Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 11:27-33 in our “Journey Into The Night” series. He implored us to follow the wisdom of Jesus. Lector: Jennifer Chrisman
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark 11:27-33 in our “Journey Into The Night” series. He implored us to follow the wisdom of Jesus.
Lector: Jennifer Chrisman
Have you ever noticed that Jesus' core invitation is "follow me" not "watch me" or "do like me"?
How does that sit with your idea of what Christianity actually is?
Lots of think it's about doing it right. Lots of us wore those WWJD bracelets.
"What would Jesus do" is not the wrong question. It can be quite helpful.
But what's tricky about that is Jesus' actions weren't always predictable, were they?
He rarely teaches something the same way, often appeals to imagery, riddles, stories.
Just last week, he could have simply said "hey guys, Temple Worship isn't working, I'm here to set you free and change it." Straight to the point. Clear. Direct.
But instead he curses a fig tree and flips over tables...curious.
Following someone leads to something more than imitation, more than doing something the other person did.
If you imitate someone, you will be conformed to them. You'll become like them.
That's the idea of following Jesus, hearts changed to be like his.
Imitating Jesus means following the wisdom of Jesus, not just his behavior
Following him this ways forces us to know him, not just copy him.
And knowing Jesus is the fundamental way we become like him.
Last week, Jesus issued an indictment on temple worship.
he cursed a fig tree, something beautiful but diseased...
Then he breaks up the economic activity in the temple, essentially telling us "the temple is the fig tree!" Beautiful, but diseased and corrupt.
This is his indictment on the temple, beautiful but corrupt, and now it's over.
Think of it as the end of the obedience-for-love game.
"God will love me if I do the things!" Jesus says no, that's not the point, doesn't work.
God loves you already, so receive that and be transformed.
New hearts are what we need, for new relationship and new life.
We learn more of what this means not just as we listen to Jesus or try to do whatever thing he did, but as we watch Jesus and learn to imitate his way of being
Over the next few weeks, we will watch how Jesus deals with confrontation
He knows his life is on the line, stakes are high, and we see Jesus at his best.
The Religious Elites understood his indictment of the temple... they plot to kill him.
Now watch what happens:
Again they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.
-Mark 11:27
Notice Jesus is not being antagonistic. He's around the Temple, but not picking a fight.
Jesus does not pick fights. He does not goad people.
He's clever, not quarrelsome.
This is wisdom...picking fights rarely results in clarity, reconciliation, or healing.
Fighting is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Following the wisdom of Jesus means striving to be at peace with those around us.
Finding a timely word, an appropriate response, promoting peace and reconciliation.
And notice it's not everyday Jews who had problems with Jesus. Elites.
And we have a good guess why in a moment.
But it's important to know who is confronting Jesus.
Religious authorities. The gatekeepers. And here's their concern:
They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right to do them?"
-Mark 11:28
They demanded.
Following the wisdom of Jesus means RECOGNIZE THE PATTERNS in people
Recognize the Patterns
Who is allowed to make demands of people?
People in authority or hostage takers, right? Sometimes those are the same.
To demand is a power play. It's an appeal to authority
The religious elites wanted to stay in charge. And every time they've confronted Jesus, it's been some version of "how dare you" or "what gives you the right"
Their PATTERN has been to stifle anything that challenges their authority.
As we follow the way of Jesus, we have to recognize the patterns in others.
Past performance is a great indicator of future behavior. What have they been up to?
Challenging Jesus, maintain status quo. They are not open to God's revelation.
They are not curious, not coming in good faith. They've come to trap and trick.
If you know someone is coming to trick, trap, or antagonize you, that MUST inform the way your interact with them, just like it does with Jesus here.
Wise people recognize the patterns and stop falling for the same traps.
Following the wisdom of Jesus means ASKING QUESTIONS
Ask questions
Questions are one of the best ways to diffuse a trap. Force the other to tip their hand.
The more words you use with someone trying to trap you, the more fuel you give to the fire they'll build to burn you down.
Jesus knows the PATTERN of their criticisms is about authority.
He knows there's no answer that will satisfy them. So...he asks a POWERFUL question:
"I'll tell you by what authority I do these things if you answer one question...did John's authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?"
