Monday April 10th

 

Mark 11:15-17

                 “What in the world is Jesus doing?  Doesn’t He know that He is not supposed to get angry?  Jesus is full of love and kindness, right?”

                 This is the reaction that the world has to this passage.  The world wants to see the loving, smiling, happy Jesus who would never confront anyone over their sin.  But that is exactly what’s happening!

                 The idea of the sacrificial system in the Bible was that your sin costs something; pointing to your need for a Savior.  These people were making a mockery of this by extortion and selling unacceptable sacrifices.  Christ would not tolerate this in His Father’s house!

                 Any time we choose to disobey the Lord, there are consequences that come.  Some of those consequences deal in the physical world we live in (like prison for a thief), but all sin has spiritual consequences.  God cannot be in the presence of sin, so our sin separates us from Him; from His presence, His love, and His mercy.  Scripture says that God’s wrath is directed upon sin and the sinner. 

                 Before Christ, in order for a person to be forgiven, you would have to bring an acceptable sacrifice to the Temple and the blood of that sacrifice would appease the wrath of God for your sin.  But this was a temporary solution to an eternal problem!  That all changed when the sinless Son of God willingly laid down His life and completely appeased the wrath of God!

                 It’s clear from this passage that Jesus takes sin very seriously.  What is your attitude toward the sin in your life? 

Pastor Paul Beam

Events of Monday:

*Jesus curses the fig tree
(Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14) 

*Jesus clears the Temple

(Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46)

*Jesus and the disciples return to Bethany in the evening
(Mark 11:19)