theory.^[6] Richard went on to give many important contributions to physics, one of which was to explain all of classical electrodynamics through a very simple form.

In our text, a scribe comes to question Jesus. The scribe speaks as if he is the expert and Jesus is the one being tested – we’ll find that’s not what was really happening. By the time the conversation is done, Jesus will have schooled the teacher and provides a way to explain all the Law of God in a very simple form – one that if we miss, every other calculation we make will be incorrect.

Mark 12:28 – ²⁸ One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

Of course, Jesus wasn’t a student. But He was a young man. He was outside the normal religious academy circles. He was unlike anything anyone had ever seen or heard.

The establishment did not like Him. They had been sending all these hit groups to try to discredit Him, trap Him, mock Him. And it didn’t work.

Now, this scribe walks up and asks Jesus one more question. The scribe is an absolute expert in the Law, in religion, in God’s Word, and all the discussions and commentaries about God’s Word. Unlike the other questioners, this scribe seems to be friendly, not antagonistic. He’s been listening to what Jesus has been saying. And now he really wants to hear what Jesus’ opinion is on this question. Which command is the most important?

The scribes had identified 613 commands that God’s people must keep. They divided them into different categories – heavy (meaning important) and light (meaning less important).^[7] Which was most important was a much-debated subject among the scribes.^[8] But it’s not which one command do we really need to follow and then we can ignore the others. The question is: What is the fundamental premise of God’s law?^[9] God has a way of doing things. Certain prescriptions, certain boundaries, certain demands. What is it all built on? Is it order? Is it individual liberty?

Mark 12:29-31 – ²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ Love  the Lord your God  with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. ³¹ The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

If you want to understand the Law of God you must start with love. Not only do we start with love, but everything must be accomplished through the truth of God’s love.

But it’s not just an internal love between you and God – that’s where it begins. But that internal love must also manifest externally. Yes, loving God is first, and yes, loving neighbor is second, but Jesus’ point is that you have to have both. In other words, as James explains in his letter, if your faith doesn’t operate, it’s worthless. The love of God is not love at all if it doesn’t result in action toward others. These two commands are inseparable.^[10]

Richard Feynman is famous for Feynman Diagrams. It’s way above my head, but on a simplistic level, instead of using pages of math to describe how subatomic particles behave, he figured out a simple, elegant way to draw the math on a diagram so you can see things like electrons, positrons, and photons moving through time, then you apply Feynman’s rules, and you’re able to work out complex calculations.^[11]

Jesus synthesizes all the Law by connecting your heart to God, then your heart and God’s heart to others and applying the rules of love. Even though life is full of deeply complex relationships and situations and problems and considerations, each one with its own issues to think through and work through, the bottom line is that we start with the basis of love for God and love for others.

Now here’s what’s remarkable: this was not some new formula. Jesus doesn’t suddenly invent this idea that day in the Temple. Answering the scribe, He quotes the shema. This was the Scriptural prayer that a faithful Jew would pray every single morning.^[12]

So the secret to all God’s intentions – the unified theory of faithfulness – is right there on their lips from the founding of their nation. Truly love God and actively love others.

Mark 12:32-33 – ³² Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, teacher. You have correctly said that he is one, and there is no one else except him. ³³ And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

This guy is starting to see things not as the establishment around him does, but as Christ does. He’s submitting to Jesus’ opinions. Notice what he says there at the end: Love is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. By using those two terms, he is summarizing the entire sacrificial system.^[13]

That system was what Pharisees and scribes dedicated their whole lives to. But this scribe is starting to understand that Jesus provides a new way to see everything that pertains to Godliness.

You know, this is the only time in all four Gospels where we see a scribe agree with the Lord.^[14] In the Gospels, Pharisees and scribes are enemies of Jesus. But not all of them were evil or bad. Some were truly seeking God. And, after the resurrection, many found faith in Christ. But they would have to surrender to Jesus’ Lordship. They would have to fall under His teaching.

Mark 12:34 – ³⁴ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question him any longer.

Not far, but not in. Academic understanding was not enough. This guy knew a lot. He was starting to apprehend beyond the other scribes. But he wasn’t a disciple yet. That’s what kept him out of the Kingdom. He didn’t need to find more answers, he needed to follow the Savior.

Now, the scribe had said to Jesus, “I like your dissertation. I approve of it.” But Jesus immediately says, “No, you don’t get it – I’m the Authority. You don’t grade Me, I grade you. I’m the Judge. I’m the King Who decides who is in the Kingdom and who is not.”

Now, this was a pretty positive interaction. But there at the end we’re reminded that this has been a long string of conflict situations. Since chapter 11, verse 27, the establishment has been challenging Jesus. Here in verse 34 it’s obvious: Jesus is the clear winner of all these debates.^[15] And now Jesus is going to take a minute to hit back, specifically at the scribes as a group. First, by exposing their insufficient grasp of Scripture.

Mark 12:35-37 – ³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he asked, “How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? ³⁶ David himself says by the Holy Spirit: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.’ ³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.

Many Old Testament passages reference that the coming Messiah would be a son of King David. Everyone assumed – the scribes included – that he would be a natural descendant who would wield military and political power.

But now Jesus brings them back to this particular passage – Psalm 110 – and says, “Let’s actually look at this text, let’s consider what it really says and what that really means, instead of just breezing past the words and allowing our assumptions to form our interpretation.”

Jesus points out that David understood that the Messiah must be more than just a man. He’s more than just a descendant. The truth is, the Messiah must be both God and Man.^[16] And His Kingdom is not just United Israel 2.0, because His enemies are not simply Philistines or Romans. His enemies are all who oppose Him. His enemies are sin and the devil and death itself.

The people listened with delight. The Sanhedrin’s plan to discredit Jesus was absolutely failing. But even though they were happy to listen to Him, that doesn’t mean they understood. As one commentator writes, “The people do not realize that Jesus subverts all of their hopes.”^[17] They want political power and freedom from Rome. That wasn’t the Messiah’s plan or work at that time.

By the way – I find this interesting – the New Testament has more references and allusions to Psalm 110 than any other Old Testament passage.^[18] It’s very important in God’s mind. And notice that Jesus affirms it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that David was the human author.

After highlighting the scribes’ insufficient grasp of Scripture, Jesus exposes their corrupt behavior.

Mark 12:38-40 – ³⁸ He also said in his teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who want greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹ the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets. ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”

Jesus was not saying that every scribe did these things. But some of them did. And even though the scribe up in verses 28 through 34 was close to the Kingdom doesn’t mean the establishment was to be trusted. Much the contrary. Jesus warns the people to beware.

Richard Feynman famously despised the in-group elitism of the National Academy of Sciences.^[19] Jesus is not partisan. He’s not throwing in with the Pharisees or the Sadducees or the scribes or the Herodians or the Zealots or the Essenes. Because He’s not about prominence or political power or getting as big of numbers as He can. He’s about truth.

Here He warns us to beware of people who parade their religion.^[20] One biographer spoke about John Wheeler and noted that you would never see him without a jacket and tie.^[21] That’s ok. But the scribes would wear these overly long, white robes so that you would be impressed with them.^[22] They had built up this perception of their importance and greatness, so much so that culturally speaking, it was considered good form to have these guys at any banquet you hosted.^[23]

Meanwhile, who does God the Father invite to His banquet? Anyone who is willing to accept the invitation. The lame and the blind. The poor and the weak. He opens the door for us to come in and be blessed by Him.

Now, how can someone receive a harsher judgment from God? Isn’t hell hell? The truth is, there are a variety of places that indicate there are levels of judgment.^[24] Don’t think of the cartoonish version or Dante’s 9 Circles of hell, but there’s some indication. And on this side of eternity, teachers of God’s word are definitely to be held to higher standard. James 3 indicates that.

The scribes had a lot of expertise, but they didn’t know the truth. Their calculations were all wrong. Jesus reveals the truth. Here’s how God looks at these things. Here’s God’s theorem, not manipulated by man’s shortcomings, our vanity, our partisanship, but pure truth.

Richard Feynman has an important quote: “Physics isn’t the most important thing. Love is.”^[25] Sadly, he didn’t know the love of Jesus. And he was unfaithful in his love toward his own wife. But he wasn’t wrong in that statement.

Our job is not to decide whether approve of what the Bible says, but to accept it and adapt our understanding to God’s point of view. And as we grow in love and in the understanding of what God’s love is, then the rest of our spirituality will grow and blossom and bear fruit as we not only agree with Jesus, but follow Him with all our lives.

Hard Knock Wife (Mark 12:18-27)

They say there are no stupid questions. But there are some contenders. If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a noise? How does a thermos know whether to keep stuff hot or cold? Is cereal soup?

Like 8% of American men, I’m colorblind. I always love when people who’ve never known a colorblind person ask questions about it. It doesn’t mean I see in black and white. It’s much less exciting than that. Colorblindness is a decreased ability to differentiate between colors and shades.

Once, in college, colorblindness came up and I was outed. A fellow student looked puzzled and said, “So, you’re red-green colorblind? How do you know if you’ve cut yourself?”

It’s a silly question, but it was asked with genuine curiosity. If someone is asking something honestly, asking because they’re seeking an answer, asking because they want to understand, that’s when it’s good to say there are no stupid questions. But when the Sadducees came to question Jesus in Mark 12, it’s a stupid question. Because the entire basis and direction of their whole belief system was totally wrong. Jesus will point that out twice as He answers them.

But part of what Jesus says is pretty hard to swallow. At least for those who are happily married. So, let’s look at this text, see what the Lord reveals, and talk about what that means for our futures.

Mark 12:18 – Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and questioned him:

The Sadducees were aristocrats. They were much fewer in number than the Pharisees, but had a lot of influence.^[1] They were politically liberal, had lots of wealth, and were cozy with Rome.^[2]

But they were also distinct in their theology. You see, they only accepted the books of Moses, rejecting everything else, including the oral traditions the Pharisees obsessed over.^[3] They not only didn’t believe in any resurrection after death, but also didn’t believe in spirit or angels.^[4]

So, they swagger up to Jesus to ask them a question. But unlike the previous askers, they’re less about trapping Him and more about ridiculing Him.^[5] They’re not impressed with Jesus. They don’t respect Him as a teacher. At least among the Pharisees every now and then you had someone who at least respected Jesus. Not so among the Sadducees.

Mark 12:19-23 – ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife behind but no child, that man should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring. ²¹ The second also took her, and he died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. ²² None of the seven left offspring. Last of all, the woman died too. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”

This isn’t an honest question on any level. They don’t believe in a resurrection at all. But Sadducees and Pharisees were often at odds. They would often debate. This question undoubtedly was one they would throw at the Pharisees. Because the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, but they believed that things pretty much carried over from this life to the next. The relationships all carried over. They even thought that physical defects carried over into the afterlife.^[6]

So, Sadducees would antagonize them with this hypothetical. Likely the Pharisees said the woman would belong to the first husband. Yes, the brothers were supposed to provide an heir. But, under the Levirate system, once you produce a male son for your brother’s name and inheritance, you had no duty to keep treating your sister-in-law as a wife.^[7] And the Levirate relationship was not seen as on par with regular marriage.^[8]

Now, the Sadducees are using this ludicrous question to try to ridicule belief in a resurrection from the dead. But, you know, when we’re figuring out what we think about doctrinal issues, it can be a good thing to run some thought experiments to see how that doctrine would play out.

Let’s say I ascribe to a doctrine that says in order to be a Christian you must demonstrate a certain gift of the Spirit. Ok. What about those individuals who are physically unable to do so? Does that mean they can’t be true Christians?

Or, if I ascribe to a doctrine about how God does things, but as I take it to its logical conclusion it means that God must be a moral monster or that His version of “love” is totally different than anything we would ever categorize as love, well then I don’t think God is the problem, I think my doctrine is the problem.

So listen: Doctrine matters. It matters a lot. That’s one of the conclusions we get from this text. And our interpretations of the Bible should be able to withstand scrutiny. There will be times where we cannot understand something. Where we’ll have to say, “It’s a mystery we don’t totally apprehend yet.” But God is a God of order, not confusion. He is a God Who reveals. He gives us His word so that we can know Who He is, what He does, how He does things, His character, His nature. And our doctrines – meaning our beliefs and teachings – must line up with His character and nature.

Mark 12:24 – ²⁴ Jesus spoke to them, “Isn’t this the reason why you’re mistaken: you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God?

