1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,400 Hi everyone. Welcome back to daily gospel. 2 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,300 Exegesis as always, we're going to do a deep dive into the 3 00:00:17,300 --> 00:00:18,900 Gospel reading from today's mass. 4 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:21,800 We really want to find. What's the literal sense of the 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:23,400 scripture? What did it mean in its original 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,100 context? Now, today we have quite a long 7 00:00:26,100 --> 00:00:28,900 reading and in many ways this is quite a difficult reading. 8 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:32,600 When I First started to read through this one and to prepare 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:35,900 for the exegesis, I found a quite challenging but as I 10 00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:38,300 really dive into these commentaries, there's such an 11 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:41,600 amazing level of depth here. So I think this is going to be 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,900 quite an interesting episode for a number of reasons will 13 00:00:44,900 --> 00:00:46,400 firstly. It's quite a long one because 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,200 there's a lot going on. In this particular scene, the 15 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,300 lectionary has decided to put a whole lot into one reading and 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,600 secondly, there's a lot of Old Testament references, but you 17 00:00:56,608 --> 00:00:58,700 may not be aware of. There's a lot of Old Testament 18 00:00:58,700 --> 00:00:59,900 stuff going on in the background. 19 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,800 And that you really need to understand if we want to get it, 20 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:06,600 the literal sense. And thirdly, because the words 21 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,600 here are some of Jesus, most challenging, and most sort of 22 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,000 strange teachings in a way. So hopefully you'll find a lot 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,900 of interesting stuff in today's episode. 24 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:20,400 So today's reading is from Mark chapter 11 verses 11 to 26, 25 00:01:22,300 --> 00:01:24,900 After he had been acclaimed by the crowds. 26 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,200 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. 27 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,900 He looked all around him, but as it was now late, he went out to 28 00:01:32,900 --> 00:01:37,600 Bethany with the twelve next day as they were leaving Bethany. 29 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:42,700 He felt hungry seeing a fig tree in leaf some distance away. 30 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:46,900 He went to see if he could find any fruit on it but when he came 31 00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:50,300 up to it, he found nothing. But leaves for it was not the 32 00:01:50,300 --> 00:01:51,500 season for figs. Yes. 33 00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:56,800 And he addressed the Fig Tree, May no one ever eat fruit from 34 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,800 you again he said and his disciples heard him say this. 35 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:05,300 So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the temple and began 36 00:02:05,300 --> 00:02:08,500 driving out those who we're selling and buying their, he 37 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:12,100 upset the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those 38 00:02:12,100 --> 00:02:16,100 who are selling pigeons. Nor would he allow anyone to 39 00:02:16,100 --> 00:02:20,300 carry anything through the temple and he taught them and 40 00:02:20,300 --> 00:02:24,700 said does not scripture say my house will be called a house of 41 00:02:24,700 --> 00:02:28,500 prayer for all the peoples but you have turned it into a 42 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:32,000 robbers Den. This came to the ears of the 43 00:02:32,008 --> 00:02:35,700 chief priests and the scribes and they tried to find some way 44 00:02:35,700 --> 00:02:39,000 of doing away with him. They were afraid of him because 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,000 the people were Carried Away by his teaching and when evening 46 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:48,300 came, he went out of the city, Next morning as they passed by. 47 00:02:48,300 --> 00:02:52,700 They saw the Fig Tree withered to the roots, Peter remembered 48 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:56,600 look Rabbi. He said to Jesus the Fig Tree, 49 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,300 you cursed has withered away. Jesus answered. 50 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,500 Have faith in God. I tell you, solemnly, if anyone 51 00:03:04,500 --> 00:03:08,400 says to this mountain, get up and throw yourself into the sea, 52 00:03:08,700 --> 00:03:12,700 with no hesitation in his heart, but believing that what he says 53 00:03:12,700 --> 00:03:15,100 will happen, it will be done for him. 54 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:20,500 I tell you there for everything. You ask and pray for believe 55 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,300 that you have it already and it will be yours. 56 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:27,000 And when you stand in prayer, forgive whatever you have 57 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,800 against anybody. So that your father in Heaven 58 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:34,400 May forgive your failings, too. But if you do not forgive your 59 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,700 father in heaven, will not forgive your failings either. 60 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,200 So that is our long reading today from Mark chapter 11 and 61 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:43,700 it's quite a fascinating reading. 62 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,400 And I think it's one of these readings where if you don't look 63 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,000 at the literal sense of the text, if you don't take the time 64 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,400 to study this text, you're not going to understand its meaning. 65 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:55,800 There's a whole lot going on here behind the text that you 66 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:59,300 may not realize unless you do a deep dive into it. 67 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,500 Now, the text is divided roughly into three parts and it looks 68 00:04:02,500 --> 00:04:04,300 like Mark has done this deliberately. 69 00:04:04,300 --> 00:04:10,100 So part one is Jesus seeing the Fig Tree and He curses the Fig 70 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:13,400 Tree and then they go into the temple and Jesus cleanses the 71 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,300 temple that will be part 2. And then your part 3, they come 72 00:04:17,300 --> 00:04:21,399 back the following day and they see the fig tree has withered, 73 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:24,400 and Jesus then has some teachings that he does there at 74 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,900 the side of the Fig Tree. So, let's start by thinking 75 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:30,700 about the context. So Jesus has just entered 76 00:04:30,700 --> 00:04:34,400 Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and if you want to hear an exegesis of 77 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:39,300 that reading that is on Palm Sunday in year be Be so you 78 00:04:39,300 --> 00:04:42,000 might like to go through the podcast archives to find that 79 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,200 one. So Jesus has entered Jerusalem. 80 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,100 It's the last week of his life and we now get to today's 81 00:04:48,100 --> 00:04:52,400 reading in Mark chapter 11 starting at verse 11 after he 82 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,300 had been acclaimed by the crowds. 83 00:04:54,500 --> 00:04:57,400 Now our lectionary adds that phrase in but it's not actually 84 00:04:57,400 --> 00:04:59,200 there in the original it does make sense. 85 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,800 It's just kind of a way of saying after Palm Sunday and the 86 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,800 triumphal entry have happened. Jesus entered Jerusalem and went 87 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,700 into the temple. So, Jesus goes into the temple, 88 00:05:10,700 --> 00:05:15,800 the very center of Jewish life on the same day that he has 89 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,200 entered Jerusalem. So you go straight to the 90 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:20,800 temple. Notice what Mark says, he does 91 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,800 here on this day, he doesn't cleanse the temple yet on this 92 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,100 day. But what he does do, is he looks 93 00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:30,900 all around him so he looks in the temple, you can translate 94 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:32,700 this. He looked around at everything, 95 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,500 so it's like Jesus is inspecting the temple. 