Race to the Cross | The Final Stretch (Mark 11-14)

They come around the final turn and now it is a sprint to the finish, but just because it is near the end of the race doesn’t mean the steps become less important - they become more important. Every stride takes the runner closer to the finish, closer to victory, but every step becomes more challenging, more difficult. The crowds may roar around the turn, but the celebration can’t fully begin yet. There is more to take in. As Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds roar with praise, but the chants will turn by the end of the week. Every step, every movement, and every word of Jesus’ teaching is important in this final stretch before the cross. 

Transcript

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 11:1-11

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” 4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 

As we walk through the beginning of Holy Week today, we’re going to explore the many angles of this question: “By what authority am I living my life?” What is the driving principle that motivates me, that guides me, that makes me who I am? I bring this up, because Palm Sunday begins with authority, Jesus coming in as our King but matching that authority with humility, on the back of an untamed, never-ridden young donkey, taking in the shouts of “Hosanna!” taken from Psalm 118, sung during Passover when the lamb was slaughtered. But Jesus was entering a city that largely followed the wrong authority, and you and I know intimately what that’s like. 

Have you ever had the experience of feeling out of control, on autopilot, listening to the wrong voices, and regretting it afterward? Any authority we follow whether it’s our own heart, our colleagues, our friends, or even our family, none of them can lead you like Jesus can. None of them have the control Jesus does. Think about it, he’s able to ride an untamed, never-ridden donkey and it listens to him because it knew its Creator was on its back. He sets his sights on the temple, which was his destination when he rode in to again show God’s people who set the standard, and yet his sadness was there. To look at the cheering crowd, many of whom would want him crucified by Friday, yet he knew he would stand victorious. 

Think about what this means for you. When life feels out of control and you don’t know who or what to listen to, see your Savior who holds everything in his hands. Who from the start to the finish of his race to the cross for you, he had everything happen just right. He has the authority and he’s worth following even to the end. 

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 11:12-25 

12 The next day 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’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 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. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

What Jesus had seen on Sunday led him to do something radical on Monday. Be honest, does the thought of Jesus flipping tables, smashing bird cages, and seething in anger bother you? What led to this righteous rampage? If you want to know, you need to go back to the fig tree. Jesus looked at a fig tree that looked alive, but he knew it was dying, it would never bear fruit again. As he walked into the Court of the Gentiles in the temple, a space designed for worship, but now worship had been cut off for the sake of making money, he lost it. The area had hustle and bustle, it looked alive, but it was spiritually dead, totally missing the purpose of that space. Jesus doesn’t lose control, but he exacts the perfect justice. His loving authority in action, wanting all people to be in his house, in the closeness of his presence. 

The thought of looking alive but truly struggling hit home for me. Does it for you? The Bible calls us temples of the Holy Spirit, and if you look within the courtyard of your heart, do you see false priorities there too? On the outside, you make look alive, and look the part of the loving Christian, but deep down are you doing it for the praise, the good feelings, the ego? I know what that’s like, and I know you do too.

Yet, Jesus does not leave us in that delusion, does he? He overturns those false priorities, his busts up our wrong motives, and sometimes it hurts, even badly, to be exposed by the law, to see the errors we’ve fallen into. But behind those wounds, Jesus brings healing. He longs for us to see what real life truly looks like. It can only be given to us by the humble servant-King, on whom we are built. 

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 11:27-33 

They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” 29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!” 31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

Now our conversation on authority takes a turn, but one that maybe you saw coming. It seems almost natural that the priests, teachers, and elders would approach Jesus after this scene he just made. But the question they ask reveals much about their identity, “By what authority are you doing these things?” I would’ve expected maybe, “How dare you do this!” But the broken table legs lying on the ground aren’t what’s on their mind…They want to finally cut Jesus down, and Jesus knows it, which is why he responds with a trap question of his own, “John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

Does this maybe seem random to you? Why is Jesus bringing up John the Baptizer…here’s why…to reveal why his opponents were seeking to know his source of authority. Notice when they think about his question what’s the only thing they’re thinking about? Themselves. They wanted to keep their authority, and their influence, and Jesus risked blowing it all up.

What about you and me? Have you ever been approached by a Christian who lovingly called you out about a sinful action, or sinful choices you keep making and you responded with anger toward them? You and I know what that’s like. Yet, look at Jesus here. He knows what is going on in their hearts, which is exactly why he talks with them, why he prioritizes them because Jesus’ authority has never been about domineering you but identifying you. He wants you to look away from self because belonging to him is the most wonderful identity a human being could ever have. Authority and identity go hand in hand, and what a gift it is to follow our King!

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 12:1-12 

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. 

