True Worship and True Fruit (Mark 11:12–26)

I. JESUS’ JUDGMENT ON THE UNPRODUCTIVE FIG TREE (11:12–14)

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it.

A. Cursing the fig tree.

The time of year was Passover, the middle of the month of Nisan (April). In Palestine fig trees produced crops of small edible buds in March followed by the appearance of large green leaves in early April. This early green “fruit” (buds) was common food for local peasants. (An absence of these buds despite the tree’s green foliage indicated it would bear no fruit that year.)

Eventually these buds dropped off when the normal crop of figs formed and ripened in late May and June, the fig season. Thus it was reasonable for Jesus shortly before Passover (mid-April) to expect to find something edible on that fig tree even though it was not the season for figs.

B. If He had power to kill the tree, why didn’t He use that power to restore the tree and make it produce fruit?

First, there is a lesson on failure: Israel had failed to be fruitful for God. In the Old Testament, the fig tree is associated with the nation of Israel (Jer. 8:13; Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12). Like the fig tree our Lord cursed, Israel had “nothing but leaves.” Note that the tree dried up “from the roots” (Mark 11:20). Three years before, John the Baptist had put the ax to the roots of the tree (Matt. 3:10), but the religious leaders would not heed his message. Whenever an individual or a group “dries up” spiritually, it is usually from the roots.

Jesus also used this miracle to teach us a lesson on faith. The next morning, when the disciples noticed the dead tree, Jesus said, “Have faith in God,” meaning, “Constantly be trusting God; live in an attitude of dependence on Him.” In Jewish imagery, a mountain signifies something strong and immovable, a problem that stands in the way (Zech. 4:7). We can move these mountains only by trusting God.

II. JESUS’ JUDGMENT ON THE MISUSE OF THE TEMPLE (11:15–19)

15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you 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 teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

A. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He went into the temple area.

Jesus had cleansed the temple during His first Passover visit, but the results had been temporary. It was not long before the religious leaders permitted the money changers and the merchants to return. No Gentile was allowed beyond this outer court. Jesus was outraged by this blatant disregard for the temple area specifically set apart for Gentile use.

Jesus had seen the buying and selling going on in the temple the night before, so his actions here are deliberate and well thought out—not a random act of violence. So He overturned the money changers’ tables and the dove-sellers’ benches, and would not allow people to use the area as a thoroughfare. Other certified markets were available elsewhere in the city.

B. This “religious market” was set up in the court of the Gentiles, the one place where the Jews should have been busy doing serious missionary work.

If a Gentile visited the temple and saw what the Jews were doing in the name of the true God, he would never want to believe what they taught. The Jews might not have permitted idols of wood and stone in their temple, but there were idols there just the same. The court of the Gentiles should have been a place for praying, but it was instead a place for paying and preying.

When the scribes and chief priests heard the report of our Lord’s activities, they kept seeking some way to arrest Him. Judas would solve the problem for them. Before we quickly condemn the Jewish religious leaders for their sins, we should examine our own ministries to see if perhaps we are making merchandise of the Gospel. Do the outsiders in our community think of our church buildings as houses of prayer? Are all people welcomed there? Do we “go to church” in order to maintain our reputation or to worship and glorify God? If the Lord Jesus were to show up in our house of worship, what changes would He make?

III. THE WITHERED FIG TREE AND A LESSON ON FAITH AND PRAYER (11:20–26)

20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

A. Jesus said to the disciples, Have faith in God.

Next morning, as Jesus and His disciples were returning to Jerusalem, they saw the same fig tree but it was withered from the roots, completely dried up, fulfilling Jesus’ words. Addressing Jesus as Rabbi, Peter spoke of the tree’s condition with great surprise probably because the tree’s total destruction was much more severe than Jesus’ words the previous day (11:14) indicated. Though Jesus did not explain the meaning of the event, many believe that it was a vivid picture of God’s impending judgment on Israel.

Faith that rests in God is unwavering trust in His omnipotent power and unfailing goodness. Jesus said that whoever says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, it will be done for him by God. The one condition is trust in God, that the petition will be granted. Such faith contrasted with Israel’s lack of faith.

B. Believing prayer taps God’s power to accomplish the humanly impossible.

Jesus exhorted His disciples to believe that they have already received whatever they request in prayer. Faith accepts it as good as done even though the actual answer is still future. Jesus made this promise on the recognized premise that petitions must be in harmony with God’s will. This enables faith to receive the answers God gives. God is always ready to respond to obedient believers’ prayers, and they can petition Him knowing that no situation or difficulty is impossible for Him.

A forgiving attitude toward others as well as faith in God is also essential for effective prayer. When a believer stands to pray and if he has anything against anyone, a grudge against an offending believer or nonbeliever, he is to forgive that one of the offense. Divine forgiveness toward a believer and a believer’s forgiveness toward others are inseparably linked because a bond has been established between the divine Forgiver and the forgiven believer. One who has accepted God’s forgiveness is expected to forgive others just as God has forgiven him. If he does not, he forfeits God’s forgiveness in his daily life.