1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:12,559 Speaker 1: Life audio. What do we do with a version of 2 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: Jesus who doesn't just comfort you, but confronts you. We 3 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: all tend to enjoy a version of Jesus that's encouraging 4 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: and comforting and coming alongside of our life. We all 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: kind of like the Jesus as our friend and homeboy. 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: But what happens when Jesus begins to overturn things in 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: your life? In Mark chapter eleven, we see a different 8 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: side of Jesus, a Jesus who is willing to disrupt 9 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: systems that actually keep people from experiencing free and full life. 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: Buckle up, because today we're talking about a confronting Jesus. Hey, everyone, 11 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: welcome back to how to Say the Bible. I'm your host, 12 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: Nicole unis so glad to be here with you as 13 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: we are walking through the Gospel of Mark together. It 14 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: feels really timely because as we're recording this, we're in 15 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: Holy Week. You guys will watch it a little bit after. 16 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 1: But a lot of times I think that when we approach, 17 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: you know, our high holidays in the Christian faith Christmas Easter, 18 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: we can get really caught up in all the things 19 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: that happen alongside of Easter, whether that's time with your 20 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: family or things that you might be doing for your kids, 21 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,839 Speaker 1: getting to church, et cetera. And I actually like really 22 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: sort of sitting with what happens in Easter Week and 23 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: what it really means when Jesus experiences this Passion week, 24 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: even after we've celebrated, because I think it gives us 25 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: a chance to really fully absorb and sit with what 26 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: all of this means for our lives and what it 27 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: means to really follow Jesus, not what it means in 28 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: our culture or what you might hear in your social 29 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: media feed or whatever, but really what the scripture says. 30 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: And one thing that I just learned this year for 31 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: the first time. Actually the author is Henry Now and 32 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: one of my very favorite authors, and he was talking 33 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: about the Passion Week, and he says that, you know, 34 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: when Jesus enters the Passion week, we see that after 35 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: he overturns the tables in the temple, we're going to 36 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: see in a minute everything begins to happen now to him. 37 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 1: The moment that Jesus goes and prays in the garden 38 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: and asks God to take the cup from him. After 39 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: that moment, everything else happens to him, and passion actually 40 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: means to suffer with. And so we think about our 41 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: Jesus as a Jesus of action who is feeding the 42 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: five thousand and healing the sick and having the blind 43 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: see and teaching. But when we get to this part, 44 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: he begins to suffer. He just allows the suffering to 45 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: come to him. And there's a part of that that 46 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: I think we're invited to enter into. We're invited to 47 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: enter into the places in our life where we feel 48 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,519 Speaker 1: like there are gaps or disappointments, grief that we can't understand, 49 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: lost that we can't explain, things that we hold that 50 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: are hard, and we recognize that we have a Jesus 51 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: who not only overturns the tables in the temple, as 52 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: we'll see, but also suffers and suffers with and allows 53 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: things to happen because he knows that they are for 54 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: God's greater glory and that there is an end to 55 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: the story. Where that's never the end. But sometimes, friends, 56 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,399 Speaker 1: we are in that really hard chapter in our own stories. 57 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: We are in that suffering place, and it often is 58 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: easy to think that God has forgotten us, or he's 59 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: disappointed in us, or we've done something wrong and we're 60 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: experiencing sort of not seeing his face anymore. But what 61 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: we see in scripture as we enter into the Passion 62 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: week is that what Jesus did by going ahead of 63 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: us in his suffering, is he made it so that 64 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: we never have God's face turned against us. He made 65 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: it so that we are never alone. That yes, we 66 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: may suffer, but we will never suffer alone. Because Jesus 67 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: has done something that is a cosmic upheaval of the 68 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,839 Speaker 1: world order. He has created a world where we, when 69 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: we follow him, are able to experience the love and 70 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: the presence and the communion with our heavenly Father that 71 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: we would otherwise not be able to have. So that's 72 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: what we enter into as we enter into Mark chapter eleven. 