Reference

Mark 11:12-14

Divine Expectations

(A Week Like No Other – Part 2)

#128 in Series: “The Life of Christ – in a Harmony of The Gospels”

It is important that we realize that what we are studying are events that took place during the most important time in all of history… We are specifically talking about redemptive history… What the Lord planned, even before He ever said; “Let there be light” - is now on the horizon at the end of this most profound week in all of history!...

We are studying what occurred during Passion Week - the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus… The week began with “The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem… Traditionally, this took place on Sunday - which we now call “Palm Sunday”... MacArthur and others believe that the grand entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, actually took place on Monday. In either event, what we study today took place on the following day - the day after The Triumphal Entry…

On that day, Jesus was being acknowledged as king!... He certainly is King - not just the king of Israel - but the King of kings!... As King - He possesses the right … the right to expect of His subjects what they are responsible for fulfilling!... So, as we think through the events that follow, we will consider them in light of what Jesus … expects.

This particular day was so filled with action - the profound activity of Christ - that it will take several sermons to unpack all that happened on that day… This day begins with a lesson … an object lesson … for the disciples!...

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us of the events that took place on this day… Since Mark gives greater detail, we will look to his report for our main text, and for time’s sake we will think about it as we read it…

Right away, we will see a … sandwich of events taking place on this day… We see something happen to a fig tree - then something happens to the Temple - and then we return to the fig tree… I hope that the significance of this simple detail becomes evident as we think through this narrative…

The first thing we encounter is what we will call -

1. The Expectation for Fruitfulness

Now only Matthew and Mark tell us this part…

Jesus encounters a fig tree… He looks for some figs, and seeing that it is without fruit, and He … condemns it!... Let’s read about it -

Mark 11:12-14

12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 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. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

This is an incident that has caused more than a few to scratch their heads… Critics have pointed to this incident as some kind of … proof that Jesus was rather petty, and cursed a fruit tree that was without fruit … when it wasn’t even the season for fruit!... Such criticism against the Lord only betrays ignorance and arrogance. Those who want to level such criticism of Christ show that they neither know Christ, or even understand Him… (I do find it interesting, that those critics don’t deny Jesus power to do what He did.)

Jesus knew exactly what He was doing, and He knew exactly why He did it… Perhaps the most significant thing at this point is what is stated last; “And His disciples were listening”...

What did the disciples see?... They saw Jesus was hungry, and approached a fruitless, fruit tree… The tree was … falsely advertising… Even though it wasn’t quite the season for harvesting - the tree was in full leaf. At a distance it may have appeared to be fruitful, but upon closer examination - there wasn’t any fruit - not even young fruit…

What did the disciples hear?... They heard Jesus pronounce a curse upon the tree! Listen, He didn’t curse, as in speaking profanity, He simply … condemned the tree in saying; “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”...

Matthew remembers stronger language - saying that Jesus pronounced; “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” (Matt. 21:19).

Matthew also says that - “And at once the fig tree withered”... It won’t be discovered until the next day, but we will get to that in a few minutes…

What we see happen here is the only … negative miracle Jesus performed! In every other miracle, He either heals, or gives life - here He … takes it! He purposefully condemns a tree with His Words - Words that normally give life - but here … they kill… Why?

This was a … visual parable! The meaning of which will become more evident as the story unfolds!

But, before we delve into that further, let’s move on to the second movement in this dramatic day!

We’ve seen the unfulfilled expectation for … fruit. Next we will see the epitome of the unfulfilled -

2. The Expectation for Faithfulness

Mark 11:15-19

15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple. 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 robbers’ den.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

19 When evening came, they would go out of the city.

There is some familiarity to this encounter… At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry we saw how Jesus cleansed the Temple. John told us about that, back in John 2:13-16…

The second “cleansing” comes here, three years later, near the beginning of Passion Week… Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us about this cleansing…

The Temple represented the center of Judaism. Since Moses was commissioned to lead the Israelites, God had His people to erect a tabernacle, and then later a Temple, which would be the “worship center” for His people to come near the Lord… To make a long story short - Judaism had long since abandoned their God-given purpose for the Temple, and in Jesus day, Judaism had become an apostate religion - totally misrepresenting what God had given them in the beginning…

The purpose for the Temple was restated by Jesus when He quoted from the OT -

Mark 11: 17

… ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’

The outer court was known as “The Court of the Gentiles” - where gentile believers were to come … for worship… But this area of the temple ground had become nothing more than a shortcut, and a thoroughfare for commerce!