This is the very parable that pushed the religious establishment in Jerusalem over the edge. Jesus tells this detailed story about a man who was away from his vineyard business. He sends agent after agent but they reject and abuse every single one. Then he even sends his own Son as his legal representative with the same level of authority and ownership he does, and they not only abuse him, but they kill and toss his body unceremoniously outside the vineyard gate. Talk about gruesome, right? But the bloodshed in the story doesn’t end there. The story ends with the owner coming back and killing all his tenants and giving the vineyard to those outside the business, and then in pure genius Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, the Passover psalm, and gives a subtle but powerful statement that he would resurrect after the rejection of his death. Of course, the religious leaders realize this is a story about them, and you know what they do? They do exactly what the story said would happen…they want to arrest him and kill him.

This is the part where you ask, “Pastor Jonny, what does any of that have to do with me?” Here it is. Do you see the unrelenting love of your God and mine? Our heavenly Father who sends prophet after prophet to his chosen people only to see them abused, rejected, and disregarded. Then, he goes to the ultimate length of love to send his own Jesus to save us, tenants of his kingdom, who have no right to ownership since all we have comes from God, he is the creator, the authority, and we as a human race put him on a cross. And it’s at this point you ask me, “Pastor Jonny, where’s the gospel?” “The thought of me being responsible for killing Jesus, it’s just too much.” The law has done its work, but unlike the teachers of the law, you know what you and I do as believing children of the Heavenly Father? We look at the stone the builders rejected, Jesus, this marvelous thing he has done and it takes a whole new look. Yes, we are all personally responsible for what happened to Jesus, but because he lovingly set aside his authority to sacrifice himself for us, we also know even more what it’s like to be in God’s vineyard, with lives built on him. The rejected Son is the one who welcomes you with open arms. What grace!

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 12:41-44 

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Talk about a reversal the disciples didn’t see coming! A widow giving the equivalent of a penny was worth more than thousands of dollars of gold being poured into the offering plate? What could Jesus possibly mean? It comes down to how you view the authority over your money. How can you know if money may have too strong of a hold on you? Think about what your reaction be if I said to you, “Jesus is saying here that right here, right now, you have to give everything you have to church?” First of all, you’d probably look at me funny, but then wouldn’t you feel a little angry? What’s at the source of that anger…it’s how we often see our value through the value of dollars and net worth. Jesus’ point here is not that you should give up everything you have. His point is his authority alone opens your eyes to see money as it’s designed to be seen.

Money is not there to give you value. It’s not there to boost your ego. It’s not there to be your guiding principle in life. It’s there to point you back to the one who gave you your wealth. It’s there for you to look up and praise Jesus when you’re in plenty, and to trust him when you’re in want. Since you know what the grace-filled authority of Jesus says about you, that you’re dearly loved, that he promises to give you what you need day by day, and that he cares about you infinitely more than you could ever know. It leads you to freedom to forget self and rejoice in his blessings and then to seek the opportunities he puts before you to share his love through your wealth, just as he has done with all. 

SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 13:32-37 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” 

I’ve had many conversations, especially over the last few months with members who have said something to the effect of, “Pastor Jonny, we must be in the end times, look at everything happening.” I can’t blame them for thinking that. Jesus talks about there being wars and rumors of wars, check, natural disasters, check, devastating diseases, check, people becoming lovers of self, you bet. But notice where Jesus’ loving and authoritative words enter that discussion. He says, “Keep watch” and “Do not let him find you sleeping.” His point? If you’re seeing the signs pointing to his return in glory, the response is not holing up, living in isolation, and timidly awaiting Jesus’ return. Instead, because we know the end of the universe’s story, because we know the end of our story, we boldly go out, not sleepwalking through life, but boldly living in the hope Jesus has given us. Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven he said, “I am coming soon!” he leads us not to hole up in fear, but to go out into our lives with joy and certain hope.


SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 14:1-11 

Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” 3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” 10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

As the sun sets on the Tuesday of Holy Week, it’s natural to ask the question, “Does anyone actually get who Jesus is and what he came to do?” The religious leaders don’t get it. The disciples aren’t totally grasping it. But then, we find one person who did, at a depth that takes our breath away. We find out from the other gospels that this woman was Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ sister. She knew Jesus was the resurrection and the life, she had heard him say so mere days earlier when he brought Lazarus back from the dead, and now she prepares Jesus to face death himself. Jesus was the authority of her life, her number one love, and she gave him this beautiful gift. 

It’s what grace does. When we witness the hope only Jesus can give, we can’t help but want to put everything at his feet. He is our God, our precious Lord, who is our treasure, our joy, and yes the authority we gladly follow to the end.