The gospel of Mark is largely a polemic against the first century religious establishment in Jerusalem. It's not the first of its kind in the Bible. Read through the prophets and you'll find all sorts of scathing lectures about those who held power in the Temple. Mark's prophet is Jesus, and not unlike Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc., he has jarring opinions about the powers that be:
Mark 11:12 ...as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[quoted from Isaiah 56:7]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[quoted from Jeremiah 7:11]”
Mark's Jesus equates the religious establishment with a withered fig tree, bearing no fruit. He puts an exclamation point on this outburst, equating the Temple with a den of robbers, as Jeremiah once wrote:
Jeremiah 7:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. 8 But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.
9 “‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe” - safe to do all these detestable things? 11 Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.
Mark's Jesus points us to this passage in Jeremiah for a reason. He wants us to know how he feels about the current temple-state. And his political rant continues:
Mark 11:20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.
This mountain ???
Which mountain, Jesus?
Not just any mountain.
THE holy mountain.
THE temple mount.
See for yourself. He is pointing it out for us:
Isaiah 56:7
...these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.
Thoughts?
Comments are welcome below!
コメント