73 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,280 Speaker 1: So let's just do a little flyover what's happening in 74 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: Mark eleven. Today. I'm going to read from the New 75 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: Living Translation. So for those of you guys who are 76 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: here on YouTube, you can see that this is my 77 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: New Living Translation Study Bible. I have this linked for 78 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: you guys in my Amazon list, So if you want 79 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: to get access to that or any of the other 80 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: resources that I share here, just go over to my 81 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: website Nicoleyunis dot com, slash real Talk. Sign up on 82 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 1: our email newsletter. I don't send tons of newsletters, but 83 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: I'll send enough so that you can kind of access 84 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: the resources that you're looking for from here on the podcast, 85 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: So New Living Translation, I'm going to read from today, 86 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 1: and we're in Mark chapter eleven, and again, just like 87 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: every other chapter that we've read, there's a lot going on. 88 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: And we open in our chapter eleven to Jesus's triumphal entry. 89 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: This is Jesus entering Jerusalem. This is the last time 90 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: he's going to enter Jerusalem. He enters, and this is 91 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: where he's going to go all the way to his crucifixion, 92 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 1: his resurrection. And he enters, and as he does, people 93 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: are laying down palm branches and they're laying down their cloaks, 94 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: and he's coming into Jerusalem and people are saying, Hosanna, 95 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 96 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 1: Hosanna means God, save us. It was like, save us 97 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: from this Roman oppression, save us from being marginalized, save us, 98 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: be our savior, be our Lord, and all that that 99 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: meant to the people at that time. As Jesus entered. 100 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: He enters on this high note, but we know that 101 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: things will change quickly. The next thing that happens is 102 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: a very curious thing that we'll touch on for a 103 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,359 Speaker 1: moment where Jesus curses a fig tree. And this is 104 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,240 Speaker 1: like again a place where people are like, how does 105 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: this track with what I understand about Jesus? And I 106 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: think there's a little backstory here that's going to make 107 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: this make a lot more sense. And then we're going 108 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,239 Speaker 1: to focus on a passage about Jesus clearing the temple. 109 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: So this is all happening in Mark chapter eleven. This 110 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 1: chapter reveals that Jesus's authority is not symbolic. It's disruptive, 111 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: it's decisive. He isn't just a figurehead. He isn't just 112 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: a symbol of things to come. He is the thing 113 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: to come. And we begin to see this here. So 114 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: let's read our passage for today. If you have your Bibles, 115 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: if you want to open with me, Mark Chapter eleven, 116 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: verses fifteen through nineteen is where I'm going to read 117 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: from you for you today. So remember we asked the question, 118 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: what does it say? We're looking for the things the 119 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: questions that we have. What might we not understand that 120 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: we want to like? Kind of hone in on. When 121 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: it comes to the backstory, it says when they arrived 122 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and began to drive 123 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He 124 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: knocked over the tables of the money changers and the 125 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,720 Speaker 1: chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from 126 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: using the temple as a marketplace. He said to them, 127 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: the scriptures declare, my temple will be called a house 128 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: of prayer for all nations, but you have turned it 129 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: into a den of thieves. When the leading priests and 130 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 Speaker 1: teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they 131 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid 132 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching. 133 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: That evening, Jesus and the disciples left the city. So 134 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: what in the world is happening here? Is what has 135 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: come over Jesus? What has come over Jesus? Meek and 136 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: mild Jesus, the one who says he's the good shepherd, Jesus, 137 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: the one who sees people and looks at them with 138 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: such tenderness, and gathers little children in his arms and 139 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: says you have to be like a little child to 140 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: enter the Kingdom of Ava. And we are seeing a 141 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: different side of Jesus, and oftentimes we might have a 142 00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: hard time kind of comprehending both sides. And in a 143 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: lot of ways, there might be camps even right now, 144 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: right now in our world, in our news feed, there's 145 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: kind of the Jesus turning the temples over camp, and 146 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: there's the Jesus meek and mild camp. And there's a 147 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: whole lot of people right now on the Jesus turning 148 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: the temple over side of the camp. And a lot 149 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: of people will use this passage. They will misuse this 150 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: passage and they will apply it for their own gain. 151 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: They will say, we have to be like Jesus. Right now, 152 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: you see Jesus is disrupting these crepses. And people will 153 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: say Jesus is disrupting this corrupt system from both sides 154 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: of the aisle, from all the way right and all 155 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: the way left. They will apply this passage to see, 156 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: you see Jesus is disrupting this crypt system. We have 157 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: to do this. We have to be the ones who 158 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: say no, this is the way, this is what Jesus means. 159 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: We are not meant to see this passage this way. 160 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: And this is oftentimes one of the things that happens 161 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: in our culture where we are a very self centered culture. 