Mark 11
Finding Transportation (Mark 11:1-6)
Jesus begins walking toward Jerusalem. As he approaches the village of Bethphage on Mount Olivet, Jesus sends two of his disciples ahead with instructions to enter the village. There, they will find an untried donkey’s colt next to a donkey, which they are to untie and bring to Jesus. If someone asks why they are talking about the colt, they are to say that the Lord has need of the colt.
The disciples found the colt and donkey just as Jesus described. They were asked why they were taking the colt, just as Jesus said they would be asked, and they answered as instructed. They were then allowed to take the colt.
Using a donkey for a ruler has a long history (Judges 10:4; 12:14; I Kings 1:33, 38). The emphasis on the fact that the colt was never ridden before is to indicate that it was set aside for a special use, that is, a holy use (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; I Samuel 6:7). Jesus needed this colt to fulfill the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. In entering in this manner he declared his gentle intentions and that he wasn’t coming for war.
Entrance (Mark 11:7-10)
Having no saddle, the disciples put their own cloaks on top of the colt. Doing so was a sign of respect to Jesus (II Kings 9:13). Others also showed respect by spreading their cloaks or placing palm branches on the road. This is the way heroes or conquerors were honored. The honor is echoed again in Revelation 7:9. The number assembled was not small. Josephus once estimated that a Passover celebration drew about 3 million people.
As they continued to Jerusalem, the people cried out, “Hosanna!” “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word which means “Oh, save!” It is used as an exclamation of praise and adoration. The statement is taken from Psalm 118:25-26. Coming in the name of the Lord means coming by the authority of God. Mark notes that people were also proclaiming blessings on the kingdom promised to David (I Kings 2:4; 8:25).
Brief Visit to the Temple (Mark 11:11)
Jesus goes to the temple, but the hour is late, being near sunset. He then returns to Bethany for the night. It is at this time that Jesus observes the abuses taking place at the temple, which he rectifies the following day.
Cursing a Fig Tree (Mark 11:12-14)
Early in the morning, Jesus left Bethany for Jerusalem. Seeing a leafy fig tree beside the road and being hungry, Jesus went to it to pluck a fig. Finding none on it, Jesus pronounced a curse, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”
We are used to beneficial miracles, but Jesus kills a tree here for simply having no fruit when expected. Figs typically put on fruit before the plant's leaves appear. So, though it usually was too early for figs at this time of year, a few trees were known to produce extra early, and the leaves showed that this plant was a good prospect. Yet the tree had no fruit at all, not even unripe ones.
Though nothing is directly said about this event or why Jesus did it, it is recorded for a purpose – important enough that Mark included it in his account. We tend to see what we want to see. We tend to suppress the bad in favor of the good. People look at God’s loving favor and cannot imagine God being severe with anyone, let alone sending someone to hell for eternity. Everyone needs to remember that we are here by God’s good grace and that we are here for a purpose (Romans 11:17-22). God dealt severely with the Jews when they failed to be productive (Isaiah 5:1-7). Can we expect anything less? Jesus will return to this point when we get to John 15.
Far too many people only appear to be godly (II Timothy 3:5). Some claim to follow God, but their actions belie their words (Titus 1:16). We must prove ourselves doers of the word (James 1:22-25); otherwise, we, too, will face God’s wrath.
Cleansing Temple (Mark 11:15-17)
Jesus matches his earlier deed with further action. He returns to the temple, and as he did several years before (John 2:13-25), he throws out the dealers and money changers. He also barred people from bringing in additional goods to sell. Some commentators believe Mark’s statement means people used the Temple area as a shortcut between two parts of Jerusalem. Thus, Jesus was preventing people from treating the Temple casually and disrespectfully. Again, Jesus quotes from the prophets charging these people with turning God’s house into a place of robbery (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).
Like the fig tree, Israel continued to look productive, but they were not producing righteous deeds. They were disrespectfully treating God in His own Temple (Romans 2:1-11).