96 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,400 You can imagine it as remember, Jesus Is God. 97 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:43,500 So the lord of the temple has come to his Temple to inspect 98 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:46,800 and see if it's true purposes, are being fulfilled. 99 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:50,000 And in a sense, this is a fulfillment of Malachi chapter 100 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:54,400 3, verse 1 to 2, which predicts that the Lord will come to his 101 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,400 Temple and purify it. So Jesus, here, inspecting the 102 00:05:57,407 --> 00:06:01,100 temple is in a very real sense. The Lord coming to his Temple 103 00:06:01,900 --> 00:06:05,400 now based on Jesus inspection. And what he does later, it looks 104 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,100 like Jesus doesn't like what he sees on this day. 105 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,000 Day and that prepares him for what is about to happen on the 106 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,900 following day. And then Mark says, but as it 107 00:06:13,900 --> 00:06:18,800 was now late, so this might imply that if it wasn't late in 108 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,200 the day, Jesus might have cleanse the temple at this very 109 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,700 time. He wouldn't have waited to the 110 00:06:23,700 --> 00:06:26,000 next day, but it appears that it might be dark. 111 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:28,600 It's late. So, Jesus decides not to do 112 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:32,700 anything in the temple on this day, he went out to Bethany with 113 00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:35,600 the twelve. So, Jesus, and his Apostles stay 114 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,100 in Bethany at night time in the last week of his life. 115 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,400 If so, during the day they are in Jerusalem and at night time, 116 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:43,700 they come back to Bethany, which is close to Jerusalem. 117 00:06:43,900 --> 00:06:46,800 It's possible that they stayed with Mary Martha and Lazarus, 118 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,600 who live in Bethany or maybe they stayed at some sort of 119 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:54,800 campsite, So that's kind of a prologue to reading today. 120 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,200 And then we get to verse 12, sort of what we can call part 1 121 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,900 of the reading next day as they were leaving Bethany, he felt 122 00:07:01,900 --> 00:07:04,800 hungry. So this is the only time in 123 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,500 Mark's gospel where Jesus is said to be hungry and it's one 124 00:07:07,500 --> 00:07:12,400 of the clearest examples of Jesus Humanity, maybe he hasn't 125 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:13,700 had breakfast that morning or something. 126 00:07:13,700 --> 00:07:18,100 Who knows, verse 13. Seeing a fig tree in leaf some 127 00:07:18,100 --> 00:07:21,100 distance away. Now fig trees work, Quite common 128 00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:23,900 in Israel. He went to see if he could find 129 00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:26,900 any fruit on it. So at first glance in this 130 00:07:26,900 --> 00:07:30,600 reading, it looks like Jesus is coming to see if you can find 131 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,300 any food on the fig tree for himself because he's hungry. 132 00:07:34,900 --> 00:07:37,900 That would be a natural real natural way of reading it so 133 00:07:37,900 --> 00:07:40,000 far. But it seems that that's not 134 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,400 what Jesus is up to here. So he goes to the Fig Tree to 135 00:07:43,407 --> 00:07:46,600 see if there's any fruit on it, but when he came up to it, he 136 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,400 found nothing. But leaves for it was not the 137 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,700 season for figs. This is an important verse 138 00:07:52,700 --> 00:07:55,600 actually. Passover usually takes place in 139 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,200 April and this is around the time of Passover, ripe. 140 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:02,900 Figs do not appear in April. They only appear in about June. 141 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:07,000 This is really key, Jesus would know that the fig trees are not 142 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,300 going to produce figs on this day. 143 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:11,700 So even as he goes up to the Fig Tree, he's not going to expect 144 00:08:11,700 --> 00:08:14,600 there to be any fruit there. So we shouldn't read this as 145 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,700 Jesus goes up to the fig tree, gets disappointed that there's 146 00:08:17,700 --> 00:08:19,400 no fruit and then gets angry about it. 147 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:22,100 Which is how some critics. I've looked at this passage 148 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,200 know, Jesus knows even before he starts to walk into the fig 149 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:27,400 tree, that there's not actually going to be any fruit on it 150 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:30,400 because that it's not the right time of year for fruit. 151 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:35,100 And he knows that in fact, what this tells us is that Jesus is 152 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:38,200 not actually approaching the Fig Tree to look for literal fruit 153 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,500 at all. He's doing this as an object 154 00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:43,299 lesson. So to understand this section, 155 00:08:43,299 --> 00:08:47,700 we need to keep in mind that fig trees in the Old Testament are a 156 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:52,200 traditional symbol for Israel. So Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 13, 157 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:57,000 talks about Israel as being a fig tree and Hosea, 9:10 does as 158 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,700 well and there's a few other places in the Old Testament 159 00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:03,000 marks readers probably would have picked up on Yes, they 160 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,700 would have as soon as Mark mentioned that Jesus goes to a 161 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:08,400 fig tree. His readers would have worked 162 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:09,400 out. Our this has going to have 163 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:13,700 something to do with Israel. In fact, Micah chapter 7 verse 1 164 00:09:14,300 --> 00:09:19,500 in that passage, God says there is no cluster to eat no early 165 00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:21,800 fig that I crave. So this part in the Old 166 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,600 Testament where God talks to Israel as though it is like a 167 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,500 fig tree. That's supposed to produce fruit 168 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,500 verse 14. Jesus addressed the Fig Tree May 169 00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:33,600 no one ever. Ever eat fruit from you again. 170 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,600 He said, so Jesus here, pronounces an actual curse, a 171 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:40,000 supernatural curse on the tree, and we're going to see the 172 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,800 results of that in the next on the next day. 173 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:45,500 And his disciples heard him say this. 174 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:47,300 So this seems to be the whole point. 175 00:09:47,300 --> 00:09:50,100 Jesus goes up to the Fig Tree and he says this curse on the 176 00:09:50,100 --> 00:09:53,700 Fig Tree as an object lesson for his disciples. 177 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:55,100 That's the whole point. It's not. 178 00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:58,200 The Jesus is angry that he's not going to find any food on the 179 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:01,100 food on the actual fig tree. So what does all this mean? 180 00:10:01,100 --> 00:10:05,000 What's going on here? The basic idea seems to be that. 181 00:10:05,300 --> 00:10:08,700 The main job of a fig tree is to produce figs if you think about 182 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:11,600 it, that's what a fig tree is for, for a Jewish person is to 183 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,500 make figs. So if a fig tree is not 184 00:10:14,700 --> 00:10:17,200 producing fruit, then it's actually pretty useless at that 185 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:22,700 point in a similar way Israel. Which the Fig Tree represents as 186 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:25,300 we've seen. Israel is not producing. 