Rest and Renewal in Redemption
Overview
The central event of history is the Christ event, including Jesus’ conception, birth, baptism, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Through this central event, we receive our redemption. We will look at how the redeeming Christ event relates to the themes of rest and renewal. We will focus on some passages from Mark’s Gospel, but draw in material from other Gospels when it is helpful.
Jesus focused his ministry on responding to the needs of people who were humble enough and desperate enough to know that they needed a Sovereign God. He came to show them that God's reigning love and power are available to those who have faith and who change their whole way of thinking and living to accord with their faith.
Our conclusion will be that rest and renewal in redemption are about our being restored to the wholeness as children of God, the wholeness for which we were created. We believers are restored to become in turn agents of restoration for others.
This article assumes the background presented in “Rest and Renewal in Creation.” That article and this article both assume the background presented in “Understanding the Bible’s Literary Patterns.” Read those articles before proceeding. Then return here by using your browser’s back-arrow.
Mark’s Gospel (a symmetric parallel)
Title: The origin of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1)
A1. The Royal Son arrives! (1:2-13)
B1. The Royal Son fulfills his role as agent of the reign of God (1:14--8:21).
C. The Royal Son predicts his death and resurrection and discusses servant-discipleship. (8:27—10:52).
B2. The Royal Son fulfills his role as the Suffering Servant (11:1—15:39).
A2. The Royal Son has risen! [15:40—16:8 (16:9-20)]
The Kingdom of God
Mark tells the story of Jesus’ baptism to convey that Jesus came to be both the Royal Son and the Suffering Servant of God. Son and Servant are roles that were assigned first to Adam and later to Israel, but neither Adam nor Israel fulfilled the assignments. Roughly the first half of Mark’s Gospel focuses on Jesus’ coming to be the Royal Son, agent of the reign of God.
Jesus proclaimed the reigning power of God, the kingdom of God, by means of signs and wonders. Jesus taught that one could have faith in the good news of the kingdom of God, repent, and enter the kingdom of God, thereby experiencing that God reigns. This was the main theme of his ministry: Mark 1: 14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (ESV).
The Necessary New Birth
But, in order to have faith and to repent, one needs the help of the Holy Spirit; more radically stated, one must have a new birth from the Holy Spirit. John 3:3, 5 “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’.… Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God’” (ESV).
Jesus came to make that new birth possible. Through his ministry, he demonstrated and proclaimed the kingdom of God. Through his death, he opened the way for the forgiveness of our sins so that we might enter the kingdom. Through his resurrection, he showed that even death does not defeat the kingdom. From his ascended position of authority at the right hand of the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to all who believed in him, repented, were baptized into union with him, received forgiveness, and asked for the Spirit. By this process we receive rebirth and begin ourselves to be agents of the kingdom. It is possible only through Jesus.
In “Rest and Renewal in Creation,” we saw how in creation God laid the groundwork for Israel’s laws concerning rest and renewal, specifically their laws concerning Sabbath (rest) and sanctuary (renewal in the presence of God). Now let’s see how Jesus dealt with Sabbath and sanctuary in his ministry.
Jesus, the Agent of the Reign of God, and the Sabbath
Jesus upheld the Sabbath principle
First of all, let us be clear that Jesus upheld the importance of the Sabbath principle, which is rest: Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (ESV).
Jesus came to give us rest, relief from the oppressive forces that otherwise would drive our lives.
Jesus valued the Sabbath. He lived within the purpose of the Sabbath law but not always within the way it was understood in his time and place.
Jesus demonstrated the kingdom of God
The story of how Jesus began his kingdom ministry, demonstrating that the reigning power of God is available to those who have faith and who repent of their sins, is told in Mark 1-3.
In these chapters, there are three accounts about Jesus’ authority to call disciples: the four fisherman, the tax collector, and the rest of the twelve. There are five passages about his authority to command demons to be silent or to leave people alone. There are passages about his authority to cleanse lepers, to heal the lame, to forgive sinners, and to interpret the law.
Jesus with his kingdom ministry is introducing something that offends the religious leaders and even his own mother, brothers, and sisters. Again and again, Jesus provokes controversy. He explains that old wineskins will not hold new wine, that old, shrunken cloth cannot be successfully patched by new, unshrunken cloth. The kingdom ministry Jesus introduces will not fit with the traditions of the leaders. This shows up in Jesus’ handling of the Sabbath. Jesus carries out his kingdom ministry in accord with the Sabbath principle.
