“And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on His head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, ‘Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor.’ And they murmured against her. And Jesus said,
‘Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on Me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but Me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint My body to the burying.
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.’
And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray Him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.” Mark 14:3-11
Peace
Do Not Be Afraid
“And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: for they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them,
‘Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.’
And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” Mark 6:45-52
Even the Wind and the Sea Obey Him
“And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them,
‘Let us pass over unto the other side.’
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. And there were also with Him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake Him, and say unto Him, ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish?’ And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
‘Peace, be still.’
And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them,
‘Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?’
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’ ” Mark 4:35-41
Till He Send Forth Judgment Into Victory
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
‘Behold My Servant, whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.’ ” Matthew 12:18-21
To Fulfill The Scriptures
In looking at the life of Jesus Christ one cannot help but notice that the life of Jesus is completely submitted to the will of His Father. He is about fulfilling God’s will for His life as a human being on earth. Now, if we want a good example then, Jesus is the one to follow. He is however, much more than an example to follow. He is, in fact, the very only begotten Son of God (John 1:1-5, 14; 3:16). Part of His submission to the Father as man is His heart and will to fulfill Scriptures and we see that in the following verses,
“Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him,
‘Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?’
In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes,
‘Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take Me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on Me.’
But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled.” Matthew 26:50-56
In this short passage we see the statement twice, “But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled…?” and then, “But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled”, and all this was at the time of His betrayal and arrest.
Though the name of the sword wielder is not given, we know from the testimony of the apostle John (John 18:10-11) that it is Peter who was overly protective of His Lord. If we think Peter only meant to cut off that man’s ear, we would be gravely mistaken. Peter was not a highly trained soldier in handling a sword; but his intent was to divide that man’s head.
The intent and purpose of Jesus was to fulfill Scripture and glorify His Father. In that act He would also make a way for those who will believe to have fellowship with God the Father. By way of the cross Scripture, all of Scripture would be fulfilled, the sin debt would be paid, God would be honored, and glorified; and there is a way of salvation from the condemnation of sin.
The event of the above Scriptures follow a time of great trial in our Lord’s life. It was a time of the “press”. In a place where the olives were pressed for the oil, the very fragrance of Heaven was being pressed in doing the will of Heaven. Jesus was about doing the will of God. His mind, His heart, His soul, and His strength was going to see that all Scripture would be fulfilled.
In the press, by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, we can be about fulfilling the will and word of God in our lives. Be strong in faith, believe God, trust every word He has said; that He will fulfill every word that, even now, has yet to be fulfilled. Believe it will be; and live accordingly. No matter what trial or tribulation may come; economic failure, employment fails, health fails, earthquake or flood, or fire. God’s Word – all of Scripture will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
The Power of Faith
“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it,
‘No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.’
And His disciples heard it. And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them,
‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?’ But ye have made it a den of thieves.’
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him: for they feared Him, because all the people was astonished at His doctrine. And when even was come, He went out of the city. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, ‘Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ ” Mark 11:12-26 (KJV)
IN THE FIG TREE JESUS SHOWS US THE FRUITLESSNESS OF A DEAD RELIGION AND CONFRONTS IT.
As Jesus and the disciples were leaving Bethany, back toward Jerusalem, Jesus spots a fig tree with leaves on it – advertising that it had fruit. When Jesus arrives there they discover it has no fruit. Jesus curses the fig tree. To some this may seem unnecessary for Jesus to have done, but it seems to me that there is a message we must hear and heed.
- “There was a voice in it for the JEWISH CHURCH. Rich in the leaves of a formal religion, but barren of all fruits of the Spirit, that Church was in fearful danger, at the very time when this withering took place. Well would it have been for the Jewish Church if it had had eyes to see its peril!”
- “There was a voice in the fig tree for all the branches of Christ’s VISIBLE CHURCH in every age, and every part of the world. There was a warning against an empty profession of Christianity unaccompanied by sound doctrine and holy living, which some of those branches would have done well to lay to heart.” From J. C. Ryle commentary on Mark’s Gospel.
Dead religion offers nothing but leaves, and like the “fig leaves” which Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with were inadequate, so are the “fig leaves” of a dead religion. In Scriptures the “Fig tree” often represents the nation of Israel and/or its religion (See Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12; Zechariah 3:10). It is somewhat intrigueing that we have Jesus’ strong words to this fig tree just before He enters the Temple compound and finds them “Buying and selling”. You will also notice that when Jesus and the disciples pass by the fig tree again that it is dead.
