Mark 11 and 12

Chapter 11

When Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on the pony being treated as their rightful king, it is the day after he has raised Lazarus from the dead.  There must have been multitudes in the crowd who had witnessed this because he was always surrounded by thousands.  These people were not honoring him in ignorance, but they were honoring him as the Messiah, and doing it in defiance of the Jewish priesthood leadership.   This fulfilled the prophecy in the Old Testament in Zechariah 9:9 that says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, Shout O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation: lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."  Luke says that as he did this, he looked on the city and wept because of the destruction that would happen in about thirty years.

The fig tree represented a corrupt priesthood that should have been bringing forth fruit but failed.  Just as the tree withered and died, so did the Jewish priesthood in Jerusalem.  I like the fact that once the temple has been cleansed of all the money makers and corrupt thieves, he stayed and healed and taught.  He cleansed the temple on two occasions.  The first time, he called it his Father's house, this time he calls it his house.

I think the scribes, elders and priests knew in their hearts that John the Baptist's authority and teachings were of God and Jesus has caught them in the hypocrisy.

Chapter 12

These same scribes, elders and priests then listen to him tell the parable of vineyard.  In the parable, the owner is the Father who hires husbandmen (overseers) to tend the vineyard (people).   Servants (prophets) are sent by the owner to gather fruit, but the husbandmen beat or kill the them so that no fruit is ever gathered.  Finally he sends his son, his rightful heir, and they kill him.  Because of their wickedness, the husbandmen are destroyed and the vineyard is given to others.  Just has the husbandmen denied the heir, the priests and leadership of the Jews is denying Christ (the Chief Cornerstone).  As a result, their authority was lost to all of Israel and and eventually given to the gentiles through Joseph Smith.  Even today, the prophets and the Savior are denied by those who should know.  It amazes me how ministers of churches can teach that the Savior was only a great teacher, not the Son of God.

The parable marriage in the resurrection is sometimes used by those outside the church to show that there are no marriages performed after death, so our work in the temple to perform marriage sealings for our ancestors is wrong.  But all marriages, as the Savior teaches, will be done before individuals are resurrected.  This is kind of interesting because Sadducees who pose the question don't believe in a resurrection, but understand what it is.  They know that what they ask is incorrect, but they are trying to trick the Savior into giving a wrong answer.

I think if everyone just tried to live the two great commandments. this world would be an amazing place to live in.  We wouldn't have to put up with all of the war, crime, dishonesty, politics, pettiness, and other things that go on. Just dealing with illness and other tragedies is enough but we heap on all this other needless woe on ourselves.  Our hearts would all be like the widow's who gave the mite to the Lord.