GOSPEL OF MARK - CHAPTER 11
A new part of Mark’s Gospel begins here. Jesus enters Jerusalem as the Messiah. He teaches in the Temple and he argues with the religious authorities.
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as Messiah 11:1-11
v1 As they approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. v2 He said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied up. Nobody has ever sat on it. Free it and bring it to me. v3 If anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord needs it. He will send it back soon.” ’ v4 They went and found a young donkey tied outside a door in the street. They freed it. v5 Some people who were standing there said to them, ‘What are you doing? Why are you freeing the donkey?’ v6 They told them what Jesus had said. So they let them go.
v7 They brought the donkey to Jesus. They put their coats on it. Then Jesus sat on it. v8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Other people cut branches from the fields and they spread them on the road. v9 Those in front and those at the back continued to shout, ‘Hosanna (Please save us now)! Blessed is the man who comes in the name of the Lord! v10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’
v11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and he went into the Temple. He looked round at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples.
Commentary
Verse 1
Bethphage and Bethany were two villages near each other on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem. It was the village where Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived. They were friends of Jesus.
Verses 2-3
We think that Jesus made arrangements about the donkey sometime before. We know from John’s Gospel that he made more than one visit to Jerusalem. Jesus spoke about ‘how often’ he would have gathered the people of Jerusalem to himself (Matthew 23:37). ‘The Lord needs it’ was the special sign to the owner that Jesus’ disciples were not stealing the animal.
A donkey was the animal that a king used. That is why Jesus chose to ride on one. When a king went to war, he rode on a horse. A donkey showed that the king came in peace. Jesus made the words of Zechariah (9:9) come true. ‘Your king comes to you - - -. He is riding on a donkey.’ Because the young donkey had never carried anyone before, it was suitable for a holy purpose. It was like a young cow that had to be perfect for a sacrifice (Numbers 19:2).
Verses 7-8
The crowd was probably following a custom when they spread their clothes on the road. John’s Gospel says that they carried ‘palm’ branches (John 12:13). (A palm is a kind of tree.) So Christians call the day Palm Sunday.
Verses 9-10
‘Hosanna’ is a word to praise God. It means ‘Please save us now’. It would be an appeal to God to save his people from their enemies. The word comes from Psalm 118:25. ‘Blessed is the man who comes’ was a welcome for people who were coming to a special day in Jerusalem. ‘The man who comes’ was also another name for the Messiah. The crowd was not shouting ‘Hosanna’ only as a cry of praise. They were asking God to save his people from the Romans now that their Messiah had come. Jesus showed that he rode in peace. But they did not understand.
Verse 11
Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives. He crossed the Kidron valley and he went into Jerusalem. He looked round at everything in the Temple. He was deciding what to do there next. But he went to Bethany, where he probably stayed with his friends. He could be quiet and he could gain strength from God. His friends would encourage him.
The Fig Tree Without Fruit 11:12-14; 20-21
The account of the fig tree is in two parts. The account of Jesus’ action in the Temple comes in between the parts. There is an important link with what happened to the fig tree. And Mark shows us that.
The Fig Tree, Part 1 11:12-14
v12 The next day, as Jesus and his disciples came from Bethany, he was hungry. v13 Jesus saw a fig tree in the distance. It was full of leaves. He went to see if he could find any fruit on it. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. v14 Jesus said to the tree, ‘I do not want anyone ever to eat fruit from you again!’ And his disciples heard what he said.
Commentary
Verse 12
Jesus was a real man, who became hungry.
Verse 13
There is a difficulty in the words ‘It was not the season for figs.’ It does not seem right that Jesus should blame the tree for having no fruit then. But a fig tree was a way to speak about the nation of the Jewish people.
‘When I saw your fathers, they were like a fig tree with its early fruit on it’ (Hosea 9:10). There is a parable in Luke 13:6-9. It is about a fig tree. The owner gave the tree a last chance to yield fruit. Jesus warned people that they needed to repent. Then he told that parable afterward. It is probable that Mark’s story is an acted parable. The fruit is like a picture of the obedience that the Jewish people should have shown to God. The leaves are like a picture of their religion. Their religion gave a false hope. The Jews had many religious rules and ceremonies as the tree had many leaves. As Jesus looked in vain for figs, God looked in vain for good behavior and sincere worship. The Jews should have shown that they were ready to give a welcome to their Messiah.
Verse 14
Jesus was warning the people very seriously. They were obeying the traditions and rules of their religion. But they were not changing their behavior. They were not doing the things that God wanted them to do. They were not really serving God. And they were refusing to accept the Messiah whom God had sent.
Jesus used the fig tree as a type of prophecy. He was showing what would happen in the future. Soon, the Jewish people would suffer greatly. There would be great troubles for them when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. So, it was very important for the Jewish people to trust God now.
The story that follows is about Jesus in the Temple. And it shows how the religious leaders wanted to get money from people. They would not allow Gentiles the opportunity to pray. Their religion was a matter of ceremonies only and it made no difference to their way of life. They did not produce the ‘fruit’ of good and sincere faith.
Jesus in the Temple 11:15-19
v15 They came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the Temple. And he began to force out those people who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were changing money. He turned over the seats of the people who were selling birds. v16 He would not allow anyone to carry anything through the Temple court. v17 Then he taught them. He said, ‘The scriptures say, “People will call my house a house of prayer for all the nations.” But you have made it a cave for thieves.’ v18 The chief priests and the scribes heard about this. They began to look for a way to kill Jesus. What he taught astonished the whole crowd. And so the chief priests and the scribes were afraid of him. v19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.