162 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: We're a culture that centers ourselves. We center ourselves in scripture. 163 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: And what I want you to know is the place 164 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: you're supposed to see yourself in this passage is that 165 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: you are not Jesus coming into the temple and disrupting it. 166 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: You are the temple. You are the temple. You are 167 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: the one that Jesus comes in and disrupts. This is 168 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: the same thing that happens in Ezekiel. There's a passage 169 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: in Ezekiel thirty six, and I remember listening to a pastor. 170 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 1: This was kind of in twenty twenty one during the 171 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: racial reckoning in the US, and this white pastor told 172 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: this story about how he was in seminary and he 173 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 1: realized that in all of his time and in all 174 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: of his training, he had never really had a black 175 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:35,079 Speaker 1: friend or a black person also in ministry, and he 176 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: had his first black professor, and this was a preaching class, 177 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 1: and he said that they were preparing this passage Ezekiel 178 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:44,320 Speaker 1: thirty six and in this passage we see that the 179 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: prophet Ezekiel is taken to this valley, and in this 180 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: valley God reveals to him this valley of dry bones, 181 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: and everything is so dead and bleached out and white, 182 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: so like it's dead dead. It's a valley of dead stuff. 183 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 1: And the prophet Ezekiel, God says to him, tell these 184 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: bones to live. And you see this animation of all 185 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: of this, Everything dead in the valley comes back to life, 186 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: and it's this beautiful prophetic image of what God does. 187 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: And so this white pastor is talking about that it 188 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: was his turn to preach the passage, and so he 189 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: preached the passage, and the black pastor said to him, 190 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: did you notice what point of view you took? And 191 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: the white pastor was like, he took the point of 192 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: view that he's only ever seen taken, which is that 193 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,559 Speaker 1: we're the prophet. We're the prophet who's being sent out 194 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:35,679 Speaker 1: to bring the valley of dry bones to life. And 195 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,760 Speaker 1: this black professor said to him, have you ever considered 196 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: that you might be the dry bones? Have you ever 197 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: considered that you're not reading this passage from a place 198 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: of need or dependency at all? That you read this passage, 199 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:53,719 Speaker 1: and that we read this passage about Jesus turning over 200 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 1: the temple as if we are Jesus's right hand man, 201 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: like Jesus wants us. But the first thing that Jesus 202 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: will always do is he says, no, you are the 203 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: dry bones. You are the one who's laying on the 204 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: side of the road who needs assistance. You are the temple. 205 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: Before you can be Jesus's right hand anything, before you're 206 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: truly following Jesus, Jesus himself must disrupt the system that 207 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: is your own heart. And so when we enter into 208 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: this passage, the first thing that I want to say 209 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 1: is the first thing that you need to know is 210 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:26,719 Speaker 1: that this begins with us as the temple. In what 211 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: ways is Jesus coming in to disrupt and what was 212 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: he disrupting here? And so when we look at the backstory, 213 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: we want to know that he's disrupting the current temple system. 214 00:11:35,679 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: And here's where there had been a breakdown in the 215 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 1: temple system. This court of the gentiles had become this 216 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: marketplace for buying and selling sacrificial animals. The activity was 217 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: crowding out the space that was actually intended for prayer 218 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: and worship. And not only that, but these people were 219 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: extorting the people who were coming to offer a sacrifice 220 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: for their own gain. What we know about the temple 221 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: system is that it was sort of a sliding scale. 222 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: It was like, okay, well, if I can bring a ram, 223 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: if I can bring a lamb, if I can bring 224 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: this cherished item, I will. But if i'm if I 225 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: don't have that kind of money, if I don't have 226 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: those means, God will accept an offering that is out 227 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: of my own means. And so you could also bring 228 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: like two doves. 229 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 2: You know. 230 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: This is how we know that Jesus was not rich 231 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: with his family because they brought a small sacrifice when 232 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: they brought Jesus to be blessed as a baby to 233 00:12:26,679 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 1: the temple. And what was happening here is that Jesus 234 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:33,679 Speaker 1: was confronting activity that was distorting the real purposes of God. 235 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:39,400 Speaker 1: This marketplace had become this kind of transactional extortion of 236 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: the people's hearts that were coming to God, and it 237 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: was people were using this system. They were using the 238 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: weakness and dependency of people for their own gain. And 239 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 1: so Jesus is like, this will not stand. This is 240 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 1: not what God means by worship, and he disrupts that system, 241 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: and he does it in like a pretty violent wayes people. 