The Temple and The Tree
Text: Mark 11:12-26
Core Idea: Jesus came not to restore the temple but to replace it. Only through Him, do we approach God, receive His forgiveness, and become sons and daughters of God. Then I pray that we would have faith in Him as we continue to live out the call that He has given us – to be a house of prayer for all nations.
INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see all of you today. We’ve been exploring the life of Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. Last week, we learned that Jesus may not be the King we expected but He undoubtedly is the King we need – a humble King who saves us from the power of sin. Now, Jesus’ first day in Jerusalem ended rather quietly as we saw Him entering the temple, looking around, and going back out to Bethany. Although this may seem like an unimportant transitional verse, Mark was actually using this as a prelude to the conflict that will erupt the next day. In fact, Jesus was preparing Himself to do something that He knew would ultimately lead to His death. Then with this in mind, please turn your Bibles to Mark 11:12-26. Let me read this for us.
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard Him say it. 15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 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.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26]
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Honestly, I had so many questions preparing for this message: Why would He curse the fig tree? What’s up with this violent outburst of anger from Jesus in the temple? And what does any of this have to do with faith and prayer? And why does all of this conclude with the command to forgive? Let’s just say that it was not easy putting this sermon together – but I’ll do my best to help us understand this truth and apply it to our lives knowing that this is what the Spirit wanted us to hear today. I divided the passage into three parts:
· A FRUITLESS FIG TREE
· THE FRUITLESS TEMPLE
· A FRUITFUL FAITH
1) A FRUITLESS FIG TREE (V. 12-15)
Let’s look at verse 12. As Jesus left Bethany to go back to Jerusalem, Mark tells us that Jesus was hungry. Verse 13, “Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to find out if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves because it was not the season for figs.” Nothing unusual there – makes sense. But we read something that leaves us puzzled, verse 14, “Then He said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again’” – Jesus cursed the tree. At first glance, this appears to be harsh and without purpose. Was He that hangry? Why would Jesus curse the tree for not having figs if it wasn’t the season for it? Mark actually gives us a hint as to why Jesus did this – if you read carefully, it says that the tree had leaves. In his commentary on Mark, R.C. Sproul wrote, “In Palestine, there is a clearly defined season for figs, and the vast majority of fig species bear fruit within that season. However, a few rare species of fig trees bear fruit outside the normal season. The test of whether one could expect figs from a fig tree was not the time of year but whether the foliage of the tree was in full bloom. Jesus, knowing the characteristics of Palestine fig trees, saw this fig tree in full bloom and expected that mature figs would be present on it.” In other words, even though it wasn’t the season for figs, the presence of leaves indicated the presence of fruit. Mark doesn’t tell us why this tree had leaves, but it certainly drew Jesus’ attention only to be exposed that it was a barren tree – it was unfruitful.
Then why did He have to curse it? Look at the end of verse 14, “And His disciples heard Him say it.” Jesus intended for them to hear because He wanted to seize this as a teaching moment. He did not curse out of frustration – just because His hunger wasn’t satisfied. We’re talking about someone who endured through 40 days of fasting in the wilderness – someone who fed the five thousand just from five loaves of bread and two fish. There was no anger or malice in Jesus’ words and actions – He simply wanted to use this opportunity to provide a private, memorable lesson with the fig tree as a visual aid. More specifically, Jesus wanted to teach His disciples the danger of hypocrisy. What is hypocrisy? It’s the failure to practice what you preach – it’s appearing outwardly righteous to others, while actually being full of uncleanness and self-indulgence. A hypocrite is not someone who struggles against sin, fights against temptation, and keeps doing what is right even though one may not feel like it. A hypocrite is someone who uses the appearance of goodness to conceal the deeds of evil – it’s to think that who others think you are matters a lot more than whom God knows you to be. Jesus was criticizing the religious leaders who appeared to be fruitful but were not. They went through the motions of religious rituals and said all the right things, but they were without the heart. They honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. And as we’ll soon see, Jesus was about to visibly show His judgment against them by turning the temple upside down.
