!

"##$% '((
)*+,-./01 2%3*4
5((6 (789:
! #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
We entered Lesson #10 w|th a|| parnc|pants |n our storyIesus, h|s
d|sc|p|es, and us, h|s readersknow|ng dehn|nve|y that Iesus |s the
Mess|ah, the Son of God, br|ng|ng the 1
st
ha|f of the ;$#."1 0<<$*=+%>
3$ ?0*@ to a c|ose. Lesson #10 then began the 2
nd
ha|f of the Gospe|,
|n wh|ch we |earn the +-.1+<0A$%# of Iesus be|ng the Mess|ah, the Son
of Godfor h|mse|f, for h|s d|sc|p|es, and for us, h|s readers.
In Lesson #10, Mark structured the [ourney from Capernaum to
Ierusa|em as a ser|es of seven v|gneues, each tak|ng us |nto a deeper
understand|ng of those |mp||canons. Ior Iesus, the |mp||canons are
crysta| c|ear: he w||| go to Ierusa|em, where he w||| be arrested, tr|ed,
cruc|hed, bur|ed and ra|sed on the 3
rd
day. Iesus' d|sc|p|es, however,
strugg|e w|th the|r understand|ng, beg|nn|ng the [ourneyand end|ng
|tby debanng who w||| be greatest |n the k|ngdom of God, ob||v|ous
to Iesus' c|ear teach|ng that "the hrst w||| be |ast, and the |ast w||| be
hrst."
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As Mark's readers we make beuer progress than Iesus' d|sc|p|es, for
we understand that to be Iesus' d|sc|p|es, we must deny ourse|ves,
take up our cross and fo||ow h|m, not |ead|ng peop|e astray and
rema|n|ng fa|thfu| to the task.
As we had |ns|de know|edge of Iesus' |dennty |n the 1
st
ha|f of Mark,
know|edge that was w|thhe|d from Iesus' d|sc|p|es, so |n the 2
nd
ha|f
do we understand more fu||y the |mp||canons of Iesus' |dennty, even
as those |mp||canons seem opaque to h|s d|sc|p|es. In both cases, the
contrast between us and Iesus' d|sc|p|es creates an esca|anng
narranve tens|on, as sty||snca||y our story rockets forward.
Lest we as readers become too comp|acent w|th our new-found
know|edge, Mark rem|nds us ever so subt|y that a|though Iesus'
d|sc|p|es are ||ke b||nd 8arnmaeus on the road outs|de of Ier|cho, we
are ||ke the b||nd man Iesus hea|s at 8ethsa|da, see|ng "peop|e |ook|ng
||ke trees and wa|k|ng," our eyes not yet fu||y opened.
1 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
In Lesson #11 Iesus enters Ierusa|em on the most crowded day of
the year, the beg|nn|ng of assoverthe |argest of the three annua|
p||gr|mage fesnva|s, dur|ng wh|ch the popu|anon of Ierusa|em swe||s
from 100,000 to 1,000,000 peop|e.
Iesus enters Ierusa|em, not as a humb|e servant, but as a k|ng to the
cheers of thousands: BC$#0%%0D E1"##"= +# /" F/$ <$-"# +% 3/"
%0-" $G 3/" !$*=D E1"##"= +# 3/" @+%>=$- $G $,* G03/"* H0I+= 3/03 +#
3$ <$-"D C$#0%%0 +% 3/" /+>/"#3J (11: 9-10)! De||berate|y staged to
|nvoke |mages of So|omon enter|ng Ierusa|em when Dav|d e|evates
h|m to the k|ngsh|p, the cheers of the crowd are |ncend|ary, a ca|| to
arms, accompan|ed by the wav|ng of thousands of pa|m |eaves,
symbo||c swords.
V|ewed by the Iew|sh re||g|ous |eaders and the koman omc|a|s,
Iesus "tr|umpha| entry" |nto Ierusa|em |s a b|atant ca|| to
|nsurrecnon, a dramanc act of treason.
