The Parable of the Tenants of the Vinyard (Mark 12:1-12)

 

The Parable of the Tenants of the Vinyard (Mark 12:1-12)

How is a person's life evaluated? It is fruit. Good fruit, righteous fruit, the fruit of heaven. It is the fruit of love, joy, and peace. It is the fruit of forgiveness and long patience. If we do not bear good fruit, we bear bad fruit. Hatred, complaints, anxiety, and worry are bad fruit.

In Mark 12:1-12, Jesus taught the message of repentance in response to God's earnest love through the parable of the tenants of the vineyard. God planted the vineyard so that it could bear good fruit and went away to a distant country. God comes to settle accounts with the tenants to see if they have borne good fruit. This is because God is the owner of the vineyard.

God Planted the Vineyard

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.” (Mark 12:1)

God chose Abraham and made him the source of blessing (Genesis 12:1-3). As He promised, God chose and called his descendants, making them a vineyard that bears the choicest good fruit. God planted a vineyard that could bear good fruit, put a wall around it, and built a winepress and a watchtower. Everything was fully provided. Then, He entrusted the vineyard to the tenants—namely, Israel—and went to a distant country.

"I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile ridge. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit." (Isaiah 5:1-2)

Bearing fruit is important. We must bear good fruit. Those who bear bad fruit face judgment. However, God first prepared all the environments so that they could bear good fruit. After eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, God first sought out Adam, who was hiding from His presence. And He promised to send the Christ among the offspring of the woman to crush Satan's power of sin and save them (Genesis 3:15). Likewise, God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us so that we might reach salvation and store up the fruits of heaven (Romans 8:32).

Fruit refers to the fruit of the Spirit, and it is stored up in heaven. It is the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, and forgiveness (Galatians 5:22-23). Things on earth cannot become fruit because they exist for a moment and then vanish away. Jesus said that if you receive human recognition, praise, and glory in this world, there is no reward in heaven (Matthew 6:1-4). Whatever is done by faith has a reward in heaven, but things done otherwise have no reward.

The owner of the vineyard went far away to a distant country. This implies that it takes a considerable amount of time until the owner returns. That time refers to the period while we live on this earth, lifespan. God gave everyone an equal opportunity to bear good fruit. However, not everyone bears good fruit. Therefore, we must be careful not to bear bad fruit.

This is because the owner will surely return and settle accounts based on the fruit. Life never happens by accident and ends with death. After all deeds are finished, the day of God's righteous and fearful accounting arrives (Hebrews 9:27). This world is heading toward that day—the end, when everything is settled. The moment each person dies, they stand before the judgment seat of God to receive recompense according to what they have done (Romans 2:6). Therefore, we must always examine what kind of fruit we are bearing right now.

Sending Servants to Receive the Harvest

“At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.” (Mark 12:2-5)

The owner, who had journeyed far away to another country, wanted to conduct an accounting by sending a servant. Surprisingly, however, the tenants not only failed to welcome the servant and give him the produce, but they seized the servant, beat him severely, and sent him away empty-handed. Although the owner should have rightly punished them, he sent another servant, and still another. Yet astonishingly, the tenants consistently rejected, insulted, killed, and persecuted the owner's servants.

God sent prophets like Moses and Elijah and gave His word. He sent many prophets such as Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Micah, Haggai, and Malachi, letting them hear the word of God. The prophets took the words of God's truth and delivered them to kings, officials, priests, and elders. However, they hated listening to the prophets' words, beat them, imprisoned them, and even killed them.

They wanted to hear only words that sounded pleasing to their ears. They wanted to hear favorable things, but hated prophesying disasters (1 Kings 22:8). They hated hearing God's words rebuking sin and telling them to turn back. Following their own wills and desires, they acted according to their own pleasure and regarded God's word as interference. They abandoned God's love, chased after worthless idols, distancing themselves far away from God. This way, they treated God's prophets recklessly.

“Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:36-40)

They had not the slightest gratitude or feeling of recompense toward the owner's grace. They now considered the vineyard their own because of their sweat and labor. They were shamelessly ungrateful and lacking in appreciation. Despite this, the owner continued to send servants. This was because he wanted them to turn their hearts, respect the owner, and offer the proper produce.

This is the heart of God the Father. God wants no one to perish, but everyone to come to eternal salvation (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, God did not instantly judge the ungrateful tenants, but sent other servants. When the criminal crucified alongside Jesus asked the Lord to remember him when He came into His kingdom, God even bestowed the grace of salvation upon him (Luke 23:42). God's love offers the gift of eternal life to anyone who turns back, comes to the Lord, and receives His mercy (John 3:16).

Sending the Son He Loved

“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.” (Mark 12:6-8)

The owner finally sent his beloved son. He expected that the tenants would respect the son because he was the owner's son and offer the produce. Instead, believing that the son was the heir and that killing him would make the vineyard theirs, the tenants killed him and threw him outside. They trampled the owner's final expectation and hope underfoot. They completely failed to comprehend the owner's loving heart.

The tenants deeply misunderstood. They lost the fundamental reason and purpose for which they were allowed to work in the vineyard. In fact, our life, property, health, and the joys of life come from our heavenly Father. A person comes naked from the womb and departs as naked as they came; the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away (Job 1:21). We own nothing. From the air we breathe to all kinds of vegetables, grains, and fruits, they grow and are harvested because God causes the sun and rain to come down from heaven.

For a person who does not know their place and try to take everything is what Satan the devil does. Forgetting his status as a created being, Satan rebelled, wanting to exalt himself above God (Isaiah 14:13). God cursed Satan, who disobeyed with an impure heart, and a day of judgment is prepared for him (Revelation 20:10). Likewise, woe to anyone who does not respect God and tries to make themselves the master.

God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up as a sacrificial offering on the cross. This is so that believers may gain eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ. God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). This was accomplished according to God's eternal purpose formulated before the ages. To save people trapped in darkness under the shackles of the devil, the ruler of the kingdom of the air, He sent His one and only Son.

God's love is painful and patient. It is to save people who have become like the blind—trapped in ignorance and misunderstanding, unable to see ahead—so that they may gain eternal life. God is like the father who goes out to the edge of the village to wait for the return of his son, who left home, squandered all his wealth, and reached a tragic state of trying to fill his stomach with the pods the pigs ate (Luke 15:20). However, if anyone hears God's word, responds, repents, and turns back, He opens the gates of heaven and pours out eternal life.

What Will the Owner of the Vineyard Do?

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. (Mark 12:9-12)

Woe to those who do not know God's love, stubbornly resist to the end, and go their own way. However, Jesus was rejected by His own people, condemned to a death sentence, and lifted high on a cross. God raised His Son—whom people rejected as completely useless—from the dead, making Him Lord and King of kings over all (Philippians 2:9-11).

This is truly marvelous. Stubborn people want to achieve their own will, but in the end, everything is accomplished according to God's will. God is love. Earnestly desiring that people enter into His holy love, He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up. There is no sin or transgression that falls outside of God's love. However, if someone persistently refuses to accept the Lord's holy love, the corresponding woe will befall them.

When and how do we bear fruit? It is a process that takes a lifetime. Yet, at the same time, we bear fruit right now and continue to bear it. This is the ongoing growth process in God toward attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. To bear fruit, a branch cannot bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine (John 15:4). For a branch to remain in the vine, it must be cleansed by the Lord's word (John 15:3). Because we have been cleansed by Christ's blood, we remain in Him, and the Lord makes His home in us (John 15:5). Remaining in Christ is the way to bear much fruit. Remaining in the Lord means following the path that the Lord walked, the way of the cross!

Amen!

August 2, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

John's Baptism: From Heaven or From Men? (Mark 11:27-33)

 

John's Baptism: From Heaven or From Men? (Mark 11:27-33)

We are under authority and power. From the laws of nature like gravity, we are under the authority and power of government like paying taxes. There are also the authorities of norms and rules in both families and society. Anyone who fails to keep them can go to prison.

