GOSPEL OF MARK: GOD’S SERVANT IN ACTION
CLEARING THE TEMPLE
Good morning family. I hope and pray that everyone is well, and that you are taking care of yourself and your loved ones. As you know we are not having worship services today nor next Sunday due to the restrictions and recommendations of the federal and state governments, all in an effort to keep us well and safe during this pandemic.
After next Sunday (March 29th) the elders will reevaluate the situation based on the current conditions and recommendations of the government, and will determine as to whether or not we will resume our regular worship assembly in April.
In the meantime, this is how I will be presenting my sermon to you today and next Sunday, preaching right here from my study. It is strange preaching only to MYSELF, but you might like this format better because you can just turn it off anytime you want to. Hopefully and prayerfully we will back worshipping together very soon as a family.
Let’s PRAY:
A. We are continuing our sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. Today’s lesson is “Clearing the Temple”
from Mark 11:15-19—so, please turn your Bibles there.
1. Last Sunday, before the latest restrictions of 10 or more people gathering in one place, we decided to have
our regular worship service.
a. The attendance was down, but for those who came to WORSHIP it was wonderful time of praise and
fellowship.
b. We even had some to worship with us who’s home congregations decided to cancel their services.
ILLUSTRATION:
However, there were some concerns regarding the passing of COMMUNION TRAYS and OFFERING BASKETS from one person to the next. So, we set up two COMMUNION stations where each worshiper could WALK to the front and get their COMMUNION EMBLEMS—the JUICE and
BREAD—without touching the others, and return to their seats and COMMUNE with their Lord.
If you WORSHIPPED with us last Sunday what would you have done if, when you WALKED up to get your COMMUNION EMBLEMS, an ELDER would have been standing at each TABLE and
CHARGED you $5.00 for the JUICE and BREAD?
Would you have PAID the $5.00? Would you have ARGUED with them? Would you have WALKED away? Would you have OVERTURNED the TABLES?
2. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose the latter, and OVERTURNED the TABLES.
B. Last Sunday, in our Mark Study, we delved into Jesus’ TRIUMPHAL ENTRY into Jerusalem on what is
known as Palm Sunday.
1. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was greeted with WONDER, EXCITEMENT, and PRAISE.
a. As the excitement dies down and the people go to their HOMES, Jesus made his way to the TEMPLE.
b. Mark 11:11- “Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.”
2. What did Jesus hope to see? He certainly wasn’t hoping to see unscrupulous MONEY CHANGERS and MERCHANTS setting up tables taking ADVANTAGE of the people who came to WORSHIP.
a. Most SCHOLARS believe that this is actually the second time that Jesus CLEARED the TEMPLE, the first being at the BEGINNING of His MINISTRY when “Jesus made a WHIP and drove out the
SELLERS and MONEYCHANGERS”- John 2:12-25.
b. Undoubtedly, Jesus was hoping that the PRIESTS and RELIGIOUS LEADERS had REPENTED and were, once again, focusing on the REAL PURPOSE of God’s Temple as a place of PRAYER of WORSHIP, but they hadn’t.
MESSAGE:
I. PASSION FOR THE TEMPLE- vv. 15-17 (READ)
A. After the Triumphal Entry, Jesus and His disciples RETURNED to Bethany about 2 miles down the road, and probably stayed with Lazarus (whom Jesus had just raised from the dead days before) and with
his sisters Mary and Martha.
1. The next day Jesus and disciples head back to the TEMPLE in Jerusalem, but this time it’s not just
to LOOK AROUND.
a. Jesus is there to CLEAR OUT the Temple of the CORRUPTION and EXPLOITATION that is
once again taking place in His Father’s House.
b. I will EXPLAIN more about what is HAPPENING in just a moment.
2. First, I want to give you a brief history lesson of the TEMPLE.
COMMENT:
In Genesis 22, “Abraham is told by God to go to a very specific place, Mount Moriah, and there to offer Isaac his son that God had PROMISED him, as a SACRIFICE. When he gets there, Abraham puts his boy on an ALTAR, and out of OBEDIENCE to God, raises his KNIFE ready to take his son’s LIFE when God STOPS him. God SPARES Isaac and provides a LAMB to be SACRIFICED on Mount Moriah.”
We read in 1 Chronicles 21 around 900 years later, King David purchased Mount Moriah, that is LOCATED on the EAST SIDE of Jerusalem. It was on Mount Moriah where God chose King Solomon, David’s son, to BUILD His TEMPLE.
