Gospel of Mark/Chapter 11:1-19/Commentary

The Gospel of Mark Chapter 11:1-19 “The narrative of the triumphal entry is found in all four Gospels. John does not include all the details that we find elsewhere, and, for example, says little about the procuring of the donkey, saying only that Jesus “having found a young donkey, sat thereon”. He has some touches of his own. He alone dates the incident (12:12). He alone mentions the palms, the reference to the raising of Lazarus, the fact that the disciples did not understand the significance of these happenings until after Jesus “was glorified” (Morris p. 581). Once again we must reject the theory that the Gospel writers merely copied from each other, or from a common human document. Jesus said they would be guided by the Holy Spirit, and not left to fallible memory or human sources in retelling these events (John 14:26).

11:1 “And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples”: Jesus and His disciples had traveled from Jericho, and then dined at the home of Simon the leper (John 12:18). Bethphage (beth FAY jeh) along with Bethany were two villages not far apart on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives. Today no trace of Bethphage remains, while Bethany is identified with the Arab town of El ‘Azariyeh. The Mount of Olives is a ridge of hill country parallel to mount Zion or Moriah on which Jerusalem is built and is separated from the latter by the Kidron Valley. The

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Mount of Olives is 2670 feet and is higher than Jerusalem which is located at 2440 feet.

11:2 “And said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it to Me’”: Mark adds concerning the colt, “on which no one yet has ever sat” (Mark 11:2). Even non-Jewish readers can appreciate the choice of an animal to be ridden for the first time (see 1 Samuel 6:7). Luke records that the disciples found them just as Jesus had told them (Luke 19:32). The donkey was highly esteemed in the East. Solomon had introduced horses into Israel, but that was a war animal, the donkey was a symbol of peace. To the Jewish person, it was a national animal. Moses had led his wife seated on a donkey into Egypt. The Judges had ridden on them. And it had been predicted that the Messiah would arrive on such an animal (Zechariah 9:9).

We should be impressed that something very significant is being taught by Jesus’ example on this occasion. Jesus is not riding into Jerusalem on a horse, which was a symbol of war, but a donkey, which was commonly associated with peaceful endeavors (Judges 10:4; 12:14; 2 Samuel 17:23; 19:26). Tenney notes, “The donkey was used by judges and kings in the Old Testament on errands of peace; the horse was used mainly as a charger in battle. By this conscious fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus offered Himself as a king of peace, not as a warrior. He asserted royal claims, but not in the military manner. The ensuing bewilderment of the disciples was caused by their inability to reconcile His willingness to be recognized as the King of Israel with His unwillingness to exert the secular authority which they thought all kings should use. Not until after the resurrection did they understand His motives” (p. 185).

Jesus coming on a donkey, emphasizes the peaceful nature of His approach. He comes as a Prince of Peace. “To emphasize the peaceful character of His approach and of His reign it is added that He is mounted upon the colt of a donkey. He comes as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-lord. Hence, the daughter of Zion should stop being afraid” (Butler p. 178). Lenski notes, “Jerusalem deserved the fate that her King should come with power to punish her wickedness and unbelief 2

(and that would happen-Matthew 24:1ff), but this was still the day of grace. So this King came with grace and salvation, not to be feared and dreaded, but to be loved, trusted, and joyfully followed” (pp. 854-855). Notice that Jesus is doing everything He can to make the people understand the true nature of His Kingdom.

11:3 “And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ You say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he will send it back here’”: The owners of the animals did stop and question the disciples and then let them use them (Luke 19:33-34). Some feel that the owner of the animals was a disciple or well-wisher of Jesus, and therefore readily consented to respond to the Master’s need.

Numerous references in the Old Testament show that the donkey was held in high esteem in the East (Judges 10:4; 1 Kings 1:33).

11:4 “And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street; and they untied it”: The disciples immediately obeyed and found everything just as predicted. One more example of the prescience of Jesus.

11:5 “And some of the bystanders were saying to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’”: The disciples were questioned, just as Jesus had predicted.

This was spoken by the owner, members of the household, and or neighbors.