187 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:27,500 The good works that God desires in. 188 00:10:27,500 --> 00:10:30,100 The time of Jesus. Israel is not really doing what 189 00:10:30,100 --> 00:10:33,500 God wants them to do. This, of course, is seen this 190 00:10:33,500 --> 00:10:36,600 during his ministry. Israel has largely rejected his 191 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,300 message and they're refusing to come back to God. 192 00:10:39,900 --> 00:10:42,900 And in particular, he seen a lack of faith and prayer in the 193 00:10:42,900 --> 00:10:45,700 temple, and we're going to see how he feels about that later in 194 00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:49,100 the day. So Jesus has kind of a valuated 195 00:10:49,100 --> 00:10:51,900 Israel during his ministry and he's basically seeing that 196 00:10:51,900 --> 00:10:54,800 they're not producing the fruit that they should be producing as 197 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:57,500 the people of God. This is an interesting 198 00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:00,900 fulfillment of Luke Chapter 13. There's this interesting Parable 199 00:11:00,900 --> 00:11:04,700 called the parable of the Fig. Tree which is only in the Gospel 200 00:11:04,700 --> 00:11:10,200 of Luke that Parable is about Israel being a fig tree and the 201 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:14,900 parable ends in Luke 13 with Jesus saying, leave the fig tree 202 00:11:14,900 --> 00:11:18,900 for one more year. Now the point Jesus says that 203 00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:21,500 it's sort of early in his ministry hit that's when he 204 00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:23,800 tells the parable of the Fig Tree and he says leave it for 205 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:25,900 one more year. Of course, the Fig Tree 206 00:11:25,900 --> 00:11:29,300 represents Israel so he sort of saying leave Israel for one more 207 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:34,100 year will since he said that in Luke 13 When a year has passed, 208 00:11:34,100 --> 00:11:37,400 it's now been a year since then. And Israel is still not doing 209 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,300 any better, they're not producing the fruit Jesus once. 210 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,400 So Jesus. Now officially produces a 211 00:11:43,408 --> 00:11:46,000 pronounces, a curse on the fig tree. 212 00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:50,300 So, I think this is one of these really interesting cases where 213 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,800 you can't fully understand what happens in this gospel unless 214 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,300 you add in some information that's included in another 215 00:11:57,300 --> 00:11:59,600 gospel. Once we remember, the parable of 216 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,300 the Fig Tree, which is in Luke's gospel, we can understand why 217 00:12:03,300 --> 00:12:06,800 Jesus curses the Fig Tree here. It's a really interesting 218 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,700 connection. So Jesus curses the Fig Tree and 219 00:12:09,700 --> 00:12:13,300 in a sense this is a prophetic signal that Israel's Temple 220 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:16,500 worship and sacrifices a soon to end. 221 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:20,300 Now, we know from the other gospels that around this, same 222 00:12:20,300 --> 00:12:23,700 time, perhaps in the same day, Jesus gets more explicit. 223 00:12:23,700 --> 00:12:25,300 He doesn't just symbolically curse. 224 00:12:25,300 --> 00:12:29,100 The Fig Tree as he does here. He actually verbally pronounces 225 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:31,300 a supernatural blindness on Israel. 226 00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:34,000 You see this particularly in the Gospel of Luke in the last few 227 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,500 days of his life Jesus says to Israel. 228 00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:40,100 That now a supernatural blindness will be put on you 229 00:12:40,100 --> 00:12:42,300 because you did not recognize him a Sia. 230 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,300 And on top of that, Jesus goes on to say that Jerusalem will be 231 00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:48,700 destroyed. Because they did not accept him 232 00:12:48,700 --> 00:12:50,900 as their Messiah. That's all particularly brought 233 00:12:50,900 --> 00:12:53,400 out in the Gospel of Luke. The gospel of Mark, doesn't 234 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:55,600 include a lot of that, more graphic language. 235 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,200 It just gives us this symbolic cursing of the fig tree. 236 00:13:01,500 --> 00:13:03,700 Verse 15. So they reached Jerusalem and he 237 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:05,800 went into the temple. So, we're getting to Part 2. 238 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,100 Now, the Temple, of course, is the center of Jewish life. 239 00:13:09,100 --> 00:13:13,000 It was always very busy. And the Jews believe that this 240 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,100 was where God dwelt among his among his people in a special 241 00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:18,800 manner, the temple was divided into lots of different 242 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,700 compartments and quarters. The scene we're going to see 243 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:24,800 today occurs in What's called the outer Court, which was a 244 00:13:24,808 --> 00:13:27,100 part of the temple that was open to Gentiles. 245 00:13:27,100 --> 00:13:29,800 In fact, it was supposed to be basically for Gentiles to 246 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,500 worship God. Now as its Passover time at this 247 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:35,900 point, the area would be filled with pilgrims. 248 00:13:35,900 --> 00:13:39,800 It would be packed with people. They would had to be given 249 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,200 entrance to the temple. In successive waves during 250 00:13:42,208 --> 00:13:45,000 Passover, you couldn't allow all the pilgrims in at once because 251 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 they wouldn't fit. Remember that the night before 252 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,100 this Jesus have looked around at everything in the temple. 253 00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:54,700 And now we're going to see Jesus evaluation off his inspection. 254 00:13:54,700 --> 00:13:58,700 Jesus began to drive out those who we're selling and buying 255 00:13:58,700 --> 00:14:00,400 their. So what is it? 256 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:01,900 That's being bought and sold. Is sold here. 257 00:14:02,500 --> 00:14:05,800 Well, it's basically animals. So animals were sold in the 258 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,200 outer Court of the temple, as a service to Passover, pilgrims, 259 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,200 who traveled to the city. In order to offer sacrifice part 260 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,000 of the Passover rituals involved, sacrificing animals 261 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,000 and many of the Jewish pilgrims didn't have an animal with them 262 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:22,000 when they arrive to Jerusalem. So that have to get one in the 263 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:23,900 temple, it was actually an important markets. 264 00:14:23,900 --> 00:14:27,600 This was a needed thing in order to fulfill the requirements of 265 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:31,100 Passover because some people weren't able to bring their own. 266 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,400 From home. Or if they did bring their own 267 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,600 animals from home, by the time they get to Jerusalem. 268 00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:37,900 The animal is no longer in good shape. 269 00:14:37,900 --> 00:14:40,200 The animal, the animal that's going to be sacrificed. 270 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,200 Remember, needs to be unblemished, so it's not really 271 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:46,000 suitable to bring your own animal from miles away. 272 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:50,300 So, most pilgrims would go to the temple to buy their animal 273 00:14:50,300 --> 00:14:53,900 before the Passover. Now, the problem is that 274 00:14:53,900 --> 00:14:56,900 merchants in the temple exploited, this arrangement, for 275 00:14:56,900 --> 00:14:59,400 their own financial gain. So the problem is not that 276 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,100 they're buying and selling animals that Problem is the way 277 00:15:02,100 --> 00:15:04,700 that they're doing that by inflating the prices and things 278 00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:07,300 like that. Now, we do have historical 279 00:15:07,300 --> 00:15:10,900 records that indicate that the market for this was primarily on 280 00:15:10,900 --> 00:15:14,000 the Mount of Olives. So people could buy animals as 281 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:15,400 they come in on the Mount of Olives. 282 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,800 But some sources, do indicate that the high priest Caiaphas 283 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,400 permitted vendors to sell in the outer Court of the temple 284 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,500 itself. So we do have some records that 285 00:15:24,500 --> 00:15:28,600 this did occur. Keep in mind, the main issue 286 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,900 that Jesus has here with what's going on, is the location of the 287 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:34,200 transactions. This is all occurring in the 288 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,300 temples outer Court. That's supposed to be an area 289 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:39,600 where Gentile pilgrims can worship. 