3. The Temple Sanctuary—known as the Holy Place and Holy of Holies in which only the priests and High Priest could enter—sat on top of the Mountain, and surrounding it were various COURTYARDS where WORSHIPPERS were able to GATHER.
a. The Temple and its COURTYARDS covered some 35 acres—it was a huge COMPLEX.
b. The first COURTYARD you would enter was the Court of the Gentiles (Non-Jews).
COMMENT:
Although they were not Jewish converts, they were attracted to the Jewish religion and were allowed to enter this COURTYARD to WORSHIP, but could not go any FARTHER—and would be put to DEATH if they did.
It was within the Courtyard of the Gentiles where the MONEY CHANGERS and MERCHANTS had set up BUSINESS.
B. Getting back to our TEXT: As Jesus entered the TEMPLE AREA—the Courtyard of the Gentiles—He
immediately began driving out the merchants and overturning the tables of the moneychangers.
1. Who are these MERCHANTS and MONEYCHANGERS?
a. The MONEYCHANGERS are exactly what the term means. They exchanged LOCAL currency
for FOREIGN currency.
COMMENT:
JEWS traveled from all over to WORSHIP in Jerusalem during PASSOVER, and many had money from their local governments that they had to EXCHANGE so they could PAY the annual
TEMPLE TAX and do BUSINESS with the MERCHANTS selling animals to be SACRIFICED.
It was a legitimate BUSINESS, except the MONEYCHANGERS took advantage of the
WORSHIPERS by charging them a HIGH-RATE of EXCHANGE for their MONEY.
(It would be like those who have taken advantage of our current situation with the VIRUS by buying up all the HAND SANITIZER and selling it to the public at $50.00 a bottle. I read where one guy was selling it at $70.00 a bottle!) Jesus is not PLEASED.
b. The MERCHANTS were those who sold LAMBS and DOVES to the PEOPLE who had traveled
MILES from home to come offer a SACRIFICE to God as part of their WORSHIP.
COMMENT:
The problem was the MERCHANTS were also taking advantage of those who couldn’t bring their ANIMALS to be SACRIFICED with them by charging EXORBITANT prices for a LAMB or DOVES. Even worse, the reason people had to SACRIFICE DOVES was because they were
POOR—God allowed the POOR and DESTITUTE to substitute DOVES for a LAMB.
“You may recall when Jesus’ parents came to the TEMPLE to dedicate their NEW BORN SON and OFFERED two DOVES in place of a LAMB to be SACRIFICED, because they were POOR”- Luke 2:24.
2. Jesus had seen enough and starting “driving out” the MERCHANTS and the MONEYCHANGERS.
a. The phrase “DRIVING OUT” literally means “to eject, to force out with violence”.
b. It is the same word used of “CASTING OUT” demons.
COMMENT:
While the people, including the disciples, wanted the Messiah to ATTACK the Romans and set up His Kingdom, instead Jesus comes and ATTACKS the very heart of the Jewish religion—their PLACE of WORSHIP.
3. While Jesus was DRIVING OUT the merchants and moneychangers, He is PREACHING.
a. In v. 17- “And AS He taught them, He said, ‘Is it not written: My house will be called a house
of prayer for ALL nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.’”
b. The Temple was supposed to be for both Gentiles and Jews alike, but the place where the Gentiles had gathered to PRAY and WORSHIP had been turned into a combination STOCK EXCHANGE
and FLEA MARKET.
c. God’s HEART is for ALL people.
COMMENT:
The Bible teaches that God’s people were to be a BLESSING to those around them. It was for this reason that God made PROVISION for Gentiles to also come to Him to find SALVATION. This was to be a place of MISSIONARY work, not a MARKET.
4. Jesus is CLEARING the TEMPLE for the GENTILES—those who were often MISTREATED by the
Jews.
COMMENT:
In a similar way, we must realize how important a ROLE the CHURCH must play in reaching out those who are LOST—even to those who may not LOOK like us.
II. PLOT TO KILL JESUS- v. 18 (READ)
A. And so it begins.
1. Jesus told His disciples 3 separate times that the Jewish Leaders will be handing Him over to the Romans to be EXECUTED.
2. Satan is putting these events into MOTION, using not only the Jewish Leaders but Jesus’ very own DISCIPLES—from Judas’ BETRAYAL to Peter’s DENIAL.
B. Next week, if the Lord is willing, we will be studying The Lord’s Supper.
CONCLUSION:
