18 And G2532 the scribes G1122 and G2532 chief priests G749 heard G191 it, and G2532 sought G2212 how G4459 they might destroy G622 him: G846 for G1063 they feared G5399 him, G846 because G3754 all G3956 the people G3793 was astonished G1605 at G1909 his G846 doctrine. G1322
And G2532 if any man G1536 G846 will G2309 hurt G91 them, G846 fire G4442 proceedeth G1607 out of G1537 their G846 mouth, G4750 and G2532 devoureth G2719 their G846 enemies: G2190 and G2532 if any man G1536 will G2309 hurt G91 them, G846 he must G1163 in this manner G3779 be killed. G615 These G3778 have G2192 power G1849 to shut G2808 heaven, G3772 that G3363 it rain G1026 G5205 not G3363 in G1722 the days G2250 of their G846 prophecy: G4394 and G2532 have G2192 power G1849 over G1909 waters G5204 to turn G4762 them G846 to G1519 blood, G129 and G2532 to smite G3960 the earth G1093 with all G3956 plagues, G4127 as often G3740 as G1437 they will. G2309 And G2532 when G3752 they shall have finished G5055 their G846 testimony, G3141 the beast G2342 that ascendeth G305 out of G1537 the bottomless pit G12 shall make G4160 war G4171 against G3326 them, G846 and G2532 shall overcome G3528 them, G846 and G2532 kill G615 them. G846 And G2532 their G846 dead bodies G4430 shall lie in G1909 the street G4113 of the great G3173 city, G4172 which G3748 spiritually G4153 is called G2564 Sodom G4670 and G2532 Egypt, G125 where G3699 also G2532 our G2257 Lord G2962 was crucified. G4717 And G2532 they G991 of G1537 the people G2992 and G2532 kindreds G5443 and G2532 tongues G1100 and G2532 nations G1484 shall see G991 their G846 dead bodies G4430 three G5140 days G2250 and G2532 an half, G2255 and G2532 shall G863 not G3756 suffer G863 their G846 dead bodies G4430 to be put G5087 in G1519 graves. G3418 And G2532 they that dwell G2730 upon G1909 the earth G1093 shall rejoice G5463 over G1909 them, G846 and G2532 make merry, G2165 and G2532 shall send G3992 gifts G1435 one to another; G240 because G3754 these G3778 two G1417 prophets G4396 tormented G928 them that dwelt G2730 on G1909 the earth. G1093
Then G3767 from G575 that G1565 day G2250 forth they took counsel together G4823 for to G2443 put G615 him G846 to death. G615 Jesus G2424 therefore G3767 walked G4043 no more G3765 openly G3954 among G1722 the Jews; G2453 but G235 went G565 thence G1564 unto G1519 a country G5561 near G1451 to the wilderness, G2048 into G1519 a city G4172 called G3004 Ephraim, G2187 and there G2546 continued G1304 with G3326 his G846 disciples. G3101 And G1161 the Jews' G2453 passover G3957 was G2258 nigh at hand: G1451 and G2532 many G4183 went G305 out of G1537 the country G5561 up G1519 to Jerusalem G2414 before G4253 the passover, G3957 to G2443 purify G48 themselves. G1438 Then G3767 sought they for G2212 Jesus, G2424 and G2532 spake G3004 among G3326 themselves, G240 as they stood G2476 in G1722 the temple, G2411 What G5101 think G1380 ye, G5213 that G3754 he will G2064 not G3364 come G2064 to G1519 the feast? G1859 Now G1161 both G2532 the chief priests G749 and G2532 the Pharisees G5330 had given G1325 a commandment, G1785 that, G2443 if G1437 any man G5100 knew G1097 where G4226 he were, G2076 he should shew G3377 it, that G3704 they might take G4084 him. G846
After G1161 two G1417 days G2250 was G2258 the feast of the passover, G3957 and G2532 of G3326 unleavened bread: G106 and G2532 the chief priests G749 and G2532 the scribes G1122 sought G2212 how G4459 they might take G2902 him G846 by G1722 craft, G1388 and put him to death. G615 But G1161 they said, G3004 Not G3361 on G1722 the feast G1859 day, lest G3379 there be G2071 an uproar G2351 of the people. G2992
And it came to pass, when Ahab H256 saw H7200 Elijah, H452 that Ahab H256 said H559 unto him, Art thou he that troubleth H5916 Israel? H3478 And he answered, H559 I have not troubled H5916 Israel; H3478 but thou, and thy father's H1 house, H1004 in that ye have forsaken H5800 the commandments H4687 of the LORD, H3068 and thou hast followed H3212 H310 Baalim. H1168
Then G5119 assembled together G4863 the chief priests, G749 and G2532 the scribes, G1122 and G2532 the elders G4245 of the people, G2992 unto G1519 the palace G833 of the high priest, G749 who G3588 was called G3004 Caiaphas, G2533 And G2532 consulted G4823 that G2443 they might take G2902 Jesus G2424 by subtilty, G1388 and G2532 kill G615 him.
