The Confrontational Jesus

The Confrontational Jesus

Mark 11:15-24

Good morning.

Charles Wesley wrote a Hymn titled, “Gentle Jesus.”

Part of the lyrics read, “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, look upon a little child; pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to Thee.

Lamb of God, I look to Thee; thou shalt my example be: thou art gentle, meek and mild.”

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. NKJV

My Question: “If Jesus is known as gentle and lowly in heart, was He acting out of character when He cleansed the Temple?

Can a gentle and lowly in heart Savior of the world become so passionate about something, that He could get angry?

Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark 11 as we continue in a verse-by-verse study of that Gospel.

Last week in Mark, Jesus left Jericho and headed toward Jerusalem, and as they approached the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the Disciples to go and retrieve a foal of a donkey.

Notice the paradox here. Jesus is the Sovereign Lord who is in control, but He uses earthly things to fulfill His sovereign plan.

Unlike an earthly king, Jesus entered Jerusalem in total humility.

The Promised Messiah first visited the earth as a suffering servant to pay for our sin, before taking His throne. This was also a fulfillment of other prophecies about the Messiah.

But the Disciples didn’t understand Jesus was not coming as the physical king to fight Rome, but instead, as the King of Peace!

Then we saw how Jesus cursed the fig tree.

The fig tree was a picture of Israel not fulfilling their call from God. When Jesus came to the nation there were leaves, which speak of a profession of faith, but they did not bear fruit.

We asked, “Does the Lord need anything from His creation?”

Jesus is the Sovereign Lord who is in control, but He uses earthly things to fulfill His sovereign plan.

Today, we will learn about the second time Jesus cleansed the Temple and we will learn more lessons about the Fig Tree.

I. Overturn the tables.

Read Mark 11:15-19

This is second record cleansing of the Temple by Jesus; His first cleansing is only recorded in John 2.

The first time Jesus cleansed the Temple at the beginning of His public ministry three years earlier, happened after His first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

John 2:14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

John 2:15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.

John 2:16 And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" NKJV

Mark 11 describes Jesus’ second cleansing of the temple, which occurred just after His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, days before His crucifixion.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, the crowds were loud, the city was shaking, and the Romans heard all the commotion in the city, from the Antonia Fortress.

This Fortress was a military barracks built by Herod the Great.

At this time Rome was occupying Israel, however, Rome allowed Israel to retain some independence over civil and religious matters, as long as it didn’t interfere with Roman rule.

The Pharisees were afraid of losing the little power they had, and they were unwilling to submit to Jesus as their king.

The crowds were expecting Jesus as their king, to march over to the Antonia Fortress and confront the Roman occupation…

Jesus entered Jerusalem and confronted the bigger issue for His people as He headed toward the Temple, they had defiled God’s house, their center of worship.

The rebuilt Temple was first constructed after the Babylonian Exile, but then it was expanded and remodeled under Herod the Great. That is why some called it Herod’s Temple.

During the remodel, a Court of the Gentiles was built which was separate from the rest of the Temple, by a gallery.

During the Passover feasts, the Temple priests set up stalls in this gallery area for visiting people, which included stalls for sacrificial animals.

The people visiting the Temple were required to bring an animal to be sacrificed. If they traveled a long way, they could buy a sacrificial animal at the Temple, rather than bringing an animal.

If a person lived near the temple, they would want to use their own animal to sacrifice. However, most times the Jewish leaders would find a blemish or another reason to disqualify the animal.