Category: Mark (Page 2 of 6)

I couldn’t believe my eyes.  A World Trade Center tower, hit by an airliner, its  fuel a blazing inferno, was collapsing under its own weight in a thunderous cloud of ash  (see video).

As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”  “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down”(Mark 13:1,2).

The Jerusalem temple described by Josephus, the 1st century Jewish historian: “The outward face of the temple in its front lacked nothing that was likely to surprise either men’s minds or their eyes, for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendour, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun’s own rays. This temple appeared to strangers when they were at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow, for, as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceedingly white.”

For 40 years King Herod had been rebuilding Solomon’s temple (destroyed by the Babylonians, 586 B.C.—Jeremiah 52), more stunning and secure than ever.  Magnificently ornate,  it occupied 1/6 of Jerusalem’s land area.  Here sacrifices for sin were made.  Here God’s presence dwelt among his covenant people.  From here his blessings flowed.  The temple was the religious center and capital of the nation.  Its destruction was as unthinkable as terrorists taking down the towers.  Were it to happen, it would mark a life-change for Israel too dreadful to contemplate.

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” (13:3,4).

Jesus with his disciples had walked east-southeast out of the city through the narrow Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives where they enjoyed a panoramic view of Jerusalem and the temple. 

Four of them pulled Jesus aside and whispered anxiously, “When will this happen and what signs will show they’re about to happen?”  Jesus’ answer challenges correct interpretation because, like all biblical prophets, he mingles the immediate future with the distant, so we have what scholars call “double fulfillment.”

I hold the view that Mark 13:5-23 applies to the first century believers.  Within that segment, Mark 13:14-23 predicts the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans in 70 A.D. (about 40 years after Christ).  And Mark 5-13 describes events characteristic of the time leading up to that fall and after.  Here are those three paragraphs . . .

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.    When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains (13:5-8).

“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.  When you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say.  Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.  ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.  Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved ()13:9-13).

The Fall.  “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong– let the reader understand– then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.  Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!  Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now– and never to be equaled again.  If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.  At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.  For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect– if that were possible.  So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time” (13:14-23).

At the same time, I believe in Mark 13:5-8 and Mark 13:9-13 Jesus gives signs that indicate all history’s movement toward its end.  Signs: (1) false Christ’s (or spreaders of false “truth”), (2) wars, (3) earthquakes and famines, (4) Christians’ persecution; (5) the spread of the Gospel toward the end of all nations’ hearing.

In view of those signs, Jesus gives his disciples and us these exhortations:

“See that no one leads you astray” (13:5).  The spirit of antichrist is in the world.  False worldviews, false philosophies and false “truths” abound.  The media pound them into our minds.  The only objective truth we can trust is the Bible, God’s Word.  We must not be misled from it however popular the alternative and however few hold to it.

“Do not be alarmed” (13:7).  America’s main security threat is terrorism.  We drift  between assuming it can’t happen here again to fearing it will happen to me.  Jesus tells us not to be alarmed, because the worst they can do is kill our bodies.

“Be on your guard” (13:9).  I don’t think I’m being fanatical when I say Christianity is being less and less tolerated in America.  By this warning Jesus doesn’t mean, “Keep your faith a secret”, but, “Know that going public may get you in trouble.”

“Don’t be anxious . . . what you are to say” (13:10b).  We may be questioned, interrogated even.  The questions may be honest or hostile.  In any case, Jesus couples his encouragement with this assurance: 
” . . . say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit” (13:11b).

” . . . the one who endures to the end will be saved” (13:13b).  This is an eye-opening warning—endurance may be required.  “Endurance” is “the ability to deal with pain or suffering that continues for a long time.”  This is also an eye-opening promise—the consummation of God’s saving work through Christ awaits those who endure!

