The Story of the World – Part 5

Chapter 13; ‘The Temple’, opens with Mark 11:1-10:

“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Firstly, Keller focuses on how Jesus entered Jerusalem. He didn’t go in on a big powerful war horse like any other king would, but on a little donkey. He says that this odd juxtaposition demonstrates that Jesus was King, but that he didn’t into the world’s categories of kingship. Keller quotes from a sermon by Jonathan Edwards, who shows that in Jesus we find; majesty yet humility, justice yet boundless grace, sovereignty yet utter submission and all-sufficiency in himself yet complete trust in God.
Keller then discusses Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, where just once a year the high priest could go inside to the Holy of Holies, which was in the middle of the temple, covered by a thick veil. He could go in briefly, but only if he carried a blood sacrifice. Keller says:

“Why? Because, there is no way back into the presence of god without going under the sword. Even then the blood sacrifice was only inadequately symbolic of the true atoning work that had to happen”.

In this chapter, Keller focuses a lot on Genesis 3:24;

“He drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life”. Genesis 3:24

He talks about the whole world becoming the Holy of Holies, citing what he describes as beautiful prophesies. How could this be? How would they get past the sword? The answer, says Keller, can be found in Isaiah 53:

“he was cut off from the land of the living” Isaiah 53:8

Keller states that when Jesus went under the sword, it broke its body but it also broke itself. John Owen called this, ‘The death of Death in the death of Christ’.

We then see in Mark 11:12-24, Jesus talks about a fig tree that hasn’t produced any fruit, even though from afar it would appear healthy; a metaphor for Israel, but also for those claiming to be God’s people, but who actually never really bear any fruit. It shows that the temple can be like many churches today, lots going on, lots of noise, lots of commitments, lots of transactions but no spirituality; no one actually praying in the place of worship. Keller says;

“Jesus is saying that he wants more than busyness; he wants the kind of character change that only comes from realising that you have been ransomed”.

In chapter 14, ‘The Feast’, Keller starts by explaining what the Passover is and why it is important to Jewish people and moves on to the fact that, now, Jesus is the Lamb and by the blood of the Lamb, and by his substitutionary sacrifice there is now a new covenant between us and God. Keller goes on to show how usually at a Passover feast the main course would be lamb, but at the last supper there was no mention of lamb anywhere. There was no lamb on the table, because the sacrificed lamb was sitting at the table!
Every time I read this I am amazed! Jesus sat at that table, with his disciples having a meal. The disciples were pretty much oblivious to what was going to happen to Jesus very soon, but Jesus knew full well. He knew the pain and suffering he was going to go through, but he still did it, for us!
Keller goes on to say;

“on the cross Jesus got what we deserved: the sin, guilt, and brokenness of the world fell upon him. He loved us so much he took divine justice on himself so that we could be passed over, forever”.

The more I think about this, the more amazed I become. It’s so easy just to blurt out that Jesus loves us and died for us, without really thinking about what we’re saying, isn’t it? But when I actually think about that, and what that means, it really makes me reflect upon how big, merciful and loving God really is!
Keller says that we can see the church as a family in the Passover. Usually families would spend it together, but here Jesus has got the disciples with him. Keller says;

“when you take the Lord’s Supper, you are doing it with brothers and sisters, with family. This bond is so life-transforming that it creates a basis for unity as strong as if people had been raised together”.

Chapter 15 is entitled ‘The Cup’, and talks about Mark 14:32-36, where Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, deeply distressed and troubled, asking the father if there is any other way. He began to experience what would happen on the cross. The next part of this chapter is called ‘The Wrath of Love’. Keller questions those that would say “I don’t like the idea of the wrath of God. I want a God of love”. He explains that the wrath of God is totally compatible with (and necessary for) the love of God by showing that loving people can in fact get angry, and that it is often the case that the more deeply you love people, the angrier you get when they are abused. God loves everything he’s made and that why he’s angry at what is going on in his creation.
Keller also shows that through the wrath of God, we see actually how much he loves us and how valuable we are to him. That he is willing to pay the debt and suffer in our place for us

“And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36

Here, Jesus is wrestling but obeying in love, Keller tells us.

Keller ends the chapter by stating;

“that love – whose obedience is wide and long and high and deep enough to dissolve a mountain of rightful wrath – is the love you’ve been looking for all your life. No family love, no friend love, no mother love, no spousal love, no romantic love- nothing could possibly satisfy you like that. All those kinds of loves will let you down; this one never will.”

I’m loving this book and I think it’s really preparing me for Easter and reminding me of everything Jesus went through to save us!

Ria Dowling

This post is part of a series of posts that will take place in the run up to Easter, recording various Firwood members’ reflections as they read through Timothy Keller’s ‘King’s Cross’. Please feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments below. For more information, click here