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Who Does He Think He Is?

Mark 11:1-11, 15-17

We come to the end of our series, Jesus Christ, Life-Changer today. So, I want to conclude our study by asking what it is about another person that might motivate you to change your life. I think there are two main motivators, i.e., 1) respect (or fear) and 2) love (or gratitude). But, the greater of the two is love.

We all know how the person we respect or fear can shape our lives. We’ll stay up late at night to get that paper done that has to be in if we will pass the teacher’s course – or to get that proposal written that the boss has demanded.

But I think that love is even a more powerful motivator than respect or fear. This has been the theme of countless novels and movies. One of the most memorable was captured in the opening scene of the film Princess Bride in which the young farm boy named Wesley was willing to do whatever the beautiful owner’s daughter asked. There was nothing that was too much for her to ask. And he would always answer simply, “As you wish.” When we know a person and love the person, we are ready to have our lives change so that we might please that person.

But when we meet a person we both respect and love, we find someone who can truly change our lives. That’s the kind of person we fear displeasing. That’s also the kind of person we long to please. And, this is precisely the kind of person we meet as we come to Mark 11 when Jesus enters Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday” and makes it clear that he is the king over all kings. He is to be feared. But, he is willing to use his place of authority to serve us even to the point of dying for us. He is one to be loved.

Let’s start by remembering what led into Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

The passion of many, many people in the Israel of Jesus’ day was for the Messiah, the king over all kings, to come and rescue them. There were many, many prophecies and allusions to his coming in their Scriptures. In the years just before Jesus was born, people were writing about the Messiah’s coming, praying for it and longing for it. Then, as we saw in Mark 1, Jesus emerged from a battle in the wilderness with Satan and started calling people to follow him. He did the things that the Messiah King is supposed to do. He taught as no one had ever taught. But, he also did some thing that shocked people. He touched lepers, he blessed prostitutes, he invited a tax collector into his innermost group, and he even spent time with Gentiles.

Then, one day after a long journey toward Jerusalem in which he kept saying he was headed there to die, Jesus chose to make himself known in ways clearer than he ever had before. He set up his entry into Jerusalem in a way that those who had eyes to see should know who he was. In doing so, Jesus went into Israel’s capitol city and directly into the temple. Here’s what I want us to consider today: 1) what Jesus did to prepare for the entry, 2) what he saw when he came as king into his temple, and 3) what we should do when we discover that Jesus is the King.

#1: What Jesus Did to Prepare for his entry to his temple.

Jesus carefully followed the script of Scripture fulfilling its prophecies about the Messiah. He prepared everything carefully so that people would be able to recognize he was the promised savior:

Malachi’s Prophecy:

In Malachi 3:1-4, God had declared through the prophet, “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

In Mark 1:4-8, we are told that John the Baptist was the messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord. Another prophet named Zechariah had said he would come from the Mount of Olives into the city to bring God’s kingdom and his judgment. What we read about in Mark 11 is that this same Jesus did what the prophets had foretold, i.e., he entered from the east at the Mount of Olives, went into Jerusalem and headed straight for the temple.

Here I will show a map of Jerusalem in Jesus day so people can see the route of Jesus’ triumphal entry.

Can you imagine how thrilled people were as they saw this one who had done countless miracles now doing exactly what they knew their Messianic King would do? He was fulfilling all the prophecies:

Jacob’s Prophecy

In Genesis 49:1, we read, Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. Then in vv. 10-11, The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongsshall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch…

In Mark 11:2, we read of a colt or donkey that the disciples were to get for Jesus. It was never to have been ridden by any person, which is consistent with an animal that was to be ridden by a person who had a sacred mission. It was appropriate for a king because no one was ever to have ridden a king’s mount. Notice that Jesus personally planned this trip so that these prophecies would be fulfilled and people thereby would know that the Messiah they had awaited was now entering into his temple.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

Zechariah was a prophet who foretold the day that the Lord would come, would judge evil and would make all things right. In Zech. 14:9, he declared that on the day the Lord comes into his kingdom, “he will be king over all the earth. But, one of the most striking things we read in Zechariah’s prophecy is that this king, though mighty and triumphant, would be humble. Hear Zechariah’s words: Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

With this in mind, we see Jesus in v.8 riding from the Mount of Olives on a colt. He had people going before him and behind him shouting, “Hosanna (i.e., save us”). The people were excited. They threw their cloaks on the road as their ancient forefathers had done when a king was being inaugurated. And they shouted in vv. 9-10, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

This same Jesus, who for so long had told people not to tell others who he was, at lasts was making his identity known in unmistakable ways. Jesus is the Lord who is entering into his temple. Jesus is the one who is bringing in the kingdom of God. Jesus is the one who will be a blessing to all nations.