Finally, Jesus makes a compelling statement at the end of 13:8—“These (false Christs, wars, etc.) are but the beginning of the birth pains.”  By this Jesus cautions us not to look at world conditions, then grab our white robes and stand waiting on the highest hill for his imminent coming.  At the same time “birth pains” is a glorious term.  Every mother knows labor pains are excruciating.  It’s the one time I say, “Thank God I wasn’t born a woman!”  I haven’t felt your pain, but I’ve heard your screams.  However . . .

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world” (Jesus, John 16:21).

So Jesus’ caution contains a full-of-wonder expectation.  Breaking into the darkness and death of this age’s last days ” . . . they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with power and great glory.  And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (13:26,27). 

The new creation will be born!

“You will have died and resurrected three times and still be trying to figure out [how many federal criminal laws exist today],” said Ronald Gainer, a retired (U.S.) Justice Department official (The Wall Street Journal, 2011.  In the first century Jews could and did count Torah laws (Genesis–Deuteronomy):  615 commandments—365 “You shall not’s” and 248 “You shall’s”.  A pittance compared to the U.S., but still formidable.  And a daunting challenge to determine the most important one.

Should I care?  Since God created the heavens and earth and all that’s in them (Revelation 10:6), and will hold each of us personally accountable regarding how we have lived as his creatures (Romans 14:10b-12), we’d better.  Knowing God’s highest law, then,  isn’t academic, but life and death. 

It’s Tuesday before Jesus’ Friday crucifixion.  Conflict between Jesus and Jewish authorities publicly is boiling.  A failed onslaught in the temple courtyard  from authorities trying to prove Jesus a fraud has quieted (11:27-12:27).  Now a law-teacher, impressed at Jesus’ answer to the Sadducees, asks,  “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”  When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions (Mark 12:28-34).

Jesus answers immediately.  No research hours at the seminary library.  No search time at Google.  “The most important one is this:  ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Jesus takes his answer from Deuteronomy 6:4,5.  Known as the Shema (sha-ma), from the Hebrew for “hear”, this was the signal creed of Israel’s faith recited by devoted Jews every morning and evening.  “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

When I think of “love” I think of Lois—53 years of married love.  I think of my three adult children —and reminisce about raising-experiences.  And I think of my 8 grandchildren—the joy they bring, the treasures they are.  “Love” is affectionate, emotional.  I get teary-eyed with wonder.  “Love” is also protective, strong.  I’d lay down my life for them.

When I try to grasp what Jesus means by “love the Lord your God”, I page back to Deuteronomy since Jesus answered from there.  The book records the renewal of the Sinai Covenant with the second generation that came out of Egypt.  I read what P.C. Craigie wrote about ancient covenants:  “A number of scholars have argued convincingly that there is a relationship in form between the Hebrew covenant and the ancient Near Eastern vassal treaty . . . The Hebrews adapted the treaty form for their own use in order to express the nature of their relationship to God” (The New International Commentary, The Book of Deuteronomy).  I read William L. Moran’s insightful statement”  “‘Love’ in ancient Near Eastern political covenants means allegiance to a sovereign, the opposite of which is treason” (“The Ancient Near Eastern Background of the Love of God in Deuteronomy”).

And I remember learning how, after conquering another tribe or nation, a Near Eastern king offered them a treaty.  He would provide them with all the benefits of his reign, if they would “love” him—that is, if they would pledge their allegiance to him.

It’s then I begin to understand God’s highest commandment.  His law declares, “Love me with all your being—heart, soul, mind and strength.”  That love is emotional.  How could it not be?  But at its core it’s allegiance to the Lord our God who has conquered me and pledged to provide me all the benefits of his reign.  And that allegiance isn’t like a Nazi swearing devotion to his fuehrer; it’s a sinner pledging devotion to the God who first loved him.

Love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus takes this answer from Leviticus 19:18–“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”  No self-justifying question here as in Luke 10 (“Who is my neighbor?”)  The law-teacher is impressed.  “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.  To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

The answer reveals the ceremonial religion opposed by this connected-commandment.  To love God and to love my neighbor are more important than water baptism or the Lord’s Supper, just as they were more important than Israel’s burnt offerings and sacrifices.  To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is to love him with all our being.