Why did Jesus “curse” the fig tree. First of all “it was not the season for figs” according to the text, but it had leaves, and most usually the leaves and the figs grew together. Secondly, by having leaves but no figs it was “advertising” it had fruit when it did not.
There are many people who do not believe that Jesus ever became angry. Those who think that must have never read of the two times Jesus cleansed the temple. He cleansed the temple once when He had just began His ministry three years prior to this, and then He does it again here. You can read about the first “Cleansing” in John chapter two, verses thirteen through seventeen.
Here is what was going on in the Temple compound. It was expected that the animals brought to the Temple for sacrifice would be inspected by the priest, but it had became a practice to find fault when there was no fault. It may have been something like this – A priest would say an animal was at fault then sell the owner of the “faulty” offering an “approved” offering, and then, he would sell this man’s animal as “approved” to someone else. Some people who travelled great distances may expect to buy a Temple approved offering at the Temple. It was nothing more than theft, and dishonesty that was taking place in the name of God. There was no holiness, righteousness, or godliness in the place. The “House of prayer” had been turned into a “Den of thieves”, and Jesus would not tolerate it.
The money changers would charge great fees for exchanging Greek and Roman monies for the Temple money. They made a great deal of profit by this deed, and took advantage of many poor people by the selling of doves for an extravagant profit.
The Church of the Lord Jesus this day needs to pay careful attention to this. The things of God are not for the making of profit. Using the name of God to attach a price on things is theft, and dishonors the name of the Lord. There are business men today who attend church so as to maintain a base for their business, and to keep a good name in the community they are in. Some will even try to conduct a little business in the church. There are some who think the church should be conducted like a business, when it is not a business, nor should it be conducted as such. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and is to be conducted by His guidelines and for His purposes, and glory.
In looking at the fig tree this is how we could define “Dead religion” – 1. It offers much but delivers little; 2. It is cold and formal; 3. It seems alive by its much activity [its buying and selling], but God is not there; 4. Its leaves cover its fruitlessness, but not to God’s eyes.
In verses 20 through 26 Jesus gives us a lesson in faith. The fig tree He “cursed” the day before has already withered – it is dead. It was so dead that even its roots were dried up. “Have faith in God” is the statement Jesus issues to the disciples. It is faith in God that makes all things possible. Someone has said, “Where God guides, He provides”. Is that true. Yes! it is.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see, touch, smell, taste, or hear in the physical realm. You can see evidences of faith in God, for instance; the rising of the sun, and its setting; the order of the universe; the intricacies of the human body, and the bodies of animals as well; the singing of the birds; and all the other details of life. Faith believes in God, even when there is no possible way of something happening. Jesus’ words on prayer are strong, and is telling us to ask as if we have already received it
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24(KJV).
That is genuinely the prayer of faith. Believing you have received it before you do.
Notice the importance Jesus places on “Forgiveness”. Without forgiveness we cannot expect answer to our prayers. God is so good to forgive us, we ought also to forgive those whom we believe responsible for offending us.
Remember this, NO FORGIVENESS, NO ANSWER TO PRAYER. KNOW FORGIVENESS, KNOW ANSWER TO PRAYER.
The Truth
“Then said they unto Him, ‘Who art Thou?’ And Jesus saith unto them,
‘Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He that sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.’
They understood not that He spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them,
‘When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.’
As He spake these words, many believed on Him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him,
‘If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ ” John 8:25-32
The Accuser of the Unbelieving
“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
I am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?” John 5:39-47
That They Might Understand The Scriptures
“Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them,
‘Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’ ” Luke 24:45-49
If I Tell You, You Will Not Believe
“And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led Him into their council, saying, ‘Art Thou the Christ? Tell us.’ And He said unto them,
‘If I tell you, ye will not believe: and if I also ask you, ye will not answer Me, nor let Me go.
Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God.’
Then said they all, ‘Art Thou then the Son of God? And He said unto them,
‘Ye say that I am.’
And they said, ‘What need we any further witness? For we ourselves have heard of His own mouth.’ ” Luke 22:66-71
Jesus is The Greatest
“And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say,
‘This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation.
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.’ ” Luke 11:29-32
A Lesson on Faith
“And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, ‘Master, behold, the fig tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them,
‘Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;’ and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.’ ” Mark 11:20-26
Wisdom of Following Jesus
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them,
‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’
And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.” Matthew 4:18-20
“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints.
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.” Proverbs 2:6-9
Peace Unto You
“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them,
‘Peace be unto you.’
And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again,
‘Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.’
And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them,
‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.’ ” John 20:19-23
“Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite. The LORD lifteth up the meek: He casteth the wicked down to the ground.” Psalm 147:5-6
Knowing The Doctrine of God
“Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, ‘How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?’ Jesus answered them, and said,
‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but He that seeketh His glory that sent Him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill Me?’ ” John 7:14-19
Not a House of Merchandise
“And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves,
‘Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise.’
And His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.’ ” John 2:13-17
Satan has desired to have you
“And the Lord said,
‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.’
And he said unto Him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death.’ And He said,
‘I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me.’ ” Luke 22:31-34
REFERENCE – verses 55-62
Esteemed Among Men, Abomination To God
“And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided Him. And He said unto them,
‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.’ ” Luke 16:14-17
Have and Have Not
“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth under a bed; but setteth on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” Luke 8:16-18
All That Hear
“Arise, O God, judge the earth: for Thou shalt inherit all nations.” Psalm 82:8
“And all the people that heard, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” Luke 7:29-30
With the Transgressors
“His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.” Psalm 72:17-18
“And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on His right hand, and the other on His left. And the Scripture was fulfilled, which saith, ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ ” Mark 15:27-28
Authority
“But Jesus called them and saith unto them,
‘Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.’ ” Mark 10:42-45
Taken
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” Matthew 24:40-41
The above verses are from Jesus’s Olivet Discourse or the Sermon of Olivet. Jesus is answering the questions asked by Peter, James, John, and Andrew (Matthew 24:3 and Mark 13:3). The questions asked were at least two, but I call it three questions – 1. “When shall these things be?”,; 2. “What shall be the sign of Your coming?” and 3. “What is the sign of the ending of the age?”
The first question is answered in verses 4 – 14, and is referencing the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem that would take place in 70 A.D. and is also a reference to the beginning of the “time of Jacob’s trouble” referenced by Jeremiah 30:7.
Verses 15 – 28 are probably speaking of an event and time that have yet to happen, in the midst of the “time of Jacob’s trouble” for the making of the righteousness of the people called Israel.
Verses 29 – 35 speak of our Lord’s second coming and making of things right on earth declaring that not one word which God has spoken will fail to come to pass.
The verses shared above (40 and 41) may speak of the taking of some out of the way who are not believing, and leaving the believing one to live in the kingdom.
The whole point our Lord Jesus is making is that we all need to be ready for He is coming. We do not know the day or the hour; so we must stay in touch with Him through prayer the reading, study, and application of His holy word in our daily living.
Jesus died for our sins, was buried in a borrowed grave, and He arose alive and forever lives interceding for us, before our Father.
On This Great Day…
…I want all who will hear to know that Jesus Christ died for your sins, mine and yours, and that He was buried carrying away all our sin, shame and condemnation, and He rose from the grave on the third day. He forever lives.
Because He came out alive we can live with Him in eternity together with Him in His glory.
If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10).
When you do that; and if you have already done that, then you know the greatness of this great Resurrection Sunday. Jesus is Alive.
Faith of an Outsider
“When Jesus heard, He marvelled, and said to them that followed, ‘Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” Matthew 8:10-12
This Roman centurion was over a group of men that was about 100 in number. He knew authority when he saw it; and he saw Jesus as a Man with authority, so he knew he could trust Him with the healing of his servant.
Jesus in His words of the centurion’s faith was words of applause. It was a greater faith than He had seen among His own people; especially the Jewish leaders of their religion.
There is much the Christian needs to hear in the words of Jesus.
The first one I see is this; Just because you say your a Christian, yet do not believe the word of god, does not mean you are a Christian;
The second one that I see is, that judgment awaits all who claim to know Jesus, yet do not live according to His word, starting with believing what God says of His Son, and what the Son says of Himself; and
The third, just a thought; the judgment for a professor that does not possess the Spirit of Christ [God] is not His (Romans 8:9), and will be judged more severely.
It is better to be an outsider of the religious, yet believe the word of God, than to be a religious insider and miss God completely by not believing His word.
In closing these thoughts be sure you have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus shed on Calvary’s cross for the sins of the word, believe Jesus died, was buried, and that He rose again (Romans 10:9-10).
The Fire and Hammer 