Jesus is very direct. The term He used for “mistaken” means “you’re deceiving yourselves.”^[9] It’s a term that refers to the wandering of sheep.^[10]

He tells them they were totally wrong. And here’s why they’re wrong: First, they didn’t know the Scriptures. They rejected 34 of the 39 books of the Old Testament. Meaning at their time, they were missing out on 88% of what God revealed – at least book-wise.

We need the whole counsel of the word of God. We need to study the word of God. We need to regularly read it. And then read it again. And then read it again. We need to dive into the text of Scripture as daily bread. And it’s important we don’t neglect areas we’re not interested in.

But it’s not only about studying. Jesus said the Sadducees were also wrong because they didn’t know the power of God. Both aspects are essential. Knowledge and power. You see, the Pharisees had knowledge. Jesus once said to them, “You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them…but you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.”^[11]

We can’t only have a head relationship with the Bible. We have to have a heart relationship with the Lord. We must be born again. Made new to know truth and receive power.

Mark 12:25 – ²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.

Jesus states flatly that the resurrection is obviously true. That angels are real. The Sadducees rejected both of these things. Jesus doesn’t bother trying to convince them, He just says, “They’re real.” And their denial of angels is all the more ridiculous when you consider how many times we see angels in Genesis and the other books of Moses! But these guys weren’t submitted to God’s word and so even their interpretation of the books they liked was way off track.

Sometimes you’ll hear it said that the Jews didn’t really have a developed understanding of the afterlife. Now, a great portion of what happens after death does come to us in the New Testament. But there are multiple references to resurrection in the Old Testament. Daniel 12:2, Isaiah 26:19, Job 19:25-27. The Sadducees didn’t read those books, but it’s there. They needed those books so they could have a full-fledged theology.

Mark 12:26-27 – ²⁶ And as for the dead being raised—haven’t you read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God said to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? ²⁷ He is not the God of the dead but of the living. You are badly mistaken.”

Badly mistaken. Doctrine matters. Now listen: There are a lot of important doctrines that are not essential doctrines. What I mean is that there are things we believe and teach, things we really care about deeply, but they’re not essential for salvation. Some doctrines are essential. If you deny the Trinity, you’re not a Christian. If you believe that God the Father was once a man and has a body of flesh and bones, and that Jesus is a created being, you’re not a Christian.

But there are doctrines that, while important, are not essential. We shouldn’t pronounce every person who differs with us on a non-essential as a heretic. At the same time, the reason why we make it a priority to study and understand the word is so that we are not living life “badly mistaken.” The Sadducees’ misunderstanding of Scripture messed up the rest of their identity and activity.

Now, to answer the question, Jesus went to the books of Moses.“You guys trust Moses? Let’s see what he said.” When God spoke at the burning bush, He said He is the God of these patriarchs who died centuries before. Not He was their God, but that He is their God. They were still alive.

On top of that, God promised these patriarchs that He would help them. That He would protect and provide for them. “Oh, except when it comes to death, your biggest enemy. Sorry.” Well, that’s just silly! God is a Savior, not just in the Gospels, but from Genesis 3 – from the moment humanity brought death into the world. Did they really think God isn’t going to save us from death? And if not, why oh why didn’t God save the patriarchs from the many temporal difficulties they faced?

If there is no resurrection, if we just cease to exist like the Sadducees said,^[12] why bother worshiping God, following God, obeying God at all? There’s no point. In 1 Corinthians Paul says: If all we have is this life, then we should be pitied more than anyone! Your faith is absolutely worthless.^[13]

But there is a resurrection. Every single person here is going to come out of the grave one day. As Daniel says: “Some to eternal life, some to eternal contempt.”^[14] So which group are you a part of? Eternity is coming. You have an appointment with death. Listen to Jesus, Who said:

John 5:24 – ²⁴ “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

So believe the truth and receive the power of everlasting life. And allow your life to be shaped by the truth of God’s word, day by day as He works His power through you day by day.

As we close, I would like to take a moment to talk about what Jesus said in verse 25. I don’t know about you, but I am troubled by that verse on the human level. I love my wife. Is she really just going to be a stranger to me in eternity? Just another citizen of heaven?

Now, let me say, I trust God. I know that what God intends for us in eternity is better than good. It is beyond what we could ever ask or imagine. And many old things will be done away with in heaven – but not everything. Many of you sitting here beside your spouse – your soulmate. Is God really just going to erase that?

It’s possible. The plain reading of Jesus’ words give us that impression. But I would like to give us a few things to think about. First, marriage is incredibly important to God. It’s the first relationship He instituted in the Garden – before the fall. He sees it as a covenant.^[15] He is very upset when that covenant is broken. He says that He joins husband and wife together and let no man separate it.^[16]

Second, marriage is a major theme in heaven passages. The marriage of the Lamb. The Bride prepared for Him. New Jerusalem is described as a bride.^[17] Now, for that reason, some commentators say, “Well, marriage in this life is just a signpost pointing to our ultimate relationship with Jesus.”^[18] And, I get it. In heaven, there’s no more temple because Jesus is our temple. There’s no more sun or moon because Jesus is our light. Isaiah 54 says, your Maker is your Husband.^[19]

But here’s the thing: Some relationships do carry over into eternity. Revelation 21-22 references nations multiple times. David expected to enter eternity still in relation to the baby son he lost.^[20] We aren’t stripped of our identities in heaven. And in Song of Songs, speaking of marital love, we’re told love is as strong as death.^[21]

So, all this to say, I don’t think it’s quite as easy as just saying, “Marriage is erased.” I’m certainly not trying to cancel out what Jesus said here. Of course not. That would be making the same mistake the Sadducees made. But there’s a lot we don’t know about the eternal state.

Listen to what one Bible scholar wrote on this issue:

“The use of the terms [married] and [given in marriage] is important…these terms refer to the gender-specific roles played in early Jewish society by the man and the woman in the process of getting married…Mark has Jesus saying that no new marriages will be initiated in the eschatological state. This is surely not the same as claiming that all existing marriages will disappear in [eternity].”^[22]

Tertullian, who lived in the late 100s and early 200s, and did much to defend the Church against Gnostic heresy, and proclaim the doctrine of the Trinity, also held to the persistence of holy unions into eternity. His position was that in eternity “all the more shall we be bound” to our believing spouses. He wrote, “In eternal life God will no more separate those whom he has joined together than in this life where he forbids them to be separated.”^[23]

So, I am not trying to plant a flag on a certain doctrine. However, I do think it is profitable to consider an issue like this, knowing God can be trusted, His way is always perfect, and He will never disappoint. But sometimes we allow ourselves to hold a doctrine without thinking it all the way through. Whether it’s marriage or salvation or gifts of the Spirit or end times, we want to be a thinking people. A studying people. A people who grow in our knowledge of what God has revealed so that we can live in His power until we step from this life to the next.

Don’t Mess With Taxes (Mark 12:13-17)

In the 4th century AD a man lost or buried a gold ring in a field in England. It was big enough that it had to be worn over a glove.^[1] It lay for 1,400 years until it was found by a farmer plowing his field.^[2]

Perhaps the original owner was Senicianus. His name was carved into the side. In Latin it reads, “Senicianus, live in God.” A common inscription for Roman Christians at the time. But next to the inscription is an image of the goddess Venus.^[3] The mixture is somewhat strange, but this was made during a time when Christians and pagans lived side by side. It’s also strange that the inscription contains two errors.^[4] Clearly it was added later, maybe by someone in a hurry.

Decades later, 70 miles from that field, another discovery was made. This time, a lead plate that had been placed in the temple of a local Celtic god. It is a curse tablet. It says: “To the god Nodens. Silvianus has lost a ring; he hereby gives half of it (i.e. half of its value) to Nodens. Among those who are called Senicianus, do not allow health until he brings it to the temple.”^[5]

Silvianus was a Roman. He said he was the true owner of the ring and that it had been taken by Senicianus, who then clumsily carved his own name onto the band to try to prove his ownership. So whose ring was it? Silvianus? Senicianus? Was it Christian? Was it pagan?

The question of image and inscription on treasure is the subject of this text. It’s a short passage that is familiar to many of us. But despite its brevity, it packs powerful truth both then and now.

Mark 12:13 – ¹³ Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to Jesus to trap him in his words.

The Sanhedrin has been sending these different groups to try to trip Jesus up in His words. To get Him to say something that could be considered illegal or that would make the crowds turn on Him. Last time it was a group of chief priests, scribes, and elders. Now it’s Pharisees and Herodians. Next it will be Sadducees. They’re throwing everything they’ve got, but they can’t land a single hit.

They’re confident that they’re going to catch Jesus in a trap. The word Mark uses here is a hunting word or a term you would use for hooking a fish.^[6] But what they’re doing is so obvious. Just the fact that Pharisees and Herodians are coming to Him together shows their scheming desperation.

Ordinarily these groups would have nothing to do with each other.^[7] But by passion week all the leaders are united in one goal: Get rid of Jesus. They’ll partner with people they can’t stand to get it done. It reveals their hate and their jealousy and their greed and their selfish ambition.

One quick note before we move on: Notice they wanted to trap Jesus in His words. We know it’s not going to work. Jesus’ words are always pure, always true, always consistent, never wavering. On the devotional level, we can be encouraged that that is true about the Word of God we have in our hands. You’re going to encounter someone – a coworker, a family member, a professor, a book, a podcast – that says God’s Word is full of errors. That God’s Word isn’t consistent. But it isn’t true. “The Word of the Lord is right.”^[8] His instruction is perfect. His testimony is trustworthy. His command is radiant. His ordinances are reliable. More desirable than an abundance of pure gold.^[9]

There are things that are hard to understand. And there are difficulties that can be worked through. But God will not be trapped in His words and we will not be trapped if we rely on His Word.

Mark 12:14 – ¹⁴ When they came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know you are truthful and don’t care what anyone thinks, nor do you show partiality but teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

The issue of taxation is always controversial. We’re not used to politicians having very high approval ratings. Did you know that in 1991, George H.W. Bush had an 89% approval rating? And yet, he lost the election in 1992. Why? Six words: “Read my lips, no new taxes.”^[10] That was the promise, but he ended up raising taxes 3%. And that was the end of his presidency.

Taxes are always controversial but in first century Israel it was a different level. You see, the Jews’ land was occupied by Rome. And since 6 AD, the Caesars had been forcing the Jews to pay a census tax every year. That’s the tax in this verse. This was much more than an economic sore spot. This was about culture and religion and oppression and enriching your occupiers.

David Garland writes, “Almost every resident of [Israel] knew someone, even a father or a brother, whom the Romans had victimized. They were sold into slavery (temporarily or permanently), forced off their land…or executed for rising up against the oppression.”^[11]

This question was a no-win for Jesus. He’d have to alienate someone. At least, that’s what they thought. Herodians and Romans were fine with the tax. Pharisees resented and resisted it, but paid it, grudgingly.^[12] But patriots really hated this tax. It sparked a violent revolution that was quickly put down by Rome.^[13] Zealots would not pay.^[14]

Now Jesus is surrounded by people of every group. Among His own followers was a tax collector and a former zealot. And His disciples believed Him to be the Messiah. Can you be the Messiah if you’re not anti-Rome? Can you be the Messiah if you’re not planning on overthrowing the Caesar? But if you say you’re going to overthrow Caesar, that spells death for you and all your followers. How in the world is Jesus going to answer this question while still maintaining truth and integrity?

Mark 12:15 – ¹⁵ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius, to look at.”

The denarius was a particular coin, equal to a laborer’s day wage. You had to use this coin to pay the census tax to Rome.^[15] You couldn’t bring in a jar of dirty pennies out of spite. This coin had the image of Caesar Tiberius engraved on it, with inscriptions labeling him as chief priest on one side and as the son of god on the other.^[16]

The coin, in and of itself, would be deeply offensive to a devout Jew. Zealots refused to handle them.^[17] In fact, authorities minted small copper coins without the graven image to be used by Jews in the area.^[18] But you still had to use the silver one for the poll tax once a year.

Now, Jesus did not have one. He was not a wealthy individual. But who did have a denarius? The Pharisees and Herodians. They’re pretending they’re really concerned whether it’s upright and Godly to pay Rome this tax. Meanwhile, they’re fine with Caesar’s coins in their pockets. They’re happy to enrich themselves with his idolatrous, blasphemous coinage. That’s their hypocrisy.

Mark 12:16-17 – ¹⁶ They brought a coin. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they replied. ¹⁷ Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him.

Have you heard the term “political football?” It’s when politicians or parties throw a difficult or contentious issue back and forth to try to score points against their opponents but never solving anything. Jesus doesn’t play political football. The truth is, this isn’t a political issue. This is a personal issue. It’s not about party or which group should have more power. Jesus’ answer is that each of us should live a life of obedience and faith. To do Godliness in any system.

