Disappointing Tree, Desecrated Temple

In this part of the sermon: This section details the circumstances leading to the fig tree's cursing, including Jesus' hunger on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem and his observation of an ownerless fig tree…

Martin references Jesus' hunger after 40 days of fasting in the wilderness to emphasize the reality of his human hunger before the fig tree.

Now these verses describe for us the circumstances which led to the cursing of this tree. We are told that on the way out of Bethany, on the morning of the second day of that Passion Week, Monday morning, as our Lord was making the two-mile journey from Bethany to Jerusalem, with his disciples, hunger came upon him. The text says, he hungered. The same kind of language that is used in the earlier account of our Lord's temptation when after 40 days of fasting in the wilderness and first-hand encounter with the devil, he hungered. Now the question is asked and debated and discussed by the variou...

6:35 - 8:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the circumstances leading to the fig tree's cursing, including Jesus' hunger on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem and his observation of an ownerless fig tree…

Examples from Mark's Gospel (praying before daybreak, spending a night in prayer before choosing disciples, Gethsemane) are used to suggest Jesus' restless night before the temple cleansing was due to spiritual trauma and prayer.

his mind and his spirit were literally permeated. They were, constantly and continually agitated with what his eyes had seen and his ears had heard when he made this close inspection of the entire temple area and in the light of what we shall see in the second major incident of the day it is clear that what he saw and what he heard caused nothing less than a violent disruption in his holy soul, Nothing less than volcanic pressure within the spirit of the Son of God. And knowing his patterns from other parts of Mark's gospel and from the other gospel records, we know that when our Lord was in t...

9:23 - 10:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the circumstances leading to the fig tree's cursing, including Jesus' hunger on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem and his observation of an ownerless fig tree…

Martin quotes Hebert's commentary to explain the unusual nature of the fig tree's early foliage, which promised fruit out of season, making its barrenness significant.

And as he saw it from a distance, there was something about that fig tree, there was something about that fig tree, fig tree that made it stand out from any other fig trees that were along the wayside or that were there in proper orchards. And what struck our Lord's eye from afar is indicated in the text. And seeing the fig tree from afar, it was the presence of abundant lineage discernible from afar that attracted our Lord's eye to this particular fig tree. Having leaves or abundance of foliage was a distinguishing mark of that tree. And as I have sought to pursue the question, why in the wor...

12:53 - 14:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the circumstances leading to the fig tree's cursing, including Jesus' hunger on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem and his observation of an ownerless fig tree…

An anecdote from Mr. Bishop, who found an unusually early fruiting fig tree in Jerusalem once but not again for ten years, supports the idea that the cursed fig tree was exceptionally promising.

in regard to its fruit. And then Hebert has a very interesting footnote of a man who spent many years in the Holy Land, and this is what he saw. Mr. Bishop relates the unusual experience of finding a fig tree near the wall of Jerusalem in the spring of 1936, which had figs quite large enough to warrant picking.

15:28 - 15:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section details the circumstances leading to the fig tree's cursing, including Jesus' hunger on the way from Bethany to Jerusalem and his observation of an ownerless fig tree…

The proverb 'to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet' is used to explain why Jesus, in his real human hunger, would anticipate eating even unripe figs.

So the collation of the input of those who've observed the horticulture of Palestine, and those who have sought to examine these things, lends an insight that breaks open the circumstances which led to the cursing of the tree. Having said that, he says, Having seen from afar this unusual foliage that made it stand out from all other fig trees along the way, our Lord, being hungry, begins to make a connection between His hunger pangs and the possibility that amidst all that foliage there will be some of the first harvest of figs. Some have pointed out that that first harvest is not the large an...

16:02 - 17:29 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section identifies the location of the temple cleansing as the Court of the Gentiles, distinguishing it from the inner sanctuary. Martin uses an analogy of an enlarged church…

Martin uses the analogy of enlarging the church's downstairs foyer to visualize the vastness and function of the Court of the Gentiles in the temple.

between the general precincts of the temple area, including the porch of the Gentiles and Solomon's porch and the court of the women, and the actual sanctuary, the naos, not the hieron. And so Mark tells us that the place where the cleansing occurred was not in the inner sanctuary, but out in the court of the Gentiles. Now, as I wrestled with how to try to visualize this for you, I said, well, maybe this is the time I ought to break my general rule and get an overhead projector and flash it on the back wall, a diagram. Then I said, no, that would be cumbersome. I think I can do it by way of an...

26:24 - 27:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The court was a witness that the house should be a house of prayer for all nations but had now been degraded into a place which for foulness was more like shambles and for bustling commerce like a densely crowded bazaar.

Martin quotes Farrar's 'Life of Christ' to provide a graphic and detailed description of the chaotic, noisy, and defiled commercial activity in the temple courts during Passover.

This is not a book. Or this is not a set of books that I endorse unreservedly, but at points it is most helpful. And I want to read this section out of Farrar. We have already seen, writes Farrar, what vast crowds flocked to the holy city at the great annual feast.

28:34 - 28:54 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details Jesus' three-fold cleansing activity: expulsion of buyers and sellers, disruption by overturning tables and seats, and prohibition against carrying vessels through…

The analogy of a baseball umpire ejecting a player from a game is used to explain the strong verb 'cast out,' showing that expulsion doesn't require physical force but authoritative command.

No. No. But I think the closest parallel is I prayed Lord give me something that really has a parallel in our own day and I believe this is probably the closest thing and many of you like baseball so I think you'll be able to relate to this. A man standing at the plate in a critical situation in a ball game and he looks at a third strike go by and he's called out and the game's over and he's convinced it was three inches inside.

36:45 - 37:11 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details Jesus' three-fold cleansing activity: expulsion of buyers and sellers, disruption by overturning tables and seats, and prohibition against carrying vessels through…

Martin describes the money changers sitting cross-legged at low wooden tables with piles of coins, allowing the listener to visualize Jesus overturning them.

Then he did a second thing. He caused tremendous disruption and the verb is used which is a compound verb which literally rendered would be to turn down. Now these money changers would sit cross legged and here's where one must be restrained in acting out the passage. Well, but they would sit cross legged by a low wooden table.

38:53 - 39:21 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You have taken my house the house of my father that is to be the seat of true heart religion and you know what you've made it he says you have made it a very cave for pirates you've made it a den...

The imagery of pirates stashing ill-gotten goods in a cave or a band of muggers using an abandoned house as headquarters is used to illustrate the 'den of robbers' indictment, emphasizing the temple's degradation into a place of organized crime and spiritual corruption.

as God's little pet cut off from all unclean hoards of the Gentiles and when she forgot and was not true to her missionary purpose she was a cursed nation so our Lord asked that searching question does it not stand written he's trying to probe their consciences with their own sacred documents but then he gives a withering indictment look at it you you have made it a den of robbers now this is very interesting den of robbers that says very little to us but some of us remember stories about pirates and pirates who used to when they got their hoards of goods by illegal means would stash them away...

47:23 - 48:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You have taken my house the house of my father that is to be the seat of true heart religion and you know what you've made it he says you have made it a very cave for pirates you've made it a den...

Martin draws a parallel between the false prophets in Jeremiah's day, who preached unconditional security to Israel despite their sin, and modern 'smiling liars' who offer similar false comfort.

about to come under the judgment of God and go into captivity and yet drunk with presumption and the false prophets telling them you're all right you're Israelites you're okay God will never turn his back on you he's got a security doctrine long before there were any Baptist to preach it not the perseverance of the Saints but unconditional security once an Israelite always an Israelite always safe no matter what you do when Jeremiah and the other prophets came along and said look if you break the covenant you'll come under the curse of the covenant the false prophet says those guys are just a ...

50:21 - 51:50 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine your comfort level with the Jesus who curses a disappointing tree and cleanses a desecrated temple with holy violence.

Martin suggests that the high priests had a financial interest in the temple concessions, likening it to a 'Palestinian ecclesiastical shakedown system' to explain their anger at Jesus.

day before crying Hosanna to the son of David he said why we're going to lose our hold over the religious crowd we're the high priests we are the scribes we appointed leaders who is this man to come in and rival us the messianic king who held their eye eternal destiny in his hands but because their own position as the leaders was being shaken you see from the writers who've commented on that period of history there seems to be a clear indication that there was an intimate relationship between the high priests apparently you had to rent out one of those concession booths and when you rented it ...

57:35 - 59:04 Read in full sermon