Mark Chapter 11
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service”
~ Rom 12:1 ~
This statement detailing God’s expectation of us, may be troubling as we grapple with the understanding of what ‘reasonable service’ means.
To what extent should we serve in order to be deemed as having done what is acceptable.
Have we met the mark or have we fallen short.
When laying down expectations to others, have we in typical ‘kiasu’ mentality, over emphasized the expectations, akin to how the Pharisees burdened the people with their interpretation and enforcement of the Law.
The situation is definitely not helped by the different interpretation and explanation those around us may offer.
How do we know what ‘reasonable service’ in the eyes of Jesus is. Hopefully this sharing on Mark 11 can shed some light.
In the first incident, commonly known as the triumphant entry of Jesus, the disciples followed Jesus’ instruction to a T, for the colt to be ridden by our Lord as He entered Jerusalem in majestic glory.
It is interesting to note that the instruction was not “Go and look for a colt, the criteria is …” but rather “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”
It is as though, Jesus orchestrated the whole thing as in He had already made all the necessary prep work by having the colt placed in this particular place, notifying all the persons involved and all the disciples need to do is just pick up and come back.
Just as how Paul puts it in Eph 4:11-12, God established the role that we play and He equipped us with the necessary gifts and talents to fulfil the roles assigned. All we have to do is to accept the work humbly and willingly. This type of service is definitely reasonable as we are not doing beyond what we are able.
In the second incident regarding the barren fig tree, verse 13 may upset us. Is it reasonable to expect fruits from the fig tree when it is not the season for figs. And please don’t quote what Paul told Timothy about being ready in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:2) as a justification as the application of 2 Tim is out of context with the incident in Mark. Let us examine the incident closely.
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it is likely to be springtime (March/Apr), while figs bear fruits in summer (June). Hence, we see that it is definitely not the season for fruit bearing. However, one interesting fact about fig tree is that figs can produce crop twice a year. The second is known as breba (breva in Spanish) crop, which are found during spring after the fig leaves emerge. The branches which bear the Breba crop are from the previous year’s main fig crop production which develops in fall or later summer. (https://myperfectplants.com/blogs/blog/what-is-breba-crop-in-fig-trees). We can thus conclude that Jesus was looking for breba figs which should be available at this point of time.
Ps 1:3 tells us that the righteous man is like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth fruit in its season. Are we bearing fruits in our service to the Lord, will He find them when it is due, which is our reasonable service.
In the third incident, we see Jesus chasing out of the temple, those whose heart, mind and actions were not right. He is greatly displeased when the people have scant regard for the things of God. In the same light, there is a need for us to examine whether we have treated His house as “a house of prayer for all nations” or have we instead “made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”.
As described in 1 Tim 3:15 and Col 1:18, the house of the Lord does not only refer to the physical place of worship where we dedicate as the house of the Lord. The house also includes all members that form the church, the body of Christ. Hence, how is our service in Church? How is our service and interaction with fellow members? Things that we should constantly reflect and strive to improve on, a reasonable demand that our sovereign Lord and Savior places on us, on those who love Him.
In the last incident, Jesus stood His ground when the chief priests, scribes and elders questioned the basis (authority) of His work. They were probably implying that Jesus needs to seek their permission to teach or that He should conform to their teaching. Neither of which He did. While it may sound arrogant when He relied saying “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” The response is given more so because Jesus know that they are not interested in the answer that He gave. Whatever answer He gave, they will find fault with the answer and nail some accusation on Him so that He will be brought to task.
Herewith He see the wisdom of God.
What we may learn in terms of reasonable service is that Jesus is not a man pleaser, but one who seeks the pleasure of the Lord God. Just as Paul in Gal 1:10 puts it, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Once this is mentality and attitude is implanted in our mind and heart, we will do well.
May the Lord enlighten us.