The Bible commands us to obey the government. God has authority and Caesar has authority. Not equal. Caesar only has the authority God allows him to have for a time. But the Bible is clear: All authorities are instituted by God.^[19] And believers can submit to governments – even tyrannical governments – and still be walking with God and honoring His call on their lives.

See, the zealots thought they were serving God by denying Caesar’s authority.^[20] Jesus reveals they were wrong. The coins belonged to Tiberius. Literally. He minted them. They were his property.^[21] His government paid for the roads they all walked. Yes, he was a tyrant, but he had done things for the people which benefitted them. In fact, when Jesus said, “give to Caesar,” He used a word that means pay back the debt you owe.^[22] You possess his coin. You walk his roads. So, obviously you should pay this tax. You may not want to, but it is right to and it is Godly to do so.

But at the same time, Jesus is not giving a squishy, pro-Roman answer. Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. Meaning that Caesar is not God. He said he was. His coins said he was. There was a growing emperor cult which worshiped Tiberius as divine. But here’s Jesus saying, “No. There’s One God, and it’s not a guy in Rome.”

Well, if this pretender to heaven’s throne says he’s a god and he’s occupying the Holy Land and imposing his will, isn’t the only answer insurrection? Revolution? Violent overthrow of this evil, ungodly government? That would seem logical and did seem logical to groups like the zealots. It seems logical to certain groups in our own society today.

But you know, neither Jesus nor the apostles ever taught violent resistance against any government. Christianity “[does] not foster disloyalty to the state.”^[23] Not under Tiberius or Nero or Nebuchadnezzar or Sacramento. In this answer, Jesus doesn’t send us to any of the groups you could’ve gone to in Jerusalem at the time. Not the zealots, who did use violence to try to get their way. Not to the Essenes, who just quit society and hid out in the desert. Not to the Pharisees who tried to straddle the line between piety and peace with the secular rulers. Certainly not to the Herodians or the Sadducees who had turned their backs on God.

Instead, Christians were a separate thing. Jesus is our King, but we recognize that God has scattered us into a certain time and place. And wherever we find ourselves, we can honor God and accept the authority of the God-ordained government over us. Now when that government demands we disobey God, that is when we disobey government. We must obey God rather than men. But when it’s time to pay taxes, we write the check.

The thing is, we have more liberty and opportunity and influence in our governmental system than any populace in human history. We get to vote. We have opportunity to lawfully pressure our representatives to support or oppose certain legislation. We can protest. Our citizens can sue the government and try to get the courts to force the authorities to change their behavior.

These aren’t bad things. However, if we’re not careful, we can start to believe that gaining political power is a major goal for the Church. It isn’t. It wasn’t for the apostles. And, as one scholar notes, “an unhealthy union between church and state has been the undoing of both churches and governments throughout history.”^[24] Our goal is not to set up a Christian Theocracy. Christ is going to do that when He returns. Our goals are personal. Rescuing persons from sin. When people are saved, they live out Godliness and that influences the communities and institutions around them. So, we care about our nation – absolutely. But righteousness exalts a nation, not regime change.

Now listen: This doesn’t mean politics don’t matter. Jesus didn’t send us to the zealots, but He didn’t send us to the Essenes either. The New Testament calls us to be model citizens, thoughtful about our place in society. Praying for our leaders. Working for the good of our communities. But the end goal of those activities for a Christian is not power, but Godliness. That we live lives that are peaceful and quiet and dignified – even when Nero is king. Why? Because it pleases God Who desires most of all not that certain parties have more power, but that people would be saved.^[25]

Jesus’ answer was amazing. And it couldn’t be denied. The denarius belonged to Tiberius. Why? His image was on them.

Whose image were you made in? You and I, we belong to the Lord. Not just a once-a-year tax of a single day’s wage, but everything. It’s His breath in our lungs. It is by His mercies we are not consumed. It’s His life that makes us alive. Christians, you bear His image. His name is engraved on your heart. And you give to God the things that are God’s by loving Him with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, all your strength.

The question is: Have we tried to steal the treasure of our lives away? Has this treasure, your life, been buried in a field somewhere? Not adorning the Body of the King, but lost in the dirt? Have we run off with our lives in pursuit of our own purposes, our own greatness, clumsily carving our own name and message on our lives, with a bunch of errors and mistakes along the way?

It’s not too late to give ourselves over to the Lord for His purposes. He can accomplish a new work even if we’ve been lost in a field for far too long. God can restore you, display you, tell a new story of His grace through your life as you return it to Him, the rightful Owner.

You know, when an archaeologist discovered the link between that lead plate and the gold ring, he didn’t know who this god Nodens was. So he went to a professor friend of his who was an expert on the topic. The archaeologist talked with the professor about this engraved, golden ring, stolen and then lost, the curse, all the rest. The professor helped him understand the history and mythology of Nodens and connect the dots. That professor was J.R.R. Tolkien. After all those years, the ring came out of the dirt and started telling new stories.

Your life is worth much more than an old Roman ring. The testimony of God’s grace in and through you is a greater tale than the greatest of novels. Give your life to Him and continue the story.

The Son In The Stone (Mark 12:1-12)

Don’t shoot the messenger! That phrase (in one form or another) has roots all the way back in 400 B.C.^[1] Historically, people don’t usually take the advice. It’s rough business being a messenger bringing unwanted news. But sometimes even good news leads to the death of the messenger.

In the early 13th century, the Khwarazmian Empire was a powerful kingdom spanning territory in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

A ruler from a neighboring kingdom wanted to establish peaceful trade with them. And so, the neighbor king sent a caravan of merchants with rich goods, hoping to establish a partnership. But the merchants were labeled as spies. Their goods were taken and the whole caravan was executed.

Hearing of this injustice, the neighbor king sent diplomats to try to resolve the tension. He wanted the Shah to make things right, but was still willing to live at peace, despite what they had done.

The Shah took the junior diplomats and shaved their beards, which were symbols of masculinity in their kingdom. Then he sent them back with them the severed head of the senior diplomat.^[2]

Unfortunately for the Shah, the neighboring ruler he was offending was Genghis Khan. His response was to not send an envoy, but an army. Within two years, the Khwarazmian Empire was obliterated. Millions were dead. And the governor who originally carried out the killing of the merchants was caught and had molten metal poured into his mouth, eyes, and ears. They had killed the messengers, so Genghis made sure the whole world got the message.

All this after a mighty king had wanted to extend peace and prosperity to a neighbor!

For years Jesus shared the message of the Kingdom. It was good news. But the leaders of Israel rejected the message and the Messenger. Now they were conspiring how they could slay Him.

Jesus wanted everyone in Israel and everyone after to understand exactly what was going on. And so, just days before His crucifixion, He told a vivid story of wicked fools who killed the messengers.

Mark 12:1 – ¹ He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away.

It’s important to identify what different elements symbolize in parables. We need to be careful not to be overly specific with every single thing we see. Usually parables are meant to deliver a distilled spiritual truth. So, for example, we shouldn’t find some allegorical meaning for the “digging” of the winepress.

But we can identify several key figures in this story. The tenant farmers will be identified as the unbelieving leaders of Israel – specifically those contending against Jesus right then in the temple, but also extending to all the rebellious leaders of the nation throughout her history.

The vineyard is Israel. God used this illustration many times in the Old Testament. Psalm 80, Isaiah 27, Jeremiah 2, Ezekiel 19, Hosea 10. Those listening would understand this connection. Imagine if I started telling us a story where a bald eagle flies over a field full of amber waves of grain.

That means that the land owner refers to God. You see, in Isaiah 5 there is a song. A tender love song about how God planted a vineyard – Israel. How He dug a winepress there and built a tower in it and a hedge around it. Jesus is quoting from this song.^[3] And the Jews would’ve known that this love song is a sad one. It’s about the failure of the vineyard and the judgment that followed.

Look at all this landowner did. He didn’t just plant a vine or two. This is a major undertaking. A great investment of time and effort and wealth to create this vineyard.

The fence would’ve been made of unmortared stones. Rock after rock carried and placed. The owner installed equipment and facilities necessary not just to grow plants, but to generate products like wine for use and sale. The tower was not only a lookout post, but it would also be a place they could store the crop^[4] and it would provide a place for the people working the vineyard to live in.^[5]

We’re given the impression that the land owner does it all himself. He set this vineyard up for protection, for production, for preservation, and to give a place to those who wanted to partner with him. He opens the vineyard up to lease to others who want to work there and he supplies all they need for a profitable, long-term partnership.

Mark 12:2 – ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them.

It would usually take a vineyard 4 or 5 years to produce at commercial levels.^[6] But the landowner is patient. As we continue through the story, notice the patience of God. He’s almost too patient!

The landowner sending this servant to collect was very normal. In fact, that was the prevailing way things were done at the time.^[7] A portion of the crop would be sent back to the owner as rent.

But the rest of the fruit was for the farmers. Theirs for eating and enjoyment and enrichment. The land owner was happy to have them benefit from his hard work and his great wealth.

He sent his servant to collect different types of wine, including as one scholar notes, “a cheap wine designated for the slaves to the state.”^[8]  So, the owner isn’t just hoarding the proceeds totally for himself – even though it all belongs to him! But he’s then taking from his profits to bless others. That’s the kind of Master God is. Full of patience. Full of generosity. Full of care and kindness. Inviting us to be a part of His incredible, life-changing work.

Mark 12:3-5 – ³ But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed.

God said this in Jeremiah 7:

Jeremiah 7:25 – ²⁵ Since the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, I have sent all my servants the prophets to you time and time again.

That’s who the servants are in this parable. But God’s people wouldn’t listen. As Stephen said in his famous sermon, “Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?”^[9]

The farmers had so much. They could’ve had a vibrant life of purpose and provision and participation in this great landowner’s estate. Instead, they produced only rebellion and violence.

In Hosea 10, God says, “Israel is a lush vine; it yields fruit for itself. The more his fruit increased, the more he increased the altars.”

Despite the evil things these famers were doing, the master is still patient. Did you notice? “He also sent many others.” Even though how wicked the farmers were. When it says they beat some, the term is sometimes used when speaking of literally flaying off someone’s skin.^[10]

Why would God allow it? Why not just bring the hammer down after the first rebellion? In other words: Why was God so patient and merciful to these men who deserved death?

Because the Lord is gracious and compassionate. Slow to anger and abounding in hesed love.^[11]

Friends, we may not have killed any prophets, but our sins deserve death, too. It is through the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.^[12] We were at war with God, hostile against Him, and unwilling to submit.^[13] But Jesus extends us mercy. He extends us grace because He loves us. That’s why He is patient. He renews His mercy every morning. Because He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

And that means, at times, He allows His servants to suffer. Because how can the wicked be saved unless they repent? And how can they repent unless they believe? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent?^[14]

We are the messengers that carry the message. It demands boldness and fearlessness and selflessness, putting the call above our own desires, understanding that the world may hate and reject us the way Christ was hated and rejected, but carrying the message wherever we’re sent.

Mark 12:6 – ⁶ He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

God is not naive. He knew exactly what would happen when He sent His Son to earth. But He is hopeful. He wants people to repent and reconcile. To lay their weapons down in surrender. This group of farmers already deserved death. But the Master is merciful.

Mark 12:7-8 – ⁷ But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

This is absolute folly. Maybe these guys convinced themselves that they had killed all the servants and that, hopefully the owner was dead, too, so if they kill the son, there’s no one left.^[15]

The point here is that the tenant farmers are being presented as wicked and stupid to an insane degree.^[16] Jesus does so to highlight how insane it is to reject God’s compassionate and generous offer of peace. “Come to Me,” He says, “And I will give you rest. I will give you peace. I will give you eternal life. I will forgive you and cleanse you and empower you and make you a new creation.”

Instead, many people reject the Son. They dishonor and insult the Lord of glory. In the parable, the farmers murder the son and desecrate his corpse, denying him even a proper burial. This was the ultimate insult in the ancient world.^[17] But the son was the final offer of peace from the master.

Mark 12:9 – ⁹ What then will the owner, of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others.

For all their previous ability to resist the servants, once the owner comes, there’s not even any record of resistance. When he arrives, the only result is death. There’s no fight, only judgment.

Who are the others? You and me! Paul told the Jews that Jesus is Messiah. When they resisted and blasphemed, Paul said, “Your blood is on your own heads! From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^[18]

To close out His message, Jesus quickly pivots to a second metaphor in verses 10 and 11.