11:6 “And they spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission”: Just as Jesus had predicted.

11:7 “And they brought the colt to Jesus and put their garments on it; and He sat upon it”: Some of the disciples removed their outer garment and placed it on the colt as a kind of saddle. Observe the detail that is being recorded.

11:8 “And many spread their garments in the road”: As a kind of red carpet. This custom is still at times seen in the East. “And others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields”: Evidently many palms grew in this region and along the route, in addition the palm was a symbol of victory (Leviticus 23:40; Revelation 7:9). “Conquering kings and princes were usually honored in this manner at their triumphal entry—evergreen branches and garlands of flowers were strewn along the parade route. Josephus says that Alexander and Agrippa 3

were received at Jerusalem in this manner. Simon Maccabeaus and later his brother Judas, were both accorded this honor” (Butler p. 177).

11:9 “And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, ‘Hosanna!’”: The imperfect tense is here used, they were crying out persistently. “Hosanna!”: The word literally means, “save now, we pray”, or “grant salvation”. “In greeting Jesus the word seems to have been used by the multitude less like a prayer to God and more like a joyful acclamation, a little like our: All hail!” (Lenski p. 852). Hendriksen notes, “It is a supplication addressed to Jehovah by the worshipper, who is convinced that the proper time for full deliverance has now at last arrived. In the spirit of joy and of approaching triumph he prays that Jehovah may no longer delay the promised salvation” (p.

188). “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”: This is a quotation from Psalm 118:26, which is a very messianic psalm. This is the same psalm that talks about the stone which the builders rejected (118:22-23; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7). This was also one of the Psalms that was sung at the Passover.

11:10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David”: It is clear that many believed that Jesus was the Messiah (John 12:11), but many also probably believed that Jesus was the answer to their earthly expectations, that is, one who would re-establish Israel to her former physical power and glory.

Luke records that these shouts of praise started to happen when Jesus reached the descent of the Mount of Olives (19:37), and that the people were also praising God for all the miracles which Jesus had wrought (19:37). Mark records that the people said, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David” (11:10). “There can be little doubt that this multitude is anticipating in Jesus the long-awaited Messiah who is about to set up His throne in Jerusalem in all the earthly splendor of David” (Butler p. 177).

11:11 “And He entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking all around, He departed for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late”: The day’s work was now done. Yet there would be more work to be done in the temple area (11:15ff). “After looking around”: “Not as a tourist viewing the 4

sacred precincts for the first time…but as the sovereign Lord examining the institution to see whether it was fulfilling its divinely appointed mission. The examination was in preparation for the prophetic act of cleansing” (Gaebelein p.

725).

The Barren Fig Tree 11:12 “And on the next day, when they had departed from Bethany, He became hungry”: Thus Jesus experienced all the sensations that one would feel in a human body.

11:13 “And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs” 11:14 “And He answered and said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’ And His disciples were listening”: This is one of those sections of Scripture, which has come under intense attack from the critics of the Bible.

Answering The Critics  No Benevolent Purpose In This Miracle?

Yet the primary purpose of the miracles was not to give physical aid to human beings, rather, to give evidence that Jesus was the Son of God (Acts 2:22; John 3:2).

 It Was Immoral To Curse An Object Without Will?

The accusation is that Jesus on this occasion moved from purely selfish motives when His hunger was left unsatisfied. He lost His temper and cursed an object without will or intelligence. “A further attack upon this miracle is that the proposition of cursing an inanimate object which could not hear, or understand, 5

or obey as if it were a responsible agent, is an absurdity” (Studies In The Life Of Christ. R.C. Foster p. 1108). 1. It would have been absurd for a mere man to command the wind and waves to remain still or curse this tree, yet Jesus was not a mere man. He is the Creator (John 1:3). 2. The tree obeyed! (Matt. 21:19) 3.

In the end, every tree will be destroyed as well as every other physical thing (2 Peter 3:10). 4. The critics are not consistent. I am sure that some who raised this objection have also simply cut down a tree because it became a nuisance or blocked their view. Did they commit a sin when they removed a tree that no longer suited their personal preferences? Remember, Jesus spoke the trees into existence.  Jesus Lost His Temper?

