Mark 11:12-25

I want to look at this text by zooming in and looking at specific applications to ourselves, then slowly zoom out to the bigger picture of what is happening in Mark as Jesus is spending his last week in Jerusalem.

Leviticus 14:33-47

Introduction

Mark 11:12 “12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.”

The following day after what?

The day after the triumphal entry.

Jesus was celebrated with palm branches and cries of “Hosanna in the highest!”

Mark 11:11 “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.”

So after he he goes into Jerusalem, at the end of the day, they make the 4 mile walk to Bethany.

Then the next day, they’re rested, and ready for the day, and they begin to make the 4 mile walk back to Jerusalem.

His Humanity

And what do we find?

Mark 11:12 “12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.”

What does this teach us? What can we glean from this simple sentence?

Can we just take a moment to see the humanity of Jesus?

At the end of Mark 10, you have Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus and his healings were always showing that he was more than a simple man.

They were showing his divinity.

And then in Mark 11:1-11 you have Jesus prophesying to the disciples about where a donkey would be, what it would be tied to and what the man would say to them when they took it.

Again, he was showing his divinity…

But here… Jesus is hungry.

This isn’t God faking it.

This is Jesus - fully God and fully human being hungry.

This is the one who spoke the worlds into existence needing food.

This is the one who upholds all things by the word of his power…even here…even now… needing sustenance.

What does this teach us?

We don’t have a hight priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus got hungry like us

Jesus got thirsty like us

Jesus got tired like us

Jesus bled like us

Jesus suffered like us

… yet without sin.

So any time you feel like… “does anyone understand what I’m going through?”

Does anyone get it?

Is there anyone who understands?

Yes. Jesus understands.

Jesus sympathizes with us because he took on our flesh.

Questions or comments?

But let’s move on…

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

Mark 11:12–14 “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.”

What just happened?

Jesus is hungry - he sees a fig tree, he goes to see if there is anything on it, he finds nothing but leaves, and he curses it.

What do you think is going on?

Jesus is giving a very pointed illustration to his disciples.

Jesus is going up to a fig tree that has leaves - that is dressed for the part - if it has leaves, it should be producing fruit…

But there is no fruit

And Jesus said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again…”

This reminds me of Matthew 25:41–46

Matthew 25:41–46 ESV

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Why were they cast into eternal punishment?

There was no fruit…

This passage in Mark also reminds me of James 2:14-19

James 2:14–19 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Faith without works is dead.

A tree without fruit is useless.

Or what about Matthew 7:15-20

Matthew 7:15–20 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Jesus is telling his disciples…

“You will know them by their fruits”

“A tree without fruit is useless”

“Faith without works is dead”

And the end of that one that says, “I have faith, but never has works flowing out of that faith…” His end is eternal punishment.

So what does that mean for us?

We believe that faith is a gift…

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Faith is a gift of God… We are saved by faith alone… but the faith that God gives us is never alone. God gives us a specific king of faith. It’s a faith that works.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This means that God has given us a faith that works.

What does it look like practically for you and I to have a working faith? To be a tree that produces consistent fruit?

It’s a faith that loves our brothers and sisters in Christ

That…

Mourns with those who mourn

Weeps with those who weep

rejoices with those who rejoice

hospitable

charitable

gentle

walks in the word

encourages others in the word

we could go on and on and on

This is the illustration that Jesus is giving to his disciples.

The tree that doesn’t produce fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Mark 11:14 “14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.”

Mark 11:15-19

Mark 11:15–16 “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.”

So Jesus and his disciples make it to Jerusalem and what does he find?

The temple overrun by people who are there to prey on people…

It’s not simply a marketplace that’s been set up

You have men who have set up shop in Jesus’s house…

This is the place that the people of Israel would to meet with God.

This is the place where the sins of the people were taken away

This is the place where God praise was supposed to be sung

Instead, this is the place where men have set up shop, knowing what is required to enter the courts… pigeons… you need your sins forgiven? We’ve got what you need. Just stop right over here and you can have the best bird money can buy…

This had essentially become, “With the right money and the right animal, you too can have your sins cleansed…for 3 easy payments of 29.95…”

Mark 11:17–18 ESV

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.

Now this temple was divided into 4 parts

The Court of the Gentiles, court of the women, court of the Jews, and the Holy of Holies.

The court of the Gentiles was the largest section. It was around the outer edge of the temple complex but the point was that even the temple of the Jews would be a blessing to all nations.

