Mark Chapter 11 Verse 12

• Now what we are about to see is a ridiculously powerful scene but before we get into the next few verses, let’s not flash by what we just read too quickly. Mark tells us, “He was hungry.” In the Greek literally that reads, “Jesus was suffering want.” That’s impactful. That’s amazing. That’s comforting! Why? Because that’s us man! We’re not perfect, we’re not glorified and so somewhere in some way in some depth of our heart we too, all of us, are suffering something…not content, not yet home…
• Maybe not having all that we need, in our jobs, in our homes…maybe even suffering with illness or loss of someone dear to us…How comforting that the One who walks through all of that with us doesn’t do so from a position of objectivity…but from a place of empathetic understanding. He knows how you feel man…not only can He see your heart but man His heart beats with the same ache as yours…His body quivers with the remembrance of the same weakness as yours…and so the perfect comforter He most certainly is…
• Not condescending, not inconsiderate, unfeeling, impatient, intolerant…but perceptive, understanding, sensitive and responsive to where you are at! Responsive to truth yes…responsive to His Word yes…but don’t stop there! We serve an intimate, loving, personal, relational God…Jesus knows not only in-fact where you are at but here we see, He personally, experientially knows suffering and so know this…God responds to you personally because He understands you thoroughly, and loves you eternally! Awesome!

Mark Chapter 11 Verses 13 – 14

• Oh man…burn! That seems cold doesn’t it!? (He could have just busted on it (made a joke). I Googled “Fruitless Joke…” like, “Man yo tree is so fruitless…punchline,” but all I found were bad jokes…Get it? Fruitless jokes?) Anyway, that seems cold, almost reactionary. But check it (dude dig this)…it’s not. You forget Jesus revealed to His disciples, to the people, to the woman at the well, to Martha, to us…who He was and who He is…He is God and therefore this scene…and every scene involving the acts and the Word of God…there is more than meets the eye! Like the Transformers theme song! “Transformers, more than meets the eye!” Is it a car, NO! It’s awesomeness!!!
• Let’s watch this scene transform. Jesus has a theological, an epic reason for doing what He does here…Here’s the deal with this fig tree…we know that it’s the time of Passover so it’s not exactly time for fruit BUT, there are leaves. Typically, on a fig tree, when the leaves bloom, fruit comes…and so it was acceptable for Jesus to expect fruit however, He finds none…and so pronounces judgment over the tree…the Bible says He cursed it…I would say He simply spoke truth…
• Why would I say that…here’s the “more than meets the eye part.” Here’s the theological dynamite stick! If we do not first bear fruit unto God, we certainly will not bear fruit unto men. Period. Foot stomp. Simple truth, man. We may have an abundance of leaves…activities, words, knowledge, understanding, service…we may be able to give someone good Biblical advice or engage in a wonderful discussion around Biblical truth, even leading people into a deeper understanding of the Word of God…we might look like we’ve got it all together…from afar…but upon closer inspection…well…fig leaves feed no one who is suffering want! Do we have any, are we bearing any…fruit?
• We find fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, described in several places in the Bible. The fruit of the conversion of souls (John 4:36). The fruit of the works of righteousness (Philippians 1:22). The fruit of giving (Romans 15:28). The fruit of praise (Hebrews 13:15). But what does any of that matter without the fruit of love (Galatians 5)? The Holy Spirit inspiring Paul to write his first letter to the church in Corinth in Chapter 13 would say absolutely nothing! Without love fruit ain’t fruit man…it’s just leaves dressed up in a fruit costume and when closely inspected…leaves leave folks suffering need man…
• Where there are prophecies, (eloquently spoken truths), they will fail; whether there are tongues, super spirituals, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away…but love…never ever ever ever fails…
• Jesus was pronouncing truth upon this fig tree in the listening ears of His disciples…even us this morning…God is not primarily concerned with leaves of activities and amassed knowledge and fantastic Bible teaching J, He is concerned with fruit in our hearts man…and look, not even towards others! That’s secondary, that’s a symptom. Do you know that?
• Loving others, feeding others, serving others man just showing the grace of God is not actually showing anything it’s simply flowing! Flowing what your relationship, your love, your walk with God is out to others! That is why Jesus gave the greatest of commandments…to bear fruit to God…to love Him…and then the feeding of others will simply flow naturally…
• Oh we’ll have excuses though. Even Mark did. “For it was not the season of figs.” But God my circumstance, my boss, my wife, you don’t know how cold she is to me, how can I love her…bearing fruit unto God is circumstance agnostic man…God doesn’t change…His Word doesn’t change…and the inability to reach into the darkness that maybe she is in and love her there is not her fault at all…it’s a call for personal spiritual growth for you and for me…
• The reality of God is above excuses man…it transcends earthly perspective and lifts you into what the Bible calls abundant life, promised land life…where you shine bright even in the midst of darkness…So the reason here for doing this was not a reaction because of His bodily hunger but to reveal to His disciples and to us…that unless we first bear fruit unto God…knowing Him, loving Him, understanding the cross and that we are no better than anyone else…all have sinned man…unless we first love Him we cannot love anyone other than ourselves…and man so here’s the scary part…you can get a good read on your walk with God by inspecting your fruit towards others…and I’m NOT TALKING WORKS MAN…
• I’m talking love…graceful, compassionate, committed love to put others first, to suffer long and to be kind (man THAT takes strength!)…smooth (just like a a-silk-a) with others (and this includes actually is primarily your spouses, your bosses, your coworkers…even the folks that rub you wrong) How you don’t seek your own, are not easily provoked, don’t get all happy when they get theirs (do you hate Karma? I love mercy man…grace…so I MUST hate Karma!) Jesus said to this tree, you have no fruit for Me, you will have no fruit for others…truth.

Mark Chapter 11 Verses 15 – 19

• I love this scene because I’m not sure Jesus had a problem with wares or items being in the temple…He certainly had a problem with the money changers and the sellers of doves…that was plain unadulterated evil, but concerning the wares what He had a problem with was the folks selling the items for personal profit. That’s why He says here, “You have made the temple a den of thieves.” You are stealing from the people!
• The church is not a place to make a profit; it’s a place to make a prophet! Play on words! HA! We may offer books and cakes and maybe even shirts or whatever within the church however it will not be a means of gain because in doing so we exact usury upon the people…I’d rather give the stuff away and allow people to freely give unto the Lord as their heart desires man…this is a place of giving, a place of healing, a place of family, a place of prayer and worship…and if any merchandising violates that or even scratches that, it ain’t happening!
• One last point. Why did the scribes and Chief Priests want to destroy Him? Because they feared…stopping the flow of doves and wares and buying and selling, what would that also stop? The sacrifices…and what week is it? Passover week…holy week! He’s exposing the leaves for what they are…chopping them off, stopping the authority of the priests, halting the superiority of the religious! Screaming out, “My House!” See that right there in verse 17?
• Their attacks are representative of their fear. Same with yours and same with mine…and if that’s the case, what is our love representative of? Courage. It’s just as plain as that man…putting ourselves out there…becoming vulnerable…in a week Jesus would be murdered on a Roman cross. Abandoned entirely…because He is courageous enough to love us…to win us back from death…to rescue us from a life wasted of bearing useless leaves man…to know us…each one…one on one man…
• But sure enough, courage is the key man…those that choose hell over heaven, ultimately, at the core of that decision…according to the Bible…is fear…Revelation 21:6-8…Jesus has secured life for each of us but to receive it or not, our choice…