MARK 11:1-11
ENTERING EXALTED-EXITING ENRAGED
I. THE ENTRANCE: *
A. Extemporaneous.
B. Entitled.
C. Evaluated.
II. THE EXAMINATION: **
A. Encompassing.
B. Eternal.
C. Exacting.
III. THE EXIT: ***
A. Eventide.
B. Exasperated.
C. Extended.
The Triumphal Entry was now over. The crowd had at last recognized Him as the King of all kings as the populous had always seemed to admire Jesus. I do not find where He was shunned by the average person. They seem to flock to Him and to hang onto His every word. However, the same cannot be said about the religious and authoritarian leaders of the old Jewish state. They had taken Him for as long as they could and they were now growing very leery of His growing popularity. They even were voicing their fears, that the whole world was turning towards Him. To stifle this growing shift of the populous towards His favor, meetings were being conducted to have Him silenced one way or the other. Jesus knew this, but He also knew that there was a prophecy which had to be fulfilled before He allowed them to have their way, and that was to ride into the Holy City on a lowly donkey. This is exactly what He did and the people of Jerusalem exploded in their honor of Him. What a parade that city had that day.
From across the breath and width of the city, people came out in droves to hail Him as the Anointed One-the Messiah! How disturbing this event was to the powers-that-be as they stood helplessly by, watching the people adore and honor Jesus. As was the custom of that day, the people cut down palms and along with these they began to lay their clothes, their outer robes, at the feet of the donkey and its Rider, so neither one of them would get their feet dirty. If animals can think and reason, I wonder what this lowly beast of burden must have thought that day. And if it could have had a thought process, I wonder if it thought it was honored to be carrying Someone so important on its back.
As the parade of the Master drew to a close, with the ringing of adulation still in His ears, with the certainty that He had just fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, Jesus entered His house, the Temple, and He entered into another world. On the outside were shouts of “Hosannas;” on the inside were shouts of “Buy here-we have the cheapest exchange for your money.” On the outside He was proclaimed, “Blessed is the Lamb of God.” On the inside He was badgered with, “Come buy your lamb to sacrifice to God?” On the outside He was cheered with, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the lord.” On the inside He was scorned as coming from the devil. Yet, He stood; He watched; He exited.
By the time He left the Temple, the crowds had dispersed, the robes that were laid at His feet, were taken back by their owners. The streets were almost free of all the palm fronds as they were being blown this way and that way by the wind. The lowly donkey was returned to its owner, tired and bewildered. The crowd had dispersed to its homes, hovels, shanties, for the evening meal. The sun was setting, it was growing dark and the city was getting ready to retire for one more night.
On the inside, the candles were being lit to ward off the lengthening shades of night. The money changers were counting their profits. The animals and birds were being securely bedded down in their pens and cages. The priests were cleaning up the daily sacrifices and themselves. The coolness of the eventide was felt by all and most importantly it was felt by God, whose Spirit was being pushed aside. If there were any people praying still in the Temple area, they were quickly getting up off of their knees and wrapping themselves in their shawls, and making their way to the exits.
The High Priest, if he was there at all, was locking the cabinet that contained the scrolls. The Holy of Holies was being carefully adjusted on its outside, making sure the curtain was hanging just right. People were saying their good-bys and the entire religious system was pleased with itself-it had been a good day-many worshipers, much money changed hands, many animals and birds sold, many sacrifices made and God had to be pleased with their system which ran like an efficient, well oiled machine. This was, after all, the Temple, the home of God on this earth, the place to come to be purified, to have your sins expiated, to have a fresh start, to worship the Most High God who cannot be seen.
This was Judaism. Everything was pleasing to God-the religious leaders thought. They might have heard wafts of rumors about the parade that was held that day in the city, about the people proclaiming this Jesus as being the Messiah, but this place-the Temple-this was where the religious action was taking place; this was the place to worship God as they desired. This way of conducting their worship had to be approved by God, they had been doing this way for so long that surely, they thought, God was pleased with them. After all, God was in Heaven and He would be pleased if He ever came to see what went on in His Temple-so they thought. Little did they realize, that God had been in their Temple that day and they did not know it: how sad! It was night, it was time to rest for the tomorrow for more of the same; yet, their day of visitation had come and they knew it not.
I see three things in this one verse which gives me encouragement and yet serves as a warning to me: let me share them with you. The first thing I notice is THE ENTRANCE of Jesus into His Temple that day so long ago. The next thing I see is THE EXAMINATION He did once He was inside of the Temple. Then, I see THE EXIT as He left that night. These three things encourage me and yet they haunt me. I want to be ready when He comes to my personal temple and the temple where I worship Him on Sundays-what about you?