But before we move on, we must remember that God takes the sin of hypocrisy seriously. Let me actually share a very sobering verse from the book of Revelation. Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” They had the reputation of being alive, but they were dead inside. Brothers and sisters, does this describe you today? I ask this not to accuse you but to wake you up to see yourself rightly before God if you are guilty of it. Is it possible that you have a reputation of being alive but actually dead inside? Is it possible that you have the appearance of fruit but are actually fruitless? We may be doing all the right things – reading the Bible, praying, singing, giving generously, serving the church. But we’re just going through the motions simply to keep up with our image. Don’t get me wrong. Action is absolutely important to our faith. In fact, James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” But we must also remember that heartless action is meaningless and destructive.
Then ask yourself today, “When I think about all the things that I do for God, are they a list of ‘have-to’s’ or ‘get-to’s’? Is it, ‘I have to read the Bible, or I get to read the Bible? I have to pray, or I get to pray? I have to share the gospel, or I get to share this wonderful message to those who are lost and still in darkness? I have to keep up with all the things to maintain my relationship with God or I get to have this intimate relationship with this Almighty God all because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for me?’” Why are you here today? Was it, “I have to go to church today or I get to go to church and worship this amazing God with the community that I love?” How do you view your life with God today? Is your action truly a reflection of your heart’s desire or just a performance to keep an appearance of fruitfulness?
Friends, if you are guilty of this, I invite you to come honestly before God and repent knowing that He is always slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. Think about this: when we sin, the very heart of Christ is drawn out to us because He understands the horror and weight of sin more deeply than any of us can. He knows how destructive this is to our hearts and our relationship with the Father which is why He wants to help, relieve, protect, and comfort. He hates sin but He loves you. Then I invite you to repent today. As many of you know, the word repent in Greek is metanoia, which literally means “to turn around” – we are turning away from sin and turning to God. I shared this last week, but this means that we repent in order to embrace God. Repentance isn’t just about admitting our sinfulness, our brokenness but it’s about declaring how much more we want God. Friends, repentance is a beautiful gift of God because it creates a renewed walk with Him. It hurts, but it heals. We can do this because we know that there’s always grace at the foot of the cross. Then don’t wait any longer. Don’t try to find ways to compromise. Repent and begin to walk the other way – walk with Jesus.
2) THE FRUITLESS TEMPLE (V. 15-19)
Let’s take a look at verse 15 “On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple.” Now, it’s important to note that the temple was a massive structure. Robert Stein makes the following statement, “The scene of the incident is the temple of Jerusalem, one of the most magnificent structures in the world of that day. As a total complex, it was the largest sight in the ancient world. The total temple platform was about 35 acres, the perimeter of the temple contained a covered portico built of huge columns 35 feet in height whose base was so large that it took three men joining hands to encircle one.” This was a big place – but the temple didn’t stand out just because of its size. The temple was at the centre of Israel’s life, Israel’s identity, and Israel’s history – the temple meant everything to the Jewish people.
Then going back to our passage, we read that Jesus entered the temple specifically to a place called the court of the Gentiles. Just to help you visualize it, here’s a picture of what the temple would’ve looked like. That court was set aside for the gentiles to approach God and pray. But as He entered, what Jesus observed was most disturbing to His soul – provoking Him to righteous indignation. You see, for the celebration of Passover, many Jews streamed into Jerusalem from all over the ancient world which meant that many of them needed to buy animals for the sacrifice since many weren’t going to travel that long distance with their livestock. And for many, they needed to exchange their currency to be able to buy animals. Now, we need to remember that the Jews were never fond of the gentiles – in fact, they hoped that the Messiah would come to cleanse the temple of all gentiles and get rid of them once and for all. So, to act on their hatred toward the gentiles, the religious leaders basically turned the court of the gentiles into a marketplace where animals could be sold and bought. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that around 255,000 lambs were slaughtered in Jerusalem during the Passover. Then can you imagine how loud, smelly, chaotic, and busy this area must have been? Again, this was the place where the gentiles were supposed to find God through quiet reflection and prayer. No wonder Jesus took such drastic action. Verse 15, “[Jesus] began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of money changers and the benches of those selling doves.” But He wasn’t finished yet. Verse 16, “[He] would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.” Over time, this area of the temple had become a shortcut for people to go from one part of the city to another. Because the temple was so big, instead of going around it, they just casually went through it for their own convenience. They had completely lost sight of the fact that they were in the presence of God’s glory. And Jesus wasn’t going to let this continue anymore – I can imagine Him telling those who were nonchalantly coming into the temple, “You are not going through here!”