290 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,100 It's very hard to do that. If it's been overtaken as a 291 00:15:42,108 --> 00:15:45,600 Marketplace. So, Jesus upset the tables of 292 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,500 the moneychangers. Now, what are the money changes 293 00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:50,600 doing? This is another thing, 294 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:54,400 altogether, all adult, Jewish men had to pay an annual Temple 295 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,100 tax and most men. Do this, when they came to 296 00:15:57,100 --> 00:16:01,400 Jerusalem for Passover, Money Changes had been set up in the 297 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,300 outer Court of the temple, as a service to the pilgrims. 298 00:16:04,300 --> 00:16:07,400 They would exchange the Greek or Roman coins that many of the 299 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,300 pilgrims had for the shekels that they needed to pay the tax 300 00:16:11,300 --> 00:16:13,200 with. So it was kind of a currency 301 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:17,500 exchange service. Again the money changes although 302 00:16:17,500 --> 00:16:21,000 it is a needed service in a way, they're probably inflating the 303 00:16:21,008 --> 00:16:26,100 prices and thirdly, Jesus chones over the chairs of those who 304 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:28,600 we're selling pigeons or you can translate this doves. 305 00:16:28,900 --> 00:16:31,400 Now, both pigeons and doves were animals. 306 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:34,600 That could be used for some of the sacrifices in particular, 307 00:16:34,900 --> 00:16:38,200 these birds were required for purification of women after 308 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:41,300 childbirth, or for those who are healed of disease. 309 00:16:41,700 --> 00:16:44,800 And particularly, if they could not have form afford a lamb, 310 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,800 they would use these He's birds for sacrifice instead you see 311 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,800 this in Leviticus 12 and Leviticus 14 as well? 312 00:16:52,500 --> 00:16:54,200 Verse 16. Then we get this interesting 313 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,700 phrase here nor would Jesus allow anyone to carry anything 314 00:16:57,700 --> 00:17:00,800 through the temple or more? Literally what it says there is 315 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,800 any vessel Jesus would not allow anyone to carry any vessel now. 316 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:06,800 Scholars are divided about what's going on here. 317 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:10,099 Some Scholars think that Jesus is forbidding them to use any 318 00:17:10,099 --> 00:17:12,099 sacrificial vessel. He's getting them to actually, 319 00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:15,200 stop doing all. The sacrifices is not allowing 320 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,400 the sacrificial vessels to be used. 321 00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:20,800 That's probably not the best interpretation because that's 322 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:24,599 pretty radical with Jesus. Really stopped the temple 323 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:27,300 sacrifices for a while. You think that would bring that 324 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:30,000 up in his trial later on, but they don't bring that up. 325 00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:32,300 That's a possible interpretation, but I think 326 00:17:32,300 --> 00:17:36,100 maybe a better interpretation is just that Jesus is forbidding. 327 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:39,600 The Jewish leaders from using this area as a thoroughfare. 328 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,200 He says, this is a sacred area for worship. 329 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,300 You should not be carrying your boxes of items and stuff through 330 00:17:46,300 --> 00:17:48,800 the temple, if it's for commercial transaction. 331 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,100 So he's issue appears to be with the commercial things that 332 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,800 they're doing. Verse 17 and he taught them. 333 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:57,800 So Jesus is going to know, explain why? 334 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:02,300 He's just done what he's done. Jesus said, does not scriptures. 335 00:18:02,300 --> 00:18:05,500 Say so Jesus. Here quotes from the Old 336 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:08,200 Testament to help the merchants understand why he's doing, what 337 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:12,000 he's doing, my house will be called a house of prayer for all 338 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,900 the peoples. First thing to notice here is 339 00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:17,200 that Jesus here is quoting from God. 340 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,000 God says my house will be called a House of Prayer. 341 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,300 That's in Isaiah 56, verse 7. So inocencia this is a hint of 342 00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:27,800 Jesus Divinity, because Jesus by doing what he's doing is kind of 343 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:32,600 claiming that it's his own house, in a sense So it's from 344 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,900 Isaiah 56:10, seven. My house will be called a house 345 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:40,000 of prayer for all the peoples in context of Isaiah. 346 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,600 It's a prediction of the day when the Gentiles will share in 347 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:47,100 the Covenant worship of God in in the final kingdom of God. 348 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,900 So this is something that the Jews at the time we're looking 349 00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:53,800 for, Now this would have could, of course, be particular concern 350 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,500 to Mark's audience because most of them are Gentiles. 351 00:18:56,900 --> 00:19:00,300 So this idea that that temper will one day be a house of 352 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:02,800 prayer for all people. Mark's readers in particular, 353 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:04,000 would have been interested in that. 354 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:07,300 Now the current Arrangement that the Jewish leaders had set up 355 00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:11,100 where they've made the outer Court, a transaction place makes 356 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:15,400 it basically impossible for the Gentiles to come and worship. 357 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,700 So this prophecy in Isaiah cannot be fulfilled. 358 00:19:18,900 --> 00:19:22,100 As long as the markets are set up, In the outer Court of the 359 00:19:22,100 --> 00:19:25,700 temple, but of course, Jesus himself will become the new 360 00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:28,800 Temple for all nations. So there's a lot of theology 361 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:31,900 going on here. Jesus then says, but you have 362 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:35,800 turned it into a robbers Den. So the thievery in the business 363 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,600 transactions in the outer course. 364 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,100 By doing these things, the Jewish leaders had made prayer 365 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:45,100 to God basically impossible. Now when Jesus says here, you 366 00:19:45,100 --> 00:19:48,800 have turned into a robbers Den. This comes from Jeremiah chapter 367 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:52,500 7, verse 11. And again, knowing the context 368 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:56,200 of the Jeremiah passage, he's going to help us in context of 369 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,200 Jeremiah 7. Jesus, Jeremiah delivers a 370 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,000 sermon in the temple to warned. Israel of God's coming. 371 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,500 Judgment upon On Jerusalem. So this is actually from 372 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:10,700 Jeremiah Zone sermon that he gives in his temple in his day. 373 00:20:11,300 --> 00:20:15,200 Now, in Jeremiah's time, Israel was engaging in false piety. 374 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,100 They thought that God would protect them if they just did 375 00:20:17,100 --> 00:20:20,300 Pious things, but they had failed to repent. 376 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:22,900 They were not really following God, Jeremiah was warning them 377 00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:26,500 to repent and he says, if you don't repent your temple which 378 00:20:26,500 --> 00:20:30,100 was Solomon's Temple, the first temple will be destroyed. 