And to love my neighbor as myself is to want the same good for my neighbor I want for me.  Is my neighbor poor?  I should share.  Is my neighbor ill?  I should bring chicken soup.  Is my neighbor lonely?  I should bring myself.  Wanting the same good for my neighbor as I do for me implies helping him have it.

A young couple recently moved in next door.  Lois met them.  I’m ashamed to say I don’t even know their names.  But God’s most important two-part law is love them!

“Lord it is my chief complaint that my love is cold and faint;
Yet I love Thee and adore; O for grace to love Thee more”
(William Cowper, 1773-1800).

“Lord, most days I don’t even think about my neighbors:
Yet I want to obey your highest law;  O for grace to love the people next door.”
(Allan Babcock, 1943–)

See that pretty lady next to the old guy?  That’s Lois, my wife  of 53 years.  Besides being my best friend, mother to our three children, and grandmother to our eight grandchildren, she was my partner in pastoral ministry for 44 years.  I can’t imagine life without her as my wife.  That’s why this is my least favorite Scripture text.

“When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Jesus in Mark 12:25).   That takes some shine off the new creation for me.  If it weren’t for ” . . . they will be like angels” I’d interpret Jesus to mean no weddings.   Alas!  I can’t twist the text!

Okay,  I feel a little better with that off my chest.  (Transparency, right?)  So let’s get to the full text . . .

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.  “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children.  The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third.  In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.  At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”  Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?  When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.  Now about the dead rising– have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?  He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!” (Mark 12:18-27).

It’s Tuesday after Jesus’ triumphal entry Sunday into Jerusalem.  Wave after wave of Jewish authorities verbally attack him in the temple courtyard hoping he’ll incriminate himself.  They want him silenced; they want him dead.

Now it’s the Sadducees.  Little is known about this short-lived Jewish sect, but this much is—they didn’t believe in the end-time resurrection of the dead.

Nor do 54% of Americans (+10% undecided) according to a 2006 poll cited by Dr. Albert Mohler in one of his blogs.  Yet, according to a “USA Today” poll in 2009, 74% of Americans believe in heaven.  Americans are confused because they think heaven is Christians’ final destination when the new creation is.

The Sadducees pose an extreme situation (7 husbands?); yet this remarriage practice was biblical.  If a husband died leaving no heirs, one of the surviving brothers was to marry his widow to provide an heir so the brother’s name and inheritance would be kept in the family (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).  Therefore, even though the motive is dishonest, the question isn’t:  “At the resurrection, whose wife shall she be?”

Jesus (not so “meek and mild”) replies:  “How wrong you are!  And do you know why?  It is because you don’t know the Scriptures or God’s power” (TEV).  Jesus says the Sadducees are wrong for three reasons.

First, they don’t know the Scriptures.  I’m afraid the same may be true of  people today (including Christians).  And when we don’t know the Scriptures we’re wrong or ignorant about some of life’s most important realities (like knowing whether or not there will be an end-time bodily resurrection).  Listen, it doesn’t take a post-graduate degree to know the Scriptures!  All we need is to prayerfully, regularly and thoughtfully read them.  Think how deep our knowing of God if every year of our life—or even every two years—we read through the Bible!

Second, they don’t know God’s power.  Admittedly, bodily resurrection of everyone who’s ever lived (some to eternal judgment, some to eternal life) seems a bit “out there”.  I can’t imagine the scene!  But that’s because I have limited knowledge of God’s unlimited power.  God’s power in my life is quiet and barely discernible.  I believe in it because I see its evidence in creation and in changed lives.  Yet it doesn’t explode like a computer-generated movie scene, so many choose ignorance of it.  I choose to believe it, because I repeatedly read of it in Scripture and I figure that, since God created my body, surely he can resurrect it.  

