Pastor Shaun Marksbury

After cursing the fig tree (vv. 12–14), Jesus and His disciples return to Jerusalem and the temple.   Jesus had already investigated the temple the previous night (v. 11), so He knew what the issues were.   It was full of corruption and lacking in what was needed.   As such, He takes possession and occupies it for a time, providing what the people needed. The Lord’s temple is to be pure.   Almost like a flea market, merchants had tables offering animals, oil, wine, salt, and other items.   Moreover, moneychangers exchanged foreign currencies to the acceptable coinage, charging as much as a 10–12% convenience fee.   Additionally, locals carried their wares through the courtyard of the temple as a shortcut to other parts of the city.   With the high priests bringing in a tidy profit on this commerce and the poor being fleeced, we can understand why Jesus overturned tables.   He demands purity in His temple! The Lord’s temple is to be p...

I recently pulled this book back out for some research.  This is a review I wrote of it back in 2015.  I must have been in a snarky mood that day! Starting New Churches on Purpose by Ron Sylvia My rating: 1 of 5 stars Supersized Church Menu with Purpose-Driven Shake, Bible at market value. A friend gave me this book shortly after I took over a church plant. He thought I might benefit from some of the advice in these pages, and indeed, it provides practical advice. Even so, it’s not an overstatement that this book gives represents everything wrong in Evangelical churches today. Primarily, the book lacks concern for what God has said concerning churches. So, when developing the core values of a church, one should take “time to research churches on the Internet” (57). When planning what to preach, go to a megachurch website to find a sermon series—a.k.a. plagiarism—in case you don’t want to plan an “original series” (146). Readers with no outside knowledge would leave ...

It’s the next day, “in the morning” (Mt 21:18), perhaps before six.   It may be that Jesus and the disciples camped the previous night near Bethany rather than staying with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.   As a result, they didn’t have breakfast, but something seemed promising: a fig tree in full leaf, out of season.   However, its disappointing state becomes a picture of the fruitless faith in Jerusalem. Notice the promise of life.   A fig tree in full leaf meant either that it had produced small, edible buds or even some early fruit.   Mark notes that it wasn’t fig season, so this tree advertises a unique snack for hungry travelers.   However, the promise was false; the tree’s lack of fruit while being in full leaf meant it wouldn’t bear fruit that year.   This served as a picture of the state of the Holy City—full of spiritual activity, but the heart of the people was far from God (Mt 15:7–9). Notice the curse of death.   As Jesus wept o...

There's a need for us to know what takes place when that final week.  Many commentaries I've read note what appears to be a gap in the Gospel records on Wednesday.  This oddity evaporates if the "Triumphal Entry" occurred on Monday, not Sunday .  Dr. Keith Essex has mapped this out in part of his syllabus for New Testament Survey, and I hope you find it as helpful as I did. Sunday Arrival in Bethany (John 11:55-12:1) Supper and Crowds (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-11) Monday The Triumphal Entry (Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19) The Visit to the Temple (Matt. 21:14-17; Mark 11:11) Tuesday The Cursing of the Fig Tree (Matt. 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14) The Cleansing of the Temple (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48) The Request of the Greeks (John 12:20-36a) The Return to Bethany (Mark 11:19) Wednesday The Lesson of the Fig Tree (Matt. 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-26) The Temple Controversy (Matt. 21:23-23:39; Ma...

With Jesus entering Jerusalem, we finally leave the long road of chapter ten.   Whereas Jesus was determined to move forward before despite all that would happen to Him (10:32–34), now He delays outside the Holy City.   He knows that certain preparations must be made to fulfill His mission. Notice what the Lord knows.   We’ve already seen His foresight of His coming rejection and crucifixion in the previous chapter.   Here, we see more foresight—He knows that a specific kind of donkey is tied in the next town, and He also knows the that the disciples can borrow it without trouble.   There can be no doubt that He also knows Who He is—He allows them to lay down their coats and branches ahead of Him, giving Him a royal welcome and applying the Hosanna chorus to Him from Psalm 118:25–26.   After all, that’s why He awaited the donkey outside Jerusalem—He was fulfilling Zechariah 9:9. We also notice in this last verse that He looks around the temple in ...