Seeking to Destroy Jesus - Mark 11:18

Mark wrote how Jesus and His disciples came, “to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but you have made it a den of thieves”, and in chapter eleven and verse eighteen of his book, Mark shared how, “the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him” where we read:

And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him:

for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.

The verse reads, “And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him:” Mark began with the words, “and the scribes” which means “and the men learned in the Mosaic law and in the sacred writings who were interpreters and teachers” “and chief priests” or “and the high priests” “heard it” which means “were given the faculty of hearing, perceiving and discerning”, “and sought” or “craved, required and demanded” “how they might destroy him” which means “in what manner and way the religious leaders could abolish put to an end, ruin, render useless and kill Jesus”. Mark shared how the religious leaders' response to Jesus overthrowing tables and declaring the “temple” to be “the house of prayer” was to “crave and require” that they somehow rid themselves of Him.

The verse goes on to say, “for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.” Mark continued with the words, “for they feared him” which means “because, since and on account that the scribes and chief priests were afraid of Jesus”, “because” or “since and on account that” “all the people” which refers to “each, every, the whole and everyone of them” “was astonished” or “were blown away, expelled and amazed” “at his doctrine” which means “at Jesus' didactic discourses and teachings”. Mark shared how the “religious leaders” were “afraid” of Jesus because of His influence over “all the people” who were “amazed” at His' teaching.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see an interesting reaction to Jesus cleansing the “temple”. God directed His “temple” to be a “house of prayer”, and when Jesus “threw over” the “moneychangers' tables and the sellers of “doves”, He upset the “religious leaders'” means for making money. Jesus would not allow these men to take advantage of people who desired to “worship” God, and this angered the “religious leaders”. God the Father wants to have a loving personal relationship with every person who will “yield” to His son Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”, and those who align with Him will understand why He strongly opposes anyone who desires to “eliminate” Him.

Next time Mark shares, “when even was come, he went out of the city” , so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".