Sunday, we will return to Mark and the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. Mark 12:13-17 continues the confrontations between Jesus and religious leaders. He entered Jerusalem amid cries of Hosanna and cleansed the temple of money changers. He also rebuked the scribes and elders with the parable of the wicked tenants. At this point, the leaders of Judaism want Him out of the way, but three times, Mark tells us they feared the crowds. In the next sections, groups of high-ranking religious leaders will try to trap Jesus with questions so the crowd will turn against Him, or perhaps He will say something that could offend Rome. Mark 12:13-17 presents a political question about taxes with no good answer. Yet, Jesus recognizes and reveals the hypocrisy of those asking questions and offers one of His most famous sayings, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v. 17). In this simple statement, Jesus shows us how authority should be properly ordered. He does not mean that some things belong to Caesar and others belong to God, and that each should be kept separate. Jesus exposes their trap and hypocrisy by illustrating the hierarchy of authority. Caesar does have legitimate, God-ordained authority (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pt. 2:13-17), but Caesar’s authority is also limited. There is only one Lord of all, not two, and just as Caesar’s image appears on the coin that belongs to him, you are made in God’s image, and therefore, all you are belongs to Him. Christians are to submit to earthly authorities God has ordained, but no authority except God commands our highest allegiance and total obedience. Sunday, we will explore this passage in detail and ask, "Since we bear God’s image, what are we to render to Him?"
I. Jesus Faces A Political Trap (v. 13-14)
II. Jesus Exposes The Questioner’s Hypocrisy (v. 15-16a)
III. Jesus Explains Proper Authority (v. 16-17)
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Sunday, we will return to Mark and the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. Mark 12:13-17 continues the confrontations between Jesus and religious leaders. He entered Jerusalem amid cries of Hosanna and cleansed the temple of money changers. He also rebuked the scribes and elders with the parable of the wicked tenants. At this point, the leaders of Judaism want Him out of the way, but three times, Mark tells us they feared the crowds. In the next sections, groups of high-ranking religious leaders will try to trap Jesus with questions so the crowd will turn against Him, or perhaps He will say something that could offend Rome. Mark 12:13-17 presents a political question about taxes with no good answer. Yet, Jesus recognizes and reveals the hypocrisy of those asking questions and offers one of His most famous sayings, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v. 17). In this simple statement, Jesus shows us how authority should be properly ordered. He does not mean that some things belong to Caesar and others belong to God, and that each should be kept separate. Jesus exposes their trap and hypocrisy by illustrating the hierarchy of authority. Caesar does have legitimate, God-ordained authority (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pt. 2:13-17), but Caesar’s authority is also limited. There is only one Lord of all, not two, and just as Caesar’s image appears on the coin that belongs to him, you are made in God’s image, and therefore, all you are belongs to Him. Christians are to submit to earthly authorities God has ordained, but no authority except God commands our highest allegiance and total obedience. Sunday, we will explore this passage in detail and ask, "Since we bear God’s image, what are we to render to Him?"
I. Jesus Faces A Political Trap (v. 13-14)
II. Jesus Exposes The Questioner’s Hypocrisy (v. 15-16a)
III. Jesus Explains Proper Authority (v. 16-17)
On Sunday, we will dive into Mark 11:12-25, a challenging passage to understand and interpret. As Mark has done before (and will do several more times), he places one story inside another. Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is placed between His cursing of the fig tree. When Jesus finds no figs on the tree, He declares that no one will eat fruit from it again. The next day, they pass by the tree and see it withered to the root. Earlier, Mark "sandwiched" Jesus’ healing of the woman with the issue of blood between the healing of Jairus’ daughter, and just as in that passage, here the cleansing of the temple interprets the cursing of the fig tree. In the Old Testament, a fig tree and a vineyard were common symbols for Israel. Therefore, the cursing of the fig tree serves as a prophetic warning condemning the fruitless temple worship in Jerusalem, which Jesus will immediately address. The fig tree, full of leaves but bearing no fruit, and the temple, busy with activity but lacking true worship, both face Jesus’ judgment. However, the interpretive challenges of this passage don’t end there. When the disciples see the withered tree, Jesus begins teaching about prayer, faith, and forgiveness. Jesus’ response to Peter, who notes that the fig tree is withered, might seem like Jesus is shifting to a new topic unrelated to the story. (And some believe He does.) However, I believe Jesus is beginning to teach the disciples what He will make clearer during His last week of life. The temple was the place where prayers were offered and accepted by God, and where forgiveness was found. Yet, Jesus has just pronounced judgment on the corruption of the temple’s worship. How can prayers be offered, and forgiveness found, if not in the temple? Jesus’ final words in this section (22-25) reveal that by faith, prayers are answered, mountains are moved, and forgiveness is both received and extended to others. Take time to read Mark 11:12-25 several times; it is a difficult passage with a high risk of misunderstanding. Most of the sermon will focus on explaining the text, but ultimately, we discover that as the church, we are now God’s temple (both as a body -1 Co. 3:16-17; and as individual Christians - 1 Co. 6:19-20), called to bear fruit through praying in faith, forgiving as we are forgiven, and being a light for all nations.
I. The Symbolic Fruitless Fig Tree (12-14; 20-21)
II. The Fruitless Worship In The Temple (15-19)
III. The Fruitful Worship OF The Temple (22-25)
Sermon Audio
Sunday, we will return to Mark and the final week of Jesus’ earthly life. Mark 12:13-17 continues the confrontations between Jesus and religious leaders. He entered Jerusalem amid cries of Hosanna and cleansed the temple of money changers. He also rebuked the scribes and elders with the parable of the wicked tenants. At this point, the leaders of Judaism want Him out of the way, but three times, Mark tells us they feared the crowds. In the next sections, groups of high-ranking religious leaders will try to trap Jesus with questions so the crowd will turn against Him, or perhaps He will say something that could offend Rome. Mark 12:13-17 presents a political question about taxes with no good answer. Yet, Jesus recognizes and reveals the hypocrisy of those asking questions and offers one of His most famous sayings, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (v. 17). In this simple statement, Jesus shows us how authority should be properly ordered. He does not mean that some things belong to Caesar and others belong to God, and that each should be kept separate. Jesus exposes their trap and hypocrisy by illustrating the hierarchy of authority. Caesar does have legitimate, God-ordained authority (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pt. 2:13-17), but Caesar’s authority is also limited. There is only one Lord of all, not two, and just as Caesar’s image appears on the coin that belongs to him, you are made in God’s image, and therefore, all you are belongs to Him. Christians are to submit to earthly authorities God has ordained, but no authority except God commands our highest allegiance and total obedience. Sunday, we will explore this passage in detail and ask, "Since we bear God’s image, what are we to render to Him?"
I. Jesus Faces A Political Trap (v. 13-14)
II. Jesus Exposes The Questioner’s Hypocrisy (v. 15-16a)
III. Jesus Explains Proper Authority (v. 16-17)
