Monthly Archives: April 2025

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 3: Clearing the Temple Mark 11:15-18

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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.

Mark 11: 15-18

17th March 2025: Horsham

(Published on the Crossblog on 30th April 2025)

Jesus has walked the three or four miles from Bethany to the city of Jerusalem. As he left the village, Jesus had effectively put a curse on an apparently healthy fig tree which had provided no fruit. By the time he and his disciples return later that day, the tree will be dead.

His destination is Jerusalem. The Temple. When he arrives, he is  frustrated by the commercial activities taking place in the Temple Courts. I want us to think about what was going on and why.

The Pilgrims: The time of the Passover festival is approaching. The population of Jerusalem is hugely swollen by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Some have come from the towns and villages around Jerusalem, but many have travelled long distances from around Israel and beyond. For all of them, their destination is the Temple.

Their pilgrimage is spiritual. It’s about spiritual celebration and service. They are there to worship God. That means sacrifice, offering and prayer. For sacrifice they need animals and they must be in peak condition. They need money to pay the temple tax and make offerings. These things can only be sorted at the Temple. In the outer court – the Court of the Gentiles – money can be changed and animals purchased. When Jesus arrives, this Court is full of noise and bustle, focused around the market – the money changers and the animal traders.

There is little space for quiet. Little space for prayer. The traders and the Temple authorities are making money from the market activities. ‘The Court of the Gentiles should have been a place of praying, but it was instead a place for preying and paying.’ (Wiersbe, p.136)

The Traders: Every animal presented for sacrifice has to be in perfect condition. If it is not up to standard, it will be rejected by the priests. Quite clearly, a sheep which has been driven through the wilderness and along dusty roads will not be in the best condition when it arrives at the Temple. Everyone knows that to pass the scrutiny of the priests, it was necessary to buy your animal in Jerusalem. For this purpose, the court of the gentiles, a large public area surrounding the temple itself, had developed into a livestock market, offering certified lambs, oxen and doves. Certfied as suitable for sacrifice. Of course, in the Temple market, the ‘captive audience’ creates the opportunity to inflate the cost of animals. In some cases, those who are poor can offer a dove in sacrifice in lieu of a lamb. There are records of the Chief Priests controlling the prices to minimise the risk of selling doves at extortionate prices to the poorest worshippers, but it does happen. For Jesus and his family this was nothing new. When Christ was born, Mary and Joseph offered two doves (Luke 2:22-24).

The Money Changers: Most of the worshippers are from Israel, so why the need for money changers? The answer is quite simple. The temple has its own currency. Pilgrims need to pay tax at the temple and the only money which was accepted was the Tyrian Shekel. These coins, originally minted in the city of Tyre, are now produced in Judea under license from the Romans. They can only be used within the Temple compound. One feature of the Tyrean shekel is that it had an unusually high silver content and so the value was consistent and clear to everyone. Exchange rates were set by the traders themselves and so there was profit to be made at the expense of pilgrims.

The Temple Authorities: The market is controlled by the Temple authorities, and one reason for high prices is that animal sellers and money changers are required to pay a fee to these authorities to get a license to sell. There is some  evidence that the Temple authorities deliberately inflated prices, but there is also evidence that at times they were instrumental in reducing the burden on pilgrims by driving prices down (for an example see the actions of Rabbi Ben Gamaliel to reduce the price of doves, recorded in the Mishnah, Kerithoth 1:7).

Jesus actions: You’ll know the story. Jesus has very strong views about what is going on. He starts turning over tables of money changers and dove sellers. ‘Is it not written that my temple shall be a house of prayer for all nations!’ (Isaiah 56:7) ‘But you have made it a den of robbers.’ (Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus is really saying, this is the Temple and God expects his people to be producing fruit. In reality, rather than encouraging worship and upholding the Law, the authorities were continuing a situation where space was given to lucrative commerce rather than prayer. Instead of facilitating heartfelt worship, the focus is on making money from it.