379 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:35,200 And indeed, Israel does not repent in the time of Jeremiah 380 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,800 and the first temple was destroyed in 586 BC by the 381 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:41,500 Babylonians. It's a very similar situation 382 00:20:41,500 --> 00:20:43,800 with Jesus here. Jesus here is confronting the 383 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,400 Jewish leaders who presume that their Covenant relationship with 384 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,000 God is going to remain secure despite their sin. 385 00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:56,800 And as we know the refusal of the Jewish leaders to repent and 386 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:00,400 follow Jesus, does result in the destruction of the second 387 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:01,800 temple. In 70 AD. 388 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,300 So there's a very parallel situation here between Jesus and 389 00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:09,400 Jeremiah. On top of that, Jesus aggressive 390 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:10,900 cleansing of the outer Court here. 391 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,800 And some Scholars have said, Jesus is not really being 392 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:15,800 aggressive, but I think there is certainly an element of 393 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:19,400 aggressive aggression here. He's got a kind of holy anger, a 394 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,800 righteous anger when Jesus does this cleansing of the other 395 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,400 court. It recalls another Prophecy of 396 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,400 the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 3, verse 12 for when the 397 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,500 Lord for Warren Jerusalem, that he would make a Divine 398 00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:36,400 inspection of the temple to purify the sanctuary and its 399 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:41,700 priests So, Malachi predicts, that God would make a Divine 400 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:43,400 inspection of the temple to purify it. 401 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,500 Well, that's exactly what Jesus is doing here. 402 00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:47,700 On top of that. There's another passage, which 403 00:21:47,700 --> 00:21:49,900 is relevant. The Zechariah Chapter 14 verse 404 00:21:49,900 --> 00:21:55,200 21 says that in the Messianic age, no Trader will be found in 405 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,900 the temple. Well that's kind of what Jesus 406 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,400 although he doesn't clear them all out of the entire Temple. 407 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,000 It's sort of a foreshadowing of that. 408 00:22:03,500 --> 00:22:06,500 You could also say that Jesus here is actually exercising a 409 00:22:06,500 --> 00:22:11,300 royal. - in the Old Testament, many of the good Kings of Judah, 410 00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:15,800 like, Hezekiah and Josiah. They cleaned house in the temple 411 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:17,700 in their own day. You see that in second 412 00:22:17,700 --> 00:22:20,800 chronicles 29 and second Chronicles 34. 413 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:24,700 So, Jesus is just continuing the long line of holy leaders of 414 00:22:24,700 --> 00:22:28,500 Israel who have cleansed the Temple of idolatry and false 415 00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:31,500 worship basically. So there's a whole lot of Old 416 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:34,500 Testament background, which helps us shed light on Jesus 417 00:22:34,500 --> 00:22:38,400 actions here. It's probably true that Jesus 418 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,500 intention here is not primarily to make a public scene. 419 00:22:41,900 --> 00:22:44,900 His main point here is to get the merchants out of the outer 420 00:22:44,900 --> 00:22:48,300 Court of the temple, so that others could come back, come 421 00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:51,400 back in, and worship. He wants Gentiles in particular 422 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,000 to be able to worship God and the current Arrangement doesn't 423 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,100 allow that and that's what he's trying to fix. 424 00:22:57,300 --> 00:23:00,200 Verse 18, this came to the ears of the chief priests and the 425 00:23:00,208 --> 00:23:01,900 scribes. So that's those who run the 426 00:23:01,900 --> 00:23:04,000 temple and they also profit from it. 427 00:23:04,500 --> 00:23:07,400 And they try to find some way of doing away with him. 428 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,700 They were afraid of him because the people were Carried Away by 429 00:23:11,700 --> 00:23:14,200 his teaching or more literally astonished at his teaching. 430 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,000 So the Jewish leaders here, I have a dilemma. 431 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,200 They recognize that Jesus has influence over the people. 432 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,700 So it's not as simple as them arresting him on the spot. 433 00:23:23,700 --> 00:23:26,100 That's not going to work. Because there's so many 434 00:23:26,100 --> 00:23:28,200 followers around who were impressed by Jesus. 435 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,100 So if they, if the Jewish leaders tried to arrest Jesus, 436 00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:33,300 the people will probably rebel against them, and that's not 437 00:23:33,308 --> 00:23:36,100 what they want. They want to continue to have 438 00:23:36,100 --> 00:23:38,800 the support of the people. So they can't just Say Jesus is 439 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,400 a Madman. Let's arrest him. 440 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,900 Now, they like to do that but they can't it's not going to 441 00:23:42,908 --> 00:23:44,800 work. So therefore they're going to 442 00:23:44,808 --> 00:23:48,100 have to find some other way to get Jesus to incriminate himself 443 00:23:48,100 --> 00:23:51,200 which is what they try and work on over the next few days. 444 00:23:52,500 --> 00:23:54,800 And when evening came, he went out of the city. 445 00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:58,600 So Jesus probably stays in the temple that day and continues to 446 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,100 teach and then at the end of the day he goes out of Jerusalem and 447 00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:06,300 back to Bethany. So now we get to part three of 448 00:24:06,300 --> 00:24:10,200 today's reading verse 20, Next morning as they passed by, they 449 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,600 saw the Fig Tree withered to the roots. 450 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:15,500 So not only does the tree not have any fruit. 451 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,800 It's now completely dead that fig tree from the previous day's 452 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:22,100 completely Ted. So, the death of the Fig Tree is 453 00:24:22,100 --> 00:24:25,100 actually a visible Prophecy of the Doom that is to come upon 454 00:24:25,100 --> 00:24:29,100 Jerusalem in the coming years. And also, another more. 455 00:24:29,100 --> 00:24:32,300 Fruitful tree is going to take the place of Jerusalem. 456 00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:35,700 That is the church and that's developed more in other places 457 00:24:35,700 --> 00:24:38,600 in the Gospels. Now, some schools think Ben 458 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:41,500 might also be another Old Testament background to this. 459 00:24:41,500 --> 00:24:45,500 When the Fig Tree dies, there's a passage in Ezekiel, when 460 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:49,000 Ezekiel is having his vision of the coming Temple, which is 461 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,000 relevant here in ezekiel's vision of the new Temple, 462 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:55,400 there's trees, which bear fruit all year round. 463 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:57,700 You can see that in Ezekiel chapter 47. 464 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,400 So here we have a tree that does not bear fruit. 465 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:05,000 All year round, but in the New Kingdom of God, in a sense, 466 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:06,800 there will be trees and you could say that that will be 467 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:08,800 people. People who will bear, fruit will 468 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,500 do God's will all year round. So that's an interesting 469 00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:14,800 connection there. Now, here, we have a classic 470 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,000 example of what Scholars call a mark and sandwich. 471 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:21,800 So Mark does this a few times in his gospel where he sort of 472 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:24,600 talks about an event, but he breaks the event into to. 473 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,200 He starts to talk about the event and then he interrupts his 474 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,300 telling of the event with another story and then he comes 475 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:33,800 back to his telling of that first event. 