Daily Bread for Oct 22, Mar 10-11

Today’s readings are Mar 10-11.

Mar 10:1-12 addresses several contemporary issues regarding marriage. Jesus makes it clear that divorce was allowed by Moses and Law because of the “hard hearts” of those involved. Divorce is not part of God’s design for marriage as the “but” in Mar 10:6 indicates. Rather than allowing these intricacies to become a stumbling block, it would be better to just live our lives and conduct our marriages in a manner that honors God at every turn.

Perhaps more pertinent to our current cultural milieu, though, is Jesus’s statement in Mar 10:5-7 concerning the nature of marriage being between a man and a woman. For those who believe Jesus never taught on this aspect of the marriage relationship, His remarks can be challenging.

The story about the rich young man is revealing (Mar 10:17-22). When the young man asks how to inherit eternal life, he calls Jesus “good teacher,” not Lord or Savior. Jesus responds that no one is good but God, a veiled reference to His oneness with the Father. The young man misses the point altogether. He called Jesus “good.” Jesus said, “Only God is good.” Christ is laying before this young man the fact the He is God.

Furthermore, when Jesus recites the commandments, He leaves out those that pertain to worshiping only God and coveting material things. The young man has done fine in most areas of his life but not all. Notice that he doesn’t ask for a closer walk with God, but eternal life. He wants to live forever enjoying his money and possessions. When Jesus tells him to sell everything, he can’t. His reluctance shows that he wants eternal life without making God his highest priority.

Jesus comment about the camel passing through the eye of a needle (Mar 10:23-27) has garnered much attention. Many teach that there was a small gate called the “Eye of the Needle” in Jerusalem. There is no archeological or historical evidence of this being true despite its wide and ready acceptance. To get a camel through that gate, it was postulated that the owner had to remove everything the camel was carrying. This is supposedly a metaphor for divesting yourself of all material possessions before getting into heaven. In other words, you can be saved if you give up everything precious to you. This is a good teaching, but it misses the point of the story. See? According to this popular interpretation, it’s possible for the camel to get through that small gate. It just has to get rid of its load. Then it can go through under its own power with no need for any supernatural transformation. The lack of a need for regeneration misses the point of the story.

Furthermore, this popular notion contradicts Scripture. In Mar 10:27 Jesus says that it is impossible for man to be saved apart from the work of God. God performs a supernatural miracle in saving His children. Any lesson about salvation that ignores the necessity of transformation by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit should be suspect.

So, what is Jesus teaching here? Certainly not that possession or wealth, in and of themselves, are not evil.  He’s trying to show that the rich young man from Mar 10:17-22 was not changed, not moved by the Spirit of God, but by his own desire to live eternally. The man asked what he had to do. When Jesus told him he had to obey all the commandments, the young man declined. Then Jesus turned to His disciples told them it’s not possible to enter heaven by “doing” anything, salvation and eternal life is the work of God in whom all things are possible.

The man could have given up all his things, but unless He valued God above all things, he could not be saved. He wanted eternal life; he wanted his riches but he didn’t want Christ more than any of these. The irony of the story is that he could have had all he wanted if only he had wanted Christ more.

After this, we see a revealing series of events. Jesus says those who want to be first shall be last (Mar 10:29-31). Next, He tells the disciples He must go to Jerusalem and die (Mar 10:32-34). Amazingly, as if to show they weren’t really listening, James and John ask to sit in prominent positions of authority in glory (Mar 10:35-37). Jesus responds by telling them they should be careful what they ask for. They will indeed be with Him in glory, but the process will not be what they think it will be (Mar 10:37-45). Immediately afterward, Jesus heals another blind man (Mar 10:46-52). The Lord’s message is clear, many do not yet see, even among His disciples. He will heal those who follow Him, but the journey may not be pleasant.

Mar 11 gives us a few details on the Triumphal Entry that are not in the other gospels. The disciples are sent to get a donkey for Jesus to ride on (Mar 11:1-6). There is the curious exchange between the disciples and the people standing near the donkey. Is something supernatural happening or was the borrowing of the donkey prearranged? Do the people standing near the donkey know of Jesus and approve? Has Jesus made these arrangements beforehand? The text doesn't say. We should be careful not to make assumptions about how and why some things occur the way they are depicted.  However, we should be thankful that God provides in any way He chooses whether it be by miraculous knowledge or by wise and prudent preparations for the future. In this case, we see that God provides a symbolic ride on which His Son will enter Jerusalem. Jesus arriving on a donkey would denote that He comes in peace.

In Mar 11:12-14, Jesus curses a fig tree. Throughout the Scriptures, Israel is repeatedly compared to a fig tree. This tree is described as "in leaf." In other words, it is very close to producing fruit but not yet ready. It looks good but remains unproductive. What is intended here is a condemnation of Israel, who looks good and is close to producing spiritual fruit but will soon reject Jesus Christ. Their rejection will make it impossible to bring forth the fruit for which they are designed, the truth of God and His plan for redemption.

Immediately after cursing the fig tree, Jesus cleanses the temple (Mar 11:15-18). Note the progression between the fig tree and the temple cleansing. Israel has two primary spiritual problems. She is producing no fruit of any eternal value, and she is spiritually unclean. In the parable of the fig tree and in the temple cleansing we see judgment falling on Israel. She is not producing the fruit she was designed to produce, and the temple is not being used the way it was designed to be used.

The next day, the fig tree is withered and incapable of producing fruit (Mar 11:20-25). The fig tree is now a metaphor for Israel who will not bear the fruit it could have. The prophetic judgment is sealed based on Israel's decision to turn away from Jesus.

Jesus does not appear to address Peter's acknowledgment of the withered tree but instead begins to teach (Mar 11:22-25). His teaching is about faith and prayer, perhaps addressing the withered fig tree after all and what can be learned from it.

The core of the teaching is that the difficulties of life (mountains) can be removed through prayer and faith. This is not a secret formula for success or a way to get our prayers answered regardless of what they may be. Neither is it a method like, "If I can just work up enough faith, I'll get what I pray for!" The teaching in this passage is an encouragement to pray more frequently and intimately, striving for a deeper relationship with God by spending more focused time with Him. This will minimize our problems and bring us peace.

However, this teaching does not stand alone. It must harmonize with the overall narrative of the Bible. One of the things Scripture has shown us is that God reveals Himself in and through His word. So, we see a relationship between three spiritual disciplines; prayer, studying the word and knowing God. The deeper we go into the first two, the better we are at the last. As we are diligent to do this, our prayers become more than reciting our wants and needs to God. They begin to line up with His character and nature. When they do, we find that those God-centered prayers are answered and blessed more frequently than praying apart from the word or reading the word apart from praying.

This fits in with Mark's narrative in that Israel was failing to be God-centered in its prayer and practice of godly living. Her prayers and practice had become increasingly self-centered. God will not bless them. Indeed, Jesus curses both their prayers and their practices. The path to answered prayers and rewarded practice is in knowing God, His Son and His word so intimately that they form and inhabit our prayers to such an extent that we pray His will and His word more than we pray our will and our desires.

Hearing all this, a challenge rises from the three most influential sectors of Jewish culture (Mar 11:27-33): the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders. These groups comprise the Sanhedrin. Their naive challenge only affirms that everything Jesus has said about them is true.