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"When they drew near to Ierusa|em,
to 8ethphage and 8ethany at the
Mount of C||ves, he sent two of h|s
d|sc|p|es . . ." (11: 1)
KL"* /"01+%> M1+%= E0*A-0",#N O"#,# 0%= /+#
=+#<+.1"# 1"L O"*+</$ 03 3/" "%= $G !"##$% '(P
0%= 0#<"%="= 3/" $1= Q$-0% Q$0= 3$
O"*,#01"-N (RST -+1"#N G*$- UPP LS M"1$F V"0
!"I"1 3$ 8NWPP LS 0M$I" V"0 !"I"1X0 TNYPP LS
"1"I0A$% >0+%S
3 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
! Ier|cho
Mt. of C||ves "
Ierusa|em "
Z1= Q$-0% Q$0= "
! 8ethphage]8ethany
Z,* /+#3$*+0% O$#"./,# F*+3"# 3/03 3/" (
#3

<"%3,*4 Q$-0% Q$0= G*$- O"*+</$ 3$
O"*,#01"- +# (WP Q$-0% #30=+0N $* (RS8W
-+1"#S [/"% H*S \ 3*0I"1"= +3 F+3/ /+# ;]V
+% /0%=N +3 -"0#,*"= (RST -+1"#S O$#"./,#
F0# #.$37$%D
4 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Irom Ier|cho the o|d koman koad ascends 3,400 feet |n e|evanon to Ierusa|em.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
5 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1he road c||ngs to the southern wa|| of the Wad| e|t.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
6 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Near the top, the 4
th
-century St. George's monastery c||ngs to the northern wa||.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
7 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
8ethany, home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, |s 1.S m||es east of Ierusa|em on the
south-eastern s|ope of the Mount of C||ves.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
!8 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
When Iesus enters Ierusa|em he
does so not |n hum|||ty, but as a
k|ng, de||berate|y |nvok|ng the scene
of So|omon enter|ng Ierusa|em
when Dav|d e|evates h|m to the
k|ngsh|p |n 970 8.C., near|y 1,000
years ear||er.
1he story |s |n
1 k|ngs 1: 1-40.
!! #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
C|rc|e of Adr|aan Verdoe|, )/" K%$+%A%> $G V$1$-$% (o|| on pane|), c. 1600.
Chr|sn's, Sa|e 26S0]Lot 41 (prev|ous|y |n the nague, Amsterdam).
!0 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Now our scene cuts back to
Ierusa|em, assover A.D. 32.
As hundreds of thousands of p||gr|ms
are arr|v|ng |n Ierusa|em for assover
(#+>%+_<0%314, 3/" /$1+=04 3/03
*"-"-M"*# 3/" `#*0"1+3"# M"+%> G*""=
G*$- $..*"##+$% 0%= #10I"*4 +% 2>4.3)
the threat of c|v|| unrest and r|onng |n
Ierusa|em |s very rea|.
onnus ||ate, the koman rocurator,
moves h|s troops up from Caesarea
Mar|nma on the Med|terranean coast to
the Anton|a Iortress, at the north-west
corner of the temp|e p|auorm.
1he komans go on h|gh a|ert!
!1 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Caesarea Mar|nma "
! Ierusa|em
Ioppa "
!2 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
G|ouo. "onnus ||ate," deta|| from ?$<@+%> \/*+#3 (fresco), 130S.
Scrovegn| (Arena) Chape| (south wa||), adua, Veneto, Ita|y.
!3 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Caesarea Mar|nma, res|dence of onnus ||ate
and a pornon of the 10
th
koman Leg|on.
!4 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Archaeo|og|ca| rema|ns of nerod's pa|ace, res|dence of onnus ||ate.
!5 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
kema|ns of the pa|ace's freshwater sw|mm|ng poo| and mosa|c oor|ng.
!6 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1he 1emp|e |n Iesus' day.
((SWP #<01" -$="1 $G (
#3
7<"%3,*4 O"*,#01"-N `#*0"1 ?,#",-S)
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Anton|a Iortress "
! 1emp|e
Southern Steps "
! Go|den Gate Lastern Wa|| "
koya| ornco "
!7 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1urn now to the para||e|
story of Iesus' "1r|umpha|
Lntry" |nto Ierusa|em on
"a|m Sunday," A.D. 32.
