Author: Brian Burdett

“It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him” – Mark 14:1

This week celebrates the week that changed the world! At the beginning of the week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph, hailed as the new king of Israel. By the end of the week, Jesus would be crucified, dead, and buried. Then came that glorious Sunday morning when the resurrected Jesus left the grave behind, victorious over sin and death!

By the middle of the week, the plot to kill Jesus was underway. His clear claim to be Messiah, His brilliant answers to every challenge, and His direct condemnation of the religious status quo in Jerusalem was simply too much to bear! Those in power needed Jesus dead before the people turned on them or the Romans crushed the city’s messianic fervor. Rather than embrace the possibility that Jesus really was who He said He was, the leadership just wanted Him dead.

Jesus was, and remains, a threat to entrenched structures of religious power. Jesus was, and remains, a threat to those accumulating riches in the name of God. Jesus was, and remains, a threat to those who talk about holiness but don’t live it themselves. Jesus was, and remains, a threat to anyone who claims to be a leader but won’t lead in a godly manner. People will always oppose those walking in the way of Jesus.

Ultimately, however, we must remember that the death of Jesus was the eternal will of God. This is why Jesus came to earth – to die on the cross. And so, God used the wickedness, pettiness, greed, and jealousy of these false teachers and priests to send His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. This is the path Jesus had been walking for a long time, the one leading to the cross. This is also the path He invites each of His followers to walk.

Jesus is inviting you to walk the path of authentic faith and obedience to Him. He’s inviting you to walk the path of personal holiness, vulnerability, and humility. He’s inviting you to walk the path that leads to your own cross each day. Will you #FollowJesus?

“As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, ‘Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.’” – Mark 11:20-21

This week celebrates the week that changed the world! At the beginning of the week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph, hailed as the new king of Israel. By the end of the week, Jesus would be crucified, dead, and buried. Then came that glorious Sunday morning when the resurrected Jesus left the grave behind, victorious over sin and death!

On Tuesday morning, the disciples marveled at the fig tree Jesus had cursed the day before. In one short day, it had withered to its roots. Many today wonder why Jesus did this. They ask what had that poor fig tree done? The answer is that it had the misfortune of representing all that was wrong with the religious leadership of Israel!

The fig tree itself was a symbol of Israel. This particular fig tree had been leafy and green, looking great from a distance. Up close, though, it wasn’t fruitful. This is how the religious leadership was at that time. They looked GREAT from a distance. Very holy, very righteous, very faithful. They had rules upon rules upon rules for being holy on the outside. Inside they were rotten. Spiritually dead. Full of hypocrisy, pride, greed, and condemnation toward others. They were making everyone in their care farther from God rather than closer. All leaf, no fruit. Like the fig tree.

What Jesus did to the fig tree represents what God was doing to the religious leaders of the day. Rejecting their appearance of holy fruitfulness and condemning their continued lack of actual fruitfulness. The cursing of the fig tree was a symbol of the condemnation of the religious leadership. What happened to that tree was what was happening in the temple as Jesus debated and condemned the leaders throughout that week.

As we consider the fig tree today, we should honestly reflect on ourselves. In what aspects of our lives do we look leafy and fruitful on the outside while falling short of Jesus’ commands and expectations inside? How are we like those Pharisees Christ condemned when He cursed that fig tree? #FollowJesus

“And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.” – Mark 11:15

This week celebrates the week that changed the world! At the beginning of the week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem in triumph, hailed as the new king of Israel. By the end of the week, Jesus would be crucified, dead, and buried. Then came that glorious Sunday morning when the resurrected Jesus left the grave behind, victorious over sin and death!

Throughout the week, there was tremendous conflict and profound teaching. On Monday, Jesus entered the city and began cleaning the filth that infected God’s Temple. The Temple was built to a holy place of worship, a beacon drawing people from all over the world to meet, pray, and worship God. Sadly, it had become a bazaar, a marketplace, a vast money-making operation built to overcharge and exploit travelers. Rather than set up business outside the grounds of the Temple, dishonest business was being done on God’s property.

No doubt, many celebrated the convenience of being able to take care of business on their way in and out. But the worship of God isn’t supposed to be about what’s convenient. It’s supposed to be pure, holy, and devoted. It should take some effort. It’s must be about wholehearted devotion to God in heaven. All the buying, selling, and negotiating cheapened and darkened all that. God’s house of prayer had truly become a den of thieves!

Jesus turned it all over! Grab ahold of the zeal of Jesus in that moment. Let His zeal become a powerful desire in yourself to worship and pray without distraction. Pray often and worship often, disciplining yourself do it without the thoughts and distractions of business and finances in your mind. As a Christian, your body is now God’s Temple – live with a zeal for holy devotion to God in worship and prayer.

#FollowJesus

“And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’” – Mark 1:23-24

Demons always know who Jesus is! They don’t debate whether He was simply a good teacher, a moral example, a mere prophet, or a revolutionary. They know, with 100% certainty, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed Son of God. They know He has absolute power over them and they’re terrified of Him! They even know that one day He will utterly defeat and destroy them, casting them into the eternal lake of fire. This is why they only ask questions about timing and His intentions toward them in that moment. They don’t doubt Who Jesus is, what He can do, and what He will do.

Do you have that same confidence in Jesus? If not, consider this testimony from a demon and let it grow your faith! Consider the awesome power of Jesus to cast demons out of sufferers with just a word. Consider His absolute authority over all things supernatural and let that build your confidence in Jesus. This is who He is – the Holy One of God. Messiah. Christ. King. Son of God. God come in the flesh.

We’re blessed to live after the cross. At the cross, Jesus utterly defeated sin, death, and Satan through His own sacrificial death and resurrection. Because of His work on the cross, we know Jesus has been given all “All authority in heaven and on earth.” Praise Jesus as King of the Universe! Worship Jesus as the all-powerful Lord that He is. Make Him your Lord and #FollowJesus

“Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so.” – Judges 2:17

It’s an unfortunate reality that faith simply isn’t inherited automatically by the next generation. Every person in every generation must choose the Lord for themselves. Or not. They must choose between obedience to God’s ways or walking in the world’s ways. That choice won’t be made just because their parents follow God, though that can certainly be a positive influence. Children won’t believe just because their parents believe, though they may choose unbelief because of their parents’ failure to live by what they believe.

Each generation must be intentionally evangelized. They must be taught about God and His ways, Jesus and His salvation, the Holy Spirit and His power. They must be taught it and they must be shown it through lives of humble obedience to King Jesus. They must also be taught that obedience to God is the most important priority in life, not merely one good thing among many. They must be invited into the faith and prayed for with diligence. And yet, still, it’s up to them to choose their path. Many will choose the wrong path before choosing the right path. Others may never get off the wrong path.

Followers of Christ must do everything possible to help the rising generations choose the right path, but the choice is still theirs. Be faithful in teaching the young. Be faithful in praying for them and talking to them about God, Jesus, and their need for a Savior. Demonstrate what a life of faith looks like, not merely words of faith. Make following Jesus the top priority in your life. Then pray some more and keep praying. #FollowJesus