Third, they don’t know God.  Remember how God introduced himself to Moses at the burning bush.  “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (12:26).  Jesus draws the implication:  “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  You are quite wrong” (12:27). 

Significantly, God didn’t say, “I was the God of Abraham . . . ” but “I am the God of Abraham . . . “.    And Jesus said, “He is the God . . . of the living.”  In every generation, God is “I am.”  Therefore, his people are never dead, but always living.  And in his time dead bodies will be raised, as Paul later wrote, ” . . . imperishable, in glory. in power, a spiritual body . . . ” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  

“To him who by means of his power working in us
is able to do so much more than we can ever ask or think of
(even making Lois’ and my relationship something better than husband and wife);
to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
for all time, forever and ever (Ephesians 3:20-21, TEV)!

Ever since LSD-loving psychologist Timothy Leary popularized his “Question Authority” slogan in the 60’s, apprehension about authority has marred the American psyche.  In his Gospel, Mark writes about authority to which we must submit, not question.

Jesus’ Authority Questioned. It’s Tuesday after the Monday Jesus angrily shut down temple business.  Official representatives of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Supreme Court) approach in the temple court and question his authority to do such a thing.

They (Jesus and the Twelve) arrived again in Jerusalem and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” (Mark 11:27,28).

They’re not on an information-mission; it’s an interrogation.  Next to the Roman Empire, they are the authority (both religious and civil) in Jerusalem.   Jesus could answer, “I am Messiah.  I have all authority.”  For that, they would have seized him.  But his time hadn’t quite come. So instead . . .

Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism– was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’ . . .” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (Mark 11:29-33).

You see their predicament.  The temple court is crawling with Passover visitors, many of whom surely had stopped to see the confrontation.  The priests, scribes and elders fear a riot.  They can only plead ignorance.  But Jesus (not so “meek and mild”) won’t let them off that easy . . .

Jesus’ Authority Exercised.  And he then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.  At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.  He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.  “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’  “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.  “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.  Haven’t you read this scripture: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;  the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”  Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away (Mark12:1-12).

A parable is an everyday-life story.  Hearers identify with its people. The story typically ends with a “punch” line—a “gotcha” point.  In this parable the Jewish authorities would have identified God as the vineyard owner and Jesus as the son. The “gotcha” point:  they are the rebellious tenant farmers who will forfeit the vineyard.  Rightly they perceive Jesus told the parable against them.  But, because of the crowd, they can only slink away in defeat (for the moment).

Mark begins his Gospel, ” . . . the kingdom of God is at hand” (1:15a).  The Greek word is bahsalaya, meaning “reign” or “rule”.  Jesus’ proclamation meant (in my paraphrase) “God is about to take over the world”.  His takeover is atypical, characterized by love and forgiveness and grace and mercy.   But also by authority. “The authoritative reign of God is at hand.”  Sinners must bow to  receive God’s grace through Messiah or unequivocally receive God’s condemnation for eternity.

Jesus’ Authority Doubted.  Talk like that draws dissing.  We’ve outgrown religious fairy tales.  Besides, matched against corporations’ control, nuclear bombs, military weapons, even Youtube videos, God’s power to control anything seems absent.  Where is his sovereign authority?  Don’t you know the Sanhedrin had authority to seize Jesus and have him nailed to a cross?  Don’t you know that the world turns a deaf ear to the church’s “authoritative” pronouncements?  Don’t you know that choosing to believe in Jesus is little more than a “nice” religious decision for some comfort and inspiration, not unlike picking chocolate or vanilla?

Maybe Jesus’ parable was just an empty-threat story.  Maybe he was just “lucky” to escape the Sanhedrin’s wrath.  Maybe his claim to be the “capstone” of God’s building work in the world was braggadocio. Maybe Friday after this Tuesday will end with Jesus crucified by Jewish rebellion and Roman authority.  Or maybe, just maybe this coming Sunday Jesus’ tomb will be empty—and it will be blatantly clear that rejecting Jesus’ authority could be deadly.