Mark 11: 1-11
08 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
|etro Lorenzem. O"#,# 2%3*4 +%3$ O"*,#01"- (fresco), 1380.
8as|||ca of San Iranc|sco de Ass|s| (southern transept), Ass|s| erug|a, Ita|y.
0! #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
! "a|m Sunday"
road
Mount of C||ves "
! 1emp|e |auorm
1emp|e
! Last Gate
00 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1he 1emp|e |n Iesus' day, as he wou|d have seen |t from the Mt. of C||ves.
((SWP #<01" -$="1 $G (
#3
7<"%3,*4 O"*,#01"-N `#*0"1 ?,#",-S)
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Last Gate "
! "a|m Sunday" koad
01 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1oday's v|ew from the top of the Mt. of C||ves, w|th the go|den Dome of the kock,
3
rd
ho||est s|te |n Is|am, where the Iew|sh 1emp|e stood |n Iesus' day.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
02 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Wa|k|ng down the "a|m Sunday" road, the path that Iesus wa|ked as he entered
Ierusa|em "on a co|t, the foa| of a beast of burden," to the cheers of the crowd.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
03 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Dome of the kock "
(1emp|e |n Iesus' Day)
! Lastern |auorm Wa|| "
"a|m Sunday" koad "
1o the |eh (on the way down) |s a vast 3,000-year o|d Iew|sh cemetery.
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
04 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Southern steps of the 1emp|e where the money changers and merchants were
|ocated and where Iesus taught.
Southern Steps "
05 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
]/$3$>*0./4 M4 K%0 ?0*+0 ^0*>0#
Dr. Creasy taught on the Southern Steps, too!
(Mt. of C||ves at the top |eh.)
Mt. of C||ves "
06 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
|cture the scene: tens of
thousands of peop|e crowd the
Mount of C||ves, ||n|ng the "a|m
Sunday" road as Iesus r|des |nto
Ierusa|em. 1he crowd fur|ous|y
shakes thousands of pa|m |eaves
symbo||c swordsas they
shout:
BC$#0%%0D
E1"##"= +# /" F/$ <$-"# +% 3/"
%0-" $G 3/" !$*=D
E1"##"= +# 3/" @+%>=$- $G $,*
G03/"* H0I+= 3/03 +# 3$ <$-"D
C$#0%%0 +% 3/" /+>/"#3DJ
07 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
What wou|d the re||g|ous
|eaders and the koman
author|nes th|nk
of th|s?
Iesus |s |n b|g
troub|e!
18 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
kemember, th|s |s Iesus of
Nazareth from ;01+1"", the
hotbed of rad|ca| thought and
revo|unonary movements.
W|th 1 m||||on peop|e |n town for
assover, Iesus' acnons are
pos|nve|y . . .
Incend|ary!
1! #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Iesus Curses the I|g 1ree
I|g tree |n ear|y spr|ng.
10 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Iesus Curses the I|g 1ree
I|g tree [ust beg|nn|ng to bud.
11 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
nere |s a 1+3"*01 trans|anon of 11:
12-14
1. And hav|ng seen a hg tree from a d|stance
hav|ng |eaves,
a. he came [to see] |f then someth|ng he
m|ght hnd on |t,
2. and hav|ng come upon |t,
a. noth|ng he found except |eaves,
b. for the season was not of hgs.
3. And he sa|d to |t |n rep|y,
a. "May no one ever eat of your fru|t
aga|n!"
b. And h|s d|sc|p|es heard |t.
12 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Let's exam|ne th|s c|ose|y!