* THE ENTRANCE: The Bible says, “Jesus entered into the Temple.” These words of Mark are simply offered to the reader as an explanation of what Jesus did as He concluded His Triumphal Entry. Yet, upon studying these words and what lies with this action are fascinating to grasp-Jesus entered into the Temple. He was not cordially invited nor overtly welcomed, He simply descended from the donkey, bid His adieu to the crowd, thanking them and walked into the Temple. Nothing too outstanding here-or was it?
The first thing I note about THE ENTRANCE into the Temple, was that it was done Extemporaneously. No one thought about Him doing this. He never told anyone that He was going to do this, and probably no one expected Him to do this. Why should He go to the Temple after such a welcomed ride into the City? Why not go someplace where He could address the crowd? Why not stand and defy Rome? After all, He had the city with Him. These people were now His people and all He had to do was give the command and viola! He would be ready to challenge Rome. But no, He went into the Temple at the end of the ride, He went in all of a sudden, He did not dally nor waste time-He went in quickly. He went in where He was not noticed. He was noticed on the outside, but in the Temple, He was not recognized. He strolled into the Temple as any other worshipper and He stood and watched. What a change of action for Him. From riding at the head of His disciples and being exalted by a popular parade, He entered Extemporaneously into the Temple, and what He saw, hurt Him greatly.
Besides doing something like this on the spur of the moment, He entered His house because He was the owner of it. He was Entitled to it, it was His House, and He entered to see what was going on in His house.
He needed no invitation to come into that which He could rightfully claim as His own. He was the Lord on this earth and God in the Flesh. The Jews worshiped the God they could not see, they thought, and had the Temple built in His honor. Yet, here was the Master walking into that which by all rights He was Entitled to claim as rightfully His.
Once inside, He saw what was going on. He had cleansed the Temple before, but His cleansing did not last very long, because it had quickly became polluted once again. Mark says that, “He looked around upon all things.” He Evaluated the situation. He stood and observed and if you were standing close by Him that day, you no doubt would have heard a moan escape His lips and you might have heard His heart break over what He witnessed that day.
He just came from the Parade held in His honor given by the poor, the oppressed, the lost people of the City, and now He stood watching the rich getting richer, and the poor growing poorer. The sights He witnessed that day were sights that made Him sad as He knew that the worship of Him and His Father had degenerated into this where the needy were being neglected at the expense of a religious system catering to the powerful and the well off. His Evaluation of what He witnessed that day told Him that something had to be done and He was going to do it. He watched and He was sad. He watched in silence as His anger boiled inside of Him. Where could the sinner come to find peace with the unseen God of whom the religious leaders honored? How could the burdened, the oppressed people come seeking refuge in a system obsessed with money, buying and selling and no space allowed for those who needed God’s help? He stood and watched
I think about this, about His ENTRANCE into His Temple and I think about my heart and my church. He comes when I ask Him, but He also comes of a sudden like he did to the Temple that day long ago-He comes unexpectedly and with out warning and what does He see? He comes to my heart because my heart has been given to Him and He rightfully is Entitled to it and to the church where I worship, but what is His Evaluation of me, of my church? These questions humble and haunt me. What does He see in my heart, my church that is out of place with His will and worship? I want to live my life and have my church live its life so that when He comes unannounced, He will find it conducive to His presence.
**THE EXAMINATION: Once inside the Temple area and the Temple itself, Mark simple relates that Jesus looked around at and on all things. Nothing escaped the piercing gaze of Jesus that day. Like a recorder catching all sounds within its range, He took it all in for a future reference.
I notice something about His EXAMINATION as He stood observing. The first thing I note is that His gaze was all Encompassing. He saw not only the visible things which others saw, but He saw deep into the hearts of the people in the Temple. His gaze was the first X-ray device ever recorded. He looked beyond the outside of what was happening, He looked at the hearts, the intents, the desires, the wishes of the penitents, the priests and the profiteers. I wonder what He sees when He looks at my heart? Oh, I try to put on the best airs in public, but what does He see when I am alone? What does His Encompassing gaze reveal about me, my life and my church? Does what He see bother Him?
Just as He stood and surveyed the scene set before Him that day, His all searching vigil is Eternal on-going. His piercing gaze never stops as He surveys not only my heart and my church, but His gaze is for ever and ever. No wonder the Psalmist called out and said, “Search me, oh Lord, and see if there be any wicked way in me.” The song writer picked up that thought and set it to music and the cry still goes out from His children, “Search me oh Lord.” This piercing gaze of the Master took it all in that day, and His eyes never close in slumber and are always awake, as He is on an Eternal vigil watching all of us.
