Corporate Session #3
John Macarthur
Mark 11:12-18
The false coronation of the true King in Mark 11:1-11
Mark 11:11 An odd ending to a coronation – Jesus checks out everything, and slips out of town
2 events a) the destroying of the fig tree b) the destruction of the Temple – these events are linked:
This is a judgment passage and a judgment prophecy – the curing of the fig tree is an analogy of the judgment He was to pass on the Temple, the destruction of the Temple was prophecy of what was to come.
We have several Temples in the OT: Solomon’s Temple; Zerubbabel’s Temple; Herod’s Temple (renovation of the second Temple)
The story of the Temple is the story of repeated tragedy. It is remarkable how patient God is before bringing repeated destruction to the Temple. Jesus is predicting a destruction that will be beyond any of the previous destructions.
The curse previewed and portrayed in the analogy
This analogy demonstrates the Divine curse on the religious leadership and their followers (Mark 11:12-14).
He is coming back into the city with focused passion and righteous anger. He has a plan that He set up in His mind in Mark 11:11. In Jesus’ humanity He is hungry and in His deity He is coming to judge. He sees the fig tree. Fig trees are used throughout the Old Testament as pictures of judgment. Fig trees grow fruit before leaves. The fruit on fig trees is immature before leaves, but is edible. The text says that there are leaves on the tree, which must have given hope that there was fruit. After not finding fruit, Jesus performed the only destructive miracle in His entire ministry. The tree had a false profession: the appearance of fruit but the absence of the reality. The Temple: had hypocrisy to the maximum with the pretense of worship but no fruit. Jesus cursed the fig tree (Mark 11:21). The whole Temple operation was nothing but leaves, therefore Jesus cursed it.
In Luke 13:6-9 there is another story of a fig tree. The story says, “I am going to cut down the fig tree, but I will give you a little time. In Mark 11, Jesus comes to say, “time is up.” Mark 11 is a severe warning for religious hypocrites and for those who follow them.
The curse is previewed and portrayed in action
What did the Jews expect Jesus to do when He arrived? Attack Rome and perhaps throw out the idol worshippers. The Messiah was expected to be David-like, a man of blood, a warrior. However, the Messiah was attacking them. He came to assault them at their heart – the Temple. This was His first act (John 2) and one of His last. His whole ministry focused on how God is worshipped. Jesus was never concerned with political and social action – with the elements of this passing world. Jesus was concerned with how men worshipped.
Everything Jesus did was driven by how people worshipped. This must be our motive behind every ministry – that God be worshipped above all. This is why we help people financially, counseling, etc.
Jesus never attacked any place but the Temple because His primary concern was man’s relationship to God. When the worship of God is fowl in the Temple, everything else was guaranteed to be bad. The measure of any society is its worship. The Lord’s primary concern is what happens with the Temple. In spite of His ministry over the three years, nothing had changed. There was no change in the cultures view of God and His Kingdom. Jesus did a quite astounding thing. This should not be called the “cleansing” of the Temple. This was an attack on the Temple. The Temple was not any “cleaner” than when He started. Remember, there are Temple police and priests. For one man to go in and do such a thing was no small thing. Jewish records indicate that there were a quarter of a million animal sacrifices made each week. The priests had to accept or approve the animal. The priests would reject the sacrifices brought and then sell an approved animal at ten times the cost. If a dove were a nickel, they would sell them for $5. Jesus goes in and clears it all out, stopping it dead with no push-back. This is a divine work. Jesus was saying, “I am the real High Priest” by exerting His authority over that place. Jesus quoted Scripture to give His reason (v. 17) – Jesus was giving the very essence of worship (prayer or communing of God). What a change from Psalm 27 and 65 and Mark 11 – this was no longer a refuge and place of prayer, meditation, worship, and communion. Jesus was furious. Jesus quotes Jeremiah and Isaiah in Mark 11:17. Jesus quotes the two prophets who tell of the first destruction of the Temple. Read Isaiah 56.
Mark 11:18 – His wisdom, authority, power, and popularity was greater than theirs. This is the same reason people hate Jesus today. Jesus is predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The fig tree was rotten from the roots up (Mark 11:20) and that was Jewish religion – rotten from the root up.
Application:
When Jesus died, true worship shifted from the Temple to Calvary and that is where all true worship has been conducted ever since. Jesus was showing that He was the true Temple. Jesus destroyed the Temple with His curse in Mark 11 and shifted the focus of worship. Where must the world go to worship? The Cross. Where should they find it? The Church.
The Church is now the house of prayer, the place of worship – this is where our High Priest establishes His work of intercession. If you say “this is the house of God” it better be. Because if you have corrupted it, if you have deviated from the prescriptions God has made for true worship, take it from Peter, you will experience judgment. A vision of that judgment is found in Revelation 1. Corruption began with the ones who were to be governing the worship at the Temple. The Men who are placed in the position of authority of Christ’s Church must be men of purity and integrity who follow God’s Word to lead people into the worship of God. Revelation 1 tells of Jesus coming in a fierce form. Jesus loves His Church fiercely. Jesus is coming with a sharp two-edged sword to defend His Church of those who propagate error.
Jesus is coming in judgment on behalf of His Church. What is Jesus looking for? Revelation 2 and 3 – He is looking for Churches who have left their first love; He is looking for Churches who compromise with their culture; He is looking for Churches who tolerate sin (female leadership and immorality); He is looking for Churches who have nothing but programs for dead people; He is looking for Churches who are luke-warm.
We should look at the Church like the Lord of the Church looks at the Church. This is nothing to trifle with. If you want to fool around with your creativity and innovation, go into business. If we trifle with God’s Church, He will fight against you. Let us take God’s Church as seriously as He does.
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