#2: What Jesus discovered when he came as king into his temple.

He discovered 1) no life and 2) no fruit.

Visit 1: No life – Imagine being a part of that jubilant processional through the gates and into Jerusalem with Jesus. This is what Malachi had said would happen, “The Lord whom you have sought suddenly comes into his temple…” What will await Jesus there? V. 11: Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Is that what you expected? Jesus entered the temple as king and found… nothing. Does this seem like a downer? I’ve been asking people around the church all week, “Have you ever had a time in your life when there’s something you’ve planned for and anticipated for a long time comes at last and… it’s nothing?” Most people quickly said, “Yes, that’s happened lots of times.” Blake Riboli said, “It’s like high school prom!” And people quickly agreed. Others told stories of looking forward to a big birthday – the 16^th or the 21^st only to discover that everyone had forgotten it!

Here, the prophecies that had been embedded in their Scriptures for centuries at last are finding fulfillment – and no one is there. There was huge enthusiasm in the day but it all ended with Jesus finding no life in the temple so he simply went back to Bethany. We have to remember that the people were always astonished when they saw what Jesus did and heard what Jesus taught. But, they were not alive to who he was. Perhaps they wondered why he didn’t have an army with him to overthrow the Romans who were keeping them captive. Perhaps they were disappointed that he didn’t hop off the donkey and jump onto a military steed. But, we’re not told. Instead, God’s Word leaves us to meditate on the question of why Jesus went into the place that people should expect to find God – but there was no life there.

Since Paul tells us that we are now the dwelling place of God, when God’s Spirit “comes for a visit” to our church, does he see life here? And, more personally, since you and I are now the place in which the Spirit of God dwells, does he see spiritual life in your heart this morning?

Visit 2: No Fruit – In vv. 15-19, we learn that Jesus returned the next day and went directly into the temple again. This time, he found activity as we see in vv. 15-16: Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

It may be hard for us in 21^st C Southern California to imagine what it would have been like at the temple that day. (Here I will show a drawing of the temple in Jesus’ day.)

This temple was a magnificent facility King Herod had been building for about 20 years. When people went through the temple door, the first thing they hit was the “court of the Gentiles”. This was the only place non-Jews were allowed to go. There was no way to get to the most important parts of the temple without going through it. By Jesus’ time, it had turned into a place of frenetic buying and selling. When Jesus walked through the temple that day of Passover week, he would have seen throngs of people buying and selling animals at countless stalls. Thousands of people flooded into Jerusalem and, at the temple, they bought birds and animals for sacrifice. Historians have estimated that as many as ¼ million sheep were bought and sacrificed each Passover week. It must have felt like the Wall Street trading floors – except you have to add the sounds and smells of birds, animals and sacrifices.

With all that in your mind, now remember that this was the place where the nations were supposed to meet God. In the prophecies, from Abraham through the great prophets Isaiah and Zechariah, the people of Israel were to be a blessing for all people. When God’s savior would come, people from all nations would come to the one living God. In Isaiah 56 we read that when the Lord comes, Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

What was happening in the temple was that the very people who were to be welcomed into God’s family through the Messiah were being hindered. In fact, some of their teachers were saying that when Messiah came, he would drive all Gentiles out of the temple and out of Israel. So what we see is that a lot of religious looking activity was happening in God’s house, but it’s effect was to undermine the mission of God – not to further it. Jesus says that God’s house had become a don of thieves and robbers in v. 17. By that, he almost surely meant in part that there was some unjust profiteering from all the trade going on. But, at least as much, he was saying that the people for whom he had come were being robbed of their experience with God. The impact is that all this seemingly religious activity was hindering the work of God. It was doing more harm than good.