And G2532 when the chief priests G749 and G2532 Pharisees G5330 had heard G191 his G846 parables, G3850 they perceived G1097 that G3754 he spake G3004 of G4012 them. G846 But G2532 when they sought G2212 to lay hands G2902 on him, G846 they feared G5399 the multitude, G3793 because G1894 they took G2192 him G846 for G5613 a prophet. G4396
But G1161 when the husbandmen G1092 saw G1492 the son, G5207 they said G2036 among G1722 themselves, G1438 This G3778 is G2076 the heir; G2818 come, G1205 let us kill G615 him, G846 and G2532 let us seize G2722 on his G846 inheritance. G2817 And G2532 they caught G2983 him, G846 and cast G1544 him out of G1854 the vineyard, G290 and G2532 slew G615 him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Mark 11
Commentary on Mark 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
Mr 11:1-11. Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, on the First Day of the Week. ( = Mt 21:1-9; Lu 19:29-40; Joh 12:12, 19).
See on Lu 19:29-40.
Mr 11:11-26. The Barren Fig Tree Cursed with Lessons from It—Second Cleansing of the Temple, on the Second and Third Days of the Week. ( = Mt 21:12-22; Lu 19:45-48).
11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon—surveyed.
all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve—Thus briefly does our Evangelist dispose of this His first day in Jerusalem, after the triumphal entry. Nor do the Third and Fourth Gospels give us more light. But from Matthew (Mt 21:10, 11, 14-16) we learn some additional and precious particulars, for which see on Lu 19:45-48. It was not now safe for the Lord to sleep in the city, nor, from the day of His Triumphal Entry, did He pass one night in it, save the last fatal one.
The Barren Fig Tree Cursed (Mr 11:12-14).
12. And on the morrow—The Triumphal Entry being on the first day of the week, this following day was Monday.
when they were come from Bethany—"in the morning" (Mt 21:18).
he was hungry—How was that? Had he stolen forth from that dear roof at Bethany to the "mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God?" (Lu 6:12); or, "in the morning," as on a former occasion, "risen up a great while before day, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mr 1:35); not breaking His fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the city, that He might "work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" (Joh 9:4). We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however we are sure of—it was real bodily hunger which He now sought to allay by the fruit of this fig tree, "if haply He might find any thing thereon"; not a mere scene for the purpose of teaching a lesson, as some early heretics maintained, and some still seem virtually to hold.
13. And seeing a fig tree—(In Mt 21:19, it is "one fig tree," but the sense is the same as here, "a certain fig tree," as in Mt 8:19, &c.). Bethphage, which adjoined Bethany, derives its name from its being a fig region—"House of figs."
afar off having leaves—and therefore promising fruit, which in the case of figs come before the 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—What the precise import of this explanation is, interpreters are not agreed. Perhaps all that is meant is, that as the proper fig season had not arrived, no fruit would have been expected even of this tree but for the leaves which it had, which were in this case prematurely and unnaturally developed.
14. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever—That word did not make the tree barren, but sealed it up in its own barrenness. See on Mt 13:13-15.
And his disciples heard it—and marked the saying. This is introduced as a connecting link, to explain what was afterwards to be said on the subject, as the narrative has to proceed to the other transactions of this day.
Second Cleansing of the Temple (Mr 11:15-18).
For the exposition of this portion, see on Lu 19:45-48.
Lessons from the Cursing of the Fig Tree (Mr 11:20-26).
20. And in the morning—of Tuesday, the third day of the week: He had slept, as during all this week, at Bethany.
as they passed by—going into Jerusalem again.
they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots—no partial blight, leaving life in the root; but it was now dead, root and branch. In Mt 21:19 it is said it withered away as soon as it was cursed. But the full blight had not appeared probably at once; and in the dusk perhaps, as they returned to Bethany, they had not observed it. The precision with which Mark distinguishes the days is not observed by Matthew, intent only on holding up the truths which the incident was designed to teach. In Matthew the whole is represented as taking place at once, just as the two stages of Jairus' daughter—dying and dead—are represented by him as one. The only difference is between a more summary and a more detailed narrative, each of which only confirms the other.
21. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him—satisfied that a miracle so very peculiar—a miracle, not of blessing, as all His other miracles, but of cursing—could not have been wrought but with some higher reference, and fully expecting to hear something weighty on the subject.
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away—so connecting the two things as to show that he traced the death of the tree entirely to the curse of his Lord. Matthew (Mt 21:20) gives this simply as a general exclamation of surprise by the disciples "how soon" the blight had taken effect.
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed … he shall have whatsoever he saith—Here is the lesson now. From the nature of the case supposed—that they might wish a mountain removed and cast into the sea, a thing far removed from anything which they could be thought actually to desire—it is plain that not physical but moral obstacles to the progress of His kingdom were in the Redeemer's view, and that what He designed to teach was the great lesson, that no obstacle should be able to stand before a confiding faith in God.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them—This verse only generalizes the assurance of Mr 11:23; which seems to show that it was designed for the special encouragement of evangelistic and missionary efforts, while this is a directory for prevailing prayer in general.
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, &c.—This is repeated from the Sermon on the Mount (see on Mt 6:12); to remind them that if this was necessary to the acceptableness of all prayer, much more when great things were to be asked and confidently expected.
Mr 11:27-33. The Authority of Jesus Questioned—His Reply. ( = Mt 21:23-27; Lu 20:1-8).
See on Mt 21:23-27.