How Jesus observed the Sabbath principle
In Mark 1 Jesus observed the Sabbath by attending synagogue. As a wandering rabbi, he frequently was asked to read the scriptures for the day and to teach about it. This happened in the synagogue of Capernaum, a town on the Sea of Galilee where his disciples Simon Peter and Andrew lived.
Unlike other rabbis who cited the opinions of other rabbis, Jesus taught with extraordinary direct authority, causing the synagogue crowds to wonder. Even more extraordinary was the fact that he was able to comand evil spirits to leave those they had tormented.
On the Sabbath in the Capernaum synagogue, Jesus delivered a man from an evil spirit. He and his disciples then went to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew, where Jesus healed Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. By evening the townspeople had found him, and Jesus demonstrated the kingdom of God by healing and delivering many.
Let’s read the account from there: 1:35-39 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (ESV)
Well before dawn, Jesus went out into the wilderness to pray. Later in the morning the disciples found him and told him that he was a hit back in town and that people were already looking for him. Jesus refused to be moved by the demand that he return to the crowds. He had come into the wilderness to get clear on his heavenly Father’s will for him, and he was now clear.
Jesus' job was to introduce people to the kingdom of God, not to let crowds drive his ministry. So he traveled to many other towns in Galilee proclaiming the kingdom before returning to Capernaum.
This is an illustration of the Sabbath principle, even though Jesus practiced it on the morning after the Sabbath. We are not to let our work drive us, even if it is religious work, but we are to do what God calls us to do. That involves spending time apart from work in the presence of God, seeking his guidance. Jesus did that again and again. If the perfect Son of God needs to spend such time, then surely we do as well.
How Jesus provoked controversy about the Sabbath
By the time we get to Mark 2:23--3:6, we have seen Jesus provoke much controversy by his kingdom ministry, but the telling incidents involve the Sabbath. According to tradition, certain things could be done on the Sabbath, things that could not wait. One could respond to a life-threatening situation or one could use first aid to prevent an injury from getting worse, but that is about it. If something could wait, then wait it did.
One Sabbath, Jesus’ disciples picked and munched some grain. The Pharisees asked Jesus to explain this apparent violation of the law. Jesus mentioning David’s taking consecrated bread for himself and his companions when he needed it. Normally, such bread was reserved for the priests, but, as the one anointed to be king, David, fleeing from the present king Saul, was given an exemption, and so were his companions in arms. Switching back to Jesus’ ministry, the disciples were foot soldiers in the war between the kingdom of God and the earthly sovereignty of Satan. Something greater than David’s kingship was at stake here. Jesus asserted that the Sabbath was made for the good of humanity, not humanity for the good of the Sabbath.
Jesus was the authoritative agent of this Sabbath principle. Jesus said, “The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.” The term “Son of man,” based on Daniel 7, does not mean merely a human being, but it means the authorized agent of the kingdom of God, the one who comes to break the oppressive power of evil. Jesus used the term to refer to himself as the agent of the kingdom of God and as the one who would return to judge the earth. As the Son of man, the agent of the kingdom of God, he had authority to iinterpret the Sabbath law to fulfill its purpose, not just to keep its outward observance.
One Sabbath, in a synagogue, as opponents looking for a cause to have Jesus executed looked on, Jesus took the opportunity to bring to attention a man with a withered hand. He asked whether it was lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill. The man’s life was not in danger, but Jesus did good nonetheless, restoring his hand. But his warning did not stop the opponents from plotting to kill Jesus. In spite of their outward observance, they continued to do evil on the Sabbath.
Luke’s Gospel: two more stories: 1. Jesus delivered a woman in whom an evil spirit had caused a severe bent condition. He asked his critics, “Don’t you water your animals on the Sabbath? Why should not a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen years be set free on the Sabbath day?” 2. Jesus healed a man with dropsy and asked the critics, “Would you would not pull a son or an ox out of a well on the Sabbath?” Delivering people from evil is a legitimate Sabbath activity.
John’s Gospel: two more stories: 1. Jesus told a lame man at the pool of Bethesda to pick up his bed and walk on the Sabbath, which critics interpreted as commanding the man to work. Jesus explained that his heavenly Father was always at work in restoring things and that he did what he saw the Father doing. 2. Jesus made spittle-and-dust mud to use in healing a blind man, which in the minds of the critics constituted forbidden labor. The healed man asserted that Jesus could not have done what he did without God’s support.
