Mark 11

Mark 11:1-11 . CHRIST'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM, ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK. ( = Matthew 21:1-9 Luke 19:29-40 John 12:12 John 12:19 ).

Mark 11:11-26 . THE BARREN FIG TREE CURSED WITH LESSONS FROM IT--SECOND CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE, ON THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS OF THE WEEK. ( = Matthew 21:12-22 Luke 19:45-48 ).

11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon--surveyed.
all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve--Thus briefly does our Evangelist dispose of this His first day in Jerusalem, after the triumphal entry. Nor do the Third and Fourth Gospels give us more light. But from Matthew ( Matthew 21:10 Matthew 21:11 Matthew 21:14-16 ) we learn some additional and precious particulars, for which sleep in the city, nor, from the day of His Triumphal Entry, did He pass one night in it, save the last fatal one.

The Barren Fig Tree Cursed ( Mark 11:12-14 ).

12. And on the morrow--The Triumphal Entry being on the first day of the week, this following day was Monday.
when they were come from Bethany--"in the morning" ( Matthew 21:18 ).
he was hungry--How was that? Had he stolen forth from that dear roof at Bethany to the "mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God?" ( Luke 6:12 ); or, "in the morning," as on a former occasion, "risen up a great while before day, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" ( Mark 1:35 ); not breaking His fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the city, that He might "work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" ( John 9:4 ). We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however we are sure of--it was real bodily hunger which He now sought to allay by the fruit of this fig tree, "if haply He might find any thing thereon"; not a mere scene for the purpose of teaching a lesson, as some early heretics maintained, and some still seem virtually to hold.

13. And seeing a fig tree--(In Matthew 21:19 , it is "one fig tree," but the sense is the same as here, "a certain fig tree," as in Matthew 8:19 , &c.). Bethphage, which adjoined Bethany, derives his name from its being a fig region--"House of figs."
afar off having leaves--and therefore promising fruit, which in the case of figs come before the 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--What the precise import of this explanation is, interpreters are not agreed. Perhaps all that is meant is, that as the proper fig season had not arrived, no fruit would have been expected even of this tree but for the leaves which it had, which were in this case prematurely and unnaturally developed.

14. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever--That word did not make the tree barren, but sealed it up in its own barrenness.
And his disciples heard it--and marked the saying. This is introduced as a connecting link, to explain what was afterwards to be said on the subject, as the narrative has to proceed to the other transactions of this day.

Second Cleansing of the Temple ( Mark 11:15-18 ).

For the exposition of this portion,

Lessons from the Cursing of the Fig Tree ( Mark 11:20-26 ).