Mark 12:10-11 – ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ¹¹ This came about from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?”

Jesus ties His parable of wicked farmers killing the son to this Scripture about the builders rejecting the cornerstone. The Son is the stone. Not only had they read it, this was one of the Psalms they all sang every year at Passover – the feast they’re celebrate that very week. For centuries they had been repeating these words. Now here’s Jesus saying, “You’re the rejecters and I am the cornerstone.”

This was controversial, not only because it condemns the leaders, but Jews thought that the stone being rejected was the nation of Israel and that the builders were the other nations of the world.^[19]

But now Jesus reveals that He is the cornerstone. Which means that He is the new temple.^[20] It is a broadside against the Levitical system, which was coming to an end. The veil would be torn so that all of us could have access to the Father and be blessed by His generosity and grace.

How did the farmers/builders/religious leaders feel about it?

Mark 12:12 – ¹² They were looking for a way to arrest him but feared the crowd because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. So they left him and went away.

Ah, so they did understand on one level. And here they live out the very parable they’re angry about. They go out to conspire how to kill the Son. I wonder if the irony was lost on them.

When Genghis Khan swept through the Khwarazmian Empire, there were cities who surrendered. Sadly, Genghis’ son was nothing like the Son of God. One city surrendered and were promised mercy. When they opened the gates, the people were slaughtered. One ancient historian says, “It was a memorable day for weeping and wailing.” 700,000 people died that day.^[21])

When we surrender to the Son of God, He not only spares our lives, He ransoms our lives. He brings us into His Kingdom as citizens and partners. He frees us. He equips us. He assigns us. He sends us. He grows harvest after harvest in our lives. He becomes the cornerstone of our lives, our families, our communities. Name another King like this!

Authority Politics (Mark 11:27-33)

“Everyone has a plan until they get hit.” That is probably Mike Tyson’s most famous quote in a long catalog of memorable maxims. Over the years, people have embellished the line to make it more hard-hitting. Usually you hear it repeated as, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” But Iron Mike confirmed the simpler version when asked about it back in 2012.^[1]

The quote has taken on a life of its own, but Tyson first said it back in 1987 before fighting Tyrell Biggs for the undisputed heavyweight championship. It was billed as “The Clash For The Crown.” When they entered the ring, Biggs was undefeated. He was also 12 pounds heavier than Tyson.^[2] People had been asking Mike what he was going to do. “[Biggs] is going to move, he’s going to dance. He’s going to do this, do that,” “He’s going to give you a lot of lateral movement.”

But Iron Mike wasn’t worried. He said, “Most talkers, they can’t handle it.”^[3] And he was right. Biggs threw a lot of sharp jabs, but after seven rounds, “Tyson hit Biggs with a left hook that sent Biggs to canvas and almost out of the ring.” He was on his feet before the 10 count, but it was clear who was going to win this fight.

On the Tuesday and Wednesday before His crucifixion,^[4] Jesus contended in a multi-round fight with some heavy hitters who wanted the crown for themselves. From Mark 11:27 to 12:37, there are five conflict episodes stacked together. And Jesus’ opponents weren’t just out for a belt or bragging rights. They wanted to knock Jesus out. They wanted Him discredited and destroyed. They had quite a strategy to take Him down…or at least they thought they did. We’ll find that every time they try to land a blow on Jesus, every time they throw a jab, Jesus delivers a spiritual left hook sending them out of the ring to regroup, re-conspire, and try again round after round.

Mark 11:27-28 – ²⁷ They came again to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came ²⁸ and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do these things?”

The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders are the three groups that made up the Sanhedrin.^[5] This probably wouldn’t have been the whole 72 of them, but a delegation that represented the whole. They came to challenge the Lord and try to put Him in His place.

His place, in their minds, was to be under their authority. That’s what they cared about. Notice, when they came to ask Him about why He stopped the commerce in the Temple and flipped all the tables, they don’t bother arguing about right and wrong, lawful or unlawful. They didn’t really care about that. They didn’t care about the prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah or the Father’s intention to bring Gentiles into the family of God. They cared about authority. They’re not concerned with theological integrity, but with power and control.

Power can be a terribly addictive narcotic. It can cloud the mind and warp a person’s attitude and interactions with others. These guys were obsessed with power and convinced that they were the most important, most consequential people in the nation. The irony is their nation was occupied and oppressed by a much more powerful nation – Rome. But these religious leaders were constantly on a power trip.

Christians, sometimes we get some measure of power. Maybe at work. Maybe in our community. We need to remember all that Jesus has been teaching His disciples in Mark about Kingdom power and Kingdom greatness. We do well to remember that we are called to humility, to deference, and to not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. As Paul bluntly puts it in Galatians 6: “You are not that important.”

Now, if Jesus was merely a man, this would’ve been an incredibly intimidating situation. The Sanhedrin is the nation’s executive, legislative, and judicial government rolled into one.^[6] These are heavy hitters, determined to focus all their attention and ability on silencing this Teacher from Nazareth. But Jesus was not just a man. He’s the GodMan. He is not intimidated. In fact, He saw them coming and met them head on.

This situation is a direct fulfillment of what Jesus predicted back in Mark 8:31. He said that the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes would reject Him. And here is Jesus, coming again into the ring to fight so we could be redeemed. We’ll watch Him do it round after round, going the distance till the work was done.

Here’s what’s interesting: They want to know what authority Jesus had to do and say the things He was doing and saying. In other words, “What are Your credentials? What gives You the right, the status, to dare to disagree with us?”

It’s true, Jesus had no “formal” training. He had no pedigree, humanly speaking. But here’s the stark truth: Everyone knew Jesus had more authority than the scribes, the pharisees, the elders, the chief priests. What did Mark say all the way back in chapter 1? The people “were astonished because Jesus was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes.”^[7] Even as they debate here, it’s clear that Jesus holds all the true power.

Mark 11:29 – ²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

Jesus demonstrates total authority, right here. See, they came and said, “We want to point out that we never gave you any authority.” But Jesus doesn’t need it, so their complaint makes no impact. The punch doesn’t land. I’m guessing some people listening in the crowd rolled their eyes.

Now, the question is: Why not just say “Because I’m the Messiah?” Why not just have heaven open, angels descend, and silence these craven scoundrels once and for all?

It’s because Jesus always wants faith. That we choose to believe Him based on revelation. Based off His word. Not based off some sort of sign or manifestation to prove it. And Jesus knew their hearts. They didn’t want to know, they wanted Him gone. They had seen the signs. They had heard the teachings. It was undeniable, yet they denied it. And when hearts are hard like that – when hearts are closed to truth – God does not smash His way in. He says, “Fine. Stay in your ignorance and rebellion. I’m not going to force you to accept the truth.”

There are many times in the Gospels where someone will come and ask Jesus something but it’s not asked in humility or faith or true searching. In those cases, Jesus usually asks them something back. He asks something deeper to reveal the heart behind the question. Not to just win an argument, but to expose truth.

This is why He taught so often in parables. So that only those who truly wanted to know, who truly wanted to seek God, would follow up and then have those wonderful secrets explained to them.

Mark 11:30 – ³⁰ Was John’s baptism from heaven or of human origin? Answer me.”

When He says, “John’s baptism,” Jesus means the totality of John’s ministry.^[8] But why bring up John after all this time? If I’m honest, John seems almost superfluous. Did he really do that much? Was he really that necessary?

The answer is, yes! He was the forerunner of the Messiah. He was an essential part of God revealing Who the Christ was. And Jesus’ ties His ministry to John’s here. It wasn’t just that John was doing his thing and then Jesus came and did His thing. John was sent from God as part of Jesus’ work.

If John was sent by God, then Jesus must also be sent by God. Because John said that the One Who was coming, the One he was preparing people for, was from heaven. and would baptize people with the Holy Spirit. And John identified Jesus as that Person – the eternal Son of God.^[9]

So, if John was a true prophet, Jesus is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. If John was just making things up – if he was a liar – then they as the leaders of Israel had the duty of stopping him from teaching lies and prophesying falsely. At least of warning the people. They were out there, listening to John preach. And many people were convinced by his message.

You know, Mike Tyson once discussed his punching strategy. He said, “I’m not trying to punch him in the nose. I’m trying to punch the soft tissue behind his nose.”

When Jesus asked this question, it wasn’t just to deflect and it wasn’t just to push His opponents into a corner they couldn’t get easily out of. He was punching into a much deeper spiritual truth.

John was in the wilderness preaching that a person could repent and be saved without offering any sacrifices in the temple. A “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”^[10] If John’s baptism was from heaven, the temple was obsolete.^[11] At least it would be after the Lamb of God laid down His life. And of course, that’s exactly what happened. But with one question the Lord lays out just how powerful He really was.

So, the Sanhedrin is absolutely on the ropes. Let’s see their response.

Mark 11:31-32 – ³¹ They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ ”—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.

John’s spiritual authority was never in question among the people of Israel. Did you know even Josephus, the Jewish historian, says John was a “good man,” who commanded the Jews in righteousness and piety toward God. And that John was so beloved and respected that when Herod’s army was destroyed it was because of God’s displeasure toward Herod for murdering John.^[12]

Understand – Josephus was no Christian. That’s how revered John was by everyone other than Herod.

Now, this is a comedic moment in the temple. This official delegation, full of pomp and venom, confront Jesus. They think they’re ambushing Him and are going to knock Him out. Jesus asks them one question and they have to say, “Time out! Give us a second.” Then they go huddle up and discuss what they’re going to say. And they’re downright scared to answer. Did you see them stop mid-sentence in verse 32? “But if we say, “Of human origin…” The sentence just dies there.

Mike Tyson’s famous quote, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit,” doesn’t end there. No one ever says the rest of the line, but here’s what Iron Mike said in full: “Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.”

That’s exactly what happens to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders here. They are exposed as phonies, as hypocrites. They did not care if John was a prophet. They only cared about holding onto their own power and influence over the crowds, who they did not care about or respect.

Mark 11:33 – ³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

We don’t know?!? What a joke. It’s their job to know! They are the ones who are tasked with maintaining the spiritual and doctrinal integrity for the nation! That’s the job! To know whether John was a prophet from God or a false prophet who needed to be stoned! If you don’t know, then what are you here for?

Jesus has no interest in playing games with them. They don’t want truth, they want status. If they had really been seeking God, like Nicodemus (a member of the Sanhedrin) did, He would’ve responded to them like we see in John chapter 3. But for those who don’t care, the truth is withheld.

They could’ve had an answer to their original question if they really wanted one. R.T. France writes, “For those who will look below the surface there is a clear enough answer.”^[13] And Jesus will give the answer to those listening into this debate in the very next passage. He will teach a parable which reveals exactly Who He is for those who are interested in really learning.

Mike Tyson beat Tyrell Biggs in a TKO. His victory was clear, but it wasn’t a Hollywood knockout. Biggs was powerless, but still standing.

The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders limped away from this round only to come back for more. Each time, Jesus showed just how much authority He had. This wasn’t just about Jesus being a great debater. It’s that His absolute power and authority and right-ness could not be denied.

And yet, many continually deny it. May we live in acceptance, not denial of Christ’s authority over heaven, over earth, over our lives as we follow Him.

Tree Speech (Mark 11:12-25)

There is a tree that grows at Syracuse University known as The Tree of 40 Fruit.^[1] It is a living, growing art project of professor Sam Van Aken, who has grafted the tree in such a way that it does, in fact, bear 40 different varieties of stone fruit every year. Peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and almonds all grow on this tree, along with their unique leaves and blossoms.

The first Tree of 40 fruit was planted in 2011.^[2] Others can be found growing at the University of Southern Indiana, Colby College in Maine, Roanoke College in Virginia, and various museums on the east coast. You can’t plant a Tree of 40 fruit seed. You have to graft each branch, year by year. But the result is both beautiful and bountiful.

In our text, Jesus inspects a fig tree. It’s mature and well-supplied with all it needs. After all, it’s growing in a town whose name means “House of Figs.”^[3] But Jesus doesn’t find a tree with many varieties of fruit. He doesn’t find any figs. He doesn’t even find the precursor to fruit on the tree. He then does something we’ve never seen Him do before: He works a destructive miracle. Then He goes into the temple and violently disrupt what was happening there, only to go back to the fig tree and give the disciples what, on first listen, seems like an unattainable teaching about true faith.

