Series: Biblical Cities- Jerusalem [#33]
JERUSALEM- FRUIT BEARING
Matthew 23:37
Introduction:
We are continuing in our Series about the most mentioned City in the Bible- Jerusalem.
Matthew 23:37
I was driving to Lubbock when I saw a Church sign that caught my attention- “God is looking for spiritual fruit not religious nuts”. Religious nuts are everywhere, both in and out of the Church; but spiritual fruit is hard to find. When I was in High School, I was told that there were 3 “F’s” in the Christian life- Facts, faith, and feelings. Our Christian experience begins with facts- The fact of sin and the fact of God’s grace. We respond to those facts in faith, trusting Jesus as Savior. After trusting Jesus, then the feelings of joy and peace come into our lives. I’d been a Christian for years before I learned that there is a 4th “F” in a Christian life- Fruit. The fruit has to do with conduct and character.
Mark 11:12-14
This incident occurred during last week Jesus’ earthly life. The week began with His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. This was a bold and deliberate announcement that He was the Messiah, it was fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. Once in the city, Jesus went immediately to the Temple. What He saw distressed Him. He saw stately buildings, elaborate rituals, dignified leaders, but an absence of real devotion to God. Israel’s religion had become mere form and ceremony. The house of God had become the house of merchandise, a den of thieves, characterized by exploitation, graft, and abuse. Money changers took advantage of 1,000’s pilgrims who had flooded Jerusalem for the Passover by charging outlandish prices to exchange foreign currency into Temple coinage and those who sold sacrificial animals charged inflated prices for animals that would meet priestly specifications. The priests were in on the exploitation and received a sizeable kick-back from profits. Innocent worshipers were being gouged in the name of God and under the guise of religion. There was so much bickering over prices in the courtyard of the Gentiles that worshipers could scarcely think, much less pray. God’s house had been perverted from its intended purpose.
That evening Jesus and His disciples went to the little city of Bethany, 1 ½ miles away, where they would spend the night. Early the next morning, as they headed back to Jerusalem, as they walked, Jesus grew hungry. Seeing a fig tree in the distance, He walked over and picked up some of the fruit for His breakfast. The tree had all the outward signs of vitality. It was covered with leaves; but when He pushed back the leaves, there was no fruit. He found “nothing but leaves”. When Jesus saw this He pronounced a curse upon the tree saying that never again would men eat fruit from it. That evening as they returned to Bethany, they found the tree withered, dried up from the roots.
Mark 11:20-21
The Bible is clear that we should be producing fruit in our lives; but we need to be careful that it is the right kind of fruit. Concerning fruit, I want to use our passage to illustrate the 3 possible scenarios concerning fruit bearing.
Are you bearing…
1. No fruit?
This passage of Scripture has always been a bit confusing. We find Jesus cursing a plant. Why would He do that when it wasn’t time for figs to be picked? As I studied the fig tree, I learned something- The main sign of the fig being ready for harvest is that the plant has leaves. The leaves are an indicator that the fruit is ready.
As Jesus was going to Jerusalem He was hungry and He saw a fig tree that showed the signs of having fruit. What angered Him was simply that the tree looked useful, but wasn’t. Jesus needs us producing fruit. He doesn’t care if we look good or look like we are religious; He wants godly fruit produced so that people’s hunger will be satisfied. In Revelation Jesus tells the Church of Laodicea that they are lukewarm and He would rather them be cold or hot than lukewarm.
Jesus’ curse was upon that which was not producing any fruit. The next day, when they passed by that fig tree it was withered up. No one would be fooled by that tree again. No fruit would ever come off of that tree again. It was useless and dead.
Mark 11:15-19
Are you bearing…
2. Bad fruit?
Mark 11:11 shows us that Jesus had went to the Temple and had observed all that had happened the day before. Jesus was ending His ministry in the Temple- His Father’s house of prayer, the place where God’s presence dwelt. He was about to complete His life upon earth. The night before, as He had stood off by Himself in the Temple observing all that was taking place, His thoughts must have been upon His Father, His life now about completed, the great sacrifice He was to pay for man’s sins, the corruption of the Temple taking place all around Him, the worshipping that should be taking place, and so much more. I’m sure his heart was broken. Right before Him was a picture of the terrible sin for which He was to die. The Temple itself, the place where men should be able to draw close to God, was corrupted by men. It had become anything but a house of prayer. There was fruit being displayed, but it wasn’t godly.
