Mark's Gospel

Mark 11:1-25 - Jesus the King – But what sort of King?

Introduction

Prince Charles – legitimate political comment or not? UK – King is a non-political figure.
Jordan/King Abdullah – appoints all members of Upper House; appoints judges; can declare war.

ie concept of Kingship differs. Different types of King.
Key question from our passage today: what sort of King is Jesus?
Crucial question, for it determines how we should respond to him.

A King who comes (v1-11)

Mark’s Gospel is now reaching its climax.

Geographical progression to Jerusalem (Bartimaeus, Jericho)
plus increasingly explicit focus on why it was that Jesus had come (10:32f)

So – Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, along with thousands of other pilgrims, preparing to celebrate the Passover feast. Colt emphasising humility? Hardly. Humble option = walk! So why the colt?

The Messiah-King (v1-7)

Other gospels state explicitly: fulfilment of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

A prophecy understood to be about the long-awaited Messiah King, who would come to save God’s people.
People looking forward to the end times; God to wrap up his dealings with his people and fulfil his promises by sending his appointed Messiah to inaugurate an everlasting reign of peace. The Messiah would be King.

Also:

colt was one which no-one had ever ridden – OT: animals used for sacred or royal occasions they had to be unused.
Some commentators: remarkable way in which the colt was obtained reflects kingly privilege of commandeering any available form of transport!

ie – Jesus asserting Kingship. Clear sign that he is the Messiah-King

People recognised this – cloaks on the road (OT: for king).

But… their reaction showed they understood this Messiah chiefly as…

A political liberator (v8-11)

“Hosanna!” = save now! Common cry expressing hope that God would intervene.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” customary greeting for Passover pilgrims,
but – acknowledging the coming kingdom of David, had a very specific implication.

David = Israel’s great political and military hero
Expectation = political liberator (from Roman occupation)
Nb similar to Maccabees (great hero nearly 200 years earlier; defeated Greeks, restored Temple).

BUT – v11: massive ANTI-CLIMAX? – simply wanders round temple and then retires for the night…

So - what kind of a King IS he? Next episodes in Mark’s narrative help us to understand.

A King who judges (v12-21)

a King who expects (v12-14)

‘The curious incident of the fig tree in the morning’

Extraordinary. Not the season for figs. What’s going on?
Was Jesus genuinely expecting there to be fruit, and did he curse the tree in a fit of pique?
Not plausible!
If not literal ill-temper against unfortunate tree, must be symbolic.

Key to understanding the symbolism is narrative sandwich – fig tree and temple must be understood together.

National emblems: England = rose, Scotland = thistle, Wales = daffodil/leak, Ireland = shamrock.

Israel: symbolic plants = vine and fig.

Therefore condemning Israel and her leaders?

Remember – the previous evening he had had a good wander around the temple.
As God’s people, Israel should have been under God’s kingship, and that should have been evident, especially in a visit to the temple.
What fruit had Jesus expected to find. What was the missing fruit in the life of Israel?

Now he proceeds to temple again: actions confirm attitude of judgment.

Wreaks havoc (nb animals for prescribed sacrifices; must be purchased in the local currency).

WHY Jesus dramatic action?

Objecting to system of sacrifices?

Unlikely – ch1: sent cleansed leper to Temple to make sacrifices.

Objecting to money-making scams? “Den of Robbers”

But “Den” isn’t where robbers commit their crimes, but where they seek refuge.
Key is to consider Jeremiah 7 which Jesus quotes. More than just money-making scams:

a nominal King? (v17b)

God spoke through Jeremiah, accusing his people of making the Temple a “Den of Robbers”

They had made the temple a place of false security
Their society characterised by gross injustice/flouting of God’s requirements, BUT acted as if all would be well simply because they continued the temple ceremonies.

God was a nominal King – they did what they liked outside the Temple and found a false sense of security within the Temple.

Such nominalism is incompatible with Kingdom Jesus is establishing.

But that’s not all – Jesus also quotes from Isaiah 56 – accusation is that they had wrongfully made God their exclusive King

an exclusive King? (v17a)

God intended the Temple to be for all people – and had established that outer courts were specifically for Gentile worshippers.