What is going on? Is this a scene where, as one infamous commentator dares to suggest, Jesus “wastes” His miraculous power because He was in an “ill-temper?”^[4]

No, this isn’t Jesus losing His cool. Something prophetic and theological is happening in this text. It has many ties to many other passages of Scripture. So, let’s listen to what our Lord wants to reveal as we see Him curse a fig tree, cleanse His Father’s house, and counsel His followers about faith.

Mark 11:12 – ¹² The next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.

Did Jesus get sick? We’re not specifically told, but a question like that helps us gauge our assumptions about Jesus’ humanity. He is fully God and fully Man. We see Him tired in the Gospels. We see Him thirst. And here, He was hungry. Not hangry – that’s not why the tree gets cursed, but the Lord experienced humanity in a real and comprehensive sense.

It makes sense that He was hungry. They’re doing a lot of walking in these passages but the first meal was eaten at midmorning, not straightaway like we usually do.^[5] But more important than the hunger is the connective work Mark is bringing into this text. “The next day.” In the last passage, Jesus had just come into Jerusalem, entered the temple and examined everything there, then He left. “The next day.” Mark wants to tie these scenes together.

And he’s not only tying this text to the last, he’s also going to use this “sandwich” technique we’ve seen him use before.^[6] Remember when it was the story of Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead? It starts one story, then interrupts the telling with a separate story, then he returns to the first story. He does this a few times in his Gospel to develop themes and what these situations reveal.

Remember: The Gospels are not just a list of biographical facts. They are carefully constructed literary works of inspiration, given that we might know truth. We must understand this fig tree story in the context of Jesus’ entry into the temple in verse 11, His return to the temple in verse 15, and in connection with the many passages of Scripture that are tied to what we see in this scene.

Mark 11:13 – ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.

Why would He expect figs if it’s not the right season? Well, Jesus wasn’t actually hoping to find a fig for His hunger. He’s not trying to solve a problem, but preach a sermon. He’s acting out a prophetic parable for His disciples. This would first remind them of the parable He told in Luke 13 about a master examining a fig tree, finding no fruit, and demanding it be cut down. It should also remind them of Micah 7, where God laments the fact that when He came looking for faithful people in the land of Israel, He found none. He said it was like finding no early figs, which the Lord craves.^[7]

Our God craves spiritual fruit in our lives. He’s looking for growth. He’s looking for faithfulness. He examines our lives, just as He examined the temple and this fig tree. Does He find fruit?

We’ll get back to the personal application at the end. But Christ’s main teaching was about the national situation. And to do that, the fig tree was a great illustration. Figs were incredibly important in Israel. They were the most fruitful of all trees and their fruit was often used to produce the firstfruits offerings required in the temple.^[8]

Now, fig trees have an interesting phenomenon called the breba crop. These are small green figs that appear at times even before the leaves.^[9] They taste bad and are not normally eaten,^[10] but they signal a true crop of fruit is coming. This tree had no ripe figs and no breba figs, but lots of leaves. It was leafy by sterile. Good for nothing. Soaking up light and water, but giving no crop.

This image is the opposite of what Jews hoped for, ideally and prophetically. In Haggai, in Micah, in Zechariah, we’re given the ideal image of the Messianic age: You will sit under your own fig tree and gather its fruit. Whereas in Jeremiah 8, when pronouncing God’s judgment on Israel, the image is “There will be…no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither.”^[11]

Mark 11:14 – ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it.

He wanted them to hear it. This isn’t irritation, it’s instruction. He’s trying to help the disciples understand what is at stake personally and nationally as Christ heads into Passion week.

When the Master came to inspect the fig tree of Israel, did He find faith? Did He find obedience? Did He find fruit? In some cases He did on the individual level, but not on the national level. For thousands of years, Israel had recited Proverbs 27:18:

Proverbs 27:18 – ¹⁸ Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever looks after his master will be honored.

But they did not look after their Master, they did not tend the spiritual fig tree, and judgment would be the result.

But why did Jesus curse the tree? Seems “mean” to us, right? He could’ve just done a miracle of fruit producing like He had done with the loaves and fishes. But it’s not actually about the physical fruit and His physical hunger. This is about Israel and faith and obedience.

God will not force fruit to grow in your life if you will not cooperate with Him. Now, He is the Author and Finisher of our faith – He will complete the work He began in you – but spiritual growth does not happen if we refuse to walk with God and obey Him and present ourselves as sacrifices.

Mark 11:15-17 – ¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. ¹⁷ He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”

Usually when I read this text, my first interpretation is that Jesus was upset that the money changers were ripping off pilgrims coming to offer sacrifice. And that is true – but that’s only half of it.

First, let’s understand the scam. This system had only started in 30AD.^[12] The high priest’s family bought their priesthood from Rome and they actually owned the booths that the merchants used.^[13] When you came, you had to convert your money into the temple shekel, and they would add a surcharge on when you did. On top of that, things like doves would be tripled in price.^[14] It was quite a racket – one that put a burden on people trying to worship God. That’s a big no-no in God’s eyes.

But there was another layer here, one that Jesus specifically called out in the two Old Testament Scriptures He quoted. The first was Isaiah 56:7 which reminded Israel that God’s plan was not to isolate the Jews, but that ultimately all the Gentile nations would be brought into the family of faith.

But instead of being a light to the Gentiles, the leaders of Israel made it impossible for any Gentile God-fearers to join in. The temple of Jesus’ time was segregated into various courts. You had the court of the men, for Jewish men, the court of the women, and then the court of the Gentiles. It was a big area where anyone seeking the God of Israel could come in and pray. But now it was overrun with commerce. All these booths, all the animals, all the transactions happened there.

So, you’re a Gentile, who God really loves and wants to come and find faith, but instead of being able to pray, you’re dealing with thousands of sheep and birds and merchants and pilgrims and animal poop and noise. Gentile worshippers were effectively pushed out though God wanted to graft them in, like the Tree of 40 fruits!

Jesus had already cleared this nonsense out once at the beginning of His ministry. But they went right back to it. Now, at the end of His ministry, He does it again. This time He also quotes Jeremiah 7, “where Jeremiah condemns the idea that the temple is a safe haven for Judah in its sin.”^[15]

Sadly, the leaders of Israel rejected God’s mercy and His patience and His warnings. They kept bringing robbers into the temple. And in the end they would reap what they sowed. In 66 AD, Josephus records that “robbers” took possession of the temple and slaughtered the priests.^[16] Josephus used the same word for robbers that Mark used.

Mark 11:18 – ¹⁸ The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

Jesus essentially brings the activity of the temple to a stop. At least for the moment, He shut down the cash cow for the corrupt family of the High Priest. But what was worse news for them was the multitudes of people were in agreement with Jesus. “Yeah! These guys are ripping me off!”

And so, the chief priests and scribes decided it was time to kill Jesus. Of course, the Pharisees and the Herodians were like, “What took you so long?” They’ve been plotting to kill Jesus since chapter 3! But now we have a unified conspiracy: Pharisees, Sadducees (represented by the High Priest and chief priests), the scribes, the Herodians, and nearly all the Sanhedrin.

Mark 11:19 – ¹⁹ Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

I love this because, despite the power wielded by all those involved in the conspiracy against Jesus, despite the power of Rome, despite everything going on, it’s clear that Jesus is in charge. He comes and goes as He pleases because He would accomplish what His Father sent Him to do. But now, Mark closes the sandwich with a few more challenging verses.

Mark 11:20-21 – ²⁰ Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 

This tree was an object lesson. On the national level, Israel was spiritually dead. From the roots up. Look at the corruption of their leaders. Instead of nourishing their people, they exploited them. Look at the temple, defiled with commerce. It was fruitless and ruined.

Mark 11:22-24 – ²² Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received, it and it will be yours.

Doesn’t this seem to come out of nowhere? What does this have to do with Israel and the coming judgment? And how can we take these verses other than to think, “Well, if I’m honest, I’ll never have faith like that?” If I really was a Christian, shouldn’t I be going around working crazy miracles?

Well, first of all, these words also connect back to Old Testament prophecy. This brings us back to Zechariah 4, where the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel about how God can overcome any difficulty, even a mountain standing in our way. It’s that famous passage that says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”

Also, we need to understand that this is not the only time Jesus taught these words to His disciples. These same phrases are used multiple, different times in both Matthew and Luke.

Let’s try to put ourselves in the place of the 12. Jesus has been saying things that are totally different than what you’ve always assumed about the Messiah, about the Kingdom and when and how it is established. And now, throughout Mark 11 through 16, Jesus is going to suggest that He Himself is going to replace the temple.^[17] He has totally rejected all the leaders of their nation.

So, if you’re one of the 12, your entire traditional belief system has been upended by this interaction with the fig tree and Jesus’ actions in the temple.^[18]

So now, Jesus gives them personal comfort and instruction that God has not proclaimed them as fig-less trees. God has not given up on them, even if His glory has departed from the temple. We can have faith in God and it’s important that our faith is founded, focused, and flowing from His will and His power, not traditionalism or nationalism or materialism. Instead of relating to God through dead formality, we can commune with Him with living and power-filled faith. And when we’re walking with Him, nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish in and through our lives. And that’s how we bear fruit. Not through legalism. Not through traditionalism. Not through nationalism. Through personal, obedient faith.

Mark 11:25 – ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”

And now we inspect the tree of our own lives. It’s easy to see the deadness of a Sadducee. It’s easy to write off the temple when it’s full of scammers. But Jesus encourages the disciples – and us – to carefully examine our own lives. Are we growing in spiritual fruit? God is a forgiver. He was willing to forgive the merchants, the Pharisees, even the High Priest himself if they would repent. So, if we think we’re living for God, if we think we’re walking with Him, but we’re not like Him, we’re more like this leafy but sterile tree.

May God save us from being a tree like that. May the Lord cleanse the temple of our hearts from any corrupt merchant we’ve given space to. Instead, may we grow in many fruits. Fruits of forgiveness. Of repentance. Of obedience. Of worship. Fruit of all kinds as the Lord continues to graft onto our lives, to cultivate in our lives, and to reap a harvest of His powerful grace as we grow in Him.

Let That King In (Mark 11:1-11)

In 2022, Elon Musk shocked everyone by buying Twitter. When he arrived at headquarters as boss that first day, he made some bold moves. He threw out four top executives and pledged to get rid of 75% of the staff. Most famously, he arrived at the front door holding a kitchen sink, tweeting, “Entering Twitter HQ – Let that sink in!” One reporter noted, “Elon isn’t afraid to commit to the bit.”

The truth is, Elon’s big gesture almost didn’t happen. He sent his team to go get a sink, but due to miscommunication and the strangeness of the request, Musk said the store almost refused to sell them one.

In our text tonight, Jesus arrives to Jerusalem as Messiah and King for the first time. In earlier chapters of Mark, Jesus frequently demanded that people not proclaim Who He is and what He did for them, but now that phase is over. The King has arrived.

On His way into the royal city, He sends a team of disciples to go and get a special item – one with great significance. Elon carrying a sink into Twitter HQ falls into the “antics” category as far as I’m concerned. Jesus wasn’t joking around – these weren’t antics – this was prophetic. The Son of David had arrived and, though He came in peace, He would be confronted, betrayed, conspired against, and ultimately killed.

Mark 11 through 16 focuses on what we call Passion Week. Forty percent of the book all about these last few days before Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. He’s been approaching for a few passages now, but the final act starts in verse 1 of chapter 11.

Mark 11:1-3 – ¹ When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem. Bethphage is about 1 mile. The Mount of Olives was a ridge east of Jerusalem with a valley in-between. These geographical markers have significance. First of all, Bethphage literally means, “House of unripe figs,” which foreshadows what happens in the very next set of verses.

But it’s the Mount of Olives that grabs our attention tonight. You see, in Ezekiel 11, something dramatic and terrible happens: Because of the sin of the nation, the glory of God departs from the Temple and from Jerusalem. Guess where it stops? The Mount of Olives. But here the Lord God returns from the Mount of Olives. He comes as a Savior, a Suffering Servant, to rescue not just the Jews, but all mankind from our sin. He comes to restore the relationship between God and man.

Now listen: Jesus knew that He was the Messiah. Recently the ladies of The View made news when one of them said Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah. That’s absolutely untrue. He definitely did. And this scene is one of those times. He is purposefully fulfilling prophecy in this scene.

There were many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled without trying. Like being born of a virgin or being from Nazareth. Those weren’t of His own accomplishment. But at other times, He carefully, purposefully accomplished Biblical prophecy which foretold the Messiah. God loves to reveal.

In this scene, the prophecies in question are found in Zechariah 9 and Genesis 49. Both speak about how the Christ would arrive to Judah and Jerusalem.

