HOSANNA?
Text: Mark 11:12, 20-21
Jesus had come to the city of Jerusalem the day before.
Fulfillment of Zech 9:9 prophet of Judah. (Read)
What a time of celebration. The King had come.
He is going to set things straight now.
Hosanna save now we pray.
Jesus had come and in verse 11 it says He went into the Temple and looked around upon all things.
Then He leaves town.
The next day He returns and that is where we begin today.
I. The fig tree.
A. All leafed out. (Looked good)
1. Beautiful to the eye.
2. Might even provide some relief. (Shade)
B. Barren of fruit. (useless to satisfy)
1. The thing it was created to do. ( bear fruit)
2. It didn’t had not done yet.
C. The curse is placed upon it. (v. 14)
1. Why do you suppose Jesus went to the tree?
2. Did He expect to find fruit out of season?
3. It says He was just hoping to find it.
II. The Cleansing
A. From the fruitless tree the story shifts back to the Temple.
1. Just the day before He had looked it over.
2. But this time it was different. (double take)
B. He cleans house.
1. Money changers. (Roman coins to Temple coins)
2. The buyers and the sellers. (convenience)
a. God is not a God of convenience.
b. We are to serve Him fervently.
C. All this was in the Court of the Gentiles.
1. Only place a non-Jew was allowed in the Temple.
2. Limited the access of the Gentiles to God.
D. Then He leaves town.
III. The Fig Tree revisited..
A. The tree was dried up from the roots.
1. Not the usual way trees die.
2. The very source of life had been cut off.
a. The vine and the branches. (John 15)
b. Apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
B. Now it will never be fulfill its purpose. (good for fuel)
a. No temporary relief.
b. No satisfaction of need.
Conclusion:
Jesus has come into our lives. (If we are saved)
We have cried out Hosanna. (Save now we pray)
He is looking around the Temple. (us, I Cor. 3:16-17)
He is looking for fruit.
What will He see in the Temple?
And will He find fruit? (Matthew 3:8 Fruits meet for repentance)
In the Temple of God do we hinder people from meeting Jesus?
If we do He will clean it out.
God’s Temple will be pure and Holy. Anything else will not be a part of it.
Don’t be cut off from the Source of Life.
(John 15: 6 branches gathered and burned.)