Jesus had exposed them for what they had done to the Temple! -

Mark 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 robbers’ den.”

Jesus says something here that we need to think about… “you have made it [the temple] a robbers’ den”... What is a “robbers’ den”?... It is a place where thieves go and hide … after they’ve committed their crimes… The point is, the Jews were using the temple ceremonies to cover up their sin - even their secret sins!

Israel had ceased being faithful to their calling!... They had the revealed Word of God - so they had truth. But, they got their eyes off the Lord - focused on their circumstances - chased their own preferences - and rejected the very Lord of Truth!... They had truly become the epitome of unfaithfulness!

What needs to be understood is that the cursing of the fig tree, and the cleansing of the Temple - were both demonstrations of God’s judgement upon what Judaism had become!...

Jesus’ actions were sanctioned by God - but condemned by man - specifically, the religious leaders of the day!...

Jesus was standing up for righteousness - but being condemned for offending the man-centered religion that Judaism had become!...

So, what was the result of what Jesus did?

Mark 11:18

The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

Unbelievers were becoming more and more hostile in their determination to destroy Jesus!... And we see the familiar strategy from the deceiver behind all of this… The rejection of Jesus was being done with the view that doing so was “standing up for truth”... The chief priests and scribes would claim that they were defending the truth of Judaism - but if they really were, then they should have been the first to welcome Jesus - but they were the loudest voices in opposing Him…

History has proven that God has indeed cursed the Temple - for becoming apostate - and today there is a false “temple” dedicated to a false god on the very site where this Temple once stood…

What follows is what we will call -

3. The Expectation for Faith

Mark 11:20-26

20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be grantedhim. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

There is a lot here, and we could perhaps spend the rest of the day thinking it through… We will only lean into a few matters here…

This is the next day. Jesus and His disciples were passing by the very tree that Jesus had cursed the day before. Look again at verse :20 -

Mark 11:20

As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.

Again, why did Jesus condemn the tree?... No fruit!... What’s the lesson for disciples - you and I - should take to heart?... Remember, this was a visual lesson - a parable - to address … deeper matters. What was Jesus getting at?

I believe J.C. Ryle says it best -

J.C. Ryle - “Let us take care that we each individually learn the lesson that this fig tree conveys. Let us always remember, that baptism, and church-membership, and reception of the Lord's Supper, and a diligent use of the outward forms of Christianity, are not sufficient to save our souls. They are leaves, nothing but leaves, and without fruit will add to our condemnation. Like the fig leaves of which Adam and Eve made themselves garments, they will not hide the nakedness of our souls from the eye of an all-seeing God, or give us boldness when we stand before Him at the last day. No! we must bear fruit, or be lost forever. There must be fruit in our hearts and fruit in our lives, the fruit of repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and true holiness in our conversation. Without such fruits as these a profession of Christianity will only sink us lower into hell.”

The deeper point is - spiritual fruit is evidence of spiritual life. Faith in the life of a Christian will result in the Lord producing fruit through the life of the believer!...

Later in Passion Week, Jesus will speak about fruit bearing in greater detail - and we will delve deeper into it when we get there - but spend some time in John 15 and you will see how the connection between authentic faith … and fruit!

Let’s lean into more of this section of our text…

When they saw the … dried up tree -

Mark 11:21

Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

Peter is always the spokesman for the group…

Let’s get into Jesus’ answer -

Mark 11:22-26

22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be grantedyou. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Jesus turns this into a lesson on faith!... Jesus Himself has demonstrated what He is talking about. Keep in mind that while Jesus was here in the flesh, He accomplished what He accomplished … by faith!

The Scriptures are replete with examples of those who witnessed the miraculous, because of … faith!

The 11th chapter of Hebrews is filled with examples of … “ordinary” redeemed people - seeing much accomplished … by faith!