476 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:38,900 So it's sort of a telling of a story in Departs, the event 477 00:25:38,900 --> 00:25:41,200 occurs in two halves and then something is placed in the 478 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,800 middle, and the thing which is placed in the middle sheds, 479 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,900 light on the event on either side of it. 480 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,300 So in a mark and sandwich, all three parts of the sandwich 481 00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:54,200 complement each other. So, how do we see that happening 482 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:55,900 here? Well, we have the start of the 483 00:25:55,900 --> 00:26:00,000 Fig Tree story and then Jesus cleanses the temple and then the 484 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,300 following day, they come back and they have a look at the Fig 485 00:26:02,300 --> 00:26:05,200 Tree again. So how does the cleansing of the 486 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:08,000 temple shed light on? On the Fig Tree. 487 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,300 Well, Israel remember is supposed to point the rest of 488 00:26:12,300 --> 00:26:14,400 the nation's back to God. That's the whole point of 489 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,600 Israel. Their job is to bring the rest 490 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,700 of the world to God. So, Israel's good works should 491 00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:23,400 bring Gentiles to God. And on top of that, their Temple 492 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:25,900 should be open for Gentiles to worship. 493 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,800 So, the cleansing of the temple. And the cursing of the Fig Tree, 494 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,400 were both a symbol of God's rejection of Jerusalem. 495 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,900 They're both indicators. That Israel is not doing the job 496 00:26:35,900 --> 00:26:38,800 at supposed to do. And they get cursed as a result. 497 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,300 The cursing of the Fig Tree and the cleansing of the temple, 498 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:45,500 essentially, communicating the exact same message. 499 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,400 So, Peter sees this fig tree, that's with it. 500 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,200 And he remembers what happened the day before. 501 00:26:51,700 --> 00:26:54,900 Look Rabbi he said, to Jesus the Fig Tree, you cursed has 502 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:58,300 withered away, and of course, Jesus knew that was going to 503 00:26:58,300 --> 00:27:00,400 happen and that was the whole point. 504 00:27:00,500 --> 00:27:03,300 Now, at this point, Jesus doesn't explain the theological 505 00:27:03,300 --> 00:27:07,000 significance of the victory weathering or at least, Mark 506 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:08,900 doesn't record him as doing that. 507 00:27:09,100 --> 00:27:12,600 So it's likely that the disciples the 12 apostles later, 508 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:14,700 with the help of the Holy Spirit, worked out the 509 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:18,700 significance of the Fig Tree instead Jesus says in verse 22 510 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,900 have faith in God. Why does Jesus just say that? 511 00:27:22,900 --> 00:27:26,800 Now the link appears to be that Peter is astonished. 512 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:30,700 Maybe even afraid at the miracle Jesus has performed on The Fig 513 00:27:30,700 --> 00:27:35,700 Tree So Jesus uses this as an opportunity to describe the 514 00:27:35,700 --> 00:27:38,300 power of God. In particular, it looks like 515 00:27:38,300 --> 00:27:41,900 Jesus doesn't want his disciples to lose confidence in God's 516 00:27:41,900 --> 00:27:45,900 sovereignty over events. He says yes, the victory has 517 00:27:45,900 --> 00:27:48,000 been cursed. Yes, a curse has been has come 518 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,000 upon Israel, but have faith in God. 519 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,900 He can still do miraculous things through you in the New 520 00:27:52,900 --> 00:27:57,500 Covenant. Verse 23, I tell you, solemnly 521 00:27:57,700 --> 00:27:59,800 or more literally truly, I say to you. 522 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:03,400 So Jesus is now going to give this really interesting 523 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,900 enigmatic statement about mountains, moving, you've 524 00:28:06,900 --> 00:28:09,200 probably heard this before. It's actually found in different 525 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,600 contexts in Matthew, Matthew chapter 17, and then Luke 526 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:16,100 chapter 17 as well. And that probably suggest that 527 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,800 Jesus gives this same phrase about mountains. 528 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,200 Moving several times in his ministry, in different contexts. 529 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,100 It's one of his favorite images to use with his disciples about 530 00:28:27,100 --> 00:28:30,700 the power of prayer. So this is the entire phrase. 531 00:28:30,700 --> 00:28:36,200 He says here If anyone says to this mountain get up and throw 532 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,000 yourself into the sea, with no hesitation in his heart. 533 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,100 But believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for 534 00:28:43,100 --> 00:28:45,200 him. So it's a really interesting 535 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:46,700 image. Isn't it of a mountain being 536 00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:51,800 thrown into the sea? Notice that Jesus says if anyone 537 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,800 says to this mountain so it's a specific Mountain. 538 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:58,000 Jesus has in mind, what mountain is he thinking of well it's 539 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:01,200 either the Mount of Olives that they're traveling across as they 540 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,900 come into Jerusalem or maybe even Mount Zion where Jerusalem 541 00:29:04,900 --> 00:29:06,700 stands, or whether Temple stands. 542 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:10,700 It's one of those that Jesus is pointing to apparently if anyone 543 00:29:10,700 --> 00:29:13,800 says to this mountain get up and throw yourself into the sea. 544 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,300 Now this is a doubly strange image. 545 00:29:16,300 --> 00:29:18,400 Not only is the mountain getting up and moving. 546 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,400 It's also moving into the sea and Islam is not really anywhere 547 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:22,100 near this. See. 548 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,400 So that's kind of the whole point of this image. 549 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,300 It's supposed to be something that's bizarre and impossible, 550 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,600 get up, and throw yourself into the sea, with no hesitation in 551 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,500 his heart or you can translate that and does not doubt in his 552 00:29:35,500 --> 00:29:38,400 heart. Keep in mind that Faith. 553 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:40,500 According to the Bible is basically trust. 554 00:29:40,700 --> 00:29:42,900 So the point Jesus is getting out here. 555 00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:47,100 Is if one praise without trust, then press the just empty words, 556 00:29:47,100 --> 00:29:49,900 that sort of an implication of this, but on the other hand, if 557 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,800 One does pray with trust interesting things can happen. 558 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,700 If anyone says to this mountain get up and throw yourself into 559 00:29:56,700 --> 00:29:59,100 the sea, with no hesitation in his heart. 560 00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:02,600 But believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for 561 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:05,600 him. Now certainly this is a form of 562 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:07,700 hyperbole. It's an exaggeration which was a 563 00:30:07,700 --> 00:30:09,700 common Jewish way of speaking at the time. 564 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,100 Jesus picked an example of something which is amazing and 565 00:30:13,100 --> 00:30:16,000 impossible kind of like the camel passing through the eye of 566 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,000 the needle. It's a similar. 567 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,300 Sort of genre, he's picking something, which his audience 568 00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:24,000 would have known as impossible. So, Jesus, probably doesn't 569 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:27,300 literally mean that the apostles could command a mountain to 570 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:29,400 move. Though, we can't rule that out. 571 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:31,600 That is certainly within God's power but that's probably not 572 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:36,000 Jesus main point Jesus Main Here is that even a small amount of 573 00:30:36,008 --> 00:30:39,800 genuine faith of genuine trusting God will enable God to 574 00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:42,600 do great Miracles through them which would otherwise be 575 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:46,100 impossible. Remember the by now, Jesus has 576 00:30:46,100 --> 00:30:49,000 already taught that all things are possible for God, he said 577 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,100 that in chapter 10. So Jesus, he is says the 578 00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:54,500 Believers. When they pray, if they have 579 00:30:54,500 --> 00:30:58,300 enough trust, and if something is within God's will, it will be 580 00:30:58,300 --> 00:31:00,600 done for them. That is the basic teaching here. 581 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,600 It's a teaching about God's miraculous. 