1. And hav|ng seen a hg tree from a d|stance
hav|ng |eaves,
a. he came [to see] |f then someth|ng he
m|ght hnd on |t,
In Greek grammar, "hav|ng seen" |s an aor|st parnc|p|e,
wh|ch expresses a s|mp|e acnon wh|ch |s pr|or to the
acnon of the ma|n verb, "he came [to see]", "from a
d|stance" |s an adverb|a| phrase wh|ch mod|hes "hav|ng
seen", and "hav|ng |eaves" |s a parnc|p|e funcnon|ng as
an ad[ecnve |n the pred|cate pos|non. In other words,
as Iesus and the d|sc|p|es wa|k from 8ethany toward
Ierusa|em, the hg tree |n the d|stance catches Iesus'
auennon because |t |s |n |eaf, and he moves toward |t to
have a |ook: 3/" >*0--0* $G 3/" #"%3"%<" .*"<+#"14
="_%"# 3/" #"a,"%<" $G "I"%3#S
13 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1. And hav|ng seen a hg tree from a d|stance
hav|ng |eaves,
a. he came [to see] |f then #$-"3/+%> he
m|ght hnd on |t,
1he reason Iesus moves toward the tree |s to see "|f
then someth|ng he m|ght hnd on |t." In Lng||sh the
syntax of the phrase |s c|umsy, but |n Greek |t |s very
prec|se and |nformanve: the verb "he m|ght hnd" |s a
future |nd|canve, wh|ch makes an assernon of fact
pro[ected |nto the future, preceded by "|f then," the
phrase stresses the rea||sm of Iesus' hope. Mark's use
of "someth|ng" rather than "hgs" for what Iesus hopes
to hnd hts the c|rcumstances of the story exact|y,
|ndeed, p|ac|ng "someth|ng" |n the forward pos|non
"#$-"3/+%> he m|ght hnd"emphas|zes the fact that
Iesus d|d not expect to hnd mature fru|t, but he d|d
expect to hnd #$-"3/+%>. When he arr|ves at the tree,
however, Iesus hnds %$3/+%> M,3 1"0I"#.
14 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
2. and hav|ng come upon |t,
a. noth|ng he found except |eaves,
b. for the season was not of hgs.
"nav|ng come" |s another aor|st parnc|p|e, para||e|
to the hrst, wh|ch aga|n expresses a s|mp|e acnon
pr|or to the acnon of the ma|n verb "he found",
p|ac|ng "noth|ng" |n the forward pos|non, and
separanng |t from "except |eaves," stresses the
barrenness of the tree and the d|sappo|ntment
that Iesus fee|s.
15 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
2. and hav|ng come upon |t,
a. noth|ng he found except |eaves,
b. for the season was not of hgs.
1he |ast phrase, "for the season was not of hgs" exp|a|ns
why Iesus went to hnd #$-"3/+%> rather than hgs, not
why he found noth|ng but |eaves. In other words,
hav|ng seen |n the d|stance a tree |n |eaf, Iesus came to
hnd #$-"3/+%> on |t, he d|d not expect to hnd hgs, for |t
was not the season of hgs. Instead of buds, wh|ch he
wou|d expect to hnd, he hnds %$3/+%>. Mark moves the
phrase "noth|ng he found except |eaves" ahead of "for
the season was not of hgs" |n order to emphas|ze Iesus'
surpr|se and d|sappo|ntment at hnd|ng %$3/+%> |nstead
of #$-"3/+%> on the tree.
16 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
3. And he sa|d to |t |n rep|y,
a. "May no one ever eat of your fru|t aga|n!"
1h|s sty||snc dev|ce |s very eecnve |n the Greek (|t a|so
occurs |n 12: 12 and 16: 4), and |t sets up the reader for
the curse that comes |n verse 14: "May no one ever eat
of your fru|t aga|n." L|tera||y, the curse reads: Bb$
1$%>"* +%3$ 3/" 0>" G*$- 4$, %$ $%" G*,+3 -04 "03SJ In
Lng||sh the syntax |s once aga|n c|umsy, but the Greek,
as before, |s very prec|se: "No |onger |nto the age"or
beuer"No |onger G$*"I"*." emphas|zes the strength
of the curse, BG*$- 4$,J d|rects |t spec|hca||y and
po|nted|y at the tree, "no one" makes the curse
abso|ute (and ||nks |t to verse 13 by a p|ay on words: v.