The implications of Jesus' way of observing the Sabbath
The Sabbath exists as part of God’s plan for humanity, and God’s plan now includes the redemption of broken humanity. Jesus is showing that it is not wrong to act as an agent of God’s redeeming work, even on the Sabbath. Enabling people to live in the fullness of God’s will and bringing people relief from oppression is what the Sabbath is all about.
Of course, that does not mean that we can fill our lives with good deeds and ignore the need for centering our lives in listening for God’s guidance. It is quite clear that Jesus did not elevate just any thing that strikes us as a good thing to do above the requirement that we spend dedicated time with God.
But the Sabbath was for the purposes of preserving God’s kingdom over human life, and preserving that divine kingdom is good for humanity. Even on the Sabbath, one may do what best serves the divine kingdom. And one should live every other day with that principle as well.
There must be a balance. Discipline and discernment are necessary to obtain the balance. But Jesus also demonstrated that the balance cannot be properly attained by legalism.
Jesus, the Suffering Servant, and the Sanctuary
The Sabbath passages from Mark came from the section called: “The Royal Son fulfills his role as agent of the reign of God” (1:9—8:26). The sanctuary passages from Mark will come from the section called: “The Royal Son fulfills his role as the Suffering Servant” (11:1—15:39). From the time of the baptism on, Jesus knew that he was destined to be both Royal Son and Suffering Servant. This double role was confirmed at his transfiguration at the center of Mark’s Gospel. From there his life was headed toward Jerusalem where he would be crucified.
Mark 11-13 (a symmetric parallel)
The following parallel would center on C if we confined ourselves to Mark’s presentation. I have labeled this C [1] and have added a [C2] to show how Matthew’s account of the healings and celebration in the temple enriches Mark’s account, but please understand that the bracketed items are not really part of a display of Mark’s message.
A1. Jesus comes to Jerusalem as the Messiah, a Priest-King of the order of Melchizedek, suddenly returning to judge the temple (Mark 1:1-11, with background from Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 110; Malachi 3:1-4).
B1. The cursing of the fig tree (Mark 11:12-14)
C[1]. Removing the money changers and animal sellers (Mark 11:15-19)
[C2 in Matthew. Jesus brings the blind, lame, and children into the temple for healing and celebration (Matthew 21:14-17)]
B2. The withered fig tree (Mark 11:20-26)
A2. Jesus returns to the temple to test his authority against the religious leaders. In the end, he prophesies the destruction of the temple (Mark 11:27—13:37).
Cursing the fig tree and replacing the temple
The specific passage we will study in this article (B1, C1, C2, B2) is called a Marcan sandwich. Mark often interrupted the telling of one story to tell another and then went back to finish the first story. The two stories combine to illuminate each other. We may assume that the events actually unfolded in this order, but Mark emphasizes their relationship to each other by preserving the way in which one event, the filling, is sandwiched within the other event, the bread.
In this case, the so-called cleansing of the temple event is sandwiched within the fig tree cursing event. Actually, the placement of these events calls into question the title, “cleansing of the temple” (Credit David Garland’s commentary, available for purchase in “Commentaries on the Gospel according to Mark”). Jesus is not attempting to reform the temple. He is judging, condemning, and replacing the temple.
The temple existed to be fruitful for God’s purposes, but its administration was actually running counter to God’s purposes. It was worse than unfruitful; it was downright destructive. Like the fruitless fig tree, it had to be replaced with something more fruitful.
Why the temple had to be replaced
The Jerusalem temple of Jesus’ day was the central location of religious authority for the people of God. Jesus had been traveling through Galilee conducting a kingdom ministry, showing the women, the children, the poor, the blind, the lame, the lepers, the outcasts, the sinners, and on occasion, even the foreigners, that the redeeming power of God could act on their behalf.
But his message was in contrast to the experience one would have in visiting the central place of religious authority. There women and children were second class citizens, who could go far enough to reach the offering boxes, but not into the inner courts where the men could go. The maimed, the outcast, and the foreigners, even if those foreigners had converted to Judaism, could not go even as far as the women and children, but only into the outer court of the Gentiles.
Even foreign money including the Roman money of daily commerce had to be exchanged for temple money in order to make an offering, and the money-changers profited on the exchange.