582 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:07,300 Power to do things. If Believers have genuine, trust 583 00:31:07,300 --> 00:31:10,200 in him. Now, again some Scholars think 584 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,500 there might be an Old Testament background to this, and that 585 00:31:12,500 --> 00:31:16,300 would make sense in context. It's possible here, that Jesus 586 00:31:16,300 --> 00:31:18,200 is referring to Zechariah Chapter 4. 587 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,400 Verse 7. There's a Korea has a vision of 588 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:25,200 zerubbabel rebuilding the temple, after its first 589 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:31,700 destruction in 586 BC, and in this vision of zerubbabel, 590 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,200 rebuilding the temple. There's Right. 591 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:38,200 Mountain that standing in his way of building the Temple. 592 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,300 So is the ruble in this Vision clears away the mountain, in 593 00:31:41,300 --> 00:31:43,600 order to begin construction of the temple. 594 00:31:44,500 --> 00:31:47,100 So here, if you think about what's going on theologically 595 00:31:47,100 --> 00:31:50,300 with Jesus, the mountain of Jerusalem and the temple has to 596 00:31:50,300 --> 00:31:55,000 be pushed aside, in order to make room for a new Temple, the 597 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,800 Temple of Jesus himself and his Church, the true House of Prayer 598 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,700 that's going to be built of Christian Believers, which is 599 00:32:01,700 --> 00:32:05,500 quarried from All Nations. So maybe when Jesus here talks 600 00:32:05,500 --> 00:32:08,400 about a mountain being moved, he literally is theologically 601 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:12,200 thinking of the temple Mountain being moved out of the way, 602 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,100 theologically to make room for the New Covenant. 603 00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:16,600 That's a really interesting connection. 604 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,400 Verse 24, I tell you, they're for everything you asked for and 605 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,600 pray for, or you can just translate this as whatever you 606 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,400 ask in prayer. So, Jesus is now going to talk 607 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,300 about prayer. Specifically, the implication 608 00:32:30,300 --> 00:32:33,400 here might be that the temple is the House of Prayer is now going 609 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,300 to replaced by the Messianic Community gathered around Jesus 610 00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,600 in faith and prayer and certainly that would fit with 611 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,100 everything that's happened in this episode. 612 00:32:41,100 --> 00:32:45,200 So far, everything you ask and pray for believe that you have 613 00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:49,400 it already and it will be yours. All literal translation here is 614 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:54,000 believe that you have received it and you will, this is a 615 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,900 really challenging verse, because our initial reaction to 616 00:32:56,900 --> 00:32:59,400 this is, well, I pray for things all the time and I don't get 617 00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:02,100 them. Why do some of our fervent 618 00:33:02,100 --> 00:33:04,500 sincere Christian prayers, go unanswered. 619 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:07,500 I think the key to this is understanding what the word 620 00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:09,800 believe means in the biblical sense. 621 00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:13,400 And I'm going to quote here from the Catholic commentary on 622 00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:16,100 sacred scripture for the gospel of Mark, I think this is a 623 00:33:16,100 --> 00:33:19,200 really excellent quote. That helps us make sense of the 624 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:21,500 Theology of what Jesus is saying here. 625 00:33:21,500 --> 00:33:24,100 When he says believe that you have it already and it will be 626 00:33:24,100 --> 00:33:28,000 yours when you pray. So, here's the quote, to believe 627 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,200 is not to work up. A subjective feeling of 628 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,800 certitude that our prayers will be answered rather, it is to 629 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,700 enter into a personal trusting relationship with God. 630 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,000 So that our prayers become aligned with the true good that 631 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:43,100 he desires for us. Elsewhere in the New Testament. 632 00:33:43,100 --> 00:33:45,800 This Promise includes the qualification that our prayers 633 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:50,600 must be in Jesus name. John 14 or according to his will 634 00:33:50,900 --> 00:33:55,800 in 1 John chapter 5 and not with a divided heart, James chapter 4 635 00:33:56,900 --> 00:33:59,000 Jesus himself. Is the model for prayer. 636 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,200 That is always answered because of his total surrender to the 637 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,400 father's. Will the more we are united with 638 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,400 him, the more, his desires and priorities become our own and 639 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:13,000 the more we will see how God answers them, this is the kind 640 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,400 of Faith. Jesus is referring to not a 641 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,300 faith. That views God as a kind of 642 00:34:17,300 --> 00:34:18,800 cosmic. It vending machine. 643 00:34:18,900 --> 00:34:21,100 Ready to carry out every request? 644 00:34:21,699 --> 00:34:23,699 Do not be troubled. If you do not immediately 645 00:34:23,699 --> 00:34:26,800 receive from God, what you ask from him for? 646 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:30,500 He desires to do something, even greater for you, while you cling 647 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:33,900 to him in prayer. So that's the end of that quote 648 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:36,199 there from the cafe commentary on sacred scripture. 649 00:34:36,300 --> 00:34:39,100 And that last part is a quote from one of the Saints there 650 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:41,100 about what God wants for us in prayer. 651 00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:45,199 So, the kind of prayer Jesus is thinking of, is this really deep 652 00:34:45,300 --> 00:34:49,900 Christian sense of Prayer. You completely completely United 653 00:34:49,900 --> 00:34:52,199 to the father's will, that's what Jesus wants a Believers. 654 00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:54,199 He wants them to be. So United to the father's. 655 00:34:54,199 --> 00:34:57,000 Will that when they pray, they're actually asking for what 656 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,900 God wants as well. That is the kind of prayer 657 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:05,600 that's that Jesus says, God will grant verse 25. 658 00:35:05,700 --> 00:35:08,700 When you stand in prayer, notice he says, when you stand in 659 00:35:08,700 --> 00:35:11,100 prayer, that's the typical Jewish posture for prayer. 660 00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:15,300 We're used to kneeling or sitting, typically standing was 661 00:35:15,300 --> 00:35:18,400 the way the Jews would pray. We see this in one Kings chapter 662 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,800 8, verse 22. And some 134 verse 1. 663 00:35:22,900 --> 00:35:27,000 So Jesus is now going to give a condition to his disciples for 664 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,900 if they want their prayers. Granted he says when you stand 665 00:35:29,900 --> 00:35:33,000 in prayer, forgive whatever you have against anybody. 666 00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:36,600 So that your father in Heaven. So let's stop there. 667 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,600 Jesus has just said that, any anything you pray in Earnest in 668 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,400 accordance with God's will will be answered, but now he's going 669 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,700 to qualify that and say you can't have unforgiveness in your 670 00:35:46,700 --> 00:35:49,100 heart. Forgive whatever you have 671 00:35:49,100 --> 00:35:51,600 against anybody. So that your father in Heaven. 