Now, He had scriptural support for His anger and actions. We see Him quoting from two OT passages in verse 17, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? [which was from Isaiah 56:7] But you have made it ‘a den of robbers’ [which was from Jeremiah 7:11].” He wanted to clearly point out that the divine purpose for the temple had been perverted. He was furious but also grieving at the fact that the place that was meant to graciously invite gentiles to pray and find God has become a means of financial revenue for the religious leaders. Just like the fig tree, from a distance, the temple looked impressive – lots of people, lots of activities. It appeared to be fruitful but when Jesus looked a little closer, it was all leaves and no fruit. Even though it had an appearance of devotion and passion for the Lord, it had become a den of robbers – it was corrupt. Then this is what Mark wanted to communicate: just as Jesus cursed the fig tree, He was cursing the temple so that it will remain fruitless. In fact, that’s exactly what happened – 40 years after Jesus’ death, the temple was totally destroyed. What Jesus was doing wasn’t simply a cleansing of the temple but the conclusion of the temple. It has served its purpose, and, in His grace, God would destroy it knowing that someone greater has come. Jesus intended not to restore the temple but to replace it.
And then we read these disturbing words in verse 18, “The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.” Jesus’ action became the reason that sped up His death. Of course, Jesus knew that His actions would provoke the leaders, but He did it anyway for the glory of God and His love for sinners like you and me.
Then what can we take away from this? Two things. First, we must remember that when we gather here, we are entering the presence of God. These people in the temple had become uninterested in the majesty of God. They just walked back and forth through the temple – unmoved, unimpressed, unchanged. They just went about their business unaware of God’s glory. Brothers and sisters, what we do here can’t be a casual thing – it can’t be just another thing we have going on in our lives. Then let me ask you, “Were you preparing your heart as you entered this place to worship God? Were you contemplating the beauty and majesty of God – getting ready to sing to this amazingly glorious God? (Because that’s what we’re doing here – we’re not just singing, we’re singing to God.) Were you thinking about His greatness and faithfulness – getting ready to surrender yourself to Him? Even if you feel discouraged, distracted, or distant from God, were you commanding your soul to praise God knowing that He deserves all of our worship?” I pray that we would be intentional to guard our hearts so that we will never become casual with God – uninterested in His majesty. I firmly believe that this passage is an invitation from God to rediscover true worship in our hearts. So, let’s fix our eyes on His greatness once again regardless of our feelings and circumstances – fighting to see His beauty and glory – so that we may respond in total devotion, humble surrender, and complete obedience to the Lord. I pray that we would have the eyes to see who He really is but more importantly that our hearts will learn to rejoice in His presence.
Second, let us make every effort to become a house of prayer for all nations – that Lighthouse Toronto would be a place where anyone can come to meet God and pray to Him. Picture this scene from Revelation 7:9-10 says, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” I pray that everything we do would be driven by the desire to see a glimpse of this vision become a reality in this place – that we would joyfully share the gospel to the lost, intentionally make more disciples, and humbly serve the people with love and compassion. This is not to say that we need to cater to their needs and comfort but that we would faithfully help our non-believing friends to see the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ here in this place. I pray that we would aim to become this kind of church – a house of prayer for all nations.
3) A FRUITFUL FAITH (V. 20-26)
Verse 19. After the incident at the temple, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city – and verse 20, they were on their way back to Jerusalem when they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Verse 21, “Peter remembered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree You cursed has withered!’” The withered tree was a vivid picture of the judgment upon the temple and the power of Jesus’ words. No one would eat from that tree again – and this made it clear for the disciples that the temple would also be no more. Now, the way Jesus responded to Peter was quite strange. Verse 22, “Have faith in God.” What in the world did He mean by this? Did He mean, “Have faith in God and you can curse the fig tree too – that you can do anything you desire as long as you have faith in God?” It’s really critical that we read Jesus’ response in the context in order to accurately understand and apply this passage because this unfortunately has been often misinterpreted and misapplied – leading many astray into error and heresy known as the prosperity gospel. Jesus is not teaching here that if you don’t doubt, but really believe in what you’re asking for, you will have it no matter what it is – in fact, if you don’t have it, it’s your fault for not having enough faith. That is not what Jesus is saying.