The poor might attempt to bring their own sacrificial offerings, but, if they did not pass inspection, they would have to buy a pre-approved animal from the temple vendors. The money-changing and animal-selling concessions went to the cronies of the religious leaders. It was in effect a spoils system. But the real robbery was that God’s children were kept from experiencing his presence. The experience at the temple of those to whom Jesus had given hope would have been discouraging, perhaps even crushing.
The test of authority
The confilct between the temple's way of excluding broken people and Jesus' way of ministering to them would have brought the authority of Jesus’ message into question. At some time that authority had to be put to the test. Was Jesus right that the reign of God was available to restore the broken, or was Jesus’ message a tearing down of godly traditions?
There were Old Testament laws that could be bent to justify all the regulations and exclusive practices at the temple, but there were also Old Testament passages that pointed toward the day when all people would find that the Temple would become for them a house of prayer. Both Jesus and his opponents could quote scripture. Which one was right in the eyes of God?
On the Sunday before Passover, Jesus headed into the city of Jerusalem. He was riding an unbroken donkey’s colt, with its mother along, a symbol from Zechariah 9:9 of the arrival of the Messiah-King. People waved palm branches and called out, “Hosanna!” meaning, “Save us!” or, when applied in this way, “Savior!” Jesus examined the temple, saw what was going on, and went back out of the city. Now let’s read the text:
11:12-25 “On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 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. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city. 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.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (ESV).
On the Monday following Palm Sunday, Jesus again headed toward the temple. Along the way into the city, he saw a fruitless fig tree and cursed it. It represented the fruitless religious system of the temple.
He arrived at the temple and drove out the animal-sellers and money-changers. He quoted Isaiah 56 that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all peoples, the passage that also promised that foreigners and eunuchs would one day be included.
Matthew tells us that Jesus then brought into the temple the blind and the lame whom he healed and children who celebrated with cries of “Hosanna!”
On Tuesday, as Jesus once more entered the city, the disciples saw that the fig tree Jesus had cursed on Monday was now dead. It symbolized the temple. John recounts Jesus’ temple action much earlier in his Gospel, but he reports that Jesus told the leaders who asked for a sign of his authority, “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up.” It was only after his third-day resurrection that the disciples understood that Jesus meant that he himself would be the new temple, the place of being reconciled to God’s holiness and coming into God’s presence. He would be killed and raised as the new temple. Truly, as Jesus in John’s Gospel quotes Psalm 69, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Controversy about the temple
Jesus then entered a series of controversies with the religious leaders. As they tried to trap them, he creatively turned their questions back to them, showing that they did not accept the kingdom of God and challenging them to put love of God and neighbor at the center of their lives.
At the end of the public interactions, in Mark 12:35-27, Jesus asks them a question and quotes Psalm 110. It is worth pausing for a moment to note Psalm 110. Psalm 110 refers back to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a mysterious king-priest of Salem, the city later known to us as Jeru-Salem. Melchizedek was a contemporary of Abraham, nearly a thousand years before David. Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.
Jesus makes much of the fact that, in Psalm 110, David, the author of the psalm, refers to the Lord God’s saying to David’s Ruler-Lord (“The Lord says to my Lord”), “Sit at my right hand (the place of authority) until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” And again, he says, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus is arguing that there is a kingship higher than David’s and, by implication, that there is a priesthood preceding Aaron’s. He calls this the order of Melchizedek, but he is asserting that he uniquely fulfills this role. He has the authority to return as Lord of Jerusalem and its temple. That is the authority he is exercising in this passage as he condemns the existing temple. Just as he was Lord of the Sabbath, he is also Lord of the sanctuary.
Aftermath of the temple event
Events moved fast. By Thursday night, the climactic action was underway. After his Last Supper with the disciples, Jesus went for prayer on the Mount of Olives outside the city. Then in the Garden of Gethsemane, he was arrested by the temple guard and brought before the Sanhedrin. By mid-day Friday, he was being crucified by the occupying Roman army.
Against his human will, Jesus intentionally pushed things to this point. Surrendering his will to the plan of his heavenly Father, he stayed the course through excruciating death. Why?
The question at the heart of Jesus’ trip into Jerusalem was whether his kingdom ministry and message had authority. Finally, only God the Father could answer that question. On some levels, the religious leaders of Jerusalem were sincerely convinced that they were doing what was right in pushing for the crucifying of Jesus. They had traditions about how God worked, and they were following them to their logical conclusions. It was not that they were simply cruel people, but their assumptions did not allow for the living, loving, redeeming presence of God in Jesus Christ.