One more thing about that gaze of the Master that day and that is it was/is Exacting. No one can hide from His gaze. No one can make Him turn and look the other way, just ask Peter. When the cock crowed the third time and Peter had just given his triune lies, the Bible says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter, and the stricken disciple ran and wept bitterly. The Exacting, demanding gaze of Jesus reveals His wishes and His will. As he stood silently observing, He gazed at all and gave it an in-depth EXAMINATION that was sure to have sever retributions later.
The eyes of one convey so many lessons; they teach in such a powerful, silent manner; they convey the intent of the mind and the heart in their gaze; and, they reveal what is going on within the beholder’s heart. If we could have looked deep into the eyes of the Master that day, we would have seen anger, disgust and yet love. We would have seen mercy mixed with retribution as He silently did what was unexpected again, He simply left.
***THE EXIT: Earlier, I noted His entrance into the Temple-I now note His exodus. His Entering was on the heels of His Exaltation, now His exiting was with rage. He did what was the best thing, He left to get a better hold on His emotions. He left this time, but He would return, When he did return, He would be in complete control of all of His faculties and He would return when there would be more people there and the lesson He would teach would have its maximum effect.
I note the time of day when He Exited the Temple-it was Eventide. Darkness had begun to wrap its tentacles around the Holy City like the darkness that had invaded hearts of the miscreants in the Temple environs. Eventide, the sun was setting and the Son was leaving His Home. Eventide was here, the day was gone, the work was done, the insult to the Most High was carried out one more day, and Jesus left the temple.
This is a very sad picture indeed. Oh, the prayer of my heart is that as I approach the Eventide of my life, may He not leave my temple. When the sun sets in my life, may the Son of God not exit Himself from my heart. When the day draws to an end, and I feel the cold fingers of death beginning to grip my mortal body at my Eventide of life, may I still feel Him deep within the recesses of my being and may the sights He sees in my heart at that time be those things that please Him.
Eventide, the day was far spent and could not be relived. At my Eventide of my life, when I cannot re-live it again, may it be honored with His presence. The Son had set on the Temple and He left-how sad.
Not only did He leave at the Eventide of the day, but He left Exasperated, and hurt. How could His people, this way of worshipping Him, become so adulterated? How could the priests, the people, the religious leaders sink so far and still think they were doing something religious and honorable? His way was easy and His burden light, but what He saw convinced Him that the people were being burdened with rules, rituals and regulations which stifled the heart and left no room for God. It was rote and routine. No wonder He left with angry emotions boiling in His breast. In His heart, He knew that things had to change and He would be that Instrument of change when He would take up the whip and then when He would lay down His life. This old way of worshipping the Father was full of pride, profits and power. The new way of worshipping the Father would be of purity, plainness and personal.
As I think about His Exasperated state of mind and being that day, I wonder what are His thoughts about me, my worship, and the church wherein I worship? Am I worshiping Him as I should? Have I substituted position in the place of piety? Have I substituted profit in the place of penitence? Have I substituted popularity in the place of purity? Is He Exasperated with me now? Will He be at the Eventide of my life? I must be sure now that He is pleased with my worship.
What about the church where I worship? Is He Exasperated with it? Have we shut Him out to the point where He feels like He is not welcomed? When He comes so suddenly, does He feel like He is welcomed? Does he stand and observe and then leave, shaking His head at my place of worship? I hope He feels at home where I worship Him.
Finally, I see His EXIT as being full of grace, as He Extended to the Temple and the people one more day of grace. He could have destroyed it all there, but He left. In His leaving, He granted more grace to all concerned.
Oh, the grace that He Extends to we who are so frail. Oh the grace He grants unconditionally to all of us, to our churches, to our nation, in the hope that we will turn back to Him and worship him as we should. Yet, that grace that He Extended that day had its limits and the next day He brought wrath and punishment.
America is in its Eventide; the Son is setting; the chill of retribution hangs like a pall over the land, its Christians and its Churches. Yet, He waits and waits, granting one more day of mercy to all of us. Someday that free gift of His kindness will be no more and he will come because He has seen it all in His EXAMINATION of our land and He will cleanse His Temple-His Entitled possession, because He wants a pure bride. Will you, will myself, will my church be acceptable at that time? If there are any doubts, now is the time to clean our dwelling, to purge out all dross, to embrace Him when ever He comes and to claim Him as our Lord and shout “Hosannas” to Him, because He is worthy to be praised.
Some day, there will be another Triumphal Entry into the New Jerusalem, and we will take off our crowns and cast them at his feet, and He will enter into His Eternal Temple from where He will never depart. Oh, my brother, oh my sister, join with me now and vow a vow of eternal import, that we will join the celestial crowd in the New Jerusalem and there with our wedding garments on, we will sing His praises through out eternity, in His new Temple in the sky.
