Join me as I “Think with my mouth open” on the topics of Fig Trees and Prayer as addressed by Jesus in Mark 11.

Here is the video link:

Mark 11… Of Fig Trees and Prayer

The Audio links – Spotify and iTunes – are to the right.

Here is the transcript used for today’s Podcast:

Mark 11

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.

7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 

By sitting on a donkey and entering Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zec 9:9, Jesus was implicitly declaring himself to be the Messiah. His kingdom, however, was not a political one, but a spiritual one—one centered on peace. No one could charge Jesus with political activism by the manner in which he declared his messiahship.

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

By entering on a donkey, He was proclaiming peace. If He had entered on a warhorse, it would have signified He was ready to go to war.

9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna![a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]

10 

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

 Mark seems to imply a messianic fulfillment of this passage in Jesus. In v.10, the kingdom blessed is the “kingdom of our father David,” clearly the messianic kingdom promised to David’s son.

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Jesus addressed the tree directly and by his words performed a miracle of destruction (the only such miracle in the Gospels). It is best seen as an acted-out parable. Jesus’ hunger provides the occasion for his use of this teaching device. The fig tree represents Israel (cf. Hos 9:10; Mic 7:1-4; Na 3:12; Zec 10:2). The tree is fully leafed out, and in such a state one would normally expect to find fruit. This symbolizes the hypocrisy and sham of the nation of Israel, which made her ripe for the judgment of God.

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

 

There is so much I take from this. If I can be allowed to anthropomorphize a bit, this fig tree was pretending to be something it wasn’t. It wasn’t a fruitful tree… it looked like it. But it bore no fruit. It looked the part… but bore no fruit. What WOULD make this fig tree legitimate would be … fruit. Biblically this fig tree symbolizes Israel – it should be fruitful, but it wasn’t. It SHOULD provide sustenance for anyone walking near it… but it didn’t. It looked the part… but it wasn’t.

If Jesus were to walk past me, would He see a REAL fruit-bearing Christ-follower?

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[d]”

The Roman money the pilgrims brought to Jerusalem had to be changed into the Tyrian currency, since the annual temple tax had to be paid in that currency. Exorbitant prices were often charged for changing the currency. By overturning the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves, Jesus was directly and forcefully challenging the authority of the high priest, because they were there by his authorization.

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

 

The first passage quoted by Jesus is Isa 56:7, a prediction that non-Jews who worship God would be allowed to worship in the temple. By allowing the Court of the Gentiles, the only place in the temple area where Gentiles could worship God, to become a noisy, smelly public market, the Jewish religious leaders were preventing Gentiles from exercising the spiritual privilege promised them. How could a Gentile pray amid all that noise and stench?

Jesus’ concern that Gentiles receive equal privileges with Jews to worship God would have been particularly meaningful for Mark’s predominantly Gentile readers.

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

Jesus may be fulfilling the Messianic expectations of Zech 14:21, where “Canaanite” could be translated “merchant”

 Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan.

To summarize, God’s intention for Israel and the Temple is found in Isa 56:7 

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Israel was to be a light to the nations. Israel was to be the introducer of God to the world. The Temple was designed so that ANYONE could come and worship – Jews, Gentiles, women, children – anyone. Imagine what you would feel if you came to the temple to worship, only to find that people were keeping their animals in your section. The sheep would be bleating, cattle would be lowing, birds would be calling, there would be arguments and negotiations between buyer and seller, not to mention the floor covered with the dung and urine of the animals. The smells, the sounds – they would be overwhelming. And even more… people were using the court of the Gentiles as a shortcut into the city. On top of all the selling and buying and the unsanitary conditions, there are people marching through with their donkeys in tow.

Those that God would welcome, Israel was excluding. This is EXACTLY what the fig tree that Jesus cursed represents. From the outside looking in, you would see the hustle and bustle in and around the Temple, with the accompanying assumption that all is healthy and well… just like upon initial glance at the fully-leafed fig tree one would assume its health. But dig a little deeper and you see no fruit on the fig tree. It LOOKS like a fig tree… bit in reality is no longer functioning as one. Likewise, all the frenzy of activity in and around the Temple seem to display a healthy Israel that in truth is dead, no longer functioning as a light to the Gentiles, no longer exhibiting true worship to all would see and come, no longer being that God intended. Just as the fig tree’s days were numbered, so are Israel’s days coming to a close. Within 30 years Rome would destroy the Temple, and sack Jerusalem, scattering Israel, no longer to be a nation.

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

And it wasn’t just because of His preaching… they were standing to lose a significant source of income if buyers, sellers, and money-changers weren’t allowed to rent space in the Court of the Gentiles.

19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city.

Perhaps it wasn’t safe to stay?

20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

The judgment symbolized by the cursing of the fig tree is initiated by Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, and the cleansing of the temple is prophetic of the destruction of Jerusalem and the eschatological judgment 

Barker, K. L., & Kohlenberger, J. R. (2004). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Abridged Edition. Zondervan.

This fig tree is a prophetic picture of what is in Israel’s future.

22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Since Jesus and his disciples are outside the city, this most likely refers to the temple mount (cf. Pss 30:7; 99:9; Isa 2:2–3; 25:10; Zech 8:3), not the Mount of Olives. If the disciples remain faithful, even this mountain that has consistently blocked God’s way through Jesus (see notes on 1:2–3) will be leveled (Isa 40:3–4).

Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan.

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] [g]

Prayer for God’s intervention must be accompanied by extending God’s mercy

Edited by Carson, D. A. (2018). NIV, Biblical Theology Study Bible. Zondervan.

 

On the initial examination of this passage, it would seem that we have a magic wand that we can simply “swish and flick” and our desire is made reality. Believe we have received it and voila! it is ours.

The trouble is, prayer doesn’t work like that. As we grow in our walk with God, our wants and desires more and more become aligned with His. As a 68-year-old, I can say that my prayer life has become less “what I want” and more “What God wants”. My prayers are bearing more and more the resemblance to the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said “Not my will, but Yours”. 

When Jesus says 

 “Have faith in God,” 

and

“believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

πίστις pistis, n. faith, faithfulness, belief, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow.

it moves the impetus for answered prayer from us to Him. 

Our faith in Him does not empower us to move mountains in accordance with our whims. Our faith in Him rests in HIS ability to move mountains. As we learn to walk with Him, we grow in our ability to discern what HE wants. We learn to say what HE says. It may appear to others that we have this GREAT faith that accomplishes great things… but in truth, we believe in a great God Who accomplishes great things.

It may sound like semantics, but our faith is not a superpower we wield in the battle against evil. Our faith is a mirror that mirrors what GOD says in a given situation. Make no mistake – anybody who presents “faith” as  something WE wield in accordance with our whims is in error.Our faith causes us to say what God says, and to do what God would tell us to do. In order for that to happen, we MUST be in relationship with Him.

In order to reflect God into our world, we must be close enough to Him for the reflection to show.

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Their answer to Jesus’ question revealed their true spiritual condition. Their answer was the politically correct answer, proving the accuracy of the real-life parable of the fig tree. They were dead, pretending to be alive.

Regards,

Paige