Arriving on a colt would stand out. Many people were on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Culturally, it was expected that if you could walk, you should walk. But Jesus pauses and changes His normal behavior. We’ve never seen Him riding an animal before. He always walked everywhere unless He was on a boat. Now He sends His guys to go get this donkey to not only signify that He’s the Messiah of Genesis and Zechariah, but to demonstrate that He is a holy King coming in peace.

It was significant that He used a colt that had never been ridden. First, it would signal this animal was being used for a sacred purpose. In the Law of Moses, there were certain rituals and sacrifices set apart for animals that had never been ridden or worked in a normal way. This was not just a convenient way to get into town. Jesus was doing a sacred, holy, divine work.

Second, the Mishnah taught that a king’s mount could not be ridden by anyone else. So not only was He saying He is holy, but that He is a King.

The third significance is when a king came on a donkey, it wasn’t to cmake war. It was for peace. So, Jesus is making a very big statement here. He’s living out a prophetic parable for all to see.

Mark 11:4-6 – ⁴ So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, ⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.

We don’t know which two disciples this was, but good on them. They’re obedient, they’re bold, they’re brave. This could’ve gone sideways if it didn’t work out. A donkey normally cost between 2 and 10 months’ wages. So, walking off with someone else’s colt is like grand theft donko.

And the message Jesus gave them to say was a little light on detail. They had to trust His foreknowledge. They had to trust in providence. They had to trust His leading. And they did!

What’s wonderful about this scene is that here we have this all important detail: Jesus needs to enter Jerusalem on not just a donkey but the colt of a donkey. Not just a colt, but a colt on whom no one has ridden. Not just a colt on whom no one has ridden, but – given the prophecy of Genesis 49 – it actually matters that the colt be tied up and be untied when the moment comes. This is what was required to properly prophetically accomplish this monumental arrival into Jerusalem. And, in this moment, Jesus shares the activity, the opportunity, the responsibility with His followers. With the two disciples. With the owner of the donkey. With the other people standing around. He brings believers into the work in meaningful ways. That is grace. That’s His heart for us. He makes us instruments of His glorious activity.

Providence still includes us in God’s work. He doesn’t have to but He wants to. The question is: What is God leading me to be a part of? It’s not nothing! We are still emissaries of the coming King.

Mark 11:7-8 – ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.

They roll out a red carpet for Jesus. Different Gospels use different words for what sort of plants the people were putting down. Some were dropping straw, some rushes or leaves, others large palm branches. It was an impromptu and makeshift moment of worship and devotion for the Lord.

The people didn’t understand all of what was going on, but they realized Jesus was not just another pilgrim. They do for Him what was done for a king back in 2 Kings chapter 9. It had been done for Simon Maccabaeus in the inter-testamental period when he came into Jerusalem.

Some of the pilgrims on the road would’ve been traveling with palm fronds, because that was part of the Feast of Tabernacles. Many would have brought the palm branches from Jericho – 17 miles away. But imagine: As Jesus gets onto the colt, as those passages of the Old Testament came together in your mind after years of reminder and memorization, suddenly you’re there, holding a palm branch and you realize that the Reason the Feast exists is in your midst! The palm is not for the Temple, it’s for Him! The day you spent your life singing about, the Person that the Feasts and the Temple and the Psalms had been preparing you for for generations was there, with you on the road. Of course they broke out into acts of praise and shouts of joy!

Meanwhile, the King of kings is a King of love and of grace. He did not demand golden fabric or even red velvet. He was blessed to be honored with palm branches and soft leaves.

Christian, you have devotion and worship that can please the Lord, that can glorify and honor the Lord. It’s not about the value, it’s about your heart. But do not refuse to give Him the praise and the devotion and the sacrifice that He is owed.

Mark 11:9-10 – ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

They’re quoting Psalm 118 here. It’s one of the Hallel Psalms. There are three sets of Hallel Psalms and Psalm 118 specifically was sung every year at the Feast of Tabernacles and at Passover. And now they get to sing it to the Passover Lamb, Himself – God Who came to tabernacle with us.

Hosanna means “oh, save us now!” And so, though it’s clear no one fully knew that Jesus’ saving work was going to lead to the cross, the expectation is high. Luke explains that there were many people who thought the Kingdom of God was going to appear right away.

Apparently the Romans knew that some were calling Jesus a King, but clearly they did not understand all the implications of what Jesus was doing that day. Because, had they understood, Jesus would’ve been immediately arrested.

There’s good evidence indicating that “He Who comes” is also a Messianic Title, by the way. So, here’s a group of people who want salvation and Kingdom.

What they didn’t understand is how the King would bring the Kingdom. This is what the last number of passages have been about. Jesus trying to help His followers understand what the Kingdom required. How the Messiah must first suffer and die. How we don’t go out conquering, but serving. How salvation comes first personally, then one day it will come nationally and globally.

Sadly, we’ll see that when the saving work that they’re praying for with every hosanna finally happens, everyone has abandoned Jesus, His countrymen stand at the foot of the cross reviling Him, not worshiping Him. They wanted political salvation. But they needed propitiation for sin.

But in this moment, something huge has happened. This is a truly historic, prophetic, powerful moment as the King enters the city. If the people didn’t praise, the very rocks would’ve cried out. This was a once-in-human-history manifestation of God’s intervention in human history. And then…

Mark 11:11 – ¹¹ He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

That’s it? It’s kind of anti-climactic. He goes to the Temple. It’s late in the day because they just walked 17 miles from Jericho, no one is there. Jesus looks around the 37 acre Temple complex, then He says, “Alright, let’s walk 2 more miles back to Bethany.”

Why not do something? Well, He’s going to do a lot, but it’s all on a specific timeline. He’s going to cleanse the temple, but He wants to do so at a time when a lot of people will see it happen and realize what has become of God’s house. And then He will face wave after wave of opposition, and day by day He will come closer to Calvary, the reason He came. The King had arrived, but before being enthroned, He would first be rejected, beaten, killed, and entombed. The King’s first coming was not about conquering the city of Jerusalem. It wasn’t about taking over. It was about taking our sins upon Himself and bearing them away.

Forbes magazine wrote that the day Elon came to Twitter, “Chaos reigned.” He flexed the power of his authority, making it clear who was in charge of the office.

Here in Mark, as the King of kings arrives in His city, meekness reigns. He came in peace. He came with restraint. Knowing all that was going on behind the scenes, knowing all that would happen. Yet He held back the power of His wrath which He would’ve been right to pour out not only in the Temple or Jerusalem, but the whole world. Consider all He could’ve demanded. All that was owed Him. Consider what humanity deserved. And yet, at His first coming, He came in grace, in peace, in compassion.

What if you came home tonight and there are evil, criminal squatters trying to take over your house? That’s what had happened to Jesus’ Father’s house, right? Now, He does drive out the money changes the next day, but before the cross Christ moves with meekness.

But understand: Meekness is not weakness. He was a Servant, but He was not subservient. There’s a cultural idea out there today that Jesus’ highest command was “Thou shalt be nice.” And that all He did was go around being cool with everybody and accepting everything everyone did. But it’s not true. He called people to repentance. He set them free from sin and commanded them not to return to it. Yes, in His first coming, He came in meekness, but in His second coming, He does not come like a King at peacetime. The next time He returns, He comes not on the colt of a donkey, but on a charging white horse, with a sword in His mouth.

Our part is to enthrone Him in our lives. Not to reject His rule over us. Our part is to give Him our praise and our worship and our hearts. And to be used as instruments of His work according to His leading.

Do You See What Bart Sees? (Mark 10:46-52)

How close and how bright does a situation have to be for you to recognize a familiar face? That’s not really a question we think about, but one that does come up in, say, court proceedings. The outcome of trials often hinges on eyewitness identification. Researchers have tried to determine just how much light and at what distance a person can reliably recognize another person.

What they came up with has been called the rule of fifteen. No more than 15 meters and 15 lux of illumination.^[1] That’s equivalent to street lighting at night.

We have a better chance of recognition if we can hear the person. Research shows that we can identify the voice of a loved one after just 2 words or 4 syllables.^[2] And we’ve got way more range than 15 meters. The normal male voice can normally be heard and understood at distances up to 600 feet. Though, “there is a recorded instance under optimal acoustic conditions, of the human voice being detectable at a distance of 10.5 miles across still water at night.”^[3]

Of course, sometimes we don’t recognize someone we should. Recently I found myself in a group of people and was sitting and talking for a while before I realized I knew the person sitting across from me. I don’t know if it’s from the brain damage or just a lack of awareness.

The Gospel of Mark is all about recognition. Do we recognize Jesus? Who do people say that Jesus is? That’s the central question. Who do we say that He is? As we go through this book, Who Christ is is being revealed. But we also learn how people – even disciples – sometimes fail to recognize what it means that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus is the Son of Man, that Jesus is the suffering Servant, that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and all the rest that is revealed in these passages.

We’ve been in a section where the 12 keep failing to recognize Who Jesus really is and what that means for His Kingdom. They don’t recognize that they are missing certain directions the Lord keeps trying to give them. So again and again, Jesus stops to teach what it means to be a disciple.

We’re about to enter the final act of the Gospel, which is all about passion week. The section we’ve been in started with Jesus healing a blind man. Now, it’s going to end with Him healing another blind man in Jericho. They are bookends of Jesus pre-cross ministry.^[4] This is the last healing in Mark. But more than a healing, this is a depiction of ideal discipleship. We’ve seen a few less-than-ideal examples in the last few passages. Now, with Bartimaeus, we see as one commentator writes, “the last and therefore climactic miracle performed by Jesus. [Which] provides an example of one who understood who Jesus was, responded immediately to His call despite discouragement from others, believed in Him, and followed Him as a disciple. It remains an example for others to follow.”^[5]

Mark 10:46 – ⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road.

This is the only time in the Gospel of Mark where we’re told the name of the person being healed.^[6] One likely reason why is that Bartimaeus was a known Christian in the Church at the time, and people could go and follow up with him about his story.^[7]

We’re also given an important geographical marker. This is happening in Jericho. Now, some skeptics will lash out at this story, because Mark says they were coming to Jericho and Matthew says they were leaving Jericho. So, there it is – the Bible must be fake!

No, in reality, there were two Jerichos. The old city is introduced to us in the book of Joshua. But Herod the Great had build new Jericho about a mile away as the site of his winter palace.^[8] And so Matthew and Mark harmonize as Jesus leaves old Jericho and makes His way into new Jericho.

You don’t want to be blind in the first century AD. There are no assistance programs. No technologies to help you navigate life. Your options were beg or starve. Bartimaeus had no future.

Mark 10:47 – ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

We have no reason to think he ever met Jesus before or heard Him speak before. But he knew something no one else in the crowd did. As the commotion grows, Bartimaeus asks someone, “Who is it coming down the road?” They call Him Jesus of Nazareth. But despite his pitiable position, Bartimaeus had hope the God’s Word was being fulfilled through this Jesus he had heard about. So when they said it was Jesus of Nazareth, Bartimaeus does not think of Him as a Nazarene, but as the Messiah. Son of David is a Messianic title.^[9]

Without sight, he saw Who Jesus really was. And, in this moment, he is the only one who sees Jesus for Who He really is. The Son of David. The Deliverer of Israel. The Christ and Messiah. The One they had been waiting for.

How did a blind man see what almost no one in the entire book has realized? The only other person who ever acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah was Peter. But then he went on to immediately demonstrate he didn’t quite understand what that meant.

But Bartimaeus saw it. How? Well, he knew God’s Word. Jesus had healed a blind man. Actually, He healed multiple blind people. Now listen – no Old Testament prophet had ever healed someone of blindness. And yet, Isaiah prophesied many times that one day it would be possible. That one day the Christ would open the eyes of the blind. And so, Bartimaeus is demonstrating incredible and Biblical faith here. That Jesus is not just a healer, but He is the Healer. The Lord Who came to save.

So not only does Bartimaeus hope Jesus is that Person, He believes it enough to pray to Him. The way he asked Jesus for mercy was a common line of prayer that we see in the Psalms, where people called out to God.^[10] So, without sight or sound, Bartimaeus recognizes Jesus for Who He is.

Mark 10:48 – ⁴⁸ Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

This is a pretty sad moment for humanity. Many people told him to shut up. We’re used to seeing people bringing their sick loved ones to Jesus, hoping He will help them. This is the opposite. They actively try to stop this poor man from getting to the Lord. To them, he’s not worth helping. He’s an annoyance. He’s a zero.