Jesus’ Authority Accepted. Let’s not question Jesus’ authority in the name of our own.  Let’s  bow in submission to his.  The King is graciously willing to make peace.  Let’s accept his offered amnesty.  Now.

Quiz:  Find the sentence in Mark 11:20-25 that doesn’t seem to  belong.

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”  “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:20-25).

I picked verse 25 (“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins”.)  To me, it  seems like a leftover Mark had to stick somewhere.  Why not here?  (And since this is my blog, verse 25 is the correct quiz answer.)

What did Jesus say? And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (11:25).  I stand praying (typical posture for Jewish prayer).  “A still, small voice” in my head reminds me I haven’t forgiven Toby for wrongly criticizing me before two friends.  (I picked “Toby” so as not to create trouble.  I know no Toby.)  “Forgive him!” Jesus commands.

The original Greek word translated “forgive” is apheeame.  In 4:36 it’s translated,  “And leaving the crowd . . . “.  In 7:8, “You leave (set aside, reject) the commandment of God . . . “.   And in 11:6, “And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go” (11:6).  “Forgive” suggests a sense of leaving behind a vengeful attitude, letting go of the idea that our offender owes us something, setting aside the wall we’ve allowed between us.  When we pray and remember we’re holding something against someone, Jesus commands us to let it go, to forgive.

Why did Jesus say it?  ” . . . so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  Seriously, this is a shocker!    Jesus will “give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45b).  But we forfeit that freedom if we refuse to forgive someone who’s wronged us.

“[S]o that” explains Jesus’ purpose for forgiving others.  We open the way for our Father to forgive our sins.   Don’t forgive and we close the way to our Father’s forgiveness.

Remember Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant?  His master wrote off  his trillion dollar debt (I’m thinking U.S. here), but he refused to forgive a fellow-servant who owed him lunch at McDonald’s.  When the master heard, he threw the merciless servant in prison.  Then Jesus warned (this should scare us), “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:35).

Lest we think this is just a leftover stuck on, remember Jesus taught disciples to pray, ” . . . and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).  And added, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14,15).

I know of families who profess faith in Christ, but refuse to speak to sons or parents.  Having pastored 44 years, I’m sure there are Sunday Lord’s Supper–partakers holding grudges against other partakers.  Are these folks forgiven of their sins?  Jesus commands “forgive” so they–and we all–could be.

Why did Jesus say it here?  Usually when I assembled one of our children’s toys, I found a part leftover.  In the context of 11:20-24, verse 25 seems a leftover stuck on.  It’s not, of course.  So why did Jesus say it here?  I’ve got three (hopefully educated) guesses . . .

First, Jesus presumes his followers will pray for forgiveness of sins.  Sin-forgiveness is one of the “whatevers” (11:24).  It’s true that in Jesus’ death all our sins are forgiven; forgiveness doesn’t depend on our confessing each sin each night.  However, pray seldomly for forgiveness and we begin to regard our sins (and therefore Jesus’ sacrifice) lightly.  It’s good to remember our moral bankruptcy before our holy God and our absolute dependence on his mercy through his crucified Son. And “whatever” our sin, it’s forgiven (as long as we are similarly merciful to others)!

Second, Jesus calls us to follow him together.  After Jesus’ ascension, the Twelve would set out in different directions to make disciples.  Wherever they would go, they would plant churches  and believers would live in relationship with one another.  To maintain unity and bear effective witness of Christ, the believers would have to forgive one another as God in Christ had forgiven them (Ephesians 4:23).  And the Father would enable them to do that, making this another “whatever” Jesus has in mind.

Three, only the Lord knows what “whatever” might include. I don’t want to limit God in my thinking.  I want, like a child, to believe our Father will do full-of-wonder “whatevers” in response to our prayers.  But neither do I want to trivialize Jesus’ “whatevers” to mean a convenient parking space or a pretty dress.  He may give both .  But in this promise Jesus is focused on “whatever” we need to follow and serve him in this anti-Christ world into which the kingdom of God has come near.