In the verses that surround Jesus throwing the merchants out of the temple, Jesus engaged in a living parable. He cursed a fig tree that should have been bearing the small buds of fruit. It was not yet time for the mature figs (called syke) to be harvested but it was time for the small early figs (called paggim) to be on the tree. The fig tree was an image for Israel’s religious activity. When Jesus saw that there were leaves but no paggim, no buds of fruit, he cursed the tree. Do you understand why? He did it not to curse the people of Israel but to curse the religious activity that looked like real life but really was harming the work of God.

The point is that God had always intended for the Messiah to be the one through whom all people might come to him. God’s temple was always meant to be a house of prayer for all nations. But when the king came into his temple, he found that his temple was keeping people from God – not leading them to God.

Later, the Apostle Paul would comment on this, i.e., that Jesus would build his church and that the church would become the dwelling place of God. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:17-22: Jesus came and preached peace to you who were far away (Gentiles) and peace to those who were near (Jews). For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit… Christ Jesus himself is the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

#3: What we should do when we discover that Jesus is the King we have been made to follow.

We must respond to Jesus as he is – not simply as we want him to be.

Application 1: Ask carefully if you truly see who Jesus is.

The people were ready to show up for events with Jesus – even to cheer and shout about Jesus – as long as they thought he was going to give them what they wanted. They were ready to applaud with him when he did things that astonished them. But Jesus the Messiah had come to give them something much, much better than a short-term political victory or a momentary position of influence. He came as the true king – but he was a king who knew that his people needed most. He knows what you and I need most. We need to have our sins forgiven and to have our lives completely reshaped with God at the center.

Do you see him as the Lord of the universe who has come to die to rescue you? He did it out of love for you. Do you see that the only way for you to discover life – eternal and abundant life – is for you to surrender your life in faith to him?

Application 2: Consciously and intentionally tell Jesus you are ready to obey him.

Jesus is the king! He’s the king over all things in this universe! I said at the beginning that those who change our lives are either those we respect or those we love. Now, I say to you, “Pledge your obedience to him simply because of who he is. Matt Barnes put it this way, “When the king wants figs, we should get him figs!” So, let’s be ready to respond to him in obedience – to ask, “What would please you, Lord Jesus?”

Think of what happens in the entertainment industry. When celebrities say yes to an engagement in a community, they almost always have a “rider”, i.e., a list of requirements they want to have fulfilled. For example, here’s a part of Mariah Carey’s rider: The dressing room temperature has to be 75 degrees exactly; furniture cannot have busy patterns; in the room there must be 8 tall, leafy plants and 2 vases of white roses; 3 bottles of chilled Chardonnay and one bottle of Opus One Cabernet Sauvignon; there must be 12 melon-flavored Gatorade bottles and 12 vanilla protein drinks; 4 very specific aromatherapy candles…

Out of respect or fear, people make sure the requests are met.

I tell you – simply out of respect for the person Jesus is, we need to be ready to say, “Your will be done in my life.” But let me add, “Jesus loves you with an everlasting love.” He saw you need and gave his life for you because he wants to welcome you into the family of the living God. Every day of your life, wake up and say, “My life is no longer my own. I’ve been bought with a price, i.e., the precious blood of the Lord Jesus. So, my Lord, how would you have me live today?” This is Jesus Christ, Life-Changer. He changes the lives of all who trust him and live respecting and loving him.

Application 3: Make sure all church gatherings are places for all people to meet God.

Jesus said, “My house is to be a house of prayer for all people.” That has not changed. On the second day Jesus went into the temple, he saw unending “religious activity”. But, that activity actually was keeping people from God. So, this text forces us to ask soberly: Is there anything about our church, about your class or small group that might keep people away? Is it possible that the king would show up and see religious activity but not Jesus-like welcome to all who are longing to follow? When Jesus is the Lord of a church gathering, that gathering should not exclude people because of ethnicity, status, wealth… A church is not a social club or sports team open only to those qualified by standing in the community or by special competencies. When Jesus Christ reigns, we say to all people, “Come and meet God with us.”

Listen to me carefully here: Those we welcome must surrender to the Lordship of Jesus too. He calls us away from sin and from self-directed ways of living. Jesus never said, “Come to me and don’t worry about changing your life.” No, he asks us sometimes to do things that go against our human inclinations. But he assures us that he did not die to destroy our lives but to give us abundant life. God tells us his ways are not our ways. We who respect him and love him follow him in obedience remembering that he said in John 10:9-10, I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

To His glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor

Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church