In Mark 11:27-33, Jesus taught by what authority He cleansed the temple. Hardened people hear the word of truth but neither respond nor obey. However, those who open their hearts, respond, and obey continually discern the truth and abundantly store up heavenly treasures. They are truly blessed.

By What Authority Are You Doing These Things?

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?" (Mark 11:27-28)

When Jesus cleansed the temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders challenged Him, asking by what authority He was doing these things and who gave Him the authority to do them. In their eyes, Jesus possessed no authority whatsoever. He had received no formal education in any rabbinic school. They failed to recognize Jesus, who came as the Son of God, and instead regarded Him merely as a lawbreaker who violated Sabbath laws.

To them, the temple and sacrifices were of paramount importance and precious because they involved keeping the Law and regulations of Moses. Therefore, it was unthinkable for Jesus to drive out those selling things in the temple—a place they held sacred—and to prohibit people from carrying goods through the temple courts. They had plotted to kill Jesus for some time, and now they gnashed their teeth, declaring they could delay no longer. They considered Jesus to have blasphemed God's holy temple.

Authority is the power and means by which order and peace are maintained in this world. Students submit to the authority of a school teacher. In the military, subordinates obey the commands of their superiors. Citizens submit to the authority of the government. People obey the regulations specified in traffic laws. Children submit to the authority of their parents. Various rules are observed when using public facilities. Even when playing music, musicians follow the authority of the musical score.

However, authorities are not only visible; there are also invisible authorities. The orderly operation of the universe is due to submission to the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force, and gravity. That all creation stands just as it is is because the Creator God, who existed before all things, holds together all that He has made (Colossians 1:17).

Furthermore, the devil holds the dominion of the air (Ephesians 2:2). The dominion of the air refers to the dark dominion of sin and death. The devil has been a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He is the principal instigator of evil, disobeying, resisting, and rebelling against God's authority and power. Not obeying God is sin. Satan plunged humanity into sin, took them captive under the power of death, and made them slaves.

All Authority Is Given by God

Then where do authority and power come from? They come from heaven (Romans 13:1). God created not only the universe, but also rulers, authorities, and powers. God is a God of justice, order, and peace. He created all authority and power to govern the universe He made in an orderly manner.

The universe submits to the glory and power of God without a fraction of an error. The sun, the moon, and the solar system move according to the laws ordained by God. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the earth rotates at an unimaginable speed (1,038 mph) and revolves around the sun (66,667 mph). The moon stabilizes the earth's axis of tilt at 23.5 degrees to maintain the four seasons and climate; the moon's gravity causes tides and acts as a brake on the earth's rotation, maintaining the rotational speed so that a day is 24 hours.

The world of plants and animals also submits to the glory and power of God. Plants act as producers that create organic matter through photosynthesis, while animals act as consumers that eat these plants or other animals, maintaining the ecosystem's food chain. The excrement and carcasses of plants and animals are returned to the soil by decomposers in nature, circulating nutrients. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Forests retain rainwater to regulate floods and prevent soil erosion.

Yet, among all creation, humans do not know the power and glory of God and do not submit to it (Genesis 6:5). The descendants of Abraham, the people chosen by God, were no exception. They witnessed God's power and glory at Mount Sinai, experienced the presence of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, saw the walls of Jericho collapse, and saw the sun and moon stand still in the middle of the sky and not go down for almost a whole day so that they could defeat their enemies (Joshua 10:12-13).

Nevertheless, in the promised land given by God, they worshipped the detestable idols Baal and Molech. For His rebellious and defiant people, God sent prophets again and again. Through the prophets, God pleaded with them to return to the LORD Almighty. They refused to listen to the words of the prophets, hated them, beat them, imprisoned them, and killed them (Hebrews 11:36-38). They refused to hear the word of God and acted according to their own thoughts and stubbornness.

The priests, teachers of the law, and elders saw the power, glory, and good works of God performed by Jesus, yet they could not open the eyes of their darkened hearts (Isaiah 6:9-10). Instead, frantic to kill Jesus, they watched for an opportunity. They cast aside even the love with which Jesus cleanly cleansed the temple and made it holy. The Creator God continually extended His hands in love and wanted them to turn and repent (Romans 10:21). However, they hardened their hearts and ultimately handed over the Son of God to be crucified and killed.