Healings and Teaching (Mark 11:18-19)
All this attention toward Jesus irritated the chief priests and scribes. Do not forget that they had put out a warrant for information about Jesus' whereabouts, and here he is right in front of them. They complain but make no move against Jesus. These leaders are politicians. They want the favor of the people even more than they want to dispose of Jesus. But with such large crowds around Jesus, they do not dare make a move against him.
In the evening, Jesus leaves the city. This is likely to prevent the rulers from making a move against Jesus when there will be few observers.
The Withered Fig Tree (Mark 11:20-26)
The following morning, Tuesday, Jesus and his disciples walked by the same fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before. The tree had not just lost some leaves, it dried up to the roots. Peter pointed out to Jesus that the tree he had cursed was now dead. The word “cursed” means “doomed” or “devoted to destruction.”
Jesus points out that if they had faith in God, they could do things that would appear impossible, such as telling a mountain to cast itself into the sea. They would have to believe it would be done, without doubt, and it would be accomplished. The point is not that the disciples would be called upon to change the landscape. Jesus uses hyperbole to emphasize that their faith can overcome seemingly impossible odds. Soon, they would be called upon to preach to the world of the faithless and idolaters. It is a dramatic expression of what was promised in the Old Testament. “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16). In talking about the hardships God’s people will face, the writer of Hebrews expressed a similar idea (Hebrews 12:12-13).
Anything that we ask of God, God will grant to us. This is not to say that there are no conditions on what we ask. We must ask in accordance with God’s Will (I John 5:14-15), and we cannot ask for selfish pleasures (James 4:3). There will be times when we won’t get what we think we need because God knows more than us (II Corinthians 12:7-9). But Jesus' emphasis at this time is our need for complete faith that God hears our prayers (James 1:5-6).
If we are going to approach God, we must have our blemishes removed first. If someone has done us wrong, we must forgive them so God will forgive us. The disciples just saw Jesus demonstrate God’s power of judgment. The warning to forgive before going to God implies that we must not pray for personal vengeance. God handles judgment against evil (Romans 12:17-19). This doesn’t mean we can pray for justice, but we must be careful it is not motivated by personal hatred (Psalms 3:7; 6:10; 54:5; 138:7; Revelation 6:10).
Jesus’ Authority Questioned (Mark 11:27-33)
Jesus once again returned to the temple and continued his teaching. This time, the leading Jews, the chief priests, scribes, and elders, came to him demanding to know who gave him the right to teach. They demanded he prove he had the authority to teach. The day before, he threw the merchants out of the temple, and I’m sure this was also on their minds. They hadn’t permitted him, and they were the head of the Jewish religion.
Rather than answering immediately, Jesus offered a challenge. If they could answer his question, he would answer theirs. He then asked them where the authority for John’s baptism came from—heaven or men. The question is of interest today because many people wish to claim that baptism existed under the Old Law. If it had, the answer to Jesus’ question would have been easy. The fact that they had difficulty answering shows that it was a new but not objectionable practice.
The Jewish leaders realized they were trapped by the dilemma they hoped to place on Jesus. They could not ignore the question because the people recognized Jesus and John as prophets, and they had never denounced John. If they say John’s authority came from men, they would denounce him, which would upset the people. Luke mentions that the people held John in high enough honor that they would have stoned their leaders for denouncing him. If they say it was from heaven, they realize that Jesus would point out that they had not listened to John’s message. John testified of Jesus’ authority by declaring him to be the Messiah (John 1:15). Either answer would undermine their authority over the people. Finally, they chose a safe answer, “We don’t know,” to which Jesus replied that he would then not answer their question.
In truth, this question had been answered. The miracles he had done demonstrate that Jesus had authority from God, the Father. The fact that they did not like the evidence did not make the answer any less true. However, it is like men to ignore things they don’t wish to accept and then assume they have not received an answer.
