Post on 21-May-2015
The Essential Jesus as
Revealed in the Gospel of Mark
WHAT we believe will shape HOW we live!
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell.
The Apostles’ Creed
The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the one holy church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
The Essential Jesus as
Revealed in the Gospel of Mark
Mark 1:15-10:52
Mark 11:1-15:47
Mark 16:1-20
Mark 1:1-14
An informative PROLOGUE
The Servant’s
revelation to the world
ACT 1 “Even the
Son of Man did not
come to be served, but
to serve. . .
ACT 2
and to give His life
ransom for many.” (10:45)
The Servant’s serving
The Servant’s sacrifice
An incredible
FINISH
The Servant’s
resurrection from the tomb
His final eight days!
Sunday – Triumphal Entry
Monday – Cursing and Cleansing
Tuesday – Conversations, Confrontations, Predictions and Conspiracies
Wednesday – no events reported (Judas agreement with chief priests?)
His final eight days!
Thursday – Last Supper, Prayer, Betrayal, Trial, Denial
Friday – Trial, Sentencing, Scourging and Mocking, Crucifixion, Burial
Saturday – No events
Sunday – Resurrection!
Cursing and Cleansing (vv. 12-25)
Monday through early Tuesday morning
The Cursing of the fig tree (vv. 12-14)
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
The Cursing of the fig tree – the day after (vv. 20-25)
A Brief Postscript/Preface . . .
Mark 11:11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Cursing and Cleansing (vv. 12-25)
MONDAY
The Cursing of the fig tree (vv. 12-14)
Bertrand Russell
“Why I am not a Christian”
“This incident displays Jesus as a man who expressed
vindictive fury to an innocent plant, manifesting behavior that was not of a righteous man, let alone the Son of
God.”
The Cursing of the Fig Tree (vv. 12-14)
Mark 11:12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree (vv. 12-14)
Mark 11:13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree (vv. 12-14)
Mark 11:14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:15-16 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
The Temple of Jesus’ Day
Women’s Court
The Court of the Gentiles
The Court of the Gentiles
Holy Place Altar The Court of Israel
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:15-16 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
The Temple of Jesus’ Day
Women’s Court
The Court of the Gentiles
The Court of the Gentiles
Holy Place Altar The Court of Israel
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:15-16 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall
be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den
of robbers.”
In their actions they demonstrated it was not God they were pursuing but rather
money and whatever money could buy.
A hunger for money, not a hunger for God was fueling their actions!
Stealing, not praying was the main
activity in the Temple!
Because the fig tree was fully ‘leafed out,’ it should have had fruit that was ready to be picked, but it bore no fruit at all! From a distance it promised much, but upon closer inspection it delivered nothing!
And so with the people of Israel!
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.
The Cleansing of the Temple (vv. 15-19)
Mark 11:19 And when evening came they went out of the city.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Mark 11:20-21 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Mark 11:22-23 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Mark 11:24-25 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Mark 14:36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Matthew 6:9-10 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The Cursing of the Fig Tree Part 2 (vv. 20-25)
Mark 11:22-23 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
Today’s Takeaway
What does your faith look like “from
a distance?” And when God takes a look “up close and
personal” what does He see?
Today’s Takeaway
Does your walk match your talk? - You say, “I believe the Bible is the Word of God” yet you rarely read it.
Today’s Takeaway
Does your walk match your talk?
- You say, “I believe that I must be truthful and honest in all of life” yet you often “fudge” the truth when it benefits you.
Today’s Takeaway
Does your walk match your talk?
- You say, “I believe God wants us to help the poor” yet the last time you gave time or money to do so ... well, you can’t remember when that was!”
Today’s Takeaway
What does your faith look like “from
a distance?” And when God takes a look “up close and
personal” what does He see?
Today’s Takeaway
What are you pursuing in life?
- When you daydream, what is it you daydream about?
Today’s Takeaway
What are you pursuing in life?
- What do your datebook and checkbook show as to how you spend your time and money?
Today’s Takeaway
What does your faith look like “from
a distance?” And when God takes a look “up close and
personal” what does He see?
Today’s Takeaway
Are you trusting God ... even in the midst of difficulty?
- It’s easy to “trust” God when the sun is shining, but when the storm hits do you fall apart? Or do you cling to God as your rock and refuge, trusting him to bring you through?
Today’s Takeaway
What does your faith look like “from
a distance?” And when God takes a look “up close and
personal” what does He see?