Welcome to week 11 of our study from the gospel of Mark and to Mark chapter 11 as well. Every part of this chapter contains a richness of truth that we could spend hours in, each day. But that’s not what Personal Worship is about. We want to spend about 15-20 minutes reading the word, considering its wisdom, reflecting on questions, and praying.
So I urge you to listen to the Out of Water podcast, where Pastor Sam and Mark do all they can to mine these nuggets of truth for you. And, of course, don’t miss next Sunday’s message where one of our pastors focuses on one element of the chapter, presenting it along with practical application. All of these work together to give you the most complete opportunity to grow spiritually.
As with prior weeks, because each day’s text tends to run long, we’re not giving you additional scriptures to read. We’ll confine ourselves to the text from Mark. Let’s get started!
Study notes by Mark Lautenschlager, prayer guides by Tracy Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
The Triumphal Entry
Observe
This is the story of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem. In order to fulfill a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9, Jesus sends the disciples after a colt, in this case, literally “the colt of a donkey.” A crowd surrounds him, scattering branches and singing Hosanna, meaning “save now.” Interestingly, in verses 9 and 10 we see that crowd proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of their father David, but they don’t carry the “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” forward into “and this is our king.”
{Mark 11:1-11 ESV} {1} Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two 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, on 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 spread 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, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! {10} Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” {11} And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Who among them knew the mission of Jesus? He had told his disciples, of course, many times. Yet they stubbornly refused to accept it. To anyone else who proclaimed Jesus was the Messiah, he swore them to secrecy. If it were generally accepted that this was God’s Messiah, would anyone permit the chief priests and elders to hand him over to the Gentiles to be punished and killed? For Jesus to accomplish his mission, he needed people who either understood it was to suffer and die for his people or were not aware of it. Jesus couldn’t reveal his glory. Not yet.
- In order to join Jesus on his mission, we need to understand what mission he is on. On that day in Jerusalem, he had come to give his life as a ransom for many. What do you perceive to be the mission of Jesus today?
- How have you embraced or joined that mission?
Dear Lord, At times I have wished that your entry into Jerusalem, full of praise and welcome, had been the grand finale of the story of your earthly ministry. It was the wish of a foolish child who did not understand their need or the cost to be paid to meet that need. I understand now that you had to suffer and die, and that you did it freely to save me. Thank you, Lord! Help me to accept, even welcome, that I may suffer in following you. Lead me to the work of the gospel you have for me here, now, in this city. Amen.
Day 2
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
Observe
Jesus departs Bethany and comes across a fig tree, grown and lush with leaves. Hungry, he goes to the tree to look for figs, but finds none. This is not unusual, since even Mark notes “it was not the time for figs.” That would have been two or three months from then. Jesus curses the fig tree.
{Mark 11:12-14 ESV} {12} On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. {13} And 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 it 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.
On the surface, this seems a little unfair. To curse a tree for not bearing fruit, when it wasn’t the time of year it should? The best understanding of this is that the fig tree represents Israel, who appeared healthy, covered with abundant foliage. But when you look for fruit, you find none. This symbolizes the hypocrisy and sham of the nation of Israel, making it ripe for the judgment of God.
- God expects his people to bear fruit. What does that mean? What is this fruit?
- Would you say that you bear fruit? Give some examples.
Heavenly Father, If I have built my life to give only the appearance of service to you, or if my life goal has been to seem godly while following my own desires, forgive me. If I have done this to win the praise of other people, forgive me. I know that I can build nothing of eternal value on my own, and the fruit you expect is only possible with humble reliance upon you. Please make me fruitful, Lord. Cut away the dead wood and shine the light of your word into my heart, and use me to grow your kingdom. Amen.
Day 3
The Cleansing of the Temple
Observe
Jesus comes to the temple in Jerusalem and, upon entering the Court of the Gentiles, finds it filled with commerce. Probably noisy and smelling like a barnyard, it was hardly a place of prayer. Jesus becomes infuriated and drives the merchants from the temple.
{Mark 11:15-19 ESV} {15} And 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 the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. {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, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” {18} And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. {19} And when evening came they went out of the city.
Sermons that focus on this story often dial in on the fact that the money-changers were gouging people for their services. Jesus didn’t ignore that (he called it a “den of robbers”) but that wasn’t what set him off. In his rebuke of those misusing the temple, he quotes from Isaiah, reminding them of the prophecy “my house shall be a house of prayer for all nations.” The Court of the Gentiles was supposed to be a place where those who called upon the God of Israel from a foreign country could come, worship the Lord, make sacrifices, and pray. The chief priests and elders didn’t seem to care about that very much, they saw the Court of the Gentiles as a convenient place to set up merchant stalls. It would have been difficult for Jewish pilgrims to bring animals to the temple for sacrifice only to have them judged unacceptable. Here, they could find animals for sacrifices that were pre-examined and certified good to use. The temple tax also had to be paid in an unusual currency that wasn’t the general coin of the realm. The money-changers would be happy to exchange your Roman coins for these special Jewish ones, at an exchange rate that greatly rewarded the merchant, of course. It was this corrupting of that part of the temple, disregarding God’s promise that space would be made in his house for all nations to come and pray, turning it into a place of business that drew the anger of Jesus, not simply an unfair business practice.
