Are You In Bethany, Or Jerusalem?

Mark 11:1-19; Matthew 23:37-39

"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and BETHANY, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, 'Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, "Why are you doing this?" say, 'The Lord has need of it', and immediately he will send it here." So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?" And THEY SPOKE TO THEM JUST AS JESUS HAD COMMANDED. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes! Hosanna in the highest!' 

And Jesus went into JERUSALEM, and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to BETHANY with the twelve. Now the next day, when they had come out of BETHANY, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it. So they came to JERUSALEM........"; where He attempted to right what was wrong in the temple. The scribes and the chief priests, overseers of the temple activities "sought how they might destroy Him". After that, He went out of the city. He went back to Bethany (I feel as if I could say).

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' "(Matthew 23:37-39)

Bethany was a place of refuge for Jesus. He spoke; His disciples spoke (what He had commanded); and the people there received His words. Jerusalem was no refuge for Him. They would not receive His words.

He is Head over ALL THINGS To The Church

Ephesians 1:20-23, 3:14-19, 2 Corinthians 4:15-17, Romans 8:28

......."He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only this age but also in that which is to come. And He put ALL THINGS under His feet, and gave Him to be head over ALL THINGS to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all (that are in His body) in ALL (things)."

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth has been named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." 

"For ALL THINGS are for your sakes, that grace having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, IS WORKING for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory......."

"And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Jesus Christ is Head over ALL THINGS to the church. He is One with the Father. He is Faithful and True. His purpose: that those who have/are following Him realize with confidence what His calling is! Content to persevere in it for a good testimony before Himself and the Father, and mankind!

Escaping the Leaven of this Pharisee

 

I Corinthians 5:6-8

It is possible for even us (the church) to have the religion of Caiaphas: the high priest most prominent in putting Jesus Christ to death; but let your faith be that which comes forth from Me and you will escape the leaven of this Pharisee.

"Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore, purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump. since you truly are unleavened. For indeed, Christ our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

Leaven could be better understood as the soulish equivalent of yeast: that which causes our bread to APPEAR larger and BE puffier yet less dense. The leaven of the Pharisee could be the unwillingness (in fact, the REFUSAL) to receive Jesus Christ when He came and as He comes! Caiaphas was High Priest of Israel. When Jesus Christ (The Living Word of God) came, Caiaphas glorified himself above Jesus Christ, responding to Him with malice and wickedness.

The ministry of Jesus Christ, Head of all things to the church, now comes by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit making what is written(logos) alive (rhema). We must not glorify ourselves in what we think we know but be willing to receive Him as He comes, as He is able to subdue all things to Himself!

"Let No One Eat Fruit From You Ever Again"

 

Mark 11:11-14; 20,21

"And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had LOOKED AROUND AT ALL THINGS, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it."
(Read what Jesus did when He came to the temple after having seen what was ABSENT from the "house of prayer" in v.15-19.)

"Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering, said to Him, 'Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed HAS WITHERED AWAY'."

The fig tree is somehow a depiction of Israel. I'm sure a Jewish historian could explain the significance. It appears Jesus uses the fig tree, the fruitlessness of that particular tree at that time of year, as an example of Israel's spiritual state. It could be that the fig tree represents the way for spiritual growth of that people under the five books of the Law, of which Paul writes, "the curse of the Law is that it was weak through the flesh".

Weak, it was, relative to the new and living way!

Jesus said, "I am the true vine (not the fig tree), and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit". "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you BEAR MUCH FRUIT, so you will BE MY DISCIPLES."(John 15:1,2; 7,8)

The fig tree is not mentioned in this context from that point forward. The True Vine had come for fruitfulness!

"By What Authority Are You"...attempting to redeem us from our fruitlessness?

Mark 11:27-33, 12:1-9

"Then they (Jesus and those following Him) came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, 'By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?' But Jesus answered and said to them, 'I also will ask you one question; then answer Me , and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: the baptism of John - was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.'

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' "But if we say, 'From men' "- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know". And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.' "

It appears these chief priests, scribes and elders were UNWILLING to respond honestly to His question; yet REFUSING TO RECEIVE the Savior of Israel. Jesus responds, "Neither will I tell you..........". We must seek Him to find Him!

Then He began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, THAT HE MIGHT RECEIVE SOME OF THE FRUIT OF VINEYARD FROM THE VINEDRESSERS. And they took him and beat him and sent him away EMPTY-HANDED. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounding him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vinedressers SAID AMONG THEMSELVES (initiated within themselves), 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be our's.'

So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He has spoken the parable against them. So THEY LEFT HIM (instead of embracing Him) and went away."

"If any of you lack wisdom (Do I/you know that we lack in His wisdom?), let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts (after having asked and received from Him) is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8)

The ministers of that day were not asking Him so that could receive Him; they were asking of Him to contend with Him so they may retain their place of authority; unwittingly one step closer to destruction.

A Place Where Theft Hinders Blessing

 Mark 11:11-19

"And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again'. And His disciples heard it. So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to DRIVE OUT THOSE WHO BOUGHT AND SOLD IN THE TEMPLE and OVERTURNED THE TABLES OF THE MONEYCHANGERS and the SEATS OF THOSE WHO SOLD DOVES. And He WOULD NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO CARRY WARES THROUGH THE TEMPLE. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But YOU HAVE MADE IT  'a den of thieves.' " And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. When evening had come, He went out of the city."

Were buying/selling, money-changing, dove-selling and carrying of wares illegal in Jerusalem? If so, the Roman overseers had full authority to curtail that activity. Assuredly, those activities are a part of day to day living- not righteous, necessarily, neither illegal.

The temple was to be a place of refuge toward God. Prayer really is our approach to Him, FOR HIM! The Jewish people had to learn that somewhere - nowhere better then than the temple (for the born-again believer, our meeting-places where people come of free will to find Him). The scribes/chief priests approach toward God had waned as evidenced by their unwillingness to receive Jesus Christ as He came to them with correction. Their response: destroy Him. The opportunity for Jewish people to come to the temple to find "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" had been hindered. The hindrances were under the watchful eye of that "den of thieves".

Bear With The Word Of Exhortation

 

Hebrews 13:20-22

"Now may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete IN EVERY GOOD WORK to do His will, WORKING IN YOU what is well pleasing IN HIS SIGHT, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. And I appeal to you, brethren, BEAR WITH THE WORD OF EXHORTATION, for I have written to you in few words."

After completing chiropractic school and attaining licensure to practice in Ohio, I became aware that "continuing education" was required by the state licensing board. The SLB would submit a list of 30-40 seminars available and acceptable and I CHOSE THE CONTINUING EDUCATION that seemed best to me.

"You have forgotten the EXHORTATION which speaks to you AS to sons"................."we have had human fathers who corrected us"..........."for they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but HE FOR OUR PROFIT, THAT WE MAY BE PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS". (Hebrews 12:5, 9, 10)

We can rejoice that the God of peace will work in us what is well pleasing in His sight- making us complete in every good work through Jesus Christ: the living word to us. But, it will be through His chastening; His choice for continuing your education!