The Result: There were several reasons why Christ’s action would have upset the authorities. There was a momentary interruption to cash flow. There is a need to keep control – to be seen to respond to this outrageous behaviour of a Rabbi. A riot in the temple courts will attract the attention, even the intervention of the Romans.  Perhaps worst of all, the people were excited, and attracted to Jesus. Many of them were there when he entered the city, riding a donkey. Many of them had heard that this was the Messiah, and they want it to be true. In this moment, he is clearly, and very publicly, attacking the authorities.  They are, after all, the overseers of the whole thing. So many reasons for the Jewish leaders to want to be rid of him.

End Piece: This was not the first time Jesus had visited the temple. The practices of the market place in the Temple had developed over many generations. It’s easy for us to be critical of the situation that provoked Jesus to take action, but to everyone involved, including the pilgrims, that was just the way things had always worked. The vast majority of people didn’t even notice that they were doing anything wrong, and maybe that’s what really annoyed Jesus.

The real message here is that Israel is not fulfilling it’s purpose before God. The healthy looking fig tree is failing to produce even those small immature fruit which might have been available at this time of year. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel. Like the fig tree, Israel itself is at risk of finding itself deeply out of favour with God.

From time to time we wonder how Jesus would react if he walked into our Church. Maybe, rather than condemning the money changers, animal traders and temple authorities, it might be more fruitful to reflect on what is going on in our own Churches and our own way of life.  If Jesus walked into your world right now, what might attract his attention? (Matthew 7:3-5)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 2: The Fig Tree – Mark 11:12-14 and 19-21

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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.          […]          19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] 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!”

Mark 11:12-14 and 19-21

5th March 2025: Horsham

(Published here on 30th April 2025)

Yesterday, I pointed out a literary device which appears in Mark’s gospel which we call the ‘Markan Sandwich’. This device brings two separate stories together with a common theme (the Markan Sandwich is explained here).  In this case, the two stories are the cursing of the fig tree, and the story of Jesus clearing the temple. In this post I’m concentrating on the story of the fig tree.

At first glance, this is a rather strange story. Christ’s actions feel jarringly out of character. We see Jesus ‘using his power to blast a tree which had disappointed him when he was hungry.‘ (Barclay, Loc 5466). This seems particularly harsh on the tree because Mark tells us that figs were not in season. More than ever, we really need some context!

Setting the Scene: It’s early morning. Jesus has spent the night in Bethany, a few miles from Jerusalem, and is making his way to the city where he will visit the Temple. He’s hungry. Whilst figs are not in season, the fact that the tree is in leaf means that it would normally offer some immature edible fruits. These fruits are actually buds called ‘breba or taqsh’ which appear with the first leaves of the spring but don’t develop into fruits. There were no taqsh. The tree looks as if it will serve Christ’s needs. It does not.

The Curse: The ‘curse’ which Jesus places upon the tree is this. “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” (v14). The incident is reported in Matthew 21. Whilst there are some textual variations in the Greek, in essence the same words are reproduced. This might sound like an expression of anger, but in truth, it is a clear statement of condemnation. Matthew says that the impact was immediate. Mark tells us that the disciples noticed the dead tree at the end of same day. The fact is that the tree rapidly – supernaturally – withers and dies. Yet why, we still want to ask, did Jesus say this to a fig tree?

The Fig Tree: The fact that this is a fig tree is significant. When the twelve explorers were sent by Moses from the wilderness into the Promised Land, they found wonderful things. One of the key things they reported finding was fig trees (Numbers 13:23. Deuteronomy 8:7-9  Fig trees, along with vines, are slow growing. They become identified with peace, stability and safety. In Scripture, the fig tree comes to symbolise Israel itself.

“When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.

Hosea 9:10

The End Piece: Here, then, we have an image of Jesus coming to a fig tree, symbolic of the nation of Israel. The fig tree is in leaf. It looks healthy. It looks productive. It looks as if it is fulfilling it’s purpose. Yet at the moment when the Messiah comes, it is found wanting.

There is a warning for us all here. The symbolism is simple. At the moment when the Messiah comes, Israel itself is found wanting.