Their discouraging behavior doesn’t stop him, though. That in itself shows the courage of his faith. Because these were people he relied on economically. It was their coins he needed to survive.

But Jesus was more important than any decorum, any economic incentive, any peer pressure. Receiving the grace of God was way better than being in the crowd’s good graces.

Mark 10:49 – ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.”

The Gospels never fail to show the tender kindness of Jesus. Remember: His mind is set on Calvary. He knows He’s in the final phase of His mission. He’s eager to get on with it. But He will stop for the lowest of the low. He will pause to give His love and attention to a zero.

Jesus never gets worn down by annoyance or cynicism. I think after three years and thousands of people like this trying to get my attention I’d eventually say, “Another dirty beggar wanting something from me? What is that, the 50th guy today?”

But Christ’s mercy is new every morning. His compassions fail not. He really, truly, personally loved Bartimaeus. Jesus Himself said, “the way the Father loves Me, that’s how I love you!”^[11]

Meanwhile, let’s learn something about “the crowds” in life. Look at how fickle they are. One minute, they were yelling at him to shut up. Now they’re like sucking up to him and giving him advice. “Have courage!” He already had courage – courage to believe despite their pressure.

The crowds of life are often fickle and two-faced. Don’t chase their approval.

Mark 10:50 – ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

I find it easy to think of this story as primarily a healing narrative. But it’s a discipleship narrative. Like the fishermen before, when called Bartimaeus left all he had on the spot and followed.

And notice the energy here. He threw off his coat. He jumped up. This is a man full of faith.

This may just look like a bum’s dirty jacket, but we need to understand how valuable this coat was. This is the garment that keeps him warm, his bedding, and probably what he spread out to collect coins as he begged.^[12] We can imagine them jingling on the ground, rolling into the road as the man ran in the dark to where Jesus stood.

Now remember what happened earlier: The rich young ruler had been called by Jesus. But he would not leave his possessions. He had too many and they had too tight a grip on him.

But here is Bartimaeus. When he’s introduced, he’s sitting. Sitting in darkness. Sitting by the road. Sitting in hopelessness and misery. And with one call from Christ, he’s up and jumping and moving.

Christ calls us to life. To activity. To closeness with Him and opportunities to share in His work. He calls us to live out our faith. Bartimaeus didn’t only believe Jesus was the Messiah, on that day, he oriented his life and future around that fact.

Mark 10:51a – ⁵¹ Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

This is exactly what Jesus said to James and John in the last passage. Word for word. In that scene, the disciples failed to understand what discipleship really means. What about Bartimaeus?

Mark 10:51b – “Rabboni,”, the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”

There’s more here than meets the eye. First, he uses another title for Jesus. He’s already recognized Him as Messiah. But here he uses not just the normal word for teacher, but an intensified version. One that means teacher and master.^[13] Even the 12 hadn’t used this title of Jesus.

But his request wasn’t just that he wanted to see. What he said could be translated, “Please, give me sight,”^[14] or, “Master, let me receive my sight.”^[15] He knew it was in Christ’s power to accomplish, but would have to be a gift of grace. And we’ll see that Bartimaeus didn’t use his sight for his own plans, but he would use his vision to follow Jesus’ leading.

Mark 10:52 – ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

Sometimes Christians get hung up in verses like this. Is Jesus saying that if we have strong enough faith we decide whether we’re healed? No. How are we saved? by grace, through faith. In other words, it was God’s will and power that accomplished the healing, not Bartimaeus’ faith. But by exercising faith he was able to receive what God was willing to give.

In other words, you can’t faith enough to make a miracle happen if it isn’t God’s will to work it. Bartimaeus understood that sight would be a gift from Christ to be received. Not an accomplishment of his own spirituality.

As Jesus healed him, He also gave a command. What was it? “Go.” Bartimaeus had a free choice in that moment to go where he wished. And where did he go? “Immediately…he began to follow Jesus on the road.” He didn’t go back to his coat. He didn’t go back to any coins. He kept walking after Jesus. In the Gospels, the phrase “follow on the road” is a technical term for discipleship.^[16]

And understand, this was no casual walk in the park. Spiritually, he was walking into intense opposition with his Lord. But even physically this was a hard road to take. The walk from Jericho to Jerusalem was 17 miles with a 3,500 foot climb in elevation.^[17]

But Bartimaeus’ discipleship was roadworthy! He was ready to follow. The story starts with him sitting by the road, now he’s on the road. Healed physically, saved spiritually.^[18] Now he has a future. Now he has life. Now he has all he needs because he is with Jesus.

There’s a wonderful Biblical connection here. Jesus, the Son of David, is about to go to Jerusalem in what we call the Triumphal Entry.

When David first marched into Jerusalem, there was this taunt that even the blind would be able to repel him – that the blind and the lame would stop David from conquering the city. And at the time it became a saying that, “the blind are despised by David and they will never enter the house.”^[19] And now, the Son of David comes again into His city. But this time, He heals the blind and brings them with Him. Jesus, the Savior King.

And so, we recognize Christ for Who the Word shows Him to be. The Creator. The Savior. The Healer. The King. The Master. The Lord of all. The One Who still calls to us. Calls us to His presence. Calls us to follow. Calls us to receive His grace and all we need for life and Godliness. He is calling. Let’s follow Him, knowing Who He is and what that means for our lives.

Asking For Trouble (Mark 10:32-45)

What’s the biggest gift you ever asked for? Think back to letters to Santa or your wedding registry. Sometimes the request betrays an ugly selfishness. Like when a boy told Santa, saying he’d be more than willing to trade his sister for a north pole elf just as soon as the stork dropped her off.^[1]

Sometimes it’s just the size of the ask that raises eyebrows. Last year, Elon Musk asked to have his 2018 Tesla pay package reinstated after a judge said he couldn’t have it. It took a while, but he finally won what the company offered him: $139 billion dollars.^[2]

In our text, James and John bring a big request to Jesus. But not only do they not realize what it would cost for them to get what they want, they also have not considered that their motivations are not at all in line with the example or the guidance Jesus has given them.

A Christian does not lift themselves up at the expense of others – like the boy trading his sister for an elf. And so, in yet another cringe-inducing interchange, Jesus tries once again to explain that greatness in His Kingdom is found in service, in humility, and in following our Savior’s example.

We want to examine this text not as though we’d never make a similar mistake. After all, we ask the Lord for a lot of things. And we’re not immune from the flaws we see in the apostles. And so, we don’t want to read this text to laugh at their blunder, but to learn how to evaluate ourselves.

Mark 10:32a – ³² They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid.

Morale is a little low. The group has been traveling from Galilee in the north on the southern road leading to Jerusalem. All along the way, the Lord has been challenging and correcting the disciples’ assumptions and understandings. He’s been blowing their minds with truths that totally upend their spiritual perspective. At times, He has had to rebuke them outright. In fact, He recently became indignant at them for their behavior.

But they followed. We have to commend their faithfulness. Many had turned back from following the Lord. The rich young ruler would not follow as a disciple. But they followed. And they weren’t lagging behind the Lord. Rabbis usually walked in front of their students.^[3]

But Mark also wants us to understand that while the disciples were wrestling with confusion, the Lord Jesus was fixed on His mission. As one commentator put it, He’s “anxious to get on with it.”^[4] “It” being the cross, our deliverance. He was not afraid. He was adamant.

Mark 10:32b-34 – Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. ³³ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.”

This is the third time in Mark that Jesus predicted what would happen. Each time He adds additional detail or clarity. Here He spells it all the way out. And now, they’re closing in. They’re on the ascent to Jerusalem. The disciples feel the pressure, they’re aware of danger, but Luke explains that they understood none of these things.^[5]

We cannot understand spiritual truths without the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[6] As we’re growing in our knowledge of the Word, we also must grow in our relationship with God the Holy Spirit. I’m not criticizing the 12 for that because they had not yet received the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[7] But their missteps in this phase of discipleship highlight for us how necessary relationship with the Holy Spirit is. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor Who will teach us all things and remind us of everything Christ has told us.^[8] He does this and much more, and so let’s never neglect Him.

Mark 10:35 – ³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”

Wow. Has anyone ever asked you something that made you spit out your drink? They know from the start that what they’re asking is a little beyond the pale. That’s why they want Him to agree before telling Him what they want.

On top of giving in to selfishness here, James and John fail to treat Jesus as a real Person. I mean, He’s just said, “Guys, I’m about to be murdered. In a short time, I’m going to be tortured and brutalized and treated with more contempt than any of us can imagine.”

“Ok. Anyway, we have some things we’d like You to give us.” But I have to admit I’ve treated Jesus this way in my prayer life. More butler than Commander. Rattling off want after want after want without pausing to thank Him or give Him praise or wait for Him to speak to my heart.

Now listen: God wants us to cast our cares on Him. He wants us to bring Him our petitions and requests. But that’s not all prayer is about, not by a long shot. And though all of us have wants in life – and the Lord wants to hear about them – discipleship means adjusting our thinking and remind ourselves that what matters more is what God wants for our lives.

Mark 10:36 – ³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

The Lord is so patient. Yes, there were times where He had to sharply rebuke His people, but over and over we see His grace, we see His patience, we see His tenderness in how He dealt with people who were dealing badly with Him. Those who should’ve known better and done better. But as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.^[9]

Not only is this patience, it’s also kindness. He gives them one more chance to abort this ill-conceived mission. The Lord often asks questions like this to give us a chance to think through our choices, our attitudes, our designs. “Where are you, Adam?” “Why are you angry, Cain?” “Where are you going, Hagar?” “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Mark 10:37 – They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”

It’s a big ask. They want to be the top, crown princes in the Kingdom.^[10] Kudos for swinging for the fence, guys, but it’s the same problem the 12 had been wrestling with this whole trip: Who is the greatest? How can I get in front of someone else? They want to sit, not serve.

Robert Utley points out that every time Christ predicted His death in Mark, the disciples start worrying about who will take His place as the big boss.^[11]

When we ask the Lord for things, we must first evaluate the motives behind the ask. Now, this is hard, because in our fallen humanity, sometimes we don’t even know our own hearts.^[12] But a different James – the half-brother of Christ – explains in his epistle:

James 4:3 – ³ You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Rather than praying and asking that way, the Lord encouraged us to pray that God’s will be done on earth and in our lives. What is His plan, His design, His program for the life He’s given us today?

Mark 10:38-39a – ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” ³⁹ “We are able,” they told him.

In the Old Testament, being given a cup to drink referred to what God has in store for someone.^[13] Jesus uses drinking a cup and being baptized as a metaphor for suffering and death.

He is gently trying to help them understand that Kingdom greatness costs something. Suffering. Service. Surrender. Dying to self, not exalting ourselves.

They glibly say, “Sure. We can do it.” They’re just saying what they think He wants to hear. They have not faced the cost. They will abandon Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Throughout this section we’re seeing how quick our human hearts are to rely on ourselves and over-inflate our spirituality. The rich young ruler did it, Peter did it, James and John are doing it. We tend to do it, too if we’re not careful. “We are able.” And yet they weren’t willing to wash feet.

Mark 10:39b-40 – Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. ⁴⁰ But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Great irony here. They say, “Of course we’re able to do whatever to get this thing we’re asking for,” and now Jesus says, “Ok, well, you are going to pay the price. You’re going to be submerged in suffering and death for the sake of the Gospel,^[14] but you’re not going to get the position.”

Not that they wouldn’t rule and reign with the Lord – I mean, James and John have their names written on the foundations of the wall of New Jerusalem! But their ask was so high, it wasn’t even Christ’s to give! Who will receive this honor? No idea. That’s God’s business.

But, as we walk with God, as we cooperate with His plan, we will endure suffering. The New Testament talks a lot about suffering to us because it’s going to be part of the Christian experience. Part of discipleship, part of honoring God, is suffering. That doesn’t mean we go looking for it, but let’s be honest about what we’re agreeing to and not think it strange when it happens or lash out against God when it does.

Mark 10:41 – ⁴¹ When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.

They’re not mad because James and John were being rude to Jesus, but because they asked first.^[15] This is a rare time where Peter had been frozen out of the Three Amigos. Usually it was Peter, James, and John. Not this time. If I was Andrew, I would’ve been mad at James and John but also thinking, “Yeah, Pete, see how it feels?” But when our hearts are in a pattern of selfishness, you bet we’re going to get mad at other people.

Mark 10:42-45 – ⁴² Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Remember how the unit starts: Jesus is leading the way to Jerusalem with purpose and urgency. Though His disciples are following, spiritually they have fallen behind. So now He has to pause, put His plan on hold, and perform 12 heart surgeries.

