Daily Bible Nugget #565, Mark 11:17

The Nugget:

Mar 11:17  And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

My Comment:

I began this overview of the Passion Week starting at Palm Sunday, as represented in John’s narrative in the Gospel of John, John 12:13.

Prior to this event, on Friday, Jesus arrived at Bethany, John 12:1. On this day, Jesus was anointed by Mary with expensive ointment, John 12:3.

On Saturday, a curious crowd came, “not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead” (John 12:9).

At this point we see again the darkness of the hearts of the chief priests, for they “consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death” (John 12:10). The chief priests were very upset that on account of this great miracle of the physical resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus after Lazarus had been dead four days many Jews followed Jesus. They could not deny the miracle. But many of the Jews “went away and believed on Jesus” (John 12:11).

Lazarus is not mentioned by name in the other three Gospels, nor is any reference to this miracle given. This silence is an undesigned coincidence that demonstrates the truth of this account. The first three Gospels were written earlier, presumably while Lazarus was still alive, when mention of him by name might attract harmful attention to him and his family. John’s Gospel was written later, when such mention would not pose this problem. This silence is sometimes called “intentional obscurity,” a very  important feature which involves the proper understanding of a number of passages in the New Testament.

Sunday is the day when Christ’s Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem took place on the tenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan. This is the date in the Passover/Exodus history when the lamb was to be set aside (Exodus 12:3). This event in Exodus is sometimes called a “type,” an event which prefigures something about the future Messiah, and in this case is about equivalent to a prophecy that helps determine the chronology of the Passion Week and specifies on what day Jesus was crucified.

We read of Christ’s return to Bethany at the close of what we call Palm Sunday in Mark 11:11.

Monday, the following day, Jesus returned to Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus cursed the fig tree (Mark 11:12, 13. 14). On this day the Temple was cleansed (Mark 11:15). Once again the scribes and chief priests sought how they might destroy Jesus, “for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine” (Mark 11:18). Jesus again returned to Bethany (Mark 11:19).

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