Mark Chapter 11
Memory verses for
this week: Phil 2:11 And that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.
Introduction:
We continue with our study
of Mark this week as we cover Chapter 11. In chapter 10, Jesus taught
the true facts concerning divorce and how it was never God’s plan for
a man and woman to divorce. Jesus went on to point out how he loved
the little children and told the disciples to allow them to come unto
him. He taught the rich young ruler that he did not really live
perfectly under the law as his riches meant more to him than his
service to God. We closed with Christ again warning his disciples how
that he would soon face death there in Jerusalem.
I. The
Triumphal Entry
Mark 11:1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and
Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his
disciples,
Mark 11:2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over
against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a
colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
Mark 11:3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that
the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
Bethany was a city on the east side of the Mount of Olives
approximately 2 miles from Jerusalem. Jesus sends two of his
disciples to obtain a colt for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem that day.
The colt was a young animal that had never been rode. The purpose of
riding the colt into the city was to fulfill prophecy which was
recorded in Zechariah 9:9.
Zec 9:9 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.
If someone was to stop them, they were to say that the Lord
hath need of him and they would let them have the animal. By Jesus
coming into Jerusalem on this colt, he proclaimed himself to be the
long awaited Messiah. This was His public presentation to the nation
of Israel. But rather than accepting Christ for who He was, the
religious leaders of the people reject Him and condemn Him to death.
It is interesting to note that in the last few chapters that Jesus has
been moving toward Jerusalem. While moving geographically to the city,
He’s moving chronologically closer to His death. This is the last week
of His earthly life.
Mark 11:4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the
door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
Mark 11:5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them,
What do ye, loosing the colt?
Mark 11:6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and
they let them go.
Mark 11:7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their
garments on him; and he sat upon him.
As expected, the two were questioned why they were taking the
colt. They told them what they were told to state, and they let
them go. God had prepared the heart of the owner to allow the animal
to be used. They soon return with the colt. Jesus mounts the colt
and starts on his journey. It says that the disciples cast their
garments on the colt, and the Lord rides the animal into Jerusalem.
Mark 11:8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others
cut down branches off the trees, and strowed them in the way.
Mark 11:9 And they that went before, and they that followed,
cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord:
Mark 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh
in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
As Christ travels along the road to Jerusalem, it says many
spread their garments in the way while others cut down branches from
the trees and strowed them in the way. And these both in front of
the Lord and behind Him cry out “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David,
that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.” The
word Hosanna means an exclamation of adoration. We know the night
Jesus was born there in Bethlehem we have record of the angels
proclaiming the great event. While they did not use this exact word,
I know there was an exclamation of adoration.
Luke 2:8 And there
were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And, lo,
the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10 And the
angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11 For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ
the Lord.
Luke 2:12 And this
shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.
Luke 2:13 And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying,
Luke 2:14 Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Mark 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple:
and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the
eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus goes to the temple there in Jerusalem and looks around
to see that all things are in place. When the evening comes, he
returns to Bethany with the twelve.
II. The Barren Fig
Tree
Mark 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he
was hungry:
Mark 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came,
if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he
found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
Mark 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit
of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
On the following morning, as Jesus and the disciples leave
Bethany, Jesus was hungry. He comes upon this fig tree that had many
leaves. I know when I was growing up, some years we would have
wonderful stalks of cotton, but in the end when it came time to
harvest the crop, many times there would be few bolls on the stalks.
So a beautiful plant is not guarantee of fruit. Jesus looks and
expects to see some fruit, but finds no figs at all. The time of
figs was not yet… the bible says. When Jesus finds no figs on the
tree, he causes a curse upon the plant. He says that there would be
no fruit ever on that tree. When Jesus looks on us, does he see a
pretty looking Christian, but no fruit in our lives? I hope not. If
we want to be pleasing to the Lord, we will bring forth fruit.
Mat 7:15 Beware of
false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall
know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so
every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth
forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.
III. Jesus Purifies
the Temple
Mark 11:15 And they come 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;
Mark 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any
vessel through the temple.
Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My
house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have
made it a den of thieves.
As people came to the temple, they had to have an animal to
offer for their sacrifice. The moneychangers had come up with a money
making plan where the people didn’t have to bring an animal with them,
but could buy one right there in the temple. Jesus comes in and sees
these people who were making a profit at the Lord’s house, and it
stirred him up. God designed the temple for the people, and it was to
be a place of prayer, not a place of merchandise. He turns over the
tables and drives the moneychangers out of the temple. It speaks of
him taking a band of cords to do this in John’s account of the Gospel.
John 2:15 And when
he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the
temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers'
money, and overthrew the tables;
John 2:16 And said
unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my
Father's house an house of merchandise.
Many want to believe that you should never be upset as a
Christian. However, we should be upset with sin just like the Lord
is. We are just to not let things get carried away. The bible says
God is angry with the wicked everyday. Sin should upset us too. As
Christians we should love the things God loves, and hate the things He
hates.
Psa 7:11 God judgeth the righteous, and God
is angry with the wicked every day.
Eph 4:26 Be ye
angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:27 Neither
give place to the devil.
Eccl 5:6 Suffer not
thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the
angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy
voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
Isaiah 29:13:
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with
their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their
heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept
of men.
Mark 11:18 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.
Mark 11:19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mark 11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig
tree dried up from the roots.
Mark 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him,
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
As soon as the scribes and chief priests heard about what
Christ did in running the money changers out of the temple, they
sought a way to destroy Jesus. Most likely they were making money off
of these people also, and Christ was messing up their arrangement.
God’s ways and man’s ways are far, far apart. Jesus was such a great
teacher that the people were astonished at his doctrine. I think it
is worthy to note that even though the religious leaders sought to
destroy him, they still feared him. Jesus had great power, and only
a fool would not recognize that He was no ordinary man. Even
Nicodemus, a priest himself, knew Jesus was a great teacher come from
God.
John 3:1 There was a
man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
John 3:2 The same
came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that
thou doest, except God be with him.
Peter notices that the fig tree that Christ had cursed had
withered away. We are totally dependent on God in our Christian
lives. Jesus takes this opportunity to teach the disciples about
faith and prayer.
IV. The Lesson on
Faith
Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;
and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things
which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Using the fig tree as an illustration, Jesus gives his
disciples a lesson on faith. He began by telling them that they need
to have faith in God. Nothing seems to move God like a person who
has total faith in Him. We have a lot of great promises in God’s
Word, but this one here in verse 23 is one of the greatest. If we
really believe God, He tells us that we can literally move
mountains. Do you have a mountain of troubles? Trust God.. He will
see you through. Got a mountain of financial trouble? Jesus will
see you through it all. The key is to believe and doubt not in our
heart.
J. Vernon McGee said this about prayer.
It’s
interesting that this discourse on the prayer of faith grew out of
Peter’s calling attention to the blighted fig tree. You see, the first
step in prayer must be faith in God. The writer to the Hebrews stated
this same principle: “But without faith it is impossible to please
him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is
a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
If you don’t believe in God, friend, then the skeptic is
certainly correct when he says that prayer is a madman talking to
himself. Having faith in God is the first step.
[i]
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mark 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought
against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you
your trespasses.
Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father
which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Jesus tells us in verse 24 to pray and believe, and whatever
we desire, we will receive them. Will God really do this for us? He
sure will. If we don’t see results, it is due to our lack of faith.
God NEVER fails, and what He promises He performs. We are given an
important prerequisite in verse 25. We are to forgive others who
have trespassed against us if we expect God to forgive us. Many want
God to forgive them of their sins, but hold bitter resentment against
a brother or a sister in the Lord. God expects us to be loving and
forgiving people. An unforgiving spirit can cause a fatal roadblock
in our prayer life.
Mat 6:14 For if ye
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.
V.
Jesus’ Authority Questioned
Mark 11:27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking
in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes,
and the elders,
Mark 11:28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these
things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
It was the chief priests, scribes, and elders who questioned
the Lord’s authority. The common people were much more accepting
than the religious leaders were. They first ask him by what
authority did he cleanse the temple. Jesus answers them with a
question of His own.
Mark 11:29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask
of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what
authority I do these things.
Mark 11:30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
answer me.
Mark 11:31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall
say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
Mark 11:32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people:
for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
Mark 11:33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what
authority I do these things.
Jesus calls their attention to the baptism of John the
Baptist. Was this baptism from heaven or from men? If these who
questioned his authority could accurately answer this question, they
would answer their own question. This put these men in a tight
situation. If they answered from heaven, then Christ would ask them
why they did not obey what John taught. If they said of men, then
they would face the wrath of the people for they knew John was a
prophet indeed. They answered in a very ‘politically correct’
answer. They said we cannot tell. Jesus responds “Neither do I tell
you by what authority I do these things.” They might have thought
themselves pretty smart in their answer, but they were no match to the
omniscient God to whom they spoke. If you think that Jesus was not
being straight on with these folk, you have to realize their motives
and lack of belief.
J. Vernon McGee spoke some great comments on this verse.
They
had to wiggle out of answering the question of Jesus by claiming
ignorance. It might be argued that this did not afford Jesus a
sufficient ground for not answering their question. My friend, they
were not seeking an answer. They were trying to trap Him. They had no
intention of following His teaching if He had told them. He does not
answer them because He is not falling into their trap. This, to me, is
one of the great proofs of His deity—the way He handled His enemies.
Remember that when men and women came to our Lord with
sincere questions as sincere seekers, they received a sincere and
genuine answer to their inquiries.
[ii]
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Prov
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[i]J.
Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible
commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System,
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.
[ii]J.
Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible
commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System,
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.