MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St. Mark

St. Mark 11:27-33

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JESUS WAS walking in the temple courts soon after his entry into Jerusalem as Messiah and after he had cleansed the temple of the abuse through exploitation of the people in the selling of animals and goods for worship. Naturally the Jewish authorities were angry, and here we see them seeking to find some lever by which they could overthrow Jesus.

Jesus did what he did with an authority which was so evident and far above the authority of the Jewish leaders themselves. We have heard early in his ministry that Jesus spoke with authority and the people recognized it, and saw it as greater than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees. Here the Jews want to undermine this authority. A very big and imposing delegation came to Jesus of the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders. They challenge Jesus to show his authority, hoping, no doubt, that something in his answer could be used against him.

The authority of Jesus was spiritual and heavenly. His authority was directly from God. Such authority can't be recognized or accepted by those who are not spiritual. The Jewish leaders with all their religious knowledge and position were not spiritual, and so if Jesus had answered them they would have rejected his answer as blaspheme and presumption. The Jews were very clever in a worldly sense, and they knew their question was loaded.

We can notice first of all the wonderful wisdom and authority of Jesus in the way in which he dealt with this problem. Firstly he discerned their hostility and saw through their motives in asking him this question. Jesus discerned their inner thoughts and intent. We can deceive people but we can never deceive Jesus. If our motives are not pure, he will know.

Secondly, Jesus dealt with the question impeccably and with great wisdom. He did not refuse to answer, but made his answer conditional on their answering a perfectly valid question. How wise and clever Jesus is. The question he asked would search out their sincerity, their spiritual condition, but also was equally difficult to answer, because which ever way they answered they found trouble which they were not willing to shoulder. They feared the peoples veneration of John, but they did not want to confess they rejected his ministry. They resorted to refusing to answer by saying they did not know the answer. So Jesus triumphed over them.

In the next place we need to notice how lacking in true spiritual wisdom and life the Jewish leaders were. They had exalted positions in the church of God, yet they were blind to spiritual things and the true will of God, and were filled with worldly aims and aspirations. They rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus, both of whom were divinely commissioned and sent. They paid lip service to all the oracles of God, and to the hope of the Messiah, but in their hearts they were in tune with none of it. They could argue learnedly on all theological matters, and say many true things, but in reality they were spiritually dead. High office in the church does not inevitably reveal spiritual life or true godliness. It is by our fruits that we are known.

In the last place, even though in the epistles we are told that we must always be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us, Jesus plainly shows here by example that there are times when to answer questions would be unwise. Whenever a person genuinely asks us for the reason for our faith, we need to be able and to be ready to testify to what we know and to the blessings of the Gospel. However if people come only to carp and to criticise, to refute and to deny, or even to cause harm, then it is better to keep silent. This is the same teaching as Jesus gave when he said in a parable that it is folly to cast pearls before swine. However valuable the Gospel is, to those who have no spiritual perception or desire, the Gospel will be trampled under foot, and degraded. Just as pigs can't see the value of pearls, the godless cannot appreciate the Gospel and will ignore or seek to destroy it. We need spiritual discernment and guidance from God in all our witnessing. However we must not use this teaching as an excuse for neglecting to witness.