When they saw to it that Jesus was crucified by the Roman governor Pilate for politically expedient reasons, they were establishing a contest. They thought that they were simply winning against an impostor, but they were establishing a contest. Who was right? The outcome of the contest would give the answer.
The question was, Is Jesus the Messiah, the anointed agent of God’s kingdom? Is Jesus himself the new temple, the place where sinful humanity and a holy God are reconciled? Is Jesus the resurrection and the life?
Who is Jesus? Who do you say that he is?
What is the answer?
Jesus pushed for the contest. The religious leaders established the contest. The outcome would give the answer. On Friday at 3:00 PM, except for the conclusion of one Roman soldier that Jesus was the Son of God, the answer seemed to have gone in favor of the religious leaders. By 6:00 AM Sunday there was a different answer.
It was in part for the sake of that answer that Jesus came to Jerusalem.
Friday’s apparent answer seemed to say that life with God is measured by visible achievement, by who looks most obedient and most blessed on the surface. The winners are the healthy and the wealthy, those of the right race and social class, those with friends in high places, those who wear the right clothes, go to the right schools, marry the right spouse, find the right jobs.
Sunday’s actual answer is quite different. Life with God is measured by faith in Jesus, his message, his ministry, his redemptive heart. Sunday’s answer is for those humble enough to know that they need a Savior and excited enough to worship him with shouts of joy. Sunday’s answer is for those who will let a Savior cleanse them, heal them, counsel them, direct them. It is for the humble who know their need for mercy and grace and who are willing to let that mercy and grace pass through them to others.
Friday’s apparent answer has a certain appeal so long as we can pull off looking good, but, sooner or later, real people need Sunday’s answer.
How Jesus and we replace the temple
Now, let’s move back to the previous Monday. When Jesus went into the temple, he was saying that the sanctuary exists not as a monument to those who pull off looking good. He was saying that the sanctuary exists as a place where people who know their need for God can find their healing, restoring connection. Further, he was saying that he himself, in giving his body on the cross for the sins of humanity, would become the new temple. Those who would entrust themselves to his solution to the age-old dilemma of sinful humanity would find newness of life and gradual restoration to becoming the children of God they (and we) were created to be.
Somehow the cost of sin had to be paid. Somehow the restoration of righteousness had to be offered in an effective way. The solution has been offered only once in history, once and for all. The solution came through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. On the cross, Jesus replaced the temple and its countless sacrifices with one sacrifice greater than all the rest together. So, there was a real answer on Friday after all.
We, too, have our part in replacing the temple. The temple is to be replaced at one level by Jesus’ sacrifice and at another level by gatherings of the faithful. Where two or three of us gather in his name, there he is in the midst of us, and there his purpose is realized.
His purpose is that there would be a place of redeeming love, of healing power, of restoring ministry where the lost can be found, where the lame can walk, where the blind can see, where the poor can experience good news, where the despairing can rise up in hope—a fruitful fig tree. That is the purpose of sanctuary in the redemptive ministry of Jesus.
How our rest and renewal work
The Sadducees had led the temple in the interests of their earthly status. The Pharisees had interpreted the Law, including Sabbath law, in the interests of their own social and cultural influence. Both in various ways put down those who were less powerful, prestigious, and privileged. These tendencies are not unique to Judaism or the Old Covenant. They show the nature of sin among religious people generally: taking the focus off entering the redeeming presence of God and putting the focus on our own religious achievements.
Jesus would re-focus us on the heavenly Father’s heart of redeeming love.
The task of our spiritual life is to be constantly renewed as instruments of God’s redeeming love and power. This occurs as we rest from our own agendas and are renewed in the spirit of our minds after the likeness of God. So that we will know that it is not our own work that transforms us, Jesus covers us with his righteousness and grace while we are in the process of being renewed by his Spirit.
We are saved by grace through faith for good works, not by works, lest any of us should boast (and get off track like the Sadducees and Pharisees). Our lives remain redemptive because we are mere caretakers of the grace we have received. We are not the answer. We are merely bearers of the answer.
So, rest and renewal in redemption are about our being restored to the wholeness as children of God for which we were created. Believers are restored to become in turn agents of restoration for others.
We have one more article to complete our thoughts on rest and renewal. Please continue to “Rest and Renewal in New Creation.”
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