Come to think of it, forgive isn’t a command stuck on.  It’s a command that sticks out!

If you read “Word of Faith–the First” (https://theoldpreacher.com/?p=3763&preview=true), you know that now we want to untwist the text.  Here it is as Mark wrote it . . .

In the morning (Tuesday on the same road to Jerusalem as the day before), as they (Jesus and his disciples)  went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”  “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Let’s take Jesus’ words in bite-size pieces to understand the remarkable promise of verse 24.

“Have faith in God.”  Peter marvels at the Jesus-cursed, now withered, fig tree.  Why at that moment does Jesus encourage the disciples to trust God?  Because, as we saw last time, the fig tree-cursing prefigures God’s judgment on Israel.  It marks the leveling of everything these Jewish disciples have believed in.  Also, because in three days Jesus, whom they now follow and believe to be the Messiah,  will be crucified, and the disciples’ dreams will die.  And, because in a few weeks the risen Christ Jesus will send these men to preach the good news of the kingdom  in a violent, hostile world.  Finally, God’s kingdom will come, not in obvious power (as expected), but quietly in meekness.  Virtually everything will be shaken as that fig tree has withered.  With all that in mind, Jesus encourages to have faith in God!

Here Jesus addresses us.  Following Jesus hasn’t brought heaven to earth.  In fact, in some ways following Jesus has added to this fallen world’s harshness.  Fig trees have unexpectedly withered.  Traditional structures have been shaken.  Christian persecution increases.  To us, also, Jesus urges, “Have faith in God.”

“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”  I hear my old college friend winding up a “twist that text” performance.  ” . . . believes that what he says will happen” begs for a “name-it-and-claim-it” routine.  We gotta believe it will happen and please, please, don’t let a negative word of doubt sneak into your heart or escape your lips!

“Mountain”, of course, represents an impossible obstacle, an overwhelming and immovable weight.  But we can tell it to go jump in the lake and if we believe what we say will happen, it will.  I admit Jesus’ words made me think, “Hold positive thoughts!  Envision you have what you asked for!  This is name-it-and-claim-it “theology”!  Now, however, I realize I wasn’t thinking right.  The question isn’t, “Is Jesus teaching name-it-and-claim-it stuff?”  The question is, “How can I have such undoubting faith?”

Before trying to answer, notice the parallelism as Jesus emphasizes the same “pure” faith twice in slightly differently words . . .

“If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea . . . ‘”
” . . . whatever you ask for in prayer . . . “

” . . . and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen . . . ”
” . . . believe that you have received it . . . “

” . . . it will be done for him.”
” . . . it will be yours.”

Jesus isn’t teaching mind-control; he’s calling for undoubting faith!  Nor is Jesus urging, “Believe I can do it!”; he’s insisting, “Believe I will do it!”  Again, then, the question is, “How can I have such undoubting faith?”
I know only two ways.

One, by the Holy Spirit impressing on us that he will do whatever it is we’ve asked.  I think this may have happened to me twice.  “May have” because on both occasions I was so desperate for God to act, my “faith” may have been my subjective desires and not the Holy Spirit’s objective gift of faith.  There is such a gift (1 Corinthians 12:9a).  And I think the Holy Spirit gifted me with that undoubting assurance.  The “jury” is still out, because God hasn’t fully answered either prayer yet.

Two, by God’s promises and will revealed in his Word.  Objection:  But my Bible doesn’t say, “Take this job!” or “Buy this house!”  That’s true.  (I’m pretty convinced that, while God wants us to pray about significant choices, many he leaves to our being-sanctified mind.)  But my Bible does contain many promises from God and many revelations of his will.  They are objective.  They are black-and-white.  I can open my Bible and point to  ” . . . seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33) and “remind” Jesus of his promise.  And by his grace undoubtingly believe he will do the adding.

