The big picture
Near Jerusalem, the city with God's temple, Jesus, the travelling teacher, prepares to enter on a young donkey. Crowds welcome him with hopes of a restored kingdom. His first visit ends quietly. The next day he stops trade in the temple and condemns its misuse. A fig tree with leaves but no fruit surrounds that act with another sign of judgement. His followers hear teaching about faith and forgiveness, while the leaders demand to know who gave him the right to act.
In this chapter
- A Colt Carries Jesus Into Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11
Near Bethphage and Bethany, villages by the mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, Jesus sends two followers for a colt.
- A Leafy Tree Has No Fruit Mark 11:12-14
The next morning Jesus leaves Bethany hungry.
- Prayer Is Displaced by Trade Mark 11:15-19
Jesus enters the temple and drives out sellers and buyers.
- Faith and Forgiveness Belong with Prayer Mark 11:20-26
Next morning the followers find the fig tree dried from its roots.
- A Counterquestion Exposes the Leaders Mark 11:27-33
Back in the temple, chief priests, scribes, and elders ask who authorised Jesus' actions.
Central truth
Jesus calls for fruitful faith and true prayer while confronting worship that has become a cover for wrongdoing.
Scripture beside the summary
Mark · King James Version · 33Mark 11:1-11
A Colt Carries Jesus Into Jerusalem
Near Bethphage and Bethany, villages by the mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, Jesus sends two followers for a colt. He describes where it is and what to say if challenged. They find the animal and receive permission after giving his reply. Clothes form a seat, and Jesus rides while people spread garments and branches on the road. They praise the coming kingdom of David, their earlier king, and call for God's saving help. Jesus enters the temple and looks around at everything. Since it is late, he leaves with the twelve closest followers and stays in Bethany. The public welcome precedes a careful look at the worship centre.
In everyday life
A choral director arrives at the old rehearsal hall on a borrowed bicycle. Members line the entrance with their songbooks and welcome the return of music there. She looks through the hall before planning the next day's work. Jesus receives a royal welcome linked to God's kingdom, not an appointment to direct music.
Notice
Mark 11:11 Jesus looks around the temple before leaving for the night. His action there the following day is not presented as a response to one passing glimpse.
Mark 11:1-11
King James Version1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
8And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
11And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Mark 11:12-14
A Leafy Tree Has No Fruit
The next morning Jesus leaves Bethany hungry. He sees a fig tree covered in leaves and goes to find fruit. There is none, and Mark notes that the fig season has not yet come. Jesus declares that no one will ever eat fruit from it again. His followers hear him. The act is severe and unusual, not ordinary advice about tending trees. Mark places it beside the temple visit, so the leafy but fruitless tree points toward a display of life that fails to yield what God seeks. The effect of Jesus' words will be seen after the next temple scene.
In everyday life
An allotment judge stops at a plot filled with lush climbing vines but finds none of the crop promised on its entry card. The display looks thriving while its stated purpose remains unmet. He records the gap between appearance and yield. Jesus pronounces judgement through a living sign, not a horticultural score for seasonal growth.
Notice
Mark 11:13 Mark openly notes that it is not fig season. That detail cautions against treating the act as a routine complaint about a farmer's poor crop.
Mark 11:12-14
King James Version12And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13And seeing a fig tree afar off having 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.
14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Mark 11:15-19
Prayer Is Displaced by Trade
Jesus enters the temple and drives out sellers and buyers. He overturns the money exchangers' tables and dove sellers' seats. He also stops people carrying goods through the grounds. The trade supplies worship needs, but Jesus says God's house should be a place of prayer for every nation. Instead it has become a refuge for thieves. Scribes, teachers of religious law, and chief priests hear him and seek a way to destroy him. They fear his influence because the crowd is struck by his teaching. At evening he leaves the city. Worship's purpose and the leaders' power have now come into open conflict.
In everyday life
A chapel caretaker clears commercial displays from the entrance after visitors can no longer find room to sit or pray. Sellers protest that their wares serve those same visitors. She opens the blocked benches and points to the room's purpose. Jesus judges misuse of God's temple with divine authority, not a caretaker's control of rented space.
Notice
Mark 11:17 Jesus names prayer for all nations as the temple's purpose. His charge concerns what the place should make possible, not only the presence of money.
Mark 11:15-19
King James Version15And 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 moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
18And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19And when even was come, he went out of the city.
Mark 11:20-26
Faith and Forgiveness Belong with Prayer
Next morning the followers find the fig tree dried from its roots. Peter, one of the twelve, recalls Jesus' words. Jesus tells them to trust God and speaks of faith that can move a mountain into the sea. He urges them to pray with confidence that God hears and answers. He also tells them to forgive when they stand praying if they hold something against another person. Their heavenly Father's forgiveness is bound up with their willingness to forgive. The striking claim about prayer is not detached from relationships. Trust in God and the release of grudges stand together in his answer.
In everyday life
A mediation participant signs a request for a fresh start while still gripping a list of every slight from his neighbour. The mediator asks him to release his own demand for payback. That choice is part of the agreement. A plea for peace involves what he brings to the table. Jesus connects forgiveness with prayer to God, not a negotiated settlement.
Notice
Mark 11:25 Jesus brings forgiveness into the moment of standing to pray. A person's treatment of others is not set aside when turning toward God.
Mark 11:20-26
King James Version20And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11:27-33
A Counterquestion Exposes the Leaders
Back in the temple, chief priests, scribes, and elders ask who authorised Jesus' actions. He offers to answer if they first identify the source of John's baptism. John was the preacher who called people to turn from sin and be washed. Was his work from heaven or merely human? The leaders calculate the risks. Naming heaven exposes their refusal to believe him. Calling him only human angers people who regard him as God's prophet. They say they do not know. Jesus then declines to explain his authority to them. Their public uncertainty hides a refusal to face either answer honestly.
In everyday life
A fencing instructor asks an objecting competitor whether he accepts the agreed rule for a valid hit. The competitor knows either answer will expose his inconsistent protest, so he refuses to answer. The instructor leaves the protest unresolved. Jesus tests recognition of God's messenger, not consistency within a sporting rulebook.
Notice
Mark 11:31 The leaders' private reasoning centres on what each answer will cost them. They do not discuss the evidence for what they were asked to decide.
Mark 11:27-33
King James Version27And 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,
28And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
32But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
33And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Mark 11:1 begins with “And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,”
Where the chapter turns
Mark 11:17 forms a natural hinge: “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
The final note
Mark 11:33 leaves the reader with “And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Jesus, temple, authority, colt, forgive, heaven help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- colt
- A young donkey, here one that has not been ridden.
- trespasses
- Wrongs committed against God or against other people.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
