Heavenly authority
Pastor Jiang
Translated by Leo Liu
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Mark 11:27-33
Chapter 11 of Mark's Gospel records what Jesus did when he entered Jerusalem and did it during the week before the crucifixion. The time for the preparation of God the Father has arrived, and the ministry of Jesus on earth as the Son of Man has reached its climax. Jesus cleansed the temple, cursed the fig tree with leaves but no fruit, and taught the people in the temple every day. Jesus' actions and words directly hit the entire hypocrisy religious system. It’s just that there are religious ceremonies and appearances, but there is no core of fearing God. Just like the temple that Herod commanded to build, the appearance is magnificent, but inside it has become a den of thieves (Mark 11:17). The temple is there. Our Lord Jesus is here. The journey from the land of the Gentiles (Mark 7:31), to the land of Galilee (Mark 9:30, 33), to Judea and the Jordan River (Mark 10:1), enters Jerusalem Until the temple (Mark 11:11). Jesus walks in the temple (Mark 11:27). He walks in the holy city, the temple, and his own place, freely preaching the truth of the kingdom of heaven, freeing the people who were captivity by Satan and "religion", and preparing himself Become the Lamb of Atonement, sanctify the people of God, and return to the Father's house. The chief priests and scribes and elders did not have the word of God in their hearts, and they rose up to challenge Jesus. Because in their view, they are the masters of authority in Jerusalem and the temple. The chief priests and scribes and elders represent different statuses in society. The chief priest is a Jewish religious leader, the scribe is a legal expert who sets rules and interprets the rules, and the elders are non-priesthood members of the Judean Sanhedrin in the city of Jerusalem. They are decent figures of governance and economic status. The chief priests, scribes, and elders joined together to form the Jewish Sanhedrin. They represent the entire system of Jewish society and religion, law, politics and economy in Jerusalem as the center to resist Jesus. What authority do you use to cleanse the temple and destroy our rules?Who can give you the authority not to teach the people as we teach? The question they asked was not to ask Jesus, but to challenge Jesus. Jesus did not directly answer their questions, but instead asked them: "John's baptism came from heaven, is it from the earth?" A clean ritual was set up, not in the temple where they served but elsewhere, without the use of the priests they had arranged, but by others. Admitting that John's baptism came from heaven means that John the Baptist's testimony of Jesus is true. In this way, they are undoubtedly the last thing they want to face. The entire Judaism system and the accompanying laws, politics, and economy have come to an end! God wants to rebuild, and Jesus wants to replace them. Of course, they did not dare to admit that John's baptism came from the ground, because it meant to offend the Jewish people. Without the masses of the people, it is impossible for them to maintain their leadership. They can only say they don't know, that is, they can't tell whether it is from heaven or from the earth. Their choice decision reflects that they do not really fear God in their hearts. Jesus knew their hard and unrepentant hearts, and Jesus did not answer them... Dear brothers and sisters, when the most holy place---the temple of God is reduced to a "religious", political and economic thief's den, it is no longer a place to worship God, no longer a temple of prayer for all nations, Jesus will Come in and cleanse the temple; when the church is hijacked by "religion", politics and economy, and no longer has Jesus as the head, no longer God-centered spiritual home, the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to cleanse the church ( Eph 5:26); when our personal hearts are driven away by "religion", politics and economy, serving Mamen without serving the Lord intently, and we are deceived by the false word, the pure gospel will be reformed Our hearts and beliefs. The chief priests, scribes, and elders did not know Jesus, and they could not obey the authority of heaven. They fight for authority from the ground, relying on "religion", political and economic power, naturally they will not listen to the truth of Jesus. They questioned that Jesus' authority was to allow Jesus to be subordinated to them, so that they could be "united" and hid comfortably among the large leaves of figs. But children who are truly God must know whether power is from heaven or earth. Thank God, Jesus not only cleaned and cleansed our hearts, but he was resurrected for our death, reborn us, and became a newly created person, renewed from the inside out, bearing the fruits of life. Meditation and Prayer: What is the obstacle that makes us a people of heaven? How can distinguishing the authority of heaven and the authority of earth avoid becoming a fruitless tree? Pray that God will give us heavenly strength and grace to live a victorious day.