My favorite quote (non-biblical) from this past week’s sermon, looking at the road of Jesus’ teaching, and Jesus as teacher, was from G.K. Chesterton who said of Jesus, as teacher,

“It could never be said that the teaching of Christ had been tried and found wanting. It has only been found difficult and not tried.”

I’m finding myself really motivated following Sunday’s sermon examining the “Day of Controversy” and all that Jesus teaches in Mark 11.27-13.2, and just the way that Jesus teaches period. As well as motivated by the Gospel – that through the Gospel we have been given a new heart and a new Spirit “that [we] may walk in [God’s] statutes and keep [His] rules and obey them” (Ezekiel 11.20). And finally pushed over the edge by Chesterton’s thoughts that Jesus teaching as “only been found difficult and not tried.” Motivated by all of this to try walking the “other” path, the “Road of Jesus’ Teaching” in a new, Gospel-Centered way in all that I do…not just the ways that I’m practiced in, but that ways that I’ve yet to surrender to the Gospel.

The Gospel in our sermon text (Mark 11.27-13.2) shows up in such an enormous way. Seeing the parallels between the climax of Jesus, God the Son leaving the Temple for the last time and God the Father leaving the Temple in Ezekiel 10 and 11 (Compare Mark 13.1, Jesus leaving the Temple through the East Gate with Ezekiel 10.18-19 and Jesus going up to the Mount of Olives, the mountain on the East side of Jerusalem, Mark 13.3, with Ezekiel 11.22-23) and in between the Ezekiel passages this talk of the gift of a new heart and new Spirit (Ezekiel 11.14-21) which is great “Gospel language.”

Through the grace given to us through the Gospel we now have the ability to walk Jesus’ road (Ezekiel 11.20) in everything, for everything. What are the ways that we continue to struggle staying on Jesus road and following His teaching? What are some of the victories that we’re experiencing by being obedient?

For me this helps everything: my personal life, my marriage, my relationships, raising Noel and Cal.

And for none of this is Jesus just a “good, ethical, life-coach.” But all of our obedience to follow Him in God-Glorifying ways is only through receiving this new heart and new Spirit through the Gospel.

Next Sunday we’ll continue through Mark’s Gospel as we “pause” to reflect and digest all that Jesus has done in chapters 11-12 by preaching through Mark 13.