Betrayal to blessing

Mark 11:12-25

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

This is tragic.

Mark began by telling us his Gospel is ‘the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: … ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ (Mark 1:1-3, quoting Isaiah 40:3). Isaiah’s promise that God himself, revealed as Jesus, was coming to his people, to bring “good news to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:9). We saw Jesus being welcomed by the people as he came to Jerusalem yesterday (1:1-11).

After all this build up, at last Jesus comes to the temple and finds … betrayal. The temple is where God intended to bring all nations to give them “joy in my house of prayer” (Isiaah 56:7) but instead “this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers” (Jeremiah 7:11). And the chief priests and teachers of the law are looking for ways to kill Jesus. The fig that should have been fruitful but then withers is a picture from Jeremiah of the judgement that now comes on the temple instead of the fruitful joy it was made for.

But God has a better plan. Instead of his presence coming to a building, his Spirit comes to his people. Instead of God’s presence amongst his people, his presence is in his people. And today, on Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate God turning extraordinary human betrayal into the most astonishing blessing possible.

Jesus, I’m in awe of how you turn our disasters into the most wonderful blessing. Holy Spirit, I want to be a home for you that brings you honour and blessing to all around me.

Written by David Cornell