But Jews who hated the Gentiles had effectively cleared out all the Gentiles from the court and turned it into a marketplace.

So it makes sense that Jesus would say in Mark 11:17 “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.””

What was meant to be a blessing to the nations had become a stench to the nations… it had become a curse to its own people…

What was supposed to be a blessing to all of the nations that would come into the temple to hear of the living God had become a curse to the people who now inhabited it.

So Jesus kicks these squatters out of his house…

And what do the higher ups do?

Mark 11:18 ESV

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.

Jesus is clearing out Jews from the courts and is making way for Gentiles… the way it was intended…

and how did the main Jews feel?

They wanted to kill him.

Because they feared him

The Jews feared that Jesus was going to ruin the political alliances that they had established.

“Things are going well with Rome…”

We’ve got Jews in the temple.

Money is good.

No one is our master.

Don’t mess this up Jesus…

What does this teach us? (Stop for answers)

Jesus is for the nations

The Gospel is for all people

The ministry of the church is about preaching the word and administering the sacraments

And we should guard that closely

To stand for truth will upset people

Mark 11:19 ESV

19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

Mark 11:20-25

Jesus and the disciples leave the temple and leave Jerusalem and presumably make their way back to Bethany. Wherever they went, they went right passed the same fig tree.

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.”

This is a whole sermon…

But Jesus is cementing this illustration in their minds.

If there is a tree that does not bear fruit, it will be cut down.

What do you think Jesus is talking about here?

He’s talking about Israel…

Israel is the tree that is not bearing fruit

Jesus gives the illustration of a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit.

He curses the fig tree

He goes into Jerusalem to the most important place in all of Israel and finds a bad tree.

He casts them out, making way for the Gentiles

The Jewish leaders want to kill him (and will within a week)

Then passes by the same fig tree and Peter says, “Look, what you said would happen, happened.”

And what is Jesus’s response?

Mark 11:22 “22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.”

Have faith in God.

What kind of faith?

A living faith. A working faith. An active faith.

And then he gives this odd pronouncement…

Mark 11:23 ESV

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.

What is Jesus saying here?

I believe there are multiple layers to this. Specifically that Jesus meant it several ways.

The first thing that Jesu means is in application to the disciples and to us. Jesus meant that faith working through prayer is real.

It actually works

When you ask align with God in prayer, asking for his will to be done in a specific way - it will be done.

God uses prayer to accomplish his works.

The second way is much more direct to the disciples, and to Israel of that day…

Jesus and the disciples had gone out of the city, to this fig tree, which was probably on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem.

From this vantage point, they could see the massive fortress that Herod had built.

He had literally used slave labor to move a hill from one location to another to be the foundation for his fortress.

And so you have Jesus and the disciples looking at the result of Jesus’s words to a fig tree, and now he’s looking at a hill that has been moved to create a fortress or palace for Herod.

And now he’s telling them, if you have faith, you can say to THIS mountain, be cast into the sea.

I think this is another curse on Israel. And possibly specifically on the temple.

Because what happens to the temple in 70 AD?

It is destroyed and not stone is left upon another.

Just as the fig tree was destroyed because of no fruit,

So this temple will be destroyed because of bad fruit.

Now, I think there’s room for debate in that, but the application to us is still the same…

Faith working through prayer is real.

Because he goes on to say… Mark 11:24-25

Mark 11:24–25 ESV

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.”

Faith working through prayer works. It’s real.

The faith that Jesus gives us is a living and active faith.

And it is a faith that works in prayer… not just out in the world doing things… but faith works in prayer.

But then he tells his disciples in verse 25 - Mark 11:25

Mark 11:25 ESV

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.”

Why is this in there?

I believe it is because we tend towards the cursing attitudes and want to write people off…

We look at people’s actions, see one bad thing that they’ve done and immediately write them off as unsaveable… or cursed like the bad fig tree…

But Jesus is saying, Look at yourselves… do you not also have bad fruit?

Are you not a tree that has produced bad fruit?

Are you not a sinner?

Did God forgive you?

Then you should forgive others.

This is a check to our egos

This is a check to our own self righteousness

This is a check to remember what God has done for me, he also does for others.

Conclusion

So what do we learn from these 3 paragraphs?

Jesus gives faith that works

Faith works through prayer

Pray for others that they may have faith

Questions or comments?