Commentary
Verse 15
The outer court was the only part of the Temple where Gentiles could go to pray. There was a wall that prevented them from entering the Jewish part. They would risk their lives if they tried to pass it. But this ‘Court of the Gentiles’ had become more like a marketplace. The Jews paid a tax of a certain amount of money to the Temple each year. But it had to be in special coins and not coins from other countries. The people who were changing the money were charging too much. People could buy birds for sacrifice in Jerusalem. But the priests claimed that people could buy perfect birds in the Temple and nowhere else. So they charged high prices for them. The priests were responsible for all this trade. And the priests were even using God’s holy Temple as a place where they cheated people.
Verse 16
People were also using the court as a short way from one side of the city to another. They were carrying their goods through it as if it were a public road.
Verse 17
Jesus used words from Isaiah (56:7). They showed that the Jews were not allowing Gentiles to worship in God’s ‘house’. He also spoke Jeremiah’s words (Jeremiah 7:11). They describe wicked people who came to the Temple to worship.
Verse 18
The religious leaders realized that Jesus had become a danger to their authority. He had also disturbed their ways to get money. What Jesus taught astonished many people. So the authorities had to find a way to kill Jesus. But they wanted a way that would not cause trouble from the crowd.
Verse 19
It is possible that Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany for the night.
The fig tree, Part 2 11:20-21
v20 In the morning, as they walked along, they saw the fig tree. It had dried up all the way to its roots. v21 Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!’
Commentary
Verse 21
Peter said that Jesus had ‘cursed’ the tree. Nobody would eat fruit from the tree again. For three years, Jesus had taught the people about God. But now that time was ending. If they refused to believe God’s message, they would not avoid God’s punishment.
Many people who listened to Jesus never really believed his message. They had their own religion, but they would not serve God. Jesus had warned them many times about such attitudes. ‘Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord”, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. It is only he who does the will of my Father in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21).
Jesus Teaches About Prayer 1:22-25
v22 Jesus answered them, ‘Believe in God. v23 I tell you the truth. Suppose that one of you says to this mountain, "Go and throw yourself into the sea." You must not have doubt in your mind. You must believe that it will happen. Then it will happen for you. v24 Therefore I tell you this. When you pray for anything, you must believe. Believe that you have already received it. Then you will receive it. v25 You may be standing and praying. Then, forgive anyone who has behaved wrongly towards you. So your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.’ [v26 ‘But if you do not forgive them, your Father will not forgive you.’]
Commentary
Verse 22
These words about faith may have been a suitable end to the account of the fig tree. Jesus knew that the fig tree would die. The disciples must continue to trust God whatever happened.
Verses 23-24
Jesus may have pointed to the Mount of Olives as he said ‘this’ mountain. It would have made his words easy to remember. The ‘mountain’ is picture language for any kind of difficulty that seems impossible to remove. Matthew has similar words (17:20), but they are in a different place in his Gospel. The ‘mountain’ can be a personal difficulty or even a difficulty between nations.
Jesus said that the answer to prayer depended on faith. There must be complete confidence that God will answer. ‘Anything’ would not include a selfish or foolish prayer.
Verse 25
Jews usually stood in order to pray. Mark shows that he knew the words of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:12; Luke 11:4). It is essential to forgive other people. God is Love. We might approach God in prayer with a spirit that is not willing to show love. But that is of no use. There can be no real communication between God and a man who does not forgive. That is because God does forgive. We do not deserve that God should forgive us. So we must forgive other people when they do not deserve it.
[Verse 26] is probably a copy of Matthew 6:15. Modern translations of Mark’s Gospel usually leave it out.
The Question About Jesus’ Authority 11:27-33
v27 They came again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, scribes, and the other leaders came to him. v28 They said to him, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you authority to do them?’ v29 Jesus answered them, ‘I will ask you a question. Answer me. Then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. v30 Was John’s authority to baptize from heaven, or merely human? Answer me.’ v31 The religious leaders argued with each other. ‘If we say, “from heaven”, he will say, “Why then did you not believe John?” v32 But we dare not say, “It was merely human.” ’ Really, they were afraid of the people. All the people thought that John was a real prophet. v33 So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ Jesus replied, ‘Then I will not tell you by what authority I do these things, either.’
Commentary
Verse 27
The chief priests, scribes and other leaders were members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling group.
Verse 28
They intended to test Jesus with this question. He had cleared the Court of the Gentiles of the merchants and of those who changed money. They wanted to know whose authority he had for that. Maybe Jesus would say that his authority came from God. Then they could say that he was insulting God. They would say that God would never allow a man to turn over anything in the Temple. Maybe Jesus would say that he was acting on his own authority. Then he might lose public support. The Sanhedrin could stop him from teaching in the Temple courts without their authority.
Verses 29-30
Jesus did not give them an immediate answer. He asked a question about the authority of John the Baptist to do his work.
Verse 31
Jesus had asked a question that the religious leaders could not answer. They could not say that John was a genuine prophet. Because then Jesus could ask them why they had not believed John.
Verse 32
They were afraid to say that John acted on his own authority. The crowd who were listening might have caused trouble. People had believed that John was a prophet. So the religious leaders could not answer.
Verse 33
Jesus said that they had refused to answer his question. So, he would not answer theirs. John the Baptist had prepared the way for Jesus and John pointed to him as the Messiah. But the authorities refused to believe John. So, it was of no use for Jesus to declare his own authority.
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