The critics make quite a fuss concerning Mark's statement, “for it was not the season for figs” (11:13). “They claim that it was really immoral to curse a fig tree because it did not have fruit, when it was not the season of figs” (Foster p. 1108).

Thus the accusation that Jesus was acting in an unreasonable manner.

As you study the various criticisms raised against the Bible you will discern that many critics are poor students when it comes to their attacks upon this book. In this account a little study and research on the trees in Palestine should have saved them from making such a foolish accusation against Jesus. 1. In a warm climate such as in Palestine, the order for fig trees or a certain variety is fruit before leaves. Mark makes the point of noting that even though it was early in the spring, this particular tree was covered with leaves (11:13). 2. Foster makes the following observation: “In a land where thousands of fig trees line the fields and roadways, it was possible in the proper season quickly to satisfy hunger. Here is one tree, however, standing out in solitary splendor, proclaiming its fruit (by being in full leaf), but possessing none. Its solitary character helps to symbolize the Jewish nation--ahead of all the world in opportunity to know and accept the Messiah (Romans 3:1-2; 1:16), proclaiming Him the Christ the day before, and about to crucify Him a few days later—foliage but no fruit. The tree standing there in showy display suddenly became the symbol (a perfect and ideal illustration) of the Jewish nation, full of empty praise of Jesus at the time of the triumphal entry, but with no real fruit” (pp. 1108-1109). Lenski adds, “If it had been without leaves, Jesus would not have gone to this tree. Here, then, was an exceptional fig tree that grew in so favored a spot that it already had full foliage 6

and was far ahead of the other fig trees. Since in the spring the fig tree puts out its fruit first and lets its leaves gradually follow, the full foliage of this tree gave promise of fruit” (p. 822).

Modern Applications Like the Jewish nation, members of the church occupy a privileged position. We should be bearing fruit! (Galatians 5:22-23) In addition, we should be setting an example for the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We should be ahead of the world in understanding morality, ethics, personal relationships, marriage, raising children, and so on (Psalm 119:98-99). Our children also occupy a privileged position. Being raised by Christians is something that brings a great responsibility. Many people do not get things figured out until they are in their 20's or 30's while some never do. From childhood many have heard the truth on all eternally relevant topics (2 Timothy 3:15). God expects you to bear fruit too! (Ephesians 6:1-2) From this last Scripture part of that fruit bearing includes respecting, obeying and honoring your parents even during your teens. Teenage rebellion is the world's standard, not the standard of the young Christian. A young Christian who is giving their parents a hard time is just as unsightly as Christians who cannot resolve their marital differences. Of all people we should be the ones showing people how it's done!  Jesus Destroyed Private Property?

Actually the tree was “lone and by the road” (Matthew 21:19), that is, it was probably ownerless. Beyond that: 1. Everything belongs to God in the first place (Psalm 24:1). 2. Teaching mankind spiritual truths is more important than any physical object. This is graphically demonstrated when Jesus cast out the demons into the swine (Mark 5:13). The deliverance of one soul is more valuable than many animals.  Contradiction in Accounts?

It is argued and Mark and Matthew contradict one another, for Matthew records the tree withering away immediately (21:19) and Mark records the disciples as seeing the tree withered the next day. 1. Matthew offers a shorter version of the account. 2. Between Matthew 21:19-20 we need to place Mark 11:19-21. The 7

tree began to immediately wither as the disciples and Jesus left. Mark adds additional information by noting that the disciples did not see the final withered condition of the tree until the next day. The reason that they had not seen it that evening when they left Jerusalem is that they probably had taken a different path out of town. McGarvey notes, “In leaving the city the evening before, they had probably gone by a different path and had not noticed the tree. Now (the next day) they find it ‘dried up from the roots’; the withering which began when the curse was pronounced having extended to the roots” (Matthew/Mark p. 337).

Clearly, the fig tree then represents the nation of Israel. 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. A people who honored God with their lips but their heart was somewhere else, was exactly like a tree with an abundance of leaves but no fruit.