The Lord is so gracious. So kind. So faithful. He stops and says, “Ok guys, come here.” And once again tells them what He’s already told them. He already taught this lesson in Capernaum. He taught it by example every day. This is not a new revelation. It’s just one they wouldn’t yet submit to.

But again He explains that the way of the cross is through grace, service, humility, and meekness. Christian lives and Christian activity should not look like the world. It should not be organized like the world. He says, “Here’s what those in the world do. But it is not so among you.”

And to drive the point home one more time, Jesus says, “Look at Me. I came to serve. While you’re worried about how high of a position you think you’re owed in the Kingdom, I’m making sure you can be bought out of hell!”

Now, aside from the practical teaching, there’s also an important theological teaching here. Jesus is identifying Himself as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.^[16] He was struck for our rebellion. Crushed for our iniquities. He bore our sicknesses and carried our pains. He did not shrink from any of it. From foot washing to foot piercing. That’s our Lord and Savior. That’s the Master we follow.

And now He not only calls us to follow after Him, He explains that the way of the cross is the way to spiritual greatness in His Kingdom. Selflessness. Service. And not only doing acts of service, but being willing to be be treated as inferior to those around us.^[17] So, if I say to the Lord, “Well, I’m willing to push a broom, but if I’m not thanked for it, then I’m going to quit,” ok, that’s like the rich young ruler. That’s a refusal to follow as a disciple.

You see, discipleship is not internship. Why does a person intern? To get a foot in the door, to get experience, to get leveled up. If you intern, you double your odds of getting a job and that job will pay more.^[18] But discipleship isn’t about my greatness. It’s encapsulated by what John the Baptist so famously said: “He must increase, I must decrease.”

So, as we walk through these passages, we want to recognize those things that kept dogging the disciples tend to dog us today. And we want to once again answer the call to discipleship. To not only do what God asks, but to think how He thinks. Which will transform our hearts and the things we ask for and how we relate to others only for the better! Because we will be in proper position, following our leader, not falling behind, not motivated by selfishness, but service to the King.

Entry Data (Mark 10:23-31)

Some groups are hard to get into. 80% of Navy SEAL candidates fail out of BUD/S. NASA rejected 99.9% of applicants for their 2021 astronaut class. They selected only 10 out of 12,000.^[1]

Maybe you’ve heard of Skull and Bones. It’s the oldest of several secret societies at Yale. They admit just 15 members per year. Many of them go on to occupy positions of power in American society. Three presidents boasted membership.

It starts on a night in April called “tap night.” High-achieving Juniors are “tapped” and invited into the initiation process,^[2] which is full of strange, even satanic elements since it’s founding in 1832.^[3]

Initiates are forced to take oaths, drink “blood,” (really just Kool-Aid), be whipped in the face by someone dressed as the Devil. They are forced to their knees, and must swear to secrecy.

Skull and Bones “is notorious for boasting stricter rules than any of Yale’s other secret societies.”^[4] Members take on new names used by other bonesmen. Names like “Baal,” Gog,” and “Magog.”^[5]

But harder than getting into the SEALS, the Astronaut Corps or Skull and Bones, is getting into the Kingdom of Heaven. In our text, Christ explains it is not only difficult, it is, in fact, impossible for men to make it in on their own. The Kingdom of Heaven is absolutely exclusive. And yet, God has thrown the gates open wide and beckoned all to come. But how can we enter if we can not qualify?

Christ explains entrance is not based on achievement or status or intellect. No, to get in you and I must do what the Rich Young Ruler refused to do: Die to self and become disciples. We follow Jesus through the gate. But that includes a willingness to relinquish all claims, all rights, and if demanded, even all possessions to the Lord, our Savior, our Master, our Leader.

Last time we were in Mark we saw the Rich Young Ruler run up to Jesus and say, “What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?” This was a guy who would’ve been in Skull and Bones. Sadly, at the end of his interaction with Jesus, he chose not to do the two things Jesus asked him to do: Give away his wealth and become a disciple. He wasn’t willing. After all, he was a ruler.

Allowing someone with this much power and influence to slip away was shocking enough to the disciples. But now the Lord is going to use the situation as an object lesson, not just for those who are thinking about become disciples, but for all of us.

Mark 10:23-24a – ²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ The disciples were astonished at his words…

They weren’t just a little surprised, they were greatly astounded.^[6] If these words were shocking and sobering to the disciples, they should be for us, too. Let’s not pass casually by what the Lord is saying. After all, the conclusion Peter comes to is, “well…no one can be saved!”

As usually, Jesus upends their assumptions. They thought wealth was a sign of God’s favor. R.T. France writes, “In Jewish society it was generally taken for granted that wealth was to be welcomed as a mark of God’s blessing.”^[7] And yet, here is Jesus saying that affluence is a barrier to entry.

It is not the only barrier and wealth on its own is not evil. But it carries the dangerous spiritual side effect of self-reliance. Money can solve a lot of problems, at least in the short term. But a byproduct is often that a person starts to rely upon the earthly fortune rather than the heavenly Father.

You’ve heard about how certain drugs hijack the brain’s reward system and can, for a time, flood the brain with plenty of dopamine. But eventually, it damages the brain’s ability to create or process dopamine. The receptors start to die off.

In a spiritual sense, if a Christian relies on material resources for their security, their decisions, to be the driving motivator and navigator of life, it becomes a terrible barrier to discipleship.

We have got to take this warning to heart. I know “rich” is relative, but by nature of the time and place we live in, all of us have greater financial provision, stability, reserves than almost every human being who has ever lived! And the flesh wants to make Rich Young Rulers out of all of us.

Mark 10:24b – Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

Jesus wants to be clear – He did not misspeak. He didn’t need to walk back His comments. He says, “No, you heard Me right.” But notice what He calls them: Children. Jesus is not being clinical here, He’s being caring. He speaks to them as beloved children, helping them understand.

Throughout this whole section of Mark, the Lord wants us to remember that we are children. Be like a child. In fact, if you don’t receive the Kingdom like a child, you’ll never enter it.^[8] Consider what that means in this context. Children cannot be a rich young ruler. They’re young, but they do not rule. Children are totally dependent on their parents for their room and their board and their schedules and their learning and so many other things. They are ruled. They are dependents.

And children are not rich. I mean, there are kids who live in rich families, but it’s not their bank account or portfolio. They simply enjoy the riches of their parents.

Jerry Seinfeld once told the story of how his kids asked him if they were rich. His answer was, “I am. You’re not.”^[9] Whatever the Lord allows us to have, we should understand it’s His, not ours.

Mark 10:25 – ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

We need to have a carefully, purposefully loose hold on our wealth and possessions. The spiritual problems that wealth can cause are not limited to Lot or the Rich Young Ruler. Look at what happened to Ananias and Sapphira. They were believers who became ensnared by greed. Look at Demas, who had been a coworker in the ministry with Paul the apostle, but in the end deserted him because he loved this present world. It can happen to us. Wealth is a deceitful weed that can easily choke out the word and the growth of fruit in our lives.

Now, perhaps you have heard some Bible teacher say that there was this particularly little gate in Jerusalem, and that camels would have to unload all their cargo and get down on their knees to pass through this gate. It’s a great sermon illustration. It’s just not true. Not even a little bit. There is no historical evidence for any such gate.^[10] The idea comes from a note in a ninth-century commentary.^[11] Hopefully that doesn’t burst anyone’s bubble.

But that idea also flies in the face of what Jesus is saying. He’s not saying, “Well just do a hard thing and then you’ll be qualified.” No, He’s saying it’s impossible. The largest animal, the smallest space. It’s not going to happen. And that’s exactly how the disciples understood it.

Mark 10:26 – ²⁶ They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?”

They are overwhelmed by this truth.^[12] And it is an overwhelming revelation. Because all of human religion comes down to human effort. That we, through work or piety or goodness or penance or contrition or whatever it is, we can earn our way out of hell and into heaven. But Jesus once and for all explains why Christianity is absolutely different from every other human religion or philosophy.

Mark 10:27 – ²⁷ Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”

God will make a way. God makes it possible. That’s why Jesus was there – to make the way so we can follow Him from death to life, from gloom to glory.

So, Jesus rightly points out the hopelessness of the situation – and the disciples felt it. But He did not leave us hopeless. Here in verse 27, Jesus sees our weakness. With man, it’s impossible. But then He provides a route to salvation by His strength.

It is an extra barrier to entry for those of us who are wealthy to enter the Kingdom. But, even if you’re the poorest person on the planet, none of us can squeeze through on our own.

But God is gracious. He not only makes a way, He clears the way and shows us where the pitfalls are, where the stumbling stones are, which way to turn at the forks in the road.

That means no matter what you’ve done, no matter how badly you’ve messed up or spoiled your life, you can be made new by God’s power. You can be rescued from your sin and your past and the guilt that you feel. With man it’s impossible, because we are trapped by those things and are unable to go back and undo them. But God is eternal. He can make us white as snow and remember our sins no more. He can transform us and renew us and bring beauty from ashes.

Mark 10:28 – ²⁸ Peter began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

Oh Peter! Still trying to rank himself. Still trying to earn his way in. You know, the Rich Young Ruler had come saying, “I’ve checked all the boxes, so I’m owed eternal life.” Now Peter deflects the sharp standard Jesus has just laid out for them and says, “Well, look at the box WE checked. WE did the thing that other guy was unwilling to do. We have left everything.” Of course, this is being said by the one who will soon deny he even knows Jesus three times.

They had left a lot, but they had not left everything. Peter still had a house. Still had a wife and a mother-in-law. He still owned a boat and tackle. And that’s ok! But this is what we tend to do in our walk with the Lord. We rationalize certain choices and say, “Well, God certainly doesn’t mean I need to sell my house! God certainly doesn’t want me to give 10% of my income, 25% of my income, 50% of my income. I don’t need to do that because I’ve already checked this other box over here.”

That’s the human mentality. The Rich Young Ruler had it, Peter had it, we tend to have it. But it’s never about boxes. It’s about the leading of our Lord, Who commands us to do what He knows we need to do. “One thing you lack,” He told the Rich Young Ruler. So how is God leading you?

Mark 10:29-31 – ²⁹ “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and eternal life in the age to come. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

When Jesus says we will receive these things “now at this time,” He isn’t teaching some sort of prosperity Gospel – after all notice the promise of persecution. He means that we find that family, that support, that sustenance in the Church. Here we are to love each other as brothers and sisters. We open our homes to one another. We provide what is necessary in times of need.

Notice that Jesus said you can leave brothers or sisters, mother or father or children, but in return you receive brothers and sisters, mothers…and children. No father. Why? Because we all have a heavenly Father. God the Father. Who loves you like a son or daughter. He really does. He will always be your father, no matter what you’ve lost.

But there’s another wonderful principle here for us to understand about the goodness and grace of our God. Look at His generosity. You leave a house for the sake of the Gospel, He gives you a hundred both now and in eternity. You lose a mother, He’ll give you a hundred more. Our Lord is never in debt to us. He not only repays, He overpays.

William Lane writes, “God takes nothing away from a man without restoring it to him in a new and glorious form.”^[13]

But this text again reminds us that discipleship is not done in isolation. It’s done together in the spiritual family that the Holy Spirit has drawn you to be a part of. We follow together. We support one another. We bear fruit individually and corporately. Yes, there are times when God sends us out alone, or does a solitary work in our lives. But the normal operation of discipleship is yoked together with other disciples. Worshipping together. Praying together. Rejoicing together. Weeping together. Growing together. The Church is a great benefit given to us by a generous God.

It’s said that when you are initiated to Skull and Bones, you are forced to tell your whole life story, particularly things that are compromising or embarrassing. It provides the group with blackmail on each other to be leveraged at opportune times. What kind of a fraternity is that? A worldly one.

And no statement of purpose exists for Skull and Bones. People desperately want to be in the club, but what is it even for? My own prestige and position. My own advancement.

Christ calls us into discipleship with clear purposes: That we might have life and have it more abundantly. That God might accomplish the impossible for us and through us. That we can receive more and more of His power and grace as we walk with Him. That we can be set free from the traps we’re in.

So, the question is: What steps is He asking of us today? Just as God looked at Peter, He looked at the Rich Young Ruler, so He looks at us. He sees who we are, where we are, what we need, what we lack, and He gives bespoke directions. It’s not about checking boxes. It’s about following our Master. Sacrifice will be a part of it. A change of perspective is demanded. After all, we’re told to lose the world and save our souls. But what we gain is worth any cost, any effort, anything He asks us to leave behind.