Out of many, many more, here is one more example.  I hesitate to cite it because, when I’m cynical, I think this is God’s “fine print at the bottom” that covers every unanswered prayer.  (“Well, you didn’t get what you wanted because God knows that wasn’t best for you!”)  But in my better moments, I know this is God’s true and wonderful promise:  “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Of that promise, John Piper says, “This is the greatest and most far-reaching of all the promises in the Bible. The effect it has on prayer is tremendous. It means that when our specific requests are denied, God is preparing something better for us. He never stops working for the best interests of his children. And therefore, in every prayer we pray we can have complete and undoubting confidence in this, ‘God will give me what is best for me in response to my prayer.’  Don’t ever doubt that.”

* * * * *

Text-twisters bend Jesus’ “whatever” into a materialistic promise for more goodies.  The context reveals their ignorance.  It’s a promise for all the “whatevers” we need as we follow Jesus in this anti-Jesus world.

Text-twisters also bend Jesus’ undoubting faith into positive thinking or mind-control.  Only God can give undoubting faith—sometimes by the Holy Spirit’s impression, but always by the promises of his Word.

So:  no back-aching twists, no pretzels, no knots.  Just the straight, stunning word of faith-promise from Jesus who is all we need.

I had a college friend whose cynical humor always made me laugh.  He pretended to host a TV show called “Twist That Text”.   Contestants infamously twisted the biblical text to make it say what they wanted it to say.  We have a text that’s been twisted like that:  “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).

“Whatever” is a key word.  We want it to mean, well, whatever.  We want Jesus to be promising a Mercedes or a better job or a thinner waist.  A look at the context, and the promise itself, will straighten us out.  We have time to look only at the context today.

First, Jesus curses the fig tree (11:12-14). 

The next day (after the triumphal entry) as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry.  Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.  Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Jesus sounds like a spoiled kid who can’t get what he wants.  “No figs for me?  Bang!  You’re dead!”  He also sounds unreasonable.  Why look for figs when it isn’t fig season?  But Jesus is neither petulant or irrational.  Something else must be going on here.

In the Old Testament, a fig tree symbolized  Israel (Jeremiah 8:13; 29:17; Hosea 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7).  If Jesus means this fig tree too,  Israel is fruitless.  According to the prophet Micah (around 700 B.C.) Israel has been for generations.

What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.  The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.  Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire– they all conspire together.  The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion.  Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words.  For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies are the members of his own household (Micah 7:1-6).

This day of Jesus cursing the fig tree signals a time of divine judgment for the nation’s long-lasting fruitlessness.

Second, Jesus cleanses the temple (11:15-19). 

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

Six hundred years earlier, through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord had condemned Israel’s leaders for making his holy temple a thieves’ den.  “Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching!” declares the LORD (Jeremiah 7:11).   The temple was the LORD’s holy house.  But the Jews had made it a “den of robbers”.  They charged Passover visitors from throughout the Empire exorbitant prices for sacrificial animals and for “clean” offering-money in exchange for “unclean” Roman money.  The Lord intended his temple to be a place where his people could meet him in prayer, but to the chief priests and law-teachers it offered big business profits.

Angry, Jesus abruptly shut business down that day.  And  his temporary “mini-judgment” pointed toward maximum judgment.  Forty years later the Roman General Titus would lead his army over city walls and destroy the temple once and for all.

So this day witnessed the Lord’s wrath against the greedy sins of the nation’s leaders.

Jesus teaches the disciples (11:20-25). 

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.  Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”  “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.  “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

We’ll study Jesus’ words here next time.  Until then, it’s important to remember Jesus gave this remarkable prayer-promise on a day of wrath—a day that, in turn,  would fuel great Jewish hostility against him.

