Mark 11

The Triumphal Entry

1 ¹Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to ²Bethphage and Bethany, at ³the Mount of Olives, Jesus^[a] sent ⁴two of his disciples

2 and said to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, ⁵on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.

3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'"

4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.

5 And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?"

6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.

8 And many ⁶spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.

9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ⁷"Hosanna! ⁸Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

10 Blessed is ⁹the coming ¹⁰kingdom of ¹¹our father ¹²David! ¹³Hosanna ¹⁴in the highest!"

11 ¹⁵And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, ¹⁶he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

12 ¹⁷On the following day, when they came from Bethany, ¹⁸he was hungry.

13 ¹⁹And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for ²⁰it was not the season for figs.

14 And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

15 ²¹And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of ²²the money-changers and the seats of those who sold ²³pigeons.

16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.

17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, ²⁴'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But ²⁵you have made it a den of robbers."

18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and ²⁶were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because ²⁷all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

19 ²⁸And when evening came they^[b] went out of the city.

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

20 ²⁹As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.

21 And Peter remembered and said to him, ³⁰"Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."

22 And Jesus answered them, "Have ³¹faith in God.

23 ³²Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ³³'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not ³⁴doubt in his heart, but ³⁵believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

24 Therefore I tell you, ³⁶whatever you ask in prayer, ³⁷believe that you ³⁸have received^[c] it, and it will be yours.

25 And whenever ³⁹you stand praying, ⁴⁰forgive, ⁴¹if you have anything against anyone, so that ⁴²your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."^[d]

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

27 ⁴³And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him,

28 and they said to him, ⁴⁴"By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?"

29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 Was the baptism of John ⁴⁵from heaven or from man? Answer me."

31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, ⁴⁶'Why then did you not believe him?'

32 But shall we say, 'From man'?"--⁴⁷they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was ⁴⁸a prophet.

33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Mark 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. (1-11) The barren fig-tree cursed, The temple cleansed. (12-18) Prayer in faith. (19-26) The priests and elders questioned concerning John the Baptist. (27-33)

Verses 1-11 Christ's coming into Jerusalem thus remarkably, shows that he was not afraid of the power and malice of his enemies. This would encourage his disciples who were full of fear. Also, that he was not disquieted at the thoughts of his approaching sufferings. But all marked his humiliation; and these matters teach us not to mind high things, but to condescend to those of low estate. How ill it becomes Christians to take state, when Christ was so far from claiming it! They welcomed his person; Blessed is he that cometh, the "He that should come," so often promised, so long expected; he comes in the name of the Lord. Let him have our best affections; he is a blessed Saviour, and brings blessings to us, and blessed be He that sent him. Praises be to our God, who is in the highest heavens, over all, God blessed for ever.

Verses 12-18 Christ looked to find some fruit, for the time of gathering figs, though it was near, was not yet come; but he found none. He made this fig-tree an example, not to the trees, but to the men of that generation. It was a figure of the doom upon the Jewish church, to which he came seeking fruit, but found none. Christ went to the temple, and began to reform the abuses in its courts, to show that when the Redeemer came to Zion, it was to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. The scribes and the chief priests sought, not how they might make their peace with him, but how they might destroy him. A desperate attempt, which they could not but fear was fighting against God.

Verses 19-26 The disciples could not think why that fig-tree should so soon wither away; but all wither who reject Christ; it represented the state of the Jewish church. We should rest in no religion that does not make us fruitful in good works. Christ taught them from hence to pray in faith. It may be applied to that mighty faith with which all true Christians are endued, and which does wonders in spiritual things. It justifies us, and so removes mountains of guilt, never to rise up in judgment against us. It purifies the heart, and so removes mountains of corruption, and makes them plain before the grace of God. One great errand to the throne of grace is to pray for the pardon of our sins; and care about this ought to be our daily concern.

Verses 27-33 Our Saviour shows how near akin his doctrine and baptism were to those of John; they had the same design and tendency, to bring in the gospel kingdom. These elders did not deserve to be taught; for it was plain that they contended not for truth, but victory: nor did he need to tell them; for the works he did, told them plainly he had authority from God; since no man could do the miracles which he did, unless God were with him.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 1-10, see Matthew 21:1-9; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15; [Zechariah 9:9]
• 2. Matthew 21:17; Luke 24:50; John 11:18
• 3. Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 24:3; Matthew 26:30; John 8:1; [Acts 1:12]
• 4. [Mark 14:13]
• 5. [Luke 23:53]
• 6. 2 Kings 9:13
• 7. See Psalms 118:25(Heb.)
• 8. Matthew 23:39; Cited from Psalms 118:26
• 9. See Luke 1:32
• 10. [Ezekiel 37:24, 25]
• 11. [Acts 2:29]
• 12. [Ezekiel 37:24, 25]
• 13. [See ver. 9 above]
• 14. Luke 2:14; [Psalms 148:1]
• 15. Matthew 21:10
• 16. ver. 19; Matthew 21:17
• 17. For ver. 12-14, see Matthew 21:18, 19
• 18. Matthew 4:2
• 19. [Luke 13:6-9]
• 20. Mark 13:28
• 21. For ver. 15-18, see Matthew 21:12-16; Luke 19:45-47; [John 2:14-16]
• 22. [Exodus 30:13]
• 23. Leviticus 1:14; Leviticus 5:7; Leviticus 12:8; Luke 2:24
• 24. Cited from Isaiah 56:7
• 25. Jeremiah 7:11
• 26. See Matthew 21:46
• 27. See Matthew 7:28
• 28. Luke 21:37; [ver. 11]
• 29. For ver. 20-24, see Matthew 21:19-22
• 30. See John 1:38
• 31. Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 3:9
• 32. Matthew 17:20
• 33. [Psalms 46:2; 1 Corinthians 13:2; Revelation 8:8]
• 34. Romans 4:20; Romans 14:23; James 1:6
• 35. [Mark 16:17; John 14:12]
• 36. See Matthew 7:7
• 37. [See ver. 23 above]
• 38. [Isaiah 65:24; Matthew 6:8]
• 39. Matthew 6:5; Luke 18:11
• 40. See Matthew 6:14
• 41. Colossians 3:13; [Matthew 5:23; Matthew 6:15]
• 42. Matthew 7:11
• 43. For ver. 27-33, see Matthew 21:23-27; Luke 20:1-8
• 44. [Exodus 2:14; John 1:25; Acts 4:7]
• 45. Luke 15:18, 21; John 3:27
• 46. Matthew 21:32; Luke 7:30
• 47. Matthew 14:5; Matthew 21:46
• 48. [John 5:35]; See Matthew 11:9

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek he
• [b]. Some manuscripts he
• [c]. Some manuscripts are receiving
• [d]. Some manuscripts add verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses