Sermon Tone Analysis
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The Setup
In our scripture reading today we are going to hear what seems to be two very different stories that could stand alone.
Our reading today begins with a beautiful but fruitless tress.
Then follows Jesus into the temple area
where he cleanses it for the second time
objecting to what shouldn’t be there
objecting to what shouldn’t happen there
And then returns to the end of the fig tree and gives a lesson on prayer.
Are these stories related?
They both show Jesus
objecting to what was going on
and doing something about it.
The vainglorious fig tree was cursed and died.
The temple practices were challenged
and changed, at least as long as Jesus was around to keep things right.
I wonder what practices we commonly accept that we should not?
Let’s turn in our bibles to Mark 11 starting at verse 12 and going through verse 25 or 26.
A Fruitless Tree
In AD 33 Passover would have happened in early April, early spring for the region.
In that region you might expect a fig tree to have a good covering of leaves and ripe figs
in June.
I called the fig tree vainglorious because,
way ahead of it’s neighbors,
it was fully leafed out,
without a bit of fruit.
If a person was all show about being a Christian,
dressed right
talked up their christian life
but had no fruit in their lives
No love
No Joy
No Peace
No Patience
No Kindness
They just might be as barren as this leafy fig tree.
So in a very non-dramatic way
Jesus removed God’s blessing from this tree.
This is the only time we know of that Jesus power used
in a negative way.
We will come back to the fig tree after we read about what Jesus did at the Temple
Herod’s Temple
was a huge structure.
In the lower Center they put a small rectangle to represent a football field compared to the temple grounds.
The large area left and right of the Jewish only section was the court of the Gentiles and was as close as they were allowed to come toward the altar and the holy of holies.
But over time business had moved into that area.
Who cares about those foreigners anyway?
Fruitless Changes in Temple worship
Well let’s read on and see what Jesus does
see what Jesus has to say.
Let’s back up just a little to the day before, the day of Jesus Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
That was on Sunday
So on Monday, Jesus enters the city again,
this time with no fanfare
and he goes to the temple.
This is the second time Jesus cleaned the temple.
The first time was in
That was 2 years ago but the leaders in Jerusalem hadn’t learned their lessons.
Without Jesus there complaining, they went right back to selling sacrificial animals there.
they went back to doing the money exchanging there
and not caring that this courtyard area was supposed to be dedicated to prayer, and the area for foreign converts.
You might ask
Dave, where did Jesus get the idea that the temple should be a house of prayer for all nations?
And if you asked me, I would direct you to Isaiah 56:7.
A house of prayer for
ALL NATIONS
not just the Jews
but the people they were overlooking
the people they were leaving out.
Where does the allusion to a Den of Thieves come from
Consider for a minute Jeremiahs prophecy
It was wicked of them to take away the gentiles place at the temple
It was wicked of them to insisted that only the local coin could be accepted as an offering and then charge excessive rates to exchange the offering.
It was wicked of them to charge excessive rate for Kosher animals to sacrifice.
So what have we seen Jesus do in regards to the temple?
We saw him check things out the evening before this
after the triumphal entry
We saw Him correct was was being done wrong
turned over the money changes tables
cleared the animals out of the temple area
He also objected to everyone trying you use the temple as a shortcut across town.
And then he began teaching.
When Jesus identifies something wrong in our lives,
he’s going to seek change in our lives by the Holy Spirit’s conviction
and he is going to use his Word and His Spirit to teach us
a better way to live.
Prayer Power revealed
A more literal translation of verse 19 would be
When evening comes, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city
And that is what he did every night of Holy week.
That is part of how he kept his band of believers safe until the night of his betrayal.
He took them out, away from the city each evening.
So on Tuesday, when they walk back into town,
Peter sees the tree Jesus cursed
And it’s very dead.
Jesus uses this observation to point out some truths about prayer
That is a great promise,
What we pray and earnestly believe will happen.
It sounds almost like, prosperity gospel
name it, claim it gospel but
That is not the full story on prayer.
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