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:40)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

 

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 1: The Markan Sandwich – Mark 11: 12-25

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Horsham: 4th March 2025

(Published on The Crossblog 30th April)

You may come across a reference in a commentary or sermon to an aspect of Mark’s style which we call the ‘Markan Sandwich’. This is a literary device in which the writer starts to tell a story. After a short paragraph of introduction, he moves to a second story, before returning to conclude the first narrative. At first glance, the two stories may seem entirely unrelated to each other, but invariably they work together to make or emphasise a point. ‘The middle story nearly always provides the key to the theological purpose of the sandwich.’ (Dr Tim White).

The Sandwich: The ‘Markan sandwich’ device appears 7 times in Mark’s gospel (see the list at the end of this post). In these verses, Mark 11: 12-25,  we have a great example. Mark introduces the story of the fig tree which offers no fruit. He then relates the story of Christ clearing the temple, before returning to the conclusion of the story of the fig tree. We’re going to look at each of these stories, but first, let’s look at the link between them.

The Fig Tree: The fig tree should be able to deliver small fruits which would feed Jesus. These are not mature figs, but a kind of bud, referred to as a ‘breba’ in Spain, or a ‘taqsh’ in arabic countries. These small buds, which do not develop into full figs, appear in the cooler months of spring and are edible. They’re not a great delicacy, but if you were hungry, you would eat them.

This tree looks as if it should be capable of producing fruit. On close inspection, it offers nothing.

The Temple: In the Jewish mind, temple was a place of worship and sacrifice. Jesus reacted strongly to the corrupt commercial market which was being held within its’ walls. The market was the only, or at least the most visible, activity in the temple courts.

The temple looked as if it was capable of producing fruit for God, but on close inspection, Jesus found that it was failing in its purpose. The main activity was buying, selling and money changing, with some traders taking advantage of the many pilgrims and visitors.

The Link: Let’s start by noting that the Jews regarded the fig tree as symbolic of Israel. This is rooted in Old Testament imagery.

The fig tree’s fruitfulness is a metaphor for the nation’s blessing and favor from God. Conversely, the absence or destruction of fig trees symbolizes judgment and desolation. (see BibleHub commentary: ‘Symbolism of the Fig Tree)

We’ve already noticed that both the fig tree (which somehow represents Israel) and the temple (which should be the beating heart of Israel) are failing to produce fruit which is at the core of their created purpose.  Consequently, both are condemned by Christ. The destruction of the fig tree is immediate. In context, we see a performative parable which prophecies the destruction of the temple. That destruction is just as real and takes place at the hands of the Romans, nearly 40 years later.

The Lesson: In context, these two stories sit perfectly together and contribute to a single purpose. The lesson is simple. The follower of Jesus must produce fruit for the kingdom. That is our purpose. In these performative parables, Jesus criticises those who look as if they are being effective, but in reality they are not. Each of us, and every Church of every generation, needs to sit up and take note.

‘I know your deeds. You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead!’ (Revelation 3:1)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

For a simple but detailed review of the ‘Markan Sandwich’, see article by Dr Tim White, Professor of Ministry and Theology, Carolina University. 

The seven examples of the Markan Sandwich

Mark 5:21-43: The story of Jairus and the woman with the hemorrage;

Mark 6:7-30: The sending out of the Twelve and the death of John the Baptist.

Mark 11:12-21: The condemnation of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple;

Mark 14:1-11: The Plot to kill Jesus, including Judas’ betrayal, and the anointing of Jesus at Bethany

Mark 14:17-31 Christ’s prediction of his betrayal by Judas and Peter, and the Last Supper

Mark 14:53-72 Peter in the courtyard of the High Priest and interrogation of Jesus

Mark 15:40-16:8 The women at the cross and the tomb, and Christ’s body claimed by Joseph of Arimathea

Contemplative

#BTW: Good Friday

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Milton Keynes: 18th April 2025

I’ve had a great week but I have been on the road a lot. Last night I found myself staying at a hotel in Milton Keynes. I use this place fairly frequently, and it’s normally reasonably quiet. This, however, is Good Friday. The Easter break. Quiet it was not!