672 00:35:51,900 --> 00:35:53,800 So, Jesus. Now, notice this you use the 673 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,700 words, the word, father up till. Now, in the gospel of Mark, 674 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,100 Jesus has said that. God is his father but he hasn't 675 00:36:00,100 --> 00:36:03,200 said it's for other believers. Well here, he now says that his 676 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:06,100 disciples can call god. Father, that's quite an intimate 677 00:36:06,100 --> 00:36:10,300 term actually that's important. The whole basis of Jesus 678 00:36:10,300 --> 00:36:14,900 teaching on prayer here and the radical implication that God 679 00:36:14,900 --> 00:36:18,800 will grant believe his prayers. The Whole thing, this is based 680 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,200 on is that God knows our needs as Christians and he listens to 681 00:36:22,207 --> 00:36:26,200 them, because Christians are his beloved children, that's kind of 682 00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:29,900 the whole thing undergirding. This forgive whatever you have 683 00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:32,200 against anybody. So that your father in Heaven, 684 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:34,700 May forgive your failings. True more. 685 00:36:34,700 --> 00:36:38,000 Literally, it says, may forgive your trespasses notice. 686 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:41,800 This forgiveness is conditional. Jesus says that if you want the 687 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,400 father to forgive your trespasses, you need to forgive 688 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:46,800 whatever you have against anybody. 689 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:49,600 That's actually what Is teaches forgiveness is conditional. 690 00:36:49,900 --> 00:36:53,100 We're used to to believing and teaching that God will forgive 691 00:36:53,100 --> 00:36:55,600 you, no matter what. But actually, Jesus has a pretty 692 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,700 strong condition on it. He says, if you want God's 693 00:36:57,700 --> 00:37:00,300 forgiveness, you need to forgive others. 694 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,500 Now in some manuscripts, it actually finishes here. 695 00:37:03,500 --> 00:37:07,400 That's the end of verse 25, but our lectionary keeps going and 696 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,900 it follows some of the other manuscripts that have a verse 697 00:37:09,900 --> 00:37:14,300 26, which is, but if you do not forgive your father in heaven, 698 00:37:14,300 --> 00:37:16,300 will not forgive your failings either. 699 00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:19,600 That's pretty strong language. Is It, if you do not forgive 700 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:22,300 your father in Heaven, mate will not forgive your failings. 701 00:37:22,300 --> 00:37:25,100 Either, it's possible that some manuscripts got rid of this 702 00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:29,100 because they thought it was too strong and they didn't, like, 703 00:37:29,100 --> 00:37:31,700 what it implied, but it's also possible that it wasn't in the 704 00:37:31,700 --> 00:37:34,600 original and it was copied across from Matthew's gospel, 705 00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,700 because Jesus does teach this in Matthew's gospel. 706 00:37:38,500 --> 00:37:40,500 Certainly, it makes sense in context. 707 00:37:40,700 --> 00:37:44,400 Jesus does teach adjust after. He gives the Our Father actually 708 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,900 in Matthew's gospel that if you don't forgive your father, That 709 00:37:47,900 --> 00:37:50,400 will not forgive you. Either Christians have to keep 710 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:53,200 this in mind. Now, how exactly all this 711 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,100 forgiveness stuff works on a spiritual level, is a mystery, 712 00:37:56,700 --> 00:37:59,000 how is it the case that God only forgives us? 713 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,000 If we forgive others? How does that work? 714 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:05,400 Not entirely clear some Scholars think that it has to do with if 715 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,800 you Harbor unforgiveness then you're not going to be open to 716 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:10,300 God's work in your life and that's certainly the case that 717 00:38:10,300 --> 00:38:12,000 could be something deeper going on here though. 718 00:38:12,500 --> 00:38:16,200 Certainly, it does tell us that our actions in this life can 719 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:19,500 gain Merit before God. And he's going to overlook our 720 00:38:19,500 --> 00:38:21,700 offenses. If we strive to do the same to 721 00:38:21,700 --> 00:38:25,200 others, this whole principle of forgiving others. 722 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:29,700 If we want God to forgive us is emphasize particularly in What's 723 00:38:29,700 --> 00:38:31,800 called the parable of the unforgiving, servant. 724 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:36,400 And you can see that in Matthew chapter 18 verses 21 to 35. 725 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:38,300 You might like to check out that Parable. 726 00:38:38,300 --> 00:38:43,300 So in the next section of Mark the disciples come back to the 727 00:38:43,300 --> 00:38:45,900 temple for the second day and they're going to do more 728 00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:50,600 confrontations with the L will see this in the coming days so 729 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:52,900 it's a long passage, isn't it? But I hope you can see that 730 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:54,900 taking the time to go through it properly. 731 00:38:54,900 --> 00:38:57,100 Really sheds. A whole lot of interesting light 732 00:38:57,100 --> 00:39:00,200 on this passage and you can't really understand it unless 733 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,000 you're willing to do a dive into the text. 734 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:05,500 Like we have today the lectionary has just decided to 735 00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:08,100 keep this all together as one big block of text. 736 00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:11,300 So our task is to take the time to go through this big block of 737 00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:14,500 text. Let's finish with two paragraphs 738 00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:18,700 from the catechism. Paragraph 2, 6, 10, I just as 739 00:39:18,700 --> 00:39:21,600 Jesus prays to the father and gives thanks before receiving 740 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:24,600 his gifts. So he teaches us, fill your 741 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,100 boldness, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive 742 00:39:28,100 --> 00:39:32,400 it and you will, such is the power of prayer and of faith 743 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:35,400 that does not doubt. All things are possible to him 744 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,300 who believes. So you can hear that quote 745 00:39:38,300 --> 00:39:40,800 there, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive 746 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:42,800 it and you will. This is in the catechism, it's 747 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:45,100 actually part of Catholic teaching that if we pray 748 00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:50,300 according to God's will, he will give us what Praful and Jesus 749 00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:55,600 himself is the model for this and then paragraph 2840, this is 750 00:39:55,900 --> 00:39:59,000 in the section which comments on the line from the Our Father, 751 00:39:59,100 --> 00:40:02,000 forgive us our trespasses. And there's a really interesting 752 00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:05,000 language here. So here's what paragraph 2840 753 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:10,000 says now, and this is daunting. The outpouring of Mercy cannot 754 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,000 penetrate. Our hearts as long as we have 755 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,400 not forgiven. Those who have trespassed 756 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:17,500 against us love like the body of Christ is indeed. 757 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:19,800 Divisible. We cannot love the God. 758 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:23,400 We cannot see if we do not love the brother or sister that we do 759 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:27,500 see in refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts 760 00:40:27,500 --> 00:40:30,800 are closed and the hardness makes them impervious to the 761 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:34,400 father's merciful love. But in confessing our sins, our 762 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:38,200 hearts are open to his grace. This petition is so important 763 00:40:38,200 --> 00:40:42,300 that it is the only one to which the Lord returns and which he 764 00:40:42,300 --> 00:40:45,100 develops, explicitly in The Sermon on the Mount. 765 00:40:45,100 --> 00:40:47,000 This crucial requirement of the Covenant. 766 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,500 Mystery is Impossible for man, but With God, all things are 767 00:40:50,508 --> 00:40:53,800 possible. That's a good spot to finish. 768 00:40:53,900 --> 00:40:56,700 It is a longer episode today, one of the longest ones in this 769 00:40:56,700 --> 00:40:59,400 podcast, but I hope you can see, it's been worth it and we'll go 770 00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:01,500 back to having a shorter episode tomorrow. 771 00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:05,100 If you've enjoyed this episode, if you have really enjoyed the 772 00:41:05,100 --> 00:41:07,200 way, we've gone through it, verse by verse to unpack. 773 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:09,500 It please tell other people about this ministry. 774 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:12,800 The only way it can grow is by you telling other people about 775 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,900 it. Thanks once again and hopefully 776 00:41:14,900 --> 00:41:16,100 you'll tune in again tomorrow.