And aren’t times like that when we need a remarkable prayer-promise like this?  When we’re comfortable, our greed  for even more rises up.  And we twist the text toward more “stuff.”  But this promise is made for days when the world’s on fire and kingdoms are clashing  and we feel tiny and defenseless.

With that in mind, we’ll turn to Jesus’ gracious promise next time.

Had I been Jesus’ public relations guy, I would have insisted on two changes.  One, can the donkey.  Two, take over the town.

Read how Jesus ran it and see what you think . . .

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples,  saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'”  They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?”  They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.  When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.  Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.  Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”  Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve (Mark 11:1-11).

This starts the climax of Mark’s Gospel.  He’s covered almost three years in 10 chapters.  Now he’ll use 6 chapters to cover one week.  Obviously this week is the core of his report.  It starts with Jesus doing something completely out of character.  Up to now he’s tried to stay “under the radar.”  He’s warned recipients of his miracles to say nothing.  But this Sunday he directs an entrance into Jerusalem sure to make headlines.

At Bethany, about two miles outside Jerusalem, he sends two disciples to get a donkey.  Frankly, the details Mark writes are a bit tedious, especially since he records Jesus instructing the disciples in the donkey-getting details, then records the details of them actually getting the donkey.  Not nail-biting drama.  Mark, why not just write, “Jesus sent two disciples to get a donkey and shortly after they returned with one”?

Of course, if I’d been Jesus’ PR man—no donkey!  I mean, is this animal appropriate for a king?  Jesus sat on this poor little thing and his feet almost dragged on the ground!

Now this, this white stallion, this would have been the way to go!  Impressive.  Stately.  Kingly.  From nose to tail this one says, “Conqueror”!

I wondered why Jesus insisted on a donkey “which no one has ever ridden”.  Later I found out a never-ridden donkey was considered to be “set apart for a special purpose.”  Even obtuse me knew then that Jesus was making a statement using that donkey!  What, I wonder, was it?

Now the parade, that went well.  Of course, it was Passover season.  Jerusalem’s population swelled as faithful Jews from all over the country—all over the Empire—made the pilgrimage.  Gossip about Jesus’ powerful works and words spread.  So when he started the two-mile trip into Jerusalem, he rode a road packed with pilgrims.  The nearer to the city, the bigger the crowds.

And what they shouted was genius—“Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”  Messianic words from Psalm 118:25,26!  They were cheering Jesus as Messiah!  Man, I bet that grabbed the attention of some of the self-centered, stuffy old Jewish priests!  And that must have stirred reporters with dreams of high ratings!  This was BIG NEWS!

But then—I couldn’t believe it—just when he enters the city and the cheering crowds are biggest and loudest and even the priests are chewing fingernails about what he’ll do next, he just goes to the temple, looks around, glances at his watch, sees it’s getting late, and he turns around and leaves town.  Doesn’t confront the priests.  Doesn’t threaten the Romans.  Doesn’t give an “I’m-taking-over” spellbinder of a speech. He lets the critical moment fizzle.  He just walks out of Dodge.  Not even an, “I’ll be back!”  A PR man’s nightmare.  Make’s you doubt he’s Messiah.  All show, no action.

Of course, Jesus directed the whole event.  So why the fizzle-ending when it looked like the whole world had gone after him?

I’m just a PR guy and, like I said, I would have done the entry-thing differently.  Even so, I’ve got two guesses why Jesus did it the way he did.  One, the donkey.  If a white stallion stood for pride and power, that little donkey stood for humility and weakness.  For some reason Jesus, his feet dragging at the side of that little animal, was saying, “I’m humbling myself and coming to Jerusalem in weakness.”

Two, the fizzled-ending.  If Jesus had dragged King Herod by the ears and thrown him into the gutter, his aim to throw out the corrupt politician and take over would have been unmistakable.  But by just sliding off the donkey, dismissing the crowd, looking around and then leaving town, he must have left everybody—friend and foe alike—with a nagging mystery:  What will this Jesus do next?