Mark 11:11-28
And so Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything and then left—for now it was late in the afternoon— and went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
The next morning as they left Bethany, he felt hungry. A little way off he noticed a fig tree in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But no, there were only leaves, for it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “You shall never bear fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
When they arrived back in Jerusalem, he went to the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers, and knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, and stopped everyone from bringing in loads of merchandise. He told them, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple is to be a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of robbers.” When the chief priests and other Jewish leaders heard what he had done, they began planning how best to get rid of him. Their problem was their fear of riots because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus’ teaching. That evening as usual they left the city.
Next morning, as the disciples passed the fig tree he had cursed, they saw that it was withered from the roots! Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” In reply Jesus said to the disciples, “If you only have faith in God—this is the absolute truth—you can say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.” By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again, and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders* came up to him demanding, “What’s going on here? Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?”
And so Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything and then left—for now it was late in the afternoon— and went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
The next morning as they left Bethany, he felt hungry. A little way off he noticed a fig tree in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But no, there were only leaves, for it was too early in the season for fruit. Then Jesus said to the tree, “You shall never bear fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
When they arrived back in Jerusalem, he went to the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers, and knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, and stopped everyone from bringing in loads of merchandise. He told them, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple is to be a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of robbers.” When the chief priests and other Jewish leaders heard what he had done, they began planning how best to get rid of him. Their problem was their fear of riots because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus’ teaching. That evening as usual they left the city.
Next morning, as the disciples passed the fig tree he had cursed, they saw that it was withered from the roots! Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” In reply Jesus said to the disciples, “If you only have faith in God—this is the absolute truth—you can say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.” By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again, and as he was walking through the Temple area, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders* came up to him demanding, “What’s going on here? Who gave you the authority to drive out the merchants?”
Food for thought!
Let us look at this text careful and see our Lord's secret of living. First and foremost, Jesus entered Jerusalem where he would die. He willingly went to the place of his death. The gospel says that “He looked around carefully at everything.” Jesus deliberately and thoughtfully summed up his task. Jesus was not recklessly plunging into unknown dangers. He was doing everything with his eyes wide open. He looked CAREFULLY at everything.
Then Jesus “entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple.” Before he joined battle with men he sought the presence of God in the Temple. It was only because each day he faced God that he could face men with such courage.
This brief passage also shows us something about the Twelve. They were still with Jesus in the final hours of his life on earth. By this time it must have been quite plain to them that Jesus was committing suicide, as it seemed to them. Sometimes we criticize them for their lack of loyalty in the last days, but it says something for them, that, little as they understood what was happening, they still stood by him. We have people who stand by us in the difficult times; we have people we stand by, come what may. These are our real friends. A friend in hard times is a hard friend to find.
The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us something. It is the condemnation of promise without fulfillment. The leaves on the tree might be taken as the promise of fruit, but there was no fruit there. It is the condemnation of profession without practice. It might be taken that the tree with its leaves professed to offer something and did not. Unless our religion makes us a better and more useful person, unless it makes our home happier, unless it makes life better and easier for those with whom we live and meet, it is not religion at all. Nobody can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and remain entirely unlike the Master whom he professes to love.
The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us the power of prayer. Jesus says that “You can pray for anything, AND IF YOU BELIEVE, you have it; it’s yours!” In other words, whenever we pray we must pray with expectation. It is the universal fact that anything tried in the spirit of confident expectation has a more than double chance of success. The patient who goes to a doctor and has no confidence in the prescribed remedies has far less chance of recovery than the patient who is confident that the doctor can cure him. Maybe our trouble is that when we pray we don't believe that we shall get what we pray for; we should pray in earnest as Jesus did that day.
All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! In other words, believe what you pray for and pray for what you believe!
Let us look at this text careful and see our Lord's secret of living. First and foremost, Jesus entered Jerusalem where he would die. He willingly went to the place of his death. The gospel says that “He looked around carefully at everything.” Jesus deliberately and thoughtfully summed up his task. Jesus was not recklessly plunging into unknown dangers. He was doing everything with his eyes wide open. He looked CAREFULLY at everything.
Then Jesus “entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple.” Before he joined battle with men he sought the presence of God in the Temple. It was only because each day he faced God that he could face men with such courage.
This brief passage also shows us something about the Twelve. They were still with Jesus in the final hours of his life on earth. By this time it must have been quite plain to them that Jesus was committing suicide, as it seemed to them. Sometimes we criticize them for their lack of loyalty in the last days, but it says something for them, that, little as they understood what was happening, they still stood by him. We have people who stand by us in the difficult times; we have people we stand by, come what may. These are our real friends. A friend in hard times is a hard friend to find.
The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us something. It is the condemnation of promise without fulfillment. The leaves on the tree might be taken as the promise of fruit, but there was no fruit there. It is the condemnation of profession without practice. It might be taken that the tree with its leaves professed to offer something and did not. Unless our religion makes us a better and more useful person, unless it makes our home happier, unless it makes life better and easier for those with whom we live and meet, it is not religion at all. Nobody can claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ and remain entirely unlike the Master whom he professes to love.
The condemnation of the fig tree teaches us the power of prayer. Jesus says that “You can pray for anything, AND IF YOU BELIEVE, you have it; it’s yours!” In other words, whenever we pray we must pray with expectation. It is the universal fact that anything tried in the spirit of confident expectation has a more than double chance of success. The patient who goes to a doctor and has no confidence in the prescribed remedies has far less chance of recovery than the patient who is confident that the doctor can cure him. Maybe our trouble is that when we pray we don't believe that we shall get what we pray for; we should pray in earnest as Jesus did that day.
All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! In other words, believe what you pray for and pray for what you believe!
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