John's Baptism

29 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John's baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me." (Mark 11:29-30)

John the Baptist was a prophet of God who appeared after breaking a long silence of four hundred years following the prophet Malachi. He preached a baptism of repentance in the wilderness in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). He wore clothing made of camel's hair, had a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). People who were thirsty for the word of God heard his thunderous, powerful message of repentance and responded. People from all over the region came out to John and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins (Matthew 3:5).

Therefore, many people, including religious leaders, wondered if he might be the Christ sent by God (Luke 3:15; John 1:20). When John the Baptist declared that he was not the Christ, they wondered if he was Elijah or the Prophet (John 1:21; Deuteronomy 18:15). The appearance of John the Baptist caused a great reaction in the land of Judea and Galilee in the first century. As a forerunner preparing the way for the coming of God's Christ, he was prophesied long ago by the prophet Isaiah:

3 A voice of one calling in the wilderness, "Prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 40:3-5)

Jesus had no sin and therefore no need to be baptized, but He came as the Son of Man, went out to John the Baptist, and was baptized. When John saw Jesus coming toward him, he cried out, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The Lamb of God refers to the Passover sacrifice. John spoke beforehand that Jesus would be sacrificed as the Lamb of God.

Through John the Baptist, God broke the long silence and prepared the way for the coming of the promised Messiah prophesied by the law and the prophets. Furthermore, God revealed beforehand what kind of death the coming Messiah would suffer (Isaiah 53). Jesus came as the Passover sacrificial offering prepared by God before the creation of the world. The Passover is a festival commemorating the day when the angel of death passed over houses that had the blood of a lamb or goat painted on the doorframes during the tenth plague that God brought upon the land of Egypt, the plague of the firstborn (Exodus 12:23). The blood of animals is a shadow of the blood of Christ who was to come.

"We Don't Know"

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'Of human origin'..." (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) 33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." (Mark 11:31-33)

The religious leaders fell into a difficult predicament where they could do neither one nor the other. They had challenged the authority of Jesus, who had cleansed the temple. However, upon receiving Jesus' question about the origin of John's authority, they were flustered and rendered powerless. They were reduced to a state where, fearing the critical glares of the people, they could not speak the words they wanted to say. Hardened in their stance, they wanted to answer that John was of human origin. The reason was that he did not follow the regulations and traditions of the elders.

They were like old, worn-out wineskins (Matthew 9:16). If anything did not align with their traditional regulations and teachings, they condemned and excommunicated it. Not only did they reject the ministry of John the Baptist, but from the very beginning they were hostile toward Jesus, denied Him, and sought to kill Him. They had no heart to rethink their own yardsticks and standards. Ultimately, they fell into the grave error of failing to recognize the Son of God.

The ministry of John the Baptist and the teachings of Jesus are like new wine that must be put into new wineskins (Matthew 9:17). How does one discern between the new and the old? It is the word of God. The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). This word comes right after the instruction to make every effort to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11).

Entering rest does not mean doing no work at all. The word "rest" can sound like doing nothing, leading to confusion over what work is and what rest is. In fact, doing nothing induces anxiety. Being busy and having work to do can actually reduce anxiety. Therefore, one must accurately discern what rest is.

Consequently, as Hebrews 4:12 states, we must measure everything by the yardstick of the living and active word of God. In this regard, it is vital to properly understand, see, and realize the word of God. It is always necessary, especially regarding the knowledge and thoughts we possess, to measure them against the standard of the word. The word of God is sharp and lacks nothing in its ability to properly distinguish soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

The new wineskin is a soft heart and good soil that receives the word (Matthew 13:8). It is a heart that does not rebel against new teachings, but accepts them in the heart, realizes them, and obeys. Not responding after hearing the word means the soil is not good. Good soil continues to bear fruit, yielding a crop thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown. It stores up invisible heavenly treasures of love, joy, peace, and patience.

