Inspection of the center of Israel's religious identity - Mark 11:11
Jesus
looked around at everything on the temple grounds. This was not the act of a casual visitor. It was the inspection of the center of Israel's religious identity by the Lord of the temple (Mal. 3:1). Jesus and his disciples stayed in the village of
Bethany during this last week, about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem. Possibly Jesus stayed with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 12:1-3).
A fig tree - Mark 11:13-14
The
fig tree was used in the Old Testament as an image of Israel (Hos. 9:10, 16; Mic. 7:1). The leaves of the fig tree led Jesus to hope that he would also find figs even though it was not yet the season for ripened fruit; but he found none. It reminded him of the hypocrisy he had seen in the temple the night before. The leaders of Judaism had a show of being religious, but had no healthy fruit. So in a prophetic act of condemnation Jesus cursed the fig tree.
A Temple cleansing - Mark 11:15
At the temple Jesus
cast out the business men who had set up tables in the temple courtyard. The word Mark used that is translated
cast out is the same that was often used to describe Jesus casting out demons. These
money changers provided currency exchange for pilgrims who needed to change their Roman coinage into acceptable shekels to pay the temple tax. Some were also selling animals that were approved for the sacrifices of the temple worship.
Robbers - Mark 11:17
Jesus condemned them for two reasons. First, he called them
robbers because of abusive prices and greed. Second, and more important in Mark's narrative, was the way they frustrated the intention of God for the temple. Their tables were set up in the Court of the Gentiles. Jesus quoted from Isa. 56:5, 6. There God spoke of his intention for the temple to be a place of worship not only for Israel, but for foreigners as well. By taking over the Court of the Gentiles the businessmen had made it impossible for Gentiles to have any place of quiet and solitude for prayer in the temple complex.
Amazed - Mark 11:18
The crowd
was amazed. The Jewish leaders were determined to
kill Jesus because they
feared him. The Jewish leaders were losing the crowds to this miracle working preacher from Galilee. The reaction to Jesus again was astonishment and fear. Both the fear and the astonishment were understandable in light of all that Jesus said and did, but neither the astonishment nor the fear were the faith that Jesus sought to elicit.
Bethany - Mark 11:19
It seems that Jesus and his disciples went back to Bethany every night of that week.
Believing prayer - Mark 11:22-26
Jesus quickly made sure that the disciples did not misinterpret his condemnation of the abuse of the temple. Even if human beings ruined the temple as God's
house of prayer (v.17), the Father in heaven will answer the ones who
believe, forgive others, and
pray. Believing prayer was within the reach of God's people in spite of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. Jesus stressed that their trust must not be in the temple, but in God alone.
Withered away - Mark 11:20
The tree that Jesus had cursed was completely
withered away. This is the only miracle of destruction by Jesus in the four gospels. This prophetic action of condemnation in light of the cleansing of the temple prepared the way for Jesus' prediction of the total destruction of the temple in 13:2.
Confrontation with the Jewish Leadership. - Mark 11:27-12:44
Up to this point in the Gospel Jesus' opponents had sought him out to challenge him. He tried to minister to the crowds and to his disciples, but was interrupted by his opponents. That changed when he entered Jerusalem. At this point Jesus had come to them and more directly challenges them. Even when they started a debate Jesus quickly seized control of it. Jesus was in control of his path to the cross.
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