Breakfast Time…
This morning, the breakfast room was very busy. There were lots of families, teenagers, grandparents. and  smattering of individuals and couples. Loads of people were browsing their phones, or tablets. One or two business people were keeping their heads down, tapping away at laptops. Not the quiet breakfast I had anticipated.

So, there I was with my second cup of coffee. I was reading the bible on my phone.  I was using Bible Gateway (other apps are available). I read the Good Friday passages in all four gospels. Well done me. Treasure in heaven.

I looked around the room, at all the busy-ness and chatter going on around me, people rushing backwards and forwards with drinks and plates of food. It occurred to me with a sense of heaviness that I might be the only person on this room who would even notice that would open my bible today.

Lesson One …
As I was reflecting on all this, I had this image of myself sitting alone in that breakfast room in a place of absolute stillness. I saw myself in focus, whilst all this other stuff went on around me in an out of focus blur. It was a special picture which sort of created an awareness of Christ’s presence in that room. (Psalm 46:10). God is there. Even in the busiest places.

It was a reassuring image. It felt good. Moments like that give me confidence. They build me up. But they occasionally have a context. Sometimes they have an edge.

Lesson 2 …
A short while later, I went for a walk and reflected prayerfully on this image I had seen. In my mind, I looked around again at the people in the room who were not reading the Bible. In my spirit, God sort of asked me who I thought I was to judge them? He reminded me that whatever I might think, His heart is for every one of these people. From the youngest (there was an adorable three month old baby very close by)  to the oldest (I was far from being the oldest). He reminded me that I am a very average judge of character. He reminded me that I knew nothing about these people or their relationship with Him. I am looking at them from the outside. Only he can see their hearts. (1 Samuel 16:7b) When will I learn? Ouch!

Lesson 3 …
Then, he kind of showed me the image again. This time it was sort of reversed. I was part of the rush and bustle. I was in the blur. Passing  the table where I had been sitting I saw myself as others would have seen me. ‘What do you see? Do you see an angel? Do you see a great and  unmissable witness to God’s saving grace?’ 

No. What I saw was a man in late middle age, sitting in a hotel breakfast room, surrounded by the debris of his breakfast, sipping a luke warm cup of coffee, browsing his phone. He didn’t look particularly happy. A man looking, now I come to think about it, pretty much like everyone else. (Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought: Romans 12:3)

The End Piece …
Well done me? Treasure in heaven? Maybe not!

One cup of coffee. Three lessons. I am a work in progress.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Gospel of Mark

Triumphal Entry 4: That Prophecy (Zechariah 9:9)

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Perspective..
I’m passing through London on a train, looking at the skyline. I can see a series of tall buildings. Skyscrapers. My eyesight is pretty good and I can see them clearly. Now I know London pretty well, but if I didn’t, I would be hard pressed to be certain which block is nearest or which one is furthest away. Understanding perspective can be a challenge.

Chapter, Verse and Context..
In ancient times, Scripture was not divided into chapters and verses. There’s no question that the introduction of this device has made it easier for us to find and reference specific parts of Scripture, but there is a downside. Even before chapters and verses, students were able to find their way through Scripture, but their familiarity was based on context and themes. But even then, things were still open to interpretation. Once again, getting the right perspective is a challenge.

A Familiar Verse..

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.

Zechariah 9:9

We’ve learned this verse. It’s familiar to us, but it was never really intended to stand alone. Understanding the context is critical to understanding what is going on as Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Our Perspective..
This seems straightforward. We make the connection to Jesus, righteous and virtuous, riding a donkey on Palm Sunday. We see him as Messiah, greeted by a welcoming crowd, waving palm leaves and shouting ‘Hosanna’.  For  us, this Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the child born to be King (2 Sam 7:12-13), and the suffering servant (Isaiah 53}. His resurrection defines him as One who conquers death. So when we read this we see Jesus, coming as King, riding on a donkey, ready to suffer for our salvation.