Jesus did not directly state by what authority He was doing these things, but He taught so that they lacked no understanding. Jesus' authority did not come from man, but from God the Father in heaven. God is a God of truth and justice. He always proclaims the truth and acts with justice. Now, the responsibility lies with the heart upon which the word of truth has fallen. To those who repent with a soft heart, He grants eternal life; to those who stubbornly reject Him, He inflicts eternal punishment.

Amen!

July 26, 2026

Buffalo Livingstone Church ©2026, David Lee Ministries ©2026 – All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotes are from the NIV.

 

Jesus Cleanses the Temple (Mark 11:11–26)

 

Jesus Cleanses the Temple (Mark 11:11–26)

How do we forgive and love? In this world, the easiest things to do are to hate, judge, and envy. However, the most difficult things are to forgive and love. Therefore, God showed the example of His holy love, which was giving up His only begotten Son on the cross. God’s love is the laying down of one’s own life.

In Mark 11:11–26, Jesus cleanses the temple and curses the fig tree. Jesus became a sacrificial offering on the cross so that we might love God and love our neighbor. He also gave us faith in God and blessed us to forgive and love our neighbor.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree (Matthew 21:18–19)

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. (Mark 11:12–14)

Why did Jesus curse that fig tree? It was not yet the season for fruit. There are various reasons why a fig tree might not bear fruit. It could be a lack of nutrients, or it could be diseased. Jesus, the Creator who made all things in heaven and on earth, could not have been unaware of this fact. For whatever reason, He would not curse the fig tree He created.

Fig trees sometimes bear fruit along with their leaves, or the fruit may appear after the leaves emerge. Therefore, this cannot be the problem. However, the problem is pretending to have fruit when there is none. Because of this, Jesus cursed it. This is clearly a warning against those, like the Jewish religious leaders, who have only the outward appearance of religion but no fruit. They did not recognize Christ, who came as the Son of God, but instead sought to kill Him.

Bearing fruit is very important, so one must bear fruit (Matthew 6:21). There is good fruit and there is bad fruit. It is either one or the other. If one does not bear good fruit but bears bad fruit, they are cut down and thrown into the fire (Matthew 7:19). God judges each person according to what they have done (Romans 2:6). This means that one is judged not by their outward appearance, but by the fruit they bear (Matthew 7:20).

7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:7–11)

How do we bear good fruit? In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught that the seed that fell on good soil grows and produces a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or a hundred times (Matthew 13:8). A good heart is a soft heart, a heart that receives the word and responds to it. It is a heart that understands the word, repents, and obeys. It is a heart that longs for the word of God. It is a heart that asks questions to understand the meaning of the word, like the disciples. It is a heart that gives to the needy and prays; it is a heart that does not judge others and enters through the narrow gate of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:4, 7:1, 7:7, 7:13–14).

However, fruit is not stored up on this earth, but in heaven. The rewards of this world are visible: honor, wealth, and success. It is having things go as planned and obtaining comfort. However, the rewards of heaven are invisible: love, joy, peace, and patience (Galatians 5:22). The rewards of heaven are entering into God’s rest and reigning with the Lord. It is also enduring hardship, pain, sorrow, and shame. The rewards of this world will perish, but the rewards of heaven are eternal.

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19–20)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. (Mark 11:15-19)

Why did Jesus cleanse the temple? It was because the temple, where justice and righteousness should flow like a river, had been corrupted into a den of merchants. According to the ordinances and laws of Moses, the people brought offerings and came to the house of God to offer sacrifices. When they brought cattle, sheep, or goats to offer as sacrifices, they had to undergo inspection by the priests of the temple. This was to keep the regulation of offering sacrifices without blemish as per the law. However, the priests rejected the animals that were brought and instead accepted only the animals sold in the temple. In this process, they gained significant margins.

Moreover, they collected the temple tax, but they rejected the Roman coins bearing the image of the emperor—which were common in the market at the time—and accepted only the temple coins. They made a significant profit in this money-changing process. In this way, the religious leaders were desperate to exploit the people and gain unjust profits. In the name of God, they were busy filling their own bellies. The people had no other choice and could only be exploited helplessly.

