Study in Mark’s Gospel

Study in Mark’s Gospel Presentation 35

An Angry Jesus Chap 11v12-19 Presentation 35

Introduction “Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right reason, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy”. These words spoken by Aristotle over 2000 years ago indicate that anger is not an easy emotion to control. To press home this very point, William Jenkin, the Puritan preacher produced the following epigram: “Anger is just one letter short of danger.” Presentation 35

Introduction Anger is a legitimate human emotion but it can drive us over the edge and make us lose our temper. In addition, our anger with others, is often a response and reaction to the hurts, defects and frustrations found in our own lives. There is a world of difference between the anger of Jesus in the temple and that often displayed on the football pitch or in the workplace. Jesus did not have a brainstorm! He did not simply loose his cool for a few regrettable moments. How do we explain his anger in the temple? Presentation 35

Exploitation Of The Good First, Jesus was angry because God's house had been turned into a place of commercial exploitation. People associate the temple with the place you went to be ripped off. You weren't permitted to bring your own sacrifice but had to purchase one in the temple court at extremely inflated prices. But you could not buy the animal with normal currency you needed temple currency and so the moneychangers coined in vast profits. The worshippers were exploited! Now when, the church begins to exploit the very people it is meant to serve, and believes that its own comfortable existence and enrichment is more important than men's spiritual needs, then Jesus is angry. Presentation 35

Exploitation Of The Good If you are student of church history you will know that in the C16th worshippers were being taken to the cleaners by a church that had become corrupt. Sadly, its leaders were obsessed with power, position and possessions. Indeed they began to teach that people could avoid punishment by the purchase of indulgences. Then too, it was as if Jesus entered that church with a scourge in his hand and a whole barrow-load of corrupt practices was overthrown the outcome of which was the establishment of the Reformed church. Presentation 35

Exploitation Of The Good Does commercial exploitation take place today? Is the church constantly seeking to feather its own nest? Does its leadership cultivate the wealthy hoping that during their life they will dig deep into their pockets and that after their death leave us sizeable endowments? When the church is more concerned to have people attend its fund-raising events than its worship services then something is far wrong! The hand of grace which stretches out to give has been replaced by a grasping hand intent upon a good financial return. It was this obsession with the material at the expense of the spiritual that caused Thomas Carlyle to describe the church as "soul extinct, stomach well alive". Presentation 35

Theological Truth Distorted Secondly, Jesus was angered by the theological distortion that was created. He made it clear that God’s house should have been a ‘place of prayer’ - a place where men met with God, thanked him for his benefits, confessed their sins, and made their sacrifice. Communion with God through sacrifice lay at the heart of Jewish worship. The temple was central to that sacrificial system. Its’ ritual was designed to teach an important lesson; although God's holiness excludes men from his presence, fellowship with him was possible through sacrifice. The O.T. sacrifices were provisional, pointing forward to one great sacrifice for sin which God himself would provide.. Presentation 35

Theological Truth Distorted Jesus was that sacrifice. He had described his mission in sacrificial terminology, ‘The Son of Man came to give his life a ransom for many’. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday it was not only to proclaim his kingship but he High priestly role. He would do what no other high priest could ever do - offer up his life as a ransom for many. God had made gracious provision for a spiritually bankrupt, morally flawed and helplessly alienated people. But these temple businessmen had disgracefully distorted the grace of God. And they had begun to alienate needy men and women from God rather than attract them to him. That will always make Jesus angry. Presentation 35

Theological Truth Distorted Does such theological distortion exist today? Anything that debases God's character and discredits his provision is theological distortion. It happens when the uniqueness of Christ as the only Saviour of men is denied and when the substitutionary atonement of Christ is ridiculed. Some today suggest it is barbaric to suggest that Jesus died in our stead and bore the punishment that we deserve. They claim that the cross only provides us with an example of sacrificial love. Others teach that the love of God enables him to suppress his holiness causing him and see nothing incongruous about asking God to bless a homosexual marriage. There is no shortage of theological distortion in the church today and I tell you, it makes Jesus angry! Presentation 35

Worship Devalued These temple abuses did more than promote commercial exploitation and theological distortion they also reveal an evangelistic indifference. The Jewish tradesmen conducted their business in an area known as the court of the Gentiles. Now that was the place where people of other nations, who had not yet professed faith came to learn and to worship - they were God-fearers. If you like it was where the Jews should have held their enquirers classes. They might just as well have placed bouncers at the point of entry to turn all enquirers away. The attitude of the authorities was clearly one of indifference towards those who were struggling to come to faith. They had been excluded in order to provide room for more lucrative business concerns. Presentation 35

Worship Devalued Enquirers were not considered important by the religious authorities of Jesus day. What frightening indifference, they showed towards those whom they should have been encouraging. But ask are we a missionary church reaching out to others? Or do we adopt inflexible practices and a religious lifestyle that discourages those on the outskirts of the faith. In a recent survey in the U.K. it was noted that 6 out of 10 people said that they believed in God. But why are they not at church. It is easy for us to say, ‘they should make a greater effort’. But have we, by our behaviour and disinterest in mission, shown our selves to be indifferent towards them? If so then Jesus is surely justifiably angry. Presentation 35

Jesus As Priest And Judge Jesus’ response to all this abuse was not an ill considered and spontaneous act but one formed after sober reflection. He had come into the temple the previous evening and seen all that was going on. It was on his return the following day that he drove out the corrupting influences in the temple. Jesus was motivated by a jealous concern for his Father's glory. A well known modern commentator says that Jesus would never have behaved in this way but the Jesus he is describing is one that has been manufactured by his own prejudice . He shows little understanding of Jesus’ passion for God’s glory and for his intense concern for the lost Presentation 35

Jesus As Priest And Judge As we read the N.T. we discover that the risen Jesus continues to act as faithful priest addressing abuses in his church. In the opening chapters of the book of Revelation we discover Jesus robed in priestly garments, scrutinising a number of churches and urging repentance before it is too late. Further it becomes clear that God reserves his severest judgement for those churches whose worship is hollow, where corruption is rife, and where the witness of the church to the unbelieving community has the effect of alienating and repelling them rather than drawing and winning them. Churches today who reflect these attitudes will not be able to escape the censure of Christ who is angered by our abuses. Presentation 35

Jesus As Priest And Judge Of course it is easy to criticise the church. Our personal lives also come under the scrutiny of Jesus. The N.T. calls the bodies of believers, ‘the temple of Holy Spirit’, 1Cor. 6v19. When Jesus walks around the courtyard of this temple what does he find? Do we pursue personal holiness? Do we leave the sweet savour of Christ in the community where we live or, are our lives more like freshly manured fields repelling others from the faith we profess? Do we share Jesus jealousy for God's glory and his concern for the lost? These are challenging questions. But there is a very great deal at stake- the advance of Christ's kingdom! Has Jesus begun to overturn a few tables in our lives in order to gain our attention? Presentation 35

Conclusion What was the response of the religious leaders, who could not bear Jesus criticism? It was to silence Jesus. But, by so doing they removed the only source of the blessing and reformation from their lives! The alternative and surely the preferable response to such an awful exposure is to admit our failure and seek God’s grace. The Bible encourages us to believe that towards the genuinely sorrowful and broken-hearted God shows infinite mercy and exquisite care. Make that your daily experience and seek God’s help to drive out of your heart all that would grieve him. Presentation 35

Study in Mark’s Gospel