February 3, 1999

EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
Jesus provides Christians
examples of right living
___ Mark 11:15-18a; 12:10-17
___By Dillard Wilbanks
___Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___God's standards of rightness remain consistent. As believers, we are to identify and exemplify those standards that are non-negotiable even in the face of opposition.
___ Righting a wrong (Mark 11:15-18a). Upon his arrival in Jerusalem Jesus entered the temple area. It was in a wide outer space called the court of the Gentiles that Jesus' confrontation with the money changers occurred. What was to have been a place of prayer and preparation had become totally commercialized. Even worse was the sheer exploitation of the pilgrims who came annually to pay the temple tax.
___Exorbitant exchange fees were charged to pilgrims who came with all sorts of currencies. The sacrificial doves could be bought outside for almost half the cost. However, inspectors within the "system" would invariably find them blemished and advise the worshiper to make their purchase at the temple booths.
___The significance of this exploitation is further heightened by the those who profited from it. This business of exchange, buying and selling belonged to the family of Annas, who once was High Priest. It was this exploitation of pilgrims in the name of religion which drew the ire of Jesus. In quoting Isaiah 56:7, Jesus drew the distinction between what God's house was to be for all people and the reality of what it had become. A "house of prayer" had become a religious merchandise mart.
___In our services of worship we also must be careful of marketing events, activities and merchandise which cause people to lose the sense of the presence of God in the house of God.
___ Looking beyond the present (Mark 12:10-12). The parable of the vineyard tenants reveals that Jesus knew he was going to die but that he was equally sure of his ultimate triumph. What raised the ire of the Jewish authorities was that it also contained his unmistakable claim to be messiah.
___In rejecting him, their privileges and responsibilities would become those of the Gentiles.
___Having now become ours, how responsible are we? Christian churches that fail to accept the privileges and responsibilities inherent in the Great Commission will find opportunities passed along to churches that will.
___ Firm but fair (Mark 12:13-17). The last of these three confrontations arose from an effort by the religious leaders to entrap Jesus in his speech. They began with flattery and concluded their statement with a masterful question about paying taxes. To affirm taxation would alienate the populace. To reject it as lawful would label him a revolutionary by the Romans.
___In his even more masterful response, Jesus affirmed that the state is ordained by God, and to accept the benefits one cannot forego the responsibilities. So it is with life in God's kingdom.
___In balance, our Christianity should make us better citizens than the general populace.
___What practices of good citizenship can we place on the scales?
___When, inevitably, God's laws are brought into conflict with man's do we have the courage to render unto God that which is his alone?

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