The temple of God is a house of prayer. People come to the holy temple and, through intimate fellowship with God the Creator, receive the grace of His love (burnt offering), joy (grain offering), peace (fellowship offering), and forgiveness of sins (sin offering) (Leviticus 1-5). No one living under sin can stand before the holy God. However, God looks at the blood of the animal, welcomes the worshiper, and pours out the necessary grace abundantly. Here, the blood of the animal is the blood of the worshiper, and ultimately it points to the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

However, the people cannot offer sacrifices without the help of the priests. Sprinkling blood on the altar and processing and burning the animal are all the duties of the priest. God made the tribe of Levi priests and gave them the responsibility of leading the people to come to the Lord and have fellowship. Since this duty was given to them by the unilateral grace of God, it was appropriate to carry it out with justice and righteousness before the Lord (1 Samuel 12:3; 2 Corinthians 12:17-18).

However, they used the duty of the priest to obtain unjust profits (1 Samuel 2:12-17). Even in the days of Jesus, the priests still exploited unjust profits from the people in the name of the law of Moses and the name of the priest. Even today, there are not a few people who exploit others mentally and materially and gain unjust profits in the name of religion and in the name of God. They act like wolves in sheep's clothing as so-called false teachers.

Therefore, Jesus cleansed the temple. As the owner of the temple, Jesus drove out all injustice and evil and made it clean. Cleansing the temple is cleansing people. This is because the temple is not a building, but a person. God has made man a holy temple in which He dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The temple of the holy God must be holy (Leviticus 20:26).

However, a person cannot make himself clean. Because human corruption stems from sin, it cannot be cleaned without the forgiveness of sins. Because sacrifices offered with the blood of animals cannot wash away human corruption, they must be offered repeatedly every year (Hebrews 9:9-10). That is why the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, took the sins of this world upon Himself and died by shedding His blood. Jesus' cleansing and purifying the temple means that the Lord would die on behalf of the sins of this world.

And Jesus did not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. This is the prohibition of temple sacrifices any longer. This is because the Christ sent by God has come to this land. The Mosaic sacrifice is a shadow of the sacrificial sacrifice of Jesus Christ who is to come. Since the real scapegoat who takes away the sins of the world has come, there is no longer a need to offer shadow sacrifices (Hebrews 10:10). The sacrificial blood of Jesus is the power and authority to forgive the sins of this world once and for all.

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)

The chief priests and the teachers of the law did not know at all why Jesus cleansed the temple, but rather sought to kill the Son of God. However, they could do nothing because the people were amazed at what the Lord had done. Because they hardened their hearts, they were filled with hatred and murderous hearts even after seeing what the Son of God did, let alone being moved.

The Withered Fig Tree (Matthew 21:20-22)

20 When they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 26 (None) (Mark 11:20-26).

How is believing in God a power? It is easy to hate and judge. But forgiveness is difficult. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to this world to forgive sins. God's commandment is to love one another. If you do not forgive, there is no fruit to store up in heaven. Hatred, murder, jealousy, strife, complaining, and resentment are bad fruits. Those who bear bad fruit wither from the roots like the fig tree.

Then how do you bear the fruit of forgiveness? It is faith in God. Forgiveness is something that seems impossible as moving a mountain. Just as Jesus loved this world by dying, we cannot love others unless we die. However, faith in God is the power that moves mountains. There should be no doubt in faith. Absolute faith is required. If you doubt even a little, the mountain will not move.

What kind of faith is it? It is to believe that Jesus Christ, sent by God, died on the cross. It is also to believe that we died with Christ by faith. Therefore, I believe that I have been washed clean and sanctified by the merit of Christ's precious blood. Since I have been made holy anew by the blood of Christ, I have stood boldly before the throne of God's grace and have intimate fellowship.

In fact, there is no one who can love their enemies except God. God demonstrated His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Therefore, we can love our enemies through the power of God who indwells within us. This is what we believe!

Amen!

July 19, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.