- We don’t sell sacrificial animals or handle currency exchanges today, so what do churches become involved with that subverts their purpose?
- What does it mean to be a house of prayer?
Dear Jesus, Your house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. Your church today is your house, and I am a part of your church, yet I often neglect prayer. I fail to welcome others, outsiders, to join us in prayer and service and fellowship here. At times, I want to keep it all unchanged, to make myself comfortable. Lord, upend my expectations, turn over and tear away all the trappings I rely on for my comfort that keep away those who need to know you. Amen.
Day 4
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
Observe
On their way back into Jerusalem the next day, they pass by the tree Jesus cursed. It’s dead, withered away until only the roots remained. Peter points this out and Jesus scolds him a bit for finding it remarkable. “Have faith in God,” Jesus says, reminding Peter that any time Jesus declares something, it will always come to pass. This is something the disciples would do well to remember when Jesus declares judgment on the temple.
{Mark 11:20-25 ESV} {20} As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. {21} And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” {22} And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. {23} Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. {24} Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. {25} And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Jesus turns this into an opportunity to teach on faith and prayer. He is speaking figuratively about the mountain, of course. Mountains were often used in Hebrew writings to represent impossible tasks or barriers. Jesus is saying even the most impossible obstruction can be removed by prayer. The power behind prayer is God, of course, and it is in him that we must place our faith. This isn’t a carte blanche invitation to ask for a fancy sports car or a billion dollars, by the way. James makes it clear: we don’t have things because we don’t ask, and we ask but don’t receive because we ask for the wrong thing to satisfy our own passions. What Jesus is saying is that if we ask according to his will, with full faith in God to accomplish the task, we can know it will be done. He then quickly pivots to forgiveness, reminding us that when we come to God in prayer, that’s the opportune time to examine ourselves for any we need to forgive. Expecting God to forgive us when we refuse to forgive others is not wise.
- How do you know when you’ve found something God wants you to pray for, as opposed to something coming from your own desires?
- Are you diligent in actively recalling and then forgiving those who have offended you? Why or why not?
Father God, When I read here how utterly your curse destroyed the fig tree, I am so grateful that you came to save, to spare me and your other children who all deserved to be cursed. Then you turned this story into a teaching about your mercy, forgiveness and faithfulness. Strengthen my faith when I pray. Teach me what I ought to pray for, and make those things the desires of my heart. Help me to forgive, as you have forgiven me. Amen.
Day 5
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
Observe
Right after Jesus and his disciples come back to Jerusalem, they are accosted by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. These three groups basically make up the Sanhedrin, the ruling religious body in Israel. They are hopping mad at Jesus for that temple clearing business and they have some questions for him.
{Mark 11:27-33 ESV} {27} And 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, “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 from heaven or from man? Answer me.” {31} And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ {32} But shall we say, ‘From man’?”–they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a 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.”
Even at this point, Jesus does not wish to disclose his true nature. He has come to suffer, die on the cross, and rise from the dead. None of that will happen if any of these religious leaders hear who he is and believe it to be true. Suffering comes before glory and Jesus had come to suffer for us. But neither does Jesus want to simply stonewall the Sanhedrin. That was a good way to wind up in jail and there were many very specific prophecies to be fulfilled this week. Languishing behind bars because you’d mouthed off to the religious leaders wouldn’t help that in any way. So Jesus does what he often does in these cases, he asks them a brilliant no-win question. When they admit defeat, he is justified (and not impolite) in refusing to answer theirs. That being said, their question is still an excellent one and it’s one we need to answer for ourselves before we can come to him for salvation. Jesus was either the greatest and most evil con man to have ever lived, or he was some deranged lunatic living in the ultimate fantasy world. He’s either one of those two, OR he is who he claimed to be: the Son of God, God in the flesh, fully man and fully God, who delivers his people from sin, death, and judgment.
- What was it that convinced you Jesus was neither con man nor lunatic, but instead he was who he claimed to be? Was it evidence based, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, or something else?
- If you were asked to explain the mission of Jesus, what would you say? Has that changed at all over the course of this study to date? If so, in what ways?
Dear Lord, I know and believe that you are the Christ, the son of the living God, my savior. No hedging my bets, like the Jewish leaders here. There is no one else for me. My life, my hope and my future are all in your hands. Even as I declare this today, I confess that I fill my life with lesser things and worthless pursuits. I often ignore your mission and try to make my own plans. Lord Jesus, I affirm again that you alone have authority over my life. Amen.