13, "noth|ng"] v. 14, "no one"), and BG*,+3 -04 "03J
deepens the strength of the curse even more. Iesus
expects the tree to have buds, th|s |s a reasonab|e
expectanon, s|nce the tree |s |n |eaf and |t |s not the
season for hgs. 8ut the tree does not have buds, a|r|ght,
then may |t never have G*,+3 e|ther.
17 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
So, what's a|| th|s
ana|ys|s mean?
?
28 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1he temp|e had been the center of
worsh|p |n Israe| for 1,000 years. God
gave sacr|hc|a| worsh|p to the Israe||tes
|n 1446 8.C. when the Israe||tes
constructed the tabernac|e |n the
w||derness and rece|ved |nstrucnons
from God on how to use |t. In 9S9 8.C.
the 1emp|e |n Ierusa|em rep|aced the
tabernac|e as the focus of worsh|p, and
the sacr|hces connnued un|nterrupted
except dur|ng the 8aby|on|an
capnv|ty and for a br|ef per|od dur|ng
the Maccabean revo|tup through the
nme of Iesus.
When Iesus comes to the temp|e |n A.D.
32 he does not expect to hnd the fu||
fru|ts of 1,000 years of worsh|p, but he
does expect to hnd #$-"3/+%>. What
he hnds, however, |s an e|aborate set of
empty r|tua|s, he hnds |n eect a tree |n
fu|| |eafw|thout even the beg|nn|ngs
of fru|t. In some of the strongest words
of Scr|pture, Iesus says, "My house sha||
be ca||ed a house of prayer for a||
peop|es. 8ut you have made |t a den of
th|eves" (11: 17). Iesus |s outraged at
how God's house has become a center
of commerce, at how the trapp|ngs of
re||g|on have rep|aced fa|th |n God. In
anger, Iesus tears down the merchants'
booths and overturns the|r tab|es: he
dr|ves the merchants out of the temp|e.
Mark frames th|s event w|th the "acted out
parab|e" of Iesus curs|ng the hg tree. In the
parab|e, the hg tree |s the temp|e, a tree |n
fu|| |eaf. Iesus comes to |t hungry, expecnng
to hnd #$-"3/+%>, but he hnds %$3/+%>. n|s
curse, "May no one ever eat fru|t from you
aga|n" (11:14) has a dreadfu| eect: the
next day the hg tree stands dead |n the
ground, "w|thered from the roots."
L|kew|se, when Iesus c|ears the temp|e, |t
a|so has a dreadfu| eect: the temp|e
w|thers from the roots. W|th|n a generanon
aher Iesus' death, bur|a| and resurrecnon,
the temp|e |s burned to the ground, and to
th|s day |t ||es |n ru|ns. Iesus' words |n Mark
11: 14 thus become prophenc: "No |onger
G$*"I"* from you %$ $%" may eat fru|t."
G|ouo, 2c.,1#+$% $G 3/" ?$%"4 \/0%>"*# G*$- 3/" )"-.1" (fresco), 1306.
Scrovegn| (Arena) Chape|, adua.
22 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
1. Why d|d Iesus choose to enter Ierusa|em on "a|m
Sunday" r|d|ng a co|t?
2. If you were one of the re||g|ous |eaders watch|ng Iesus
as he rode |n, what wou|d you be th|nk|ng? If you
were onnus ||ate what wou|d you be th|nk|ng?
3. What d|d Iesus hope to accomp||sh by stag|ng h|s entry
|nto Ierusa|em |n th|s way?
4. Why were the merchants and money changers at the
1emp|e, and what were they do|ng there?
S. Why does Iesus curse a hg tree for hav|ng no hgs,
when |t |s not the season for hgs?
23 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/
Copyr|ght 2014 by W||||am C. Creasy
A|| r|ghts reserved. No part of th|s courseaud|o, v|deo,
photography, maps, nme||nes or other med|amay be
reproduced or transm|ued |n any form by any means, e|ectron|c
or mechan|ca|, |nc|ud|ng photocopy|ng, record|ng or by any
|nformanon storage or retr|eva| dev|ces w|thout perm|ss|on |n
wr|nng or a ||cens|ng agreement from the copyr|ght ho|der.
24 #$%&'()*+ ,-.$/