Mark 11:12-19 – Outward Appearances Count for Nothing
As Jesus is returning to Jerusalem, He is hungry. This is just another proof that Jesus is really a man. Jesus can understand and sympathise with us in the pain and suffering of being human, because He is a man – He experienced it. Seeing a fig tree covered in leaves, He goes to it expecting it to have fruit. But there is none. So, He curses the fig tree. This is a picture of Jesus coming to Israel. The Jews seem to be so religious. They have all the outward signs of being full of fruit. But it is all just a show. When God comes to look for the fruit, there is none there, and so the Gospel goes to the Gentiles. There is a warning here for people who pretend to be Christians, who pretend to have the fruit of repentance and faith, God knows whether or not they have true fruit, and He judges them accordingly.
The Pharisees, who are so shocked by the children shouting Hosannas to Jesus, are not shocked at all at the way the Temple has been turned into a shopping market. Again, all the Pharisees care about is appearances. No one even tries to stop Jesus because they all know that He is right, but He goes ahead and gives a Scriptural reason for what He is doing. It’s easy to condemn the market in the Temple, but when we come to worship God and our minds are filled, not with thoughts of God, but with our business and daily lives, aren’t we doing the same thing?
Questions
- What does Jesus being hungry tell us about Him?
- What did Jesus do inside the Temple and why?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that we have a Saviour who understands what it means to be human.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.