Jesus Devotional - Day 3
Day Three
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
What Am I Producing? - Part 2
Mark 11:15-17(NLT)” When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations," but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’”
It now seems that Jesus’ day is going from bad to worse. He is not only mad at the little fig trees, but also at the guys working at the foreign exchange counter and the people selling animals for sacrifice! Maybe His disciples are looking at each other and saying, “Man, we should’ve cooked some breakfast this morning. Jesus is out of control. Someone please find an “Unleavened Bread R Us.” We’ve got to get Him some food!” Now, in the evening, they leave the city. And look at Mark 11:20-25 (NLT): “The next morning, as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!’ 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God.’”
This marked the beginning of Passover week, just a day after Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, four days before His crucifixion. He is now more than ever beginning to reveal and demonstrate God’s Kingdom to them. As they arrive at the Temple, they are greeted by a scene more like the Temecula Valley Mall during Christmas than a sacred place of worship and prayer. Jesus is about to connect the dots for the disciples and show them the consequences of a fruitless ministry.
Just like the fig tree, the Temple appears to be active and functional, but it lacks the very heart of what God’s Kingdom truly is all about. Matthew 21:12-14 (MSG): “Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: ‘My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.’ Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.”
What occurs when there is an appearance of fruitfulness without actually producing Godly fruit? It leads to misguided emphasis. Mark 11:17(NLT) "He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves.'"
When we fail to produce the fruit that Jesus expects from us, we must compensate. We have to cover ourselves just like our friends Adam and Mrs. Eve did—coincidentally, with fig leaves. We need to somehow appear like a leafy tree, but understand this: a leafy tree is not necessarily a fruitful tree. What did it produce in the lives of the Pharisees? It produced selfish, self-righteous attitudes, and they cared more about getting something from people than giving something to them. They were more interested in handing out rules and regulations than allowing God to rule their hearts.
They turned a House of Worship, meant to be filled with prayer and praise, into a house of thieves. They turned a place where people came to worship and connect with God into a place where people got ripped off and others were turned away! So, this radical Messiah confronts them in the darkest corners of their hearts, and instead of repenting and changing, they simmered in anger and let it boil over.
Whenever we lack true fruit, we love to exclude people and create our own exclusive club! So, instead of ministering to those who genuinely need it, we use what God has given us on wrong priorities. God is building a House for all nations! Verse 14 of Matthew 21:14 (MSG) says, “Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.”
Once Jesus cleared out the moneychangers and dove salesmen, there was room for the hurting. Are we still talking about the fig tree? You bet we are. Several times in Scripture, the Nation of Israel is referred to as a fig tree, and Jesus is demonstrating to His disciples what fruitful ministry looks like. It’s all about people! We need to remove the things that we know prevent people from coming to Jesus and remember that Jesus wants everyone to come. For God so loved the good people? The rich people? The spiritual people? No, no, no… God so loved the world!!!! Acts 10:34-35(CEV) “Peter then said: ‘Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. 35 God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from.’”
When we realize that God loves all and came to save all, it helps us see that Jesus is not trying to exclude people; we are. When we are unfruitful, we tend to practice exclusivity. We put the wrong emphasis on things that don't truly matter. May we learn this lesson from our Radical Jesus: People matter! And anything else we put before loving God and loving others only leads to dead religion, not life-giving relationships.
Prayer:
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
What Am I Producing? - Part 2
Mark 11:15-17(NLT)” When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations," but you have turned it into a den of thieves.’”
It now seems that Jesus’ day is going from bad to worse. He is not only mad at the little fig trees, but also at the guys working at the foreign exchange counter and the people selling animals for sacrifice! Maybe His disciples are looking at each other and saying, “Man, we should’ve cooked some breakfast this morning. Jesus is out of control. Someone please find an “Unleavened Bread R Us.” We’ve got to get Him some food!” Now, in the evening, they leave the city. And look at Mark 11:20-25 (NLT): “The next morning, as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree the previous day and exclaimed, ‘Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!’ 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Have faith in God.’”
This marked the beginning of Passover week, just a day after Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, four days before His crucifixion. He is now more than ever beginning to reveal and demonstrate God’s Kingdom to them. As they arrive at the Temple, they are greeted by a scene more like the Temecula Valley Mall during Christmas than a sacred place of worship and prayer. Jesus is about to connect the dots for the disciples and show them the consequences of a fruitless ministry.
Just like the fig tree, the Temple appears to be active and functional, but it lacks the very heart of what God’s Kingdom truly is all about. Matthew 21:12-14 (MSG): “Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text: ‘My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.’ Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.”
What occurs when there is an appearance of fruitfulness without actually producing Godly fruit? It leads to misguided emphasis. Mark 11:17(NLT) "He said to them, 'The Scriptures declare, "My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,” but you have turned it into a den of thieves.'"
When we fail to produce the fruit that Jesus expects from us, we must compensate. We have to cover ourselves just like our friends Adam and Mrs. Eve did—coincidentally, with fig leaves. We need to somehow appear like a leafy tree, but understand this: a leafy tree is not necessarily a fruitful tree. What did it produce in the lives of the Pharisees? It produced selfish, self-righteous attitudes, and they cared more about getting something from people than giving something to them. They were more interested in handing out rules and regulations than allowing God to rule their hearts.
They turned a House of Worship, meant to be filled with prayer and praise, into a house of thieves. They turned a place where people came to worship and connect with God into a place where people got ripped off and others were turned away! So, this radical Messiah confronts them in the darkest corners of their hearts, and instead of repenting and changing, they simmered in anger and let it boil over.
Whenever we lack true fruit, we love to exclude people and create our own exclusive club! So, instead of ministering to those who genuinely need it, we use what God has given us on wrong priorities. God is building a House for all nations! Verse 14 of Matthew 21:14 (MSG) says, “Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.”
Once Jesus cleared out the moneychangers and dove salesmen, there was room for the hurting. Are we still talking about the fig tree? You bet we are. Several times in Scripture, the Nation of Israel is referred to as a fig tree, and Jesus is demonstrating to His disciples what fruitful ministry looks like. It’s all about people! We need to remove the things that we know prevent people from coming to Jesus and remember that Jesus wants everyone to come. For God so loved the good people? The rich people? The spiritual people? No, no, no… God so loved the world!!!! Acts 10:34-35(CEV) “Peter then said: ‘Now I am certain that God treats all people alike. 35 God is pleased with everyone who worships him and does right, no matter what nation they come from.’”
When we realize that God loves all and came to save all, it helps us see that Jesus is not trying to exclude people; we are. When we are unfruitful, we tend to practice exclusivity. We put the wrong emphasis on things that don't truly matter. May we learn this lesson from our Radical Jesus: People matter! And anything else we put before loving God and loving others only leads to dead religion, not life-giving relationships.
Prayer:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you’ve been tempted to cover up.
- Pray for the Lord's help to bear fruit in every season of your life.
- Pray that you are reminded daily of what matters to your Father.
- Pray to be delivered from dead religion that is misguided and exclusive.
- Pray for the Lord to touch people's lives this Easter and draw them into a life-giving relationship with Him.
Posted in Jesus Devotional