Cleansing the Temple 11:15 “And they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling the doves” This is the second time that Jesus cleaned the temple. Some three years earlier (John 2:13), Jesus had done the same thing. Apparently this practice that Jesus had rebuked came back because of the profit that it brought to those in charge and individual vendors. “Because persistent graft would have driven the selfish to reinstate what brought them such profits” (Butler p. 55).

Jesus had two problems with this market: 1. It was marked by greed. 2. It was in the very court of the temple where the Gentiles were granted the freedom to worship God. The non-Jewish person was being robbed of their right to worship God. The noise and dirt of such a market would not have been tolerated by the Jewish people if someone wanted to locate it in the Jewish section of the temple!

Now people did need sacrificial animals and there was nothing wrong in having a place where people could buy an animal, yet other places should have been used, instead of God’s house! For all practical purposes the pilgrims coming to worship were blackmailed into buying their sacrifices. “If a worshipper brought a victim 8

outside the Temple, it was to all intents and purposes certain that the victim would be examined (a fee was charged of course) and rejected” (Barclay p. 97).

The Sadducees controlled the Temple and it is estimated that they made $300,000 dollars a year in profit on what was sold in the Temple area. There are times that a pair of doves (worth a nickel) was sold for four dollars. One writer describes the whole scene as “And this was the entrance court of the Most High! The court which was a witness that that house should be a House of prayer for all nations, had been degraded into a place which for foulness was more like shambles and for bustling commerce more like a densely crowded bazaar; while the lowing of oxen, the bleating of sheep, the babble of many languages, the huckstering and wrangling, the clinking of money and of balances (perhaps not always just) might be heard in the adjoining courts, disturbing the chant of the Levites and the prayers of the priests!” 1 This was the place where Gentiles might seek God! Nothing has really changed. To this day I am always getting calls from various companies wanting me to set up a display of their books, religious T-shirts, and so on in the building in which we gather for worship.

Some people are bothered by the actions of Jesus on this occasion, but these are typically the same people who maintain that God only manifests warm feelings.

Here we see that Jesus is part of the God described in both Testaments, “Behold then the kindness and severity of God” (Romans 11:22). Jesus’ actions here are mild compared to what He could have done! He had the full right to cleanse the Temple, for it belonged to His Father, and for all practical purposes, it belonged to Him. Please note that Jesus is not saying that animal sacrifices are unimportant.

These same Jewish authorities would not have turned their own homes into such a marketplace, and neither would they have allowed such in the courts in which they worshipped. “These Jewish traders were making the Court of the Gentiles into an uproar and a rabble where no man could pray. The lowing of the oxen, the bleating of the sheep, the cooing of the doves, the shouts of the hucksters, the rattle of the coins, the voices raised in bargaining disputes---all these things combined to make the Court of the Gentiles a place where no man could worship” (Barclay pp. 100-101). There is a place for anger! (Eph. 4:26) 1 Farrar, The Life Of Christ, pp. 445ff

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11:16 “And He would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple”: This statement occurs only in Mark’s account. “Jesus not only cleansed the temple of its profanation by the merchants, but he also put a stop to its casual use by those who used it as a shortcut between the city and the Mount of Olives” (Gaebelein p. 727).

11:17 “And He began to teach and say to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a robber’s den”: The first part of the quotation, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” is from Isaiah 56:7. What was supposed to be a quiet place where people from every house could worship God—they had turned into a smelly, greedy and noisy market. The statement about the “robber’s den” can be found in Jeremiah 7:11. Not only were they cheating people financially, they were equally robbing non-Jews of the chance to worship the true God. This statement would have been very meaningful to Mark’s non-Jewish readers. The worship of the true God had always been available to all men.

11:18 “And the chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him”: They could have appreciated what Jesus said. They could have said, “He is right”. “For they were afraid of Him, for all the multitude was astonished at His teaching”: What made them afraid was His popularity and their dwindling popularity. There was no interest in truth, only an interest in preserving their wealth and power. Jesus’ actions had directly challenged their authority— for they had control over this market, and no doubt on this day cost them quite a bit of money.

11:19 “And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city”: They did not spend the night in Jerusalem.

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