The Crowd Perspective…
This crowd is really excited. There is joy. ‘Joy’ doesn’t really convey what is going on. This is exuberance. This is sheer jubilation. Why? Because they know all about the prophecies of Zechariah. and they believe that Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. After the long winter of God’s silence, his Son is here! They are shouting ‘Hosanna’  – the word means ‘save now’. This crowd believes that Jesus, riding on his donkey, is capable of delivering salvation.

Sounds pretty similar to our interpretation. But this crowd is looking at a very different Messiah from the one we see.

The Jewish Perspective..
This crowd is almost exclusively Jewish, and their cultural lens is very different from ours.  For them, Zechariah is a great prophet, but the prophecy doesn’t stop at the end of what we call verse 9. In reality, they know the prophecies of Zechariah better than we do. They knew all of it. For them,  there was a wider context. The themes of these prophecies were in their DNA.

To catch a glimpse their perspective, their interpretation, their context, we need to look beyond verse 9.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem, 
and the battle bow will be broken.

In the Jewish mind, the coming Messiah will rid Israel of it’s enemies. He will rid Jerusalem of the chariots and war horses of their oppressors (v10). He will restore peace to Israel ‘from sea to sea, from the rivers to the ends of the earth,‘ (v10) He will free those who are captive (v11), he will restore their security and wealth – he will give them hope (v12). He will give Israel victory over the gentile oppressors (v13). This messiah will bring physical, literal and long lasting restoration to the nation of Israel (v14-15).

This is their expectation of the coming Messiah. This is the ‘restoration’ which the coming Messiah would bring to Israel.   Here is their messiah. Here is their King. This is the Messiah they are so excited about.This is the ‘salvation’ which they believe that Jesus will deliver.

The idea of this messiah facing his death in Jerusalem in a few days time was not on their agenda.

Two Very Different Perspectives..
The first part of the prophecy speaks of a King riding a donkey, symbolic of his coming in peace. That’s the part we focus on. This second half speaks of the King who will come in force and power. One Messiah. That’s the part which the Jews were focused on.

Two prophecies.. One Messiah..
You start to get the picture. There are two very different, but entirely accurate, expectations of the Messiah. The suffering servant and the conquering hero. These two descriptions of the Messiah, both rooted in prophetic writings, look as if they are in conflict with each other. Actually, they’re not. We all need to adjust our lenses so that we can see the bigger picture.

It’s a bit like my story about the London skyline. We’ve effectively got two prophecies about the Messiah. Both are familiar. They both foretell the coming of the Messiah. Each of them relates to a specific point in history. The problem is that it’s not the same point. When we read them, our spiritual eyesight doesn’t tell us which is the nearest and which is furthest away.

 The End Piece..
Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. In that, we agree with most of this excited crowd.

A few days after this exuberant scene, Jesus is arrested, tried and crucified. To us, his death, and the resurrection to come, affirm that He is the Messiah.  His journey leads to seismic, universal and eternal change. Light overcomes darkness. The veil over God’s sanctuary is torn. Good triumphs over evil. Life is victorious over death.

To this Jewish crowd, however, his death is profoundly undermining. Their Messiah should defeat the Romans, not be killed by them. So, what about the conquering prophecy of a Messiah  who will restore peace and deal with Israel’s enemies?

After his death and resurrection there was a 40 day period when people, lots of people, saw Jesus face to face. There were many, many witnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). At the end of that 40 day period, he was taken up into heaven. You can read that part of the story in Acts 1. Notice verse 11:

‘this Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.‘ Acts 1:11

Did you notice the words, ‘Jesus […] will come back..’ The theme continues throughout New Testament writings.

The teaching of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John are crystal clear. These are the guys who had been taught directly by Jesus. He will be back, and when he returns, it will herald another time of seismic, universal and eternal change. This time, justice and peace will be restored. Jerusalem will be restored. The enemies of the redefined Israel will be dealt with and crushed, and the Kingdom of God will be restored.

Jesus often said that those around him were so close to understanding, and maybe that was true of this crowd.

I don’t think that there’s any doubt that many people in this noisy crowd did, in that moment, believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were anticipating the imminent fulfilment of the wrong part of Zechariah’s prophecy. It’s a question of perspective. The one which they thought was nearest, was actually furthest away.

Christ has died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK