Mark 11

11:1,2This was Sunday of the week that Jesus would be crucified, and the great Passover festival was about to begin. Jews came to Jerusalem from ail over the Roman world during this week-long celebration to remember the great exodus from Egypt . (see Exodus 12:37-51). Many in the crowds had heard of or seen Jesus and were hoping he would come to the Temple (John 19:55-57). Jesus did come, not as a warring king on a horse or ina chariot, but as a gentle and peaceable King on a donkey’s colt, just as Zechariah 9:9 had predicted. Jesus knew that those who would hear him teach at the Temple would return to their homes throughaut the world and announce the coming of the Messiah.

11:9,10The people exclaimed “Praise God!” because they Tecognized that Jesus was fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah

11:10Like those who witnessed Jesus’ victory parade into Jerusalem, we have expectations for what we think God should do to make life better, safer, and more enjoyable. Like excited Spectators, we can’t wait to see suffering stopped, injustice :Corrected, and prosperity begun. Like the people on the road to Jerusalem that day, we have much to learn about Jesus’ death and resurrection. We must not let our personal desires catch us up in the celebration and shouting lest we miss the meaning of true discipleship. In our excitement and celebration, we must remember that following Christ involves hardships. It may include suffering, even death.

11:11-21In this passage, two unusual incidents are related: the cursing of the fig tree and the clearing of the Temple. The cursing of the fig tree was an acted-out parable related to the clearing of the Temple. The Temple was supposed to be a place of worship, but true worship had disappeared. The fig tree showed promise of fruit, but it produced none. Jesus was showing his anger at religious life without substance.!f you claim to have faith without putting it to work in your life, you are like the barren fig tree. Genuine faith has great potential; ask God to help you bear fruit for his Kingdom.

11:13-26Fig trees, a popular source of inexpensive food in Israel, require three years from the time they are planted until they can bear fruit. Each tree yields a great amount of fruit twice a year, in {ate spring and in early autumn. This incident occurred early in the spring when the leaves were beginning to bud. The figs normally CLEARING THE TEMPLE On Monday morning of his iast week, Jesus left Bethany, entered Jerusalem, and cleared the Temple of money changers and merchants. grow as the leaves fill out, but this tree, though full of leaves, had no figs. The tree looked promising but offered no fruit. Jesus’ harsh words to the fig tree could be applied to the nation of israel. Fruitful in appearance only, Israel was spiritually barren.

11:15-17Jesus became angry, but he did not sin. There is a place for righteous indignation. Christians are right to be upset about sin and injustice and should take a stand against them. Unfortunately, believers are often passive about these important issues and instead get angry over personal insults and petty irritations. Make sure your anger is directed toward the right issues.

11:15-17Money changers and merchants did big business during Passover. Those who came from foreign countries had to have their money changed into Temple currency because this was the only money accepted for the Temple tax and for the purchase of sacrificial animals. Often the inflated exchange rate enriched the money changers, and the exorbitant prices of animals made the merchants wealthy. Their stalls were set up in the Temple’s Court of the Gentiles, making it all but impossible for non-Jews to spend any time in worship (Isaiah 56:6, 7). Jesus became angry because God’s house of worship had become a place of extortion and a barrier to Gentiles who wanted to worship.

11:22,23The kind of prayer that moves mountains is prayer for the fruitfulness of God’s Kingdom. tt would seem impossible to move a mountain into the sea, so Jesus used that illustration to show that God can do the impossible. God will answer your prayers but not as a result of your positive mental attitude. Other conditions must be met: (1) You must be a believer; (2) you must not hold a grudge against another person; (3) you must not pray with selfish motives; (4) your request must be for the good of God's Kingdom. To pray effectively, you need faith in God, not faith in the object of your request. If you focus only on your request, you will be left with nothing if your request is refused.

11:24Jesus, our example, prayed, “Everything is possible for you.... Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (14:36). Our prayers are often motivated by our own interests and desires. We like to hear that we can have anything. But Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind. When we pray, we Can express our desires, but we should want his will above ours. Check yourself to see if your prayers focus on your interests or God's.

11:25Forgiving others is tough work—so much so that many people would rather do something totally distasteful than offer forgiveness to someone who has wronged them. For a person to pray while bearing a grudge, however, is like a tree sprouting leaves and bearing no fruit (11:13). True faith changes the heart. Real prayer dismantles pride and vengeance, filling the holes with fove. Real faith seeks peace. For our churches to have prayer power, there must be harmony and forgiveness evident in the body of believers. Let go of hurts, abandon grudges, and forgive others.

11:27-33The religious eaders were in a quandary. They had wanted to trap Jesus with a question that would show him to be either a blasphemer or a weird fanatic. Instead, Jesus had countered their question with a question about John the Baptist. Now they would have to try to save face. They had not stood up for John or tried to get him released—John had irritated them just as Jesus was doing (see Matthew 3:7-10). Always cloaked in self-interest, these religious leaders were only concerned about position and reputation; they weren’t looking for the truth. In John 3:19, Jesus summed up this attitude: “People loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” People who reject