Mark 11:18
Have
you ever had anyone teach you something in such a way that it amazed you? Or
maybe it wasn’t the way they taught you, but the content that amazed you. I’m
talking jaw-dropping amazement.
The
spiritual leaders of Jesus’ day had a big problem. Jesus! His teaching had such
a ring of authenticity that people were gathering around Him, rather than
around them. They were losing their grip on the people. They were losing their
carefully scripted place in their world. And if they lost that place, they
would have a much more limited place of leadership, if any place was left.
So
they had to do something.
Fear
can be a powerful motivator, for both good and evil. Fear is one of our most
basic emotions, driving right to the core of our being. When we are afraid we
can do little else. Fear can take over our life.
What
is amazing is that Jesus’ teaching put fear in the hearts of these seemingly
fearless leaders. And what do they do with the fear? They turn it into a murder
plot. That probably wouldn’t be my first choice, although I have to admit, when
I allow my sinful self to imagine, murder does sometimes pop to the surface.
Now before you get a spiritual on me, murder has flashed across your mind too!
But
these leaders do more that flash murder. They begin to look for a way to do it.
They begin to take steps to make it happen.
Jesus
has put His finger on their spiritual pulse and found them flat-lined. They were
the den of robbers. They were the ones corrupting the LORD’s temple. They are
the ones preventing prayer from happening in the temple courts. They had
authority over that space, and they were giving authority to those who were
doing the selling. Their permission was needed to be there, so they were part
of the problem.
Is
murder part of godly living? I didn’t think so either! But if we followed these
religious leaders, we might think it was, the ends justifying the means.
Killing Jesus would help the greater cause. They certainly didn’t want any
trouble with Rome. They were charged with keeping peace in their little corner
of the Roman empire. And Jerusalem had a bad reputation for brewing dissidents.
Or at least dissidents would show up in Jerusalem preaching their rebellion.
These
religious leaders had a vested interest in keeping the status quo. They didn’t
want any change. Things were fine just the way they were. Change meant the
unknown. The unknown brings uncertainty, unpredictability.
Sometimes
we need to shake up the status quo. Sometimes things need to change in order
for things to get better. Are you ready for some change?