Mark 11

This chapter opens the latter part of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus and his companions, who left Jericho for Jerusalem in Mark 10, arrive in Jerusalem in this chapter. From here through chapter 16, the narrative recounts the final week of Jesus' life.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Jesus comes to Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, and sends two of his disciples ahead. The disciples bring back a colt on which no one has yet ridden.
• Verses 7–11 Jesus rides the colt and enters Jerusalem. The people spread their garments and branches on the road and cry out, "Hosanna." After looking around the temple, Jesus goes out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
• Verses 12–14 The next day Jesus sees a fig tree that has leaves but no fruit and declares that no one will ever eat fruit from it again (the cursing of the fig tree).
• Verses 15–19 Jesus drives out those who were buying and selling in the temple and overturns the tables of the money changers (the cleansing of the temple). The chief priests and scribes seek a way to destroy him.
• Verses 20–25 The disciples see the fig tree withered from the roots. Jesus uses the occasion to teach about faith, prayer, and forgiveness. In the Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul), verse 26 is marked "(omitted)."
• Verses 27–33 The chief priests, scribes, and elders ask Jesus by what authority he does these things. Jesus responds by asking whether the baptism of John was from heaven or from men. When they answer, "We cannot tell," Jesus also declines to answer them.

Key Verses

• Mark 11:9 "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" — an acclamation drawn from Psalm 118. It is the central verse of the triumphal entry scene.
• Mark 11:17 "My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer" — quoting Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7, Jesus states the reason for cleansing the temple.
• Mark 11:24 "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" — frequently cited as a saying about prayer and faith (Mark 11:22–25).

People and Places

• Jesus and the Twelve
• Peter — sees the withered fig tree and points it out to Jesus.
• Chief priests and scribes — the leadership responsible for the temple and for teaching the Law. Together with the elders of the people, they challenge Jesus' authority.
• John the Baptist — the "John" referred to in verse 30.
• Mount of Olives — a mountain east of Jerusalem.
• Bethphage — a village near the Mount of Olives, close to Jerusalem.
• Bethany — the village to which Jesus withdrew each evening.
• The Jerusalem temple

Points for Reflection

• The structure of the fig tree and temple accounts: The fig tree episode brackets the account of the temple cleansing. For this reason, many commentators read this arrangement as a symbolic portrayal of judgment on a fruitless temple. The statement "for the time of figs was not yet" (verse 13) has long posed an interpretive difficulty.
• The timing of the temple cleansing: The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) place this event in the final week, whereas John 2 places it early in Jesus' ministry. Some hold that the temple was cleansed twice, while others hold that a single event was placed differently by the Gospel writers.
• Branches and Palm Sunday: Mark records only that people "cut down branches off the trees." Palm branches appear in John 12, and the name Palm Sunday likewise derives from John's account.
• Interpreting verses 23–24: Proponents of prosperity theology and those who emphasize positive confession read these verses as a promise that what one believes and speaks will come to pass. Many other denominations and scholars hold that the verses should be read together with the command "Have faith in God" in verse 22 and the teaching on forgiveness in verse 25. They understand the promise as a word about prayer that trusts in God.
• Verse 26: This verse appears only in some manuscripts. The King James Version and others include it as verse 26: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
• The same events also appear in Matthew 21, Luke 19, and Luke 20.

In the Korean Church

Verses 1–11 are frequently read and preached in Palm Sunday services, and Hosanna is commonly used in songs of praise and in the order of worship. During special early-morning prayer meetings held in Holy Week, some churches follow Mark's day-by-day sequence and treat the fig tree and the temple cleansing as Monday events. Verses 22–25 are widely used as a sermon text on prayer and faith.