Mark 11

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, to Bethphage, and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2 And saith to them, Go into the village over against you: and as soon as ye have entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, on which never man sat; loose him, and bring [him].

3 And if any man shall say to you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and immediately he will send him hither.

4 And they went, and found the colt tied by the door without, in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5 And certain of them that stood there, said to them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6 And they said to them even as Jesus had commanded; and they let them go.

7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off trees, and strewed [them] in the way.

9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna: Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

10 Blessed [be] the kingdom of our Father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round upon all things, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany, with the twelve.

12 And on the morrow, when they had come from Bethany, he was hungry,

13 And seeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing on it: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves: for the time of figs had not yet come.

14 And Jesus answered and said to it, Let no man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard [it].

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 money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves;

16 And would not suffer that any man should carry [any] vessel through the temple.

17 And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called by all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.

18 And the scribes and chief priests heard [it], and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine.

19 And when evening had come, he went out of the city.

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots.

21 And Peter calling to remembrance, saith to him, Master, behold, the fig-tree which thou cursedst is withered.

22 And Jesus answering, saith to them, Have faith in God.

23 For verily I say to you, that whoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that the things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he saith.

24 Therefore I say to you, Whatever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

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,

28 And say to him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

29 And Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 The baptism of John, was [it] from heaven, or from men? answer me.

31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32 But if we shall say, from men; they feared the people: for all [men] counted John that he was a prophet indeed.

33 And they answered and said to Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith to them, Neither do 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.