Superficiality (Mark chapters 11 to 12)
Here is my final defence against the Supremacy of Christ in my Life!
Pretend He is Supreme! Only pretend He is Supreme but keep it always on the surface only!
Superficial Christianity!
Gold plated tin!
Oak veneered chip board!
An effective defence against spiritual progress!
Consider how superficiality abounds in these two chapters of Marks gospel:
The Tree (11:12-14)
The Temple (11:15-19)
The Tenant Farmers (12:1-12)
The Taxes (12:13-17)
The Theology and Thinking of the Sadducees (12:18-27)
The Tree (11:12-14)
The fig tree - foliage but no fruit!
A good show, promising from the distance!
Successful on the surface!
Numbers up, activities increasing, busy but barren!
Plenty of rustling in the wind but no reality!
The fig tree discovered that the judge of fruitfulness was Christ and not self
The fig tree discovered the standard of fruitfulness was wither or not there was anything for Christ!
Christ was hungry for fruit (11:12)
Would the fruitfulness of the fig tree satisfy His hunger and bring pleasure to the heart of God?
Was the goal of the fig tree to simply satisfy man and look good in the landscape?
There was the prospect of dinner from the distance but emptiness in experience!
A case of the emperors new clothes!
The Temple (11:15-19)
What would be the first thing that hits us as we enter the temple? Here is the very heart of the Jewish religious system in Jerusalem. This was no provincial synagogue!
As we enter into the temple would we be struck by:
The scent and fragrance of the incense ascending in acts of worship?
The smell of the sacrifice on the altar?
The singing of the Levites in worship?
The sound of prayer? It was after all "a house of prayer" (11:17)
Surely not:
The silver chinking in the collection plates?
Here was the condition of Judaism at its very core! Religion had become a very thinly veiled covering to the greater goal of financial gain and person profit! Prayer had given place to profit!
Here is superficial religion!
The Tenant Farmers (12:1-12)
The vineyard looks the part with its:
Hedge (12:1)
Wine vat (12:1)
Tower (12:1)
So what about the fruit?
What is it producing for the master? For the "Lord" of the vineyard (v9)?
A vineyard where the presence and presentation of the Son is an inconvenience (12:6-8)
Everything is in place for fruitfulness:
The tenants responsibility was clear - to produce fruit for their "Lord" (12:9)
The Taxes (12:13-17)
Superficiality again!
The Pharisees and the Herodians were not genuinely interested in the deeper spiritual question or the biblical basis of honouring God and yet paying their due to an occupying gentile power
The Pharisees and the Herodians simply desired to "catch Him in His words" (12:13)
They were happy to use the coins of Caesar and play their part and reap the benefits of the economy of Caesar but would bring up the question of the legitimacy of paying their taxes to Caesar!
The Theology and Thinking of the Sadducees (12:18-27)
Superficial in their appreciation of scripture (12:25)
Superficial in their appreciation of the power of God (12:24)
Their question too was not a genuine quest for understanding and enlightenment but rather a carefully constructed conundrum to find fault with the teachings of Christ on bodily resurrection - something He had performed already in His ministry! (eg Mark chp 5).
Their question but was a veiled attack on the teachings of Christ (12:23)
Having looked and seen superficiality in the:
Tree
Temple
Tenant Farmer
Taxes
Teaching of Sadducees
We are now presented with the pre-eminence of God:
" And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." (Mark 12:30)
Yours in Christ
Stewart
MP3 downloads of messages preached on many Bible subjects are freely available at:
www.newcumnock.org
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