-Mark 11:29-30
Incredibly clever...superficially, here's the pickle:
If they say John's authority to baptize came from God, they're in trouble.
Because John said Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus links his ministry with John's, his authority with John's, and this forces the elites to make a call on whether or not John was a messenger from God.
They CAN'T affirm John's divine authority, because they would be admitting to going against God as they try to have Jesus killed.
But if they say John is NOT from God...then the average Jew might rise up against these religious elites.
The masses loved John. He was viewed by many as a prophet.
If they come out against John, elites lose in the court of public opinion.
What a delightful pickle Jesus has put them in!
Doesn't have to say anything aggressive or confrontational.
Doesn't have to give them a gotcha...just a well aimed question.
He's recognized their patterns and knows what they love .
So he asks a question that exposes their hearts.
But Jesus is doing something much more profound here, too.
He's linking himself with John's ministry. Equating the source of their authority.
And remember: Jesus has just cursed the fig tree, just cleared the temple.
He's just indicted the whole temple system, and here we are again in the Temple area.
He brings up John, which SURELY brought the words of John to their minds.
In Mark's Gospel, John is introduced by quoting from Malachi 3:1:
“Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
-Malachi 3:1
John preached this message. "Prepare the way of the Lord!"
The priests, teachers, and elders confronting Jesus likely had Malachi memorized. Very important passage.
Jesus mentions John, which surely brings John's prophetic pronouncement to their minds from Malachi.
And where has Jesus just been? TEMPLE.
Did he affirm the temple or indict it? INDICT.
Did he come to participate in the temple or judge it? JUDGE IT.
With these events in mind, Jesus FORCES them, gently, subversively, cleverly, to consider Malachi chapter 3...and I'm certain it made their hearts sink, because here's how Malachi 3 continues:
“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
5 “At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
-Malachi 3:2-5
The elites have shown they're not actually interested in God's revelation.
They would have listened to John if they were.
They would have listened to Jesus if they were .
And now, Jesus, through ONE SIMPLE QUESTION, connects himself with John.
He stands downstream of John, as the one described here in Malachi 3.
The one come to judge the temple and THE PRIESTS.
The one come to defend the oppressed, the cheated, the abused and betrayed.
He comes to defend the immigrant, the widow, the orphan...and in doing so he judges the powerful, the prestigious, the elite.
His question undoubtedly let the scribes, teachers, and elders to remember Malachi 3.
His question undoubtedly left a knot in their stomachs where they had to wonder, even just for a minute, if they were facing the judgment of God himself.
Jesus has put them in an absolute bind socially, theologically, and personally.
He did so gently, humbly, unexpectedly, through ONE QUESTION...this is true wisdom.
And look what the fumbling religious elites say in response. What authority let John do this?:
They finally replied, "We don't know."
-Mark 11:33
Does Jesus rub it in their faces? Does he gloat or do a victory dance?
And Jesus responded, "then I won't tell you by what authority I do these things."
-Mark 11:33
He leaves them in unresolved tension, forced to go reflect on what's just happened.
This kind of wisdom is foreign to us. We want answers, straight lines, to win.
But winning doesn't work in the Kingdom of God, because the Kingdom of God is about reconciliation and relationships.
And so we must follow the wisdom of Jesus.
What does this mean? First, it means follow Jesus.
It can be as simple as saying "Jesus, teach me to follow you." And then begin.
If you want help beginning, stop by the welcome table, fill out a connect card, or come up front after the service is over and let the people there know you want to begin.
For those already on the road, may we become a curious, calm, and patient people.
Learn to recognize the relational patterns in others so we can avoid their traps.
Follow the wisdom of Jesus.
Learn to ask great questions. Piercing, probing, open-ended questions.
Follow the wisdom of Jesus.
Even when this means leaving unresolved tensions, even when the other person doesn't understand.
Follow the wisdom of Jesus.
We are invited to come home to God and follow Jesus.
This means coming to him, loving him, centering our lives on him, that we might become like him. Wise, patient, curious, powerful people.
We are invited to follow the wisdom of Jesus.
Let's pray.