Commercial activity in these courts – impossible for Gentile worshippers to pray.
The worship of God as king had by default become restricted to the Jewish people.
This exclusivity is incompatible with the Kingdom that Jesus is establishing.

We are familiar with Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders.

On Jesus’ side; difficult to identify with the baddies.

But – we must beware of becoming complacent.

Is Jesus a NOMINAL king for us?

Do we honour God with only part of our lives?
Do we derive a false sense of security from comfortable tradition? “I’m alright because I go to church.”
If Jesus is our King, lip service not enough.
In our work and business life – we must apply his standards of honesty and justice.
In our relationships – we must apply his radical love.
What is it about your life, away from Church meetings, that demonstrates that Jesus is your King?
It’s a challenge that you’ll have heard before, but one which we constantly need to take seriously.

He needs to be King over every part of our life.

And do we make Jesus an EXCLUSIVE King?

How do we restrict access to the Kingdom of Jesus, a kingdom intended for all people? Maybe inadvertently (temple obstruction inadvertent? But effect was to restrict access)
What clutter to we put in the way of outsiders coming to God?
Church life – language/jargon, worship styles, confusing/intimidating rituals?
Would an outsider be welcomed and be comfortable in a place like this?
But also in our evangelism – need to understand where people are at. Understand their preconceptions. Applies to all – not just missionary students!
Must work hard at understanding youth culture / post-modernism / Islamic mindset etc if we are to present our King in relevant ways that are not cluttered unnecessarily. How much do you think about the major barriers preventing your colleagues or neighbours or family members from coming to the King?

So – the temple authorities were condemned by Jesus for not bearing the fruit that was expected of them.

v20: judgment confirmed as we find that the fig tree (symbol of Israel) has withered.

(Vivid symbolism also prophetic – ad70 Romans destroyed the temple.)

Last section: more positive
How are we supposed to understand and respond to this King?

A King who loves (v22-25)

v22-25 He is a King of love and our response to this King should be one of faith.

Again some confusing teaching!

‘This Mountain’ = Temple mount in Jerusalem, so continuation of judgment?
Or a typical overstatement in a lesson about faith?

But – Jesus not teaching the power of positive thinking – rather, he teaches that we must TRUST IN GOD, making clear that the proper focus for the expression of our faith is PRAYER.

Lack of prayer, to a loving God, was central to why Jesus condemned the temple – what should have been a House of Prayer was not.
The King longs for a relationship with is – characterised by prayerful communication, for he is a God of love.

Two features of his love:

a giving King (v22-24)

This promise is one that is given in several other places. If we come before our loving King in prayer, we will receive.

James 4 reminds us that often we don’t receive simply because we do not ask, or if we do ask because our motives are selfish.
But God longs to give good things to those who seek his will, or, as Jesus puts it in the Sermon on the Mount – who seek first his Kingdom.

a forgiving King (v25)

And the last verse also echoes Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: “Your kingdom come”, then, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

To acknowledge him as King is to be forgiving of others, recognising that he is the King who forgives us our sins; how can we receive his forgiveness if we’re not prepared to forgive others.

Are our relationships characterised by loving forgiveness, or by grudges, resentment, hostility etc?

The crowds expected a political liberator. But Jesus is a King of love.

And the way he would prove that is, of course, is hinted at back in v18 – Jewish leaders looked for a way to kill him. That is ultimately why he had come to Jerusalem.
For in his love Jesus is also a priestly King – able to represent us before God and willing to make a sacrifice of himself to God on our behalf, for our forgiveness. Not overturning the traditions of the temple but rather being the ultimate fulfilment of it!

Hebrews 4:16: ‘let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.’ Because of his sacrificial death, we can enter the Kingdom, approaching the throne of grace with confidence.

SO – we need to understand what sort of King Jesus was.

He was NOT about achieving a short-term 1st Century political goal.
He is NOT a nominal King to whom we can pay lip-service to.
He is NOT an exclusive King, restricted to us and those like us, but whose kingdom is open to all.
He is the King who judges and we must take that judgment seriously.

But he is also the King of love
Powerful to give and to forgive
He demands our faithful allegiance, characterised by trusting prayer
and prayer is possible because he is a Priestly King who entered Jerusalem to die for us, opening up a way into the Kingdom of God.

Stephen Judson

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