27 And G2532 they come G2064 again G3825 to G1519 Jerusalem: G2414 and G2532 as he G846 was walking G4043 in G1722 the temple, G2411 there come G2064 to G4314 him G846 the chief priests, G749 and G2532 the scribes, G1122 and G2532 the elders, G4245
And G2532 when he G846 was come G2064 into G1519 the temple, G2411 the chief priests G749 and G2532 the elders G4245 of the people G2992 came G4334 unto him G846 as he was teaching, G1321 and said, G3004 By G1722 what G4169 authority G1849 doest thou G4160 these things? G5023 and G2532 who G5101 gave G1325 thee G4671 this G5026 authority? G1849 And G1161 Jesus G2424 answered G611 and said G2036 unto them, G846 I also G2504 will ask G2065 you G5209 one G1520 thing, G3056 which G3739 if G1437 ye tell G2036 me, G3427 I in like wise G2504 will tell G2046 you G5213 by G1722 what G4169 authority G1849 I do G4160 these things. G5023 The baptism G908 of John, G2491 whence G4159 was it? G2258 from G1537 heaven, G3772 or G2228 of G1537 men? G444 And G1161 they reasoned G1260 with G3844 themselves, G1438 saying, G3004 If G1437 we shall say, G2036 From G1537 heaven; G3772 he will say G2046 unto us, G2254 Why G1302 did ye G4100 not G3756 then G3767 believe G4100 him? G846 But G1161 if G1437 we shall say, G2036 Of G1537 men; G444 we fear G5399 the people; G3793 for G1063 all G3956 hold G2192 John G2491 as G5613 a prophet. G4396 And G2532 they answered G611 Jesus, G2424 and said, G2036 We cannot G3756 tell. G1492 And G2532 he G846 said G5346 unto them, G846 Neither G3761 tell G3004 I G1473 you G5213 by G1722 what G4169 authority G1849 I do G4160 these things. G5023
And G2532 it came to pass, G1096 that on G1722 one G3391 of those G1565 days, G2250 as he G846 taught G1321 the people G2992 in G1722 the temple, G2411 and G2532 preached the gospel, G2097 the chief priests G749 and G2532 the scribes G1122 came upon G2186 him with G4862 the elders, G4245 And G2532 spake G2036 unto G4314 him, G846 saying, G3004 Tell G2036 us, G2254 by G1722 what G4169 authority G1849 doest thou G4160 these things? G5023 or G2228 who G5101 is he G2076 that gave G1325 thee G4671 this G5026 authority? G1849 And G1161 he answered G611 and said G2036 unto G4314 them, G846 I G2504 will G2065 also G2504 ask G2065 you G5209 one G1520 thing; G3056 and G2532 answer G2036 me: G3427 The baptism G908 of John, G2491 was it G2258 from G1537 heaven, G3772 or G2228 of G1537 men? G444 And G1161 they reasoned G4817 with G4314 themselves, G1438 saying, G3004 G3754 If G1437 we shall say, G2036 From G1537 heaven; G3772 he will say, G2046 Why G1302 then G3767 believed ye G4100 him G846 not? G3756 But and G1161 if G1437 we say, G2036 Of G1537 men; G444 all G3956 the people G2992 will stone G2642 us: G2248 for G1063 they be G2076 persuaded G3982 that John G2491 was G1511 a prophet. G4396 And G2532 they answered, G611 that they could G1492 not G3361 tell G1492 whence G4159 it was. And G2532 Jesus G2424 said G2036 unto them, G846 Neither G3761 tell G3004 I G1473 you G5213 by G1722 what G4169 authority G1849 I do G4160 these things. G5023
Why do the heathen H1471 rage, H7283 and the people H3816 imagine H1897 a vain thing? H7385 The kings H4428 of the earth H776 set H3320 themselves, and the rulers H7336 take counsel H3245 together, H3162 against the LORD, H3068 and against his anointed, H4899 saying, Let us break H5423 their bands H4147 asunder, H5423 and cast away H7993 their cords H5688 from us. He that sitteth H3427 in the heavens H8064 shall laugh: H7832 the Lord H136 shall have them in derision. H3932 Then shall he speak H1696 unto them in his wrath, H639 and vex H926 them in his sore displeasure. H2740
And G1161 it came to pass G1096 on G1909 the morrow, G839 that their G846 rulers, G758 and G2532 elders, G4245 and G2532 scribes, G1122 And G2532 Annas G452 the high priest, G749 and G2532 Caiaphas, G2533 and G2532 John, G2491 and G2532 Alexander, G223 and G2532 as many as G3745 were G2258 of G1537 the kindred G1085 of the high priest, G748 were gathered together G4863 at G1519 Jerusalem. G2419 And G2532 when they had set G2476 them G846 in G1722 the midst, G3319 they asked, G4441 By G1722 what G4169 power, G1411 or G2228 by G1722 what G4169 name, G3686 have G4160 ye G5210 done G4160 this? G5124 Then G5119 Peter, G4074 filled G4130 with the Holy G40 Ghost, G4151 said G2036 unto G4314 them, G846 Ye rulers G758 of the people, G2992 and G2532 elders G4245 of Israel, G2474
For G1063 of G1909 a truth G225 against G1909 thy G4675 holy G40 child G3816 Jesus, G2424 whom G3739 thou hast anointed, G5548 both G5037 Herod, G2264 and G2532 Pontius G4194 Pilate, G4091 with G4862 the Gentiles, G1484 and G2532 the people G2992 of Israel, G2474 were gathered together, G4863 For to do G4160 whatsoever G3745 thy G4675 hand G5495 and G2532 thy G4675 counsel G1012 determined before G4309 to be done. G1096
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.