How do we explain the rise of Christianity? The most probably explanation is right here in the words of Mark’s Gospel. God on a Sunday morning, three days after he was crucified, raised Jesus from the dead.

As Jesus foretold many times, he was betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, mocked by the Roman soldiers, and then brutally executed; crucified on the cross.

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He celebrated one last Passover meal with His disciples. At that meal Jesus rewrote the script of Passover, showing that He was the truer and better Passover lamb, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

It's Wednesday; and Friday is coming. A woman pours expensive perfume on Jesus, unknowingly anointing him for his death. The people in the room filter this scene through their financial wisdom — they are indignant. Jesus filters it through the very reason he came to Jerusalem — to die as the new Passover lamb.

From the Mount of Olives Jesus and disciples are overlooking the temple, and prompted by questions from the disciples He begins to prophecy about the future, both near term and far. Notably, He predicts the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem (AD70), and of His second coming.

The religious leaders send waves of confrontation against Jesus, hoping to entangle him with their questions. These encounters confront us as well, asking if we are willing to deny ourselves, entrust ourselves to his kingship and follow him, or deny him and live as our own authority.

In our text, Jesus tells the parable of the wicked tenants as a response to the challenge placed by the Sanhedrin in regards to the validity of His authority. Through this parable, Jesus retells the story of Israel, their leaders and their response to the patience and kindness of God.

A common refrain through God’s Word is that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. At the end of Mark 11, we see Jesus oppose the proud and pretentious religious elite of Israel by refusing to reveal Himself to them. What we learn in this text is that saving faith is not about proximity to Jesus, but about the posture of our hearts towards Him.

Mark 11 introduces a moment where Jesus confronts the heart. As he enters Jerusalem and goes to the temple, he comes both to the heart of the Jewish culture and their Nation and challenges the very identity of their religious convictions.

As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem his bewildering demands continue, as shows his followers a better way to both lead and to follow. We are sent to serve.