Galatians 5:16-21
When Jesus entered the temple, it was the Court of the Gentiles that He entered. It is this court, the outer court, that is the center of Jesus’ anger. Great barriers were built between people in their worship. Imagine the huge walls (barriers) separating people from God, and the various courtyards favoring Jewish men before women and all Jews before any Gentile. Imagine the self-righteousness, pride, self-centeredness, prejudice, envy, and jealousy. Where is love, care, ministry, evangelism, social consciousness, and a sense of human need in such a scheme of religion? Every generation of believers must search their hearts for any sign of prejudice and division, and cleanse their hearts of such sins.
Jesus cast some out of the Temple. This whole scene took place in the court of the Gentiles. There were 5 offenses or corruptions that caused Jesus to cast men out of the Temple. As we look at these 5, would Jesus cast you out of Church for one of these corruptions?
Jesus cast out those who…
* Changed His plan of worship.
The outer court of the Temple, the court of the Gentiles, was the place where Gentiles worshipped; but it was tragically abused. It had become nothing more than a commercial marketplace owned, and in many cases operated, by the priests. It was used for the selling and buying of sacrificial animals which included oxen and sheep as well as smaller doves and pigeons. It was used for the inspection of the animals’ purity, and it was also used for the exchanging of foreign currencies. Every Passover season found thousands of pilgrims from all nations traveling great distances to come to the Temple. It was usually impossible for a person to bring his own animal for sacrifice; but if he did, he had to get it by the inspector, which often cost a fee. The bickering back and forth created an atmosphere of utter chaos that apparently gave off the sound of a large shopping mall.
Jesus cast out those who…
* Changed His desire for the Temple.
Notice in verse 16 that people were using the Temple grounds as a thoroughfare. The Temple and its grounds were so large that the entrances had become a short-cut from one section of town to another, especially if one was carrying a heavy load. The Temple wasn’t to be used as an avenue for “the easy road”. It wasn’t supposed to be like everywhere else. Jesus desired that the Temple be a place of prayer and worship.
Jesus cast out those who…
* Changed His desired atmosphere.
Jesus cast out those who affected the atmosphere of prayer within the Temple. The Temple was more than just a building and grounds. It was a “house of prayer.” In fact, note Jesus’ exact words.
He said three things about the Temple:
* The Temple is “My house.”
“My” is possessive. Christ possesses the Temple. He is the Lord, the Owner of it. Any who are within its walls are either His guests or His servants. No one has the right to mistreat someone else’s house. The guest and servant are to respect the property of the Owner.
* “My house shall be called...the house of prayer.”
The purpose of the Lord’s house is prayer. It is to be used for prayer so much that it becomes known and called “the house of prayer.”
* “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer.”
The Temple is to be the same in all nations: a house of prayer. No nation, no people is to use it for any other purpose.
Jesus cast out those who…
* Changed His target group.
The Temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations. Neither the Gentiles nor anyone else were to be excluded. The women and Gentiles were to have as much access to the inner court of worship as the Jewish men. The Court of the Gentiles was to have an atmosphere of prayer as much as any other court of the Temple. There were no sections for worship within the Temple, not in the Lord’s mind. All of the Temple and its courtyards were for prayer and worship.
Jesus cast out those who…
* Changed the purpose of the Temple.
Unfortunately, it was the priests themselves who changed the purpose of the Temple. It is not known just when, but at some point in history the priests decided to take advantage of the worshippers’ need for sacrificial animals and supplies. The priests saw how they could reap some of the profit for the welfare of the Temple and for themselves. They began to set up booths within the Court of the Gentiles for the convenience of the pilgrims and to help defray the cost of the Temple and to meet their own needs.
Everything that was going on was bearing bad fruit. So how do we stay on track and do things in a way that are pleasing to God? How do we bear good fruit?
Mark 11:22-25
Are you bearing…
3. Good fruit?
We find in this passage that it is good fruit that produces results that God is pleased with.
Galatians 5:22-23
This type of fruit will change people’s lives. This is what Jesus wants born out of our lives.
Conclusion:
What kind of fruit, (if any) is your life producing?