In order to understand this, we must remember that the context of this passage is ultimately about Jesus replacing the temple. Now, this would’ve been incredibly shocking to the disciples. The temple was where they met God. This was where their sins were forgiven, their hearts purified. Then with the temple gone, how will they approach God? How will they encounter God without perishing in His holy presence? How will they cleanse themselves? Listen to Hebrews 10:11-14, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool. For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” Jesus was saying, “Have faith in God – trust Him. He will provide. In fact, that’s the very reason why I came.” In other words, we approach God through Christ – through His sacrifice on the cross. We receive forgiveness of God through Him.
Then verses 23-25 are describing the implication of having faith in God – what does it mean to centre one’s life on Christ? Jesus tells us that it begins with prayer. He invites us to depend on Him. He wants us to grow and bear fruit through prayer. Now, when Jesus talks about moving mountains with prayer, He didn’t mean that you and I will be given the power of God to be able to do whatever we desire – just believe. We must read this in light of other teachings on prayer in the Bible. For example, 1 John 5:14-15 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” Then Jesus was giving a hyperbole here to share that God is willing to unleash His power on His people according to His will. In other words, this hyperbole is meant to inspire us to exercise faith in God in prayer (to be more desperate for Him) knowing that only God can make what seems impossible possible. The ESV Study Bible says, “His point is that they should trust God to remove whatever hinders them from bearing fruit for God.” Living in faith will undoubtedly bring insurmountable difficulties – but we will overcome them with the help of God through our prayer. Brothers and sisters, Jesus makes it clear that nothing is going to be achieved in the purpose of God apart from prayer. We need to pray. We need to pray individually. We need to pray together. We may have this great vision for our church – we may desire for us to achieve great things for the Lord. But we will accomplish nothing if we’re not praying. Let this truth sink in today. I pray that all of us would take this seriously and recover the joy and passion for prayer today.
But there’s another implication of having faith in God: verse 25, forgiveness. Faith is not just this vertical acknowledgment of God – it calls us to something horizontal because faith is something you live with your life. Jesus was saying, “How inconsistent would it be to seek the Father’s forgiveness and live in unforgiveness of your neighbor?” Now, how relevant and timely was this for the disciples in light of all the arguments and the conflicts they had as to who was the greatest? And this would be no less relevant for us. As we do life together in this local church, though it’s such a joy and privilege to serve one another with love, we will inevitably sin against one another and disappoint each other. That’s not an “if” but a “when.” So, when that happens, what are we going to do? Jesus calls us to forgive. Why? So that we may pray, so that we may continue to do the work of God. But we know how hard this is. C.S. Lewis said, “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.” Then how do we do this? The gospel. We must remember that Jesus lived every moment of His life for His Father’s honor, driven by His love for us which is why He willingly laid down His life on the cross. Jesus did this so that all our sins would be forgiven and as a result, we are freed from this debt of sin. His grace has saved us. Then may we live according to the power of His grace. We cannot do this on our own. We have hope for ourselves only when we let His grace carry us through. Brothers and sisters, have you been hurt? He is inviting you to forgive knowing that He has forgiven you. May He give you the strength to do this. If a local church, individually and corporately, doesn’t master this, then the seed of disintegration is being sowed – we will crumble if we fail to forgive. So, let’s be a kind of church that is captured by the purpose of God, centred in His Son, passionate about advancing the gospel from our neighborhoods to the nations.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus came not to restore the temple but to replace it. And only through Him do we approach God, receive His forgiveness, and become sons and daughters of God. Then I pray that we would have faith in Him as we continue to live out the call that He has given us – to bear fruit for the Lord as we go and make disciples of all nations knowing that He is with us always, to the very end of the age.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) The leaves of the fig tree looked good, but they masked the fact that there was no fruit. Are there areas in your life that look good but aren’t producing the fruit that God desires? How can we guard our hearts against the sin of hypocrisy? Or how can we guard our hearts against becoming casual with God?
2) How can our church become a house of prayer for all nations?
3) What does your prayer life look like? How can you grow in prayer so that it’s not done as a heartless duty, but as an expression of your communion with God?
4) What is the relationship between prayer, faith, and a forgiving heart? Why is it important to forgive in order to pray? Is there anyone you need to forgive?