242 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: He does another thing in this passage that I mentioned earlier, 243 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: and there's a connection here to this fig tree. And 244 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: so there's this moment when Jesus walks by this fig 245 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: tree in this same chapter, and the fig tree appears healthy, 246 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: it's got leaves on it, but it bears no fruit, 247 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,319 Speaker 1: and Jesus actually curses the fig tree. And this is 248 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 1: a callback to imagery that we find in another prophetic book, 249 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:25,959 Speaker 1: the Book of Jeremiah, chapter eight, and this is an 250 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: imagery that's used there of fruitlessness. So there's the appearance 251 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:34,200 Speaker 1: of health, but it lacks fruit. And this issue is 252 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: kind of this appearance without substance. This is religion without 253 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:42,280 Speaker 1: real transformation. And so what's happening with the fig tree 254 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: is a symbol of exactly what happens in the temple. 255 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: When Jesus curses the fig tree. It's not because the 256 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: fig tree didn't bear fruit and Jesus needed breakfast. It 257 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: was that it was a prophetic symbol. So Jesus is 258 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: actually doing this prophetic action, which is a tradition of 259 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 1: the prophets He's using this symbol in this moment to 260 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: illustrate what also is about to happen in the temple, 261 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: and you know where else Jesus does this in a 262 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: very different way. He uses this same idea when he 263 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: has the passivever meal with his disciples in just a 264 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 1: couple of days ahead in the Passion week, when Jesus 265 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,000 Speaker 1: washes the feet of his disciples, that is a prophetic 266 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: action that represents what he is about to do on 267 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: the cross. When he breaks bread and says that there 268 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: is a new covenant being made in my blood shed 269 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: for you, he is doing a prophetic action that represents 270 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: what's about to happen. So what we see here in 271 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 1: this passage is Jesus's prophetic action that represents his true authority. 272 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:53,479 Speaker 1: It represents his ability to say, I will disrupt systems 273 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 1: in your heart, I will disrupt systems in your life. 274 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: I will disrupt anything that keeps you from true worship. 275 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: And all around us we have distractions and temptations that 276 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: keep us from true worship. And one of the things 277 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 1: that distracts us more than anything else is the appearance 278 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: of religion. The ability to say I'm going to do 279 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: good things for God when actually I'm not really connected 280 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: to God at all. I'm just out here doing good things. 281 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: I'm out here feeling good about the good things I'm doing. 282 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: And what Jesus says is now like the system, means 283 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 1: that all of the things that will be good must 284 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,000 Speaker 1: come from the abundance of your heart. That you can 285 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: look healthy to other people. But I see your heart. 286 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: I am the one that operates in the inmost places 287 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: with you. I am the one, just like the prophet 288 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: Ezekiel saw, that can actually take your heart of stone 289 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: out and give you a heart of flesh. And I 290 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: am the one who will look and find those stony 291 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: places to overturn in your life. You see, what Jesus 292 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 1: is offering is something very different than religion. He's offering 293 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: us relationship, and that relationship operates in the most in 294 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 1: most of places. Where Jesus says, I'm going to disrupt 295 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 1: things that you might believe bring you life, things that 296 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: you believe are what you should trust, things that you 297 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: believe that you must have in order to be happy. 298 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: I want to show you that forgiveness and peace and 299 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: joy come from following me. They don't come from your 300 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: own self. Enacted vengeance or your own self enacted system, 301 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: which is what we saw happening in the temple. When 302 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: Jesus takes his rightful place, he doesn't just enter your life, 303 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: he actually reshapes it. We can't have a life that's 304 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: Jesus plus anything. It's Jesus plus nothing. It's Jesus plus 305 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 1: nothing that actually brings us everything. Thanks friends for being 306 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: here with us this week. I'm excited for us to 307 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: continue to journey through the Gospel of Mark. If you'd 308 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: like to have more resources at your deposal, go ahead 309 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,399 Speaker 1: over to Nicoleunus dot com, slash real Talk, grab that 310 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 1: email list, and we'll send you things that you need 311 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: to continue on your journey with God. 312 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:14,920 Speaker 2: How to Study the Bible with Nicole Unis is a 313 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 2: production of Live Audio and Salem Media. If you like 314 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 2: what you heard today, please take a second to rate 315 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 2: and review the podcast and your favorite podcast app so 316 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 2: that more listeners like you can find the show. For 317 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 2: more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit us at liveaudio dot com.