James Smith - writing about faith, said - “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, etc. (Heb. 11:1). Faith acknowledges the things unseen, and acts as if they were visible. So Noah built the ark (v. 7). So Moses forsook Egypt (v. 27). ‘Seeing Him who is invisible.’ ‘Blessed is he who hath not seen and yet hath believed’ (John 20:29). Through faith Jacob coveted the birthright (Gen. 25:31). And because Esau could not see its value he despised it and sold it. ‘Oh, I see it’ is not equivalent to ‘Oh, I believe it.’ For with the heart man believeth (Rom. 10:10). God judgeth the heart. A clear head is no evidence of a believing heart.”

Jesus says - you can see “mountains moved” - if you -

Mark 11:22

And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God.

Faith in God - is the prerequisite to see mountains moved!...

We need to acknowledge some things about what Jesus is saying with this statement; “Have faith in God”... Write these 5 words in the margin beside this phrase - have faith in God… The first is -

Imperative - this is an imperative! It is a command … not a suggestion.

The second word is Object … Faith has an object, and the object of faith is to be God!... It is NOT faith in faith - it is faith in God!

The famous missionary Hudson Taylor - “Have faith in God” [could be translated] Hold on to the faithfulness of God.”

In commenting on this, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said - “Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God and, as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong. Faith does not look at the difficulties… Faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it. Faith looks at God… Faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God. The measure of the strength of a man’s faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God… He knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. And it is the prayers of such a man that are answered.”

There are a couple more observations about this faith we should consider - so the third word to write is the word -

Exclusive… There is an … exclusivity to faith! That is - this is all Jesus is requiring of His disciples - faith!... This is true for our salvation, and for our continued maturity in our salvation! Sola Fide!

The fourth word is - Personal. There is a personal requirement for faith!... Parents cannot believe for their children!..

Finally, there is an … Urgency to faith! Faith is required … right now!

Let me ask a quick question - is Jesus speaking of literal mountains - or … spiritual … emotional … relational … or metaphorical mountains?... The irony is, Jesus cursed a literal tree to illustrate God’s condemnation of faithless, fruitless, spiritually dead faith!... And here He speaks with hyperbole and metaphorically of mountains to illustrate the … greater barriers that hinder such … God-honoring faith! How do we know that?... Just look at what follows. First Jesus says something about -

Faith expressed vertically

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be grantedyou.

This promise of God’s answer to the prayer made in faith was made to disciples, not to the multitude…

Warren Wiersbe - “[We should not] interpret Mark 11:24 to mean, ‘If you pray hard enough and really believe, God is obligated to answer your prayer no matter what you ask.’ That kind of faith is not faith in God; rather it is nothing but faith in faith, or faith in feelings.”

Later - well after the resurrection of Jesus, when His half-brother James becomes a Christian - he wrote the book of James, and would record the truth that -

James 5:16b

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

One must be “righteous” - right with God - to have the assurance of prayer being heard, answered, and in line with God’s purposes!...

There is one more - vital - matter that Jesus addresses that we need to take to heart… It is the need for -

Forgiveness [being] exercised horizontally

Mark 11:25-26

25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Jesus makes a connection between believing prayer - and a matter that will often … hinder prayer… It is the issue of … offense.

We need to observe something carefully here… When it comes to forgiveness, who is being addressed here - the offender, or the offended?... To whom is Jesus giving instruction?... The offended… Yes, when we offend another - that is, when we do something wrong against another, we should acknowledge it, repent, and seek forgiveness… But, here, Jesus is addressing the one who may be … holding a grudge. They have been offended, or wronged, and they are … not letting it go… Jesus is saying that - that issue … hinders one’s prayer life!

So, what if the offender never acknowledges, repents, or seeks forgiveness?... Forgive anyway… Forgiveness, has has been said by the old timers, is not “letting them off the hook. It is taking them off your hook, and putting them on God’s hook.”

D.A. Carson offers some deeper thinking on this issue -

D.A. Carson - “The difference in result between forgiveness that responds to repentance and forgiveness independent of the repentance of the offending party is, of course, that the former pattern issues in reconciliation while the latter does not. But in both cases what is presupposed is that the believer forgives the offender. Transparently, reconciliation is a good thing if it can be achieved, but the goal of reconciliation should not become the cloak for nursing bitterness because it cannot be achieved.”

Again, even if one does not seek forgiveness - forgive anyway… It is healthier for you!

Some may wonder why verse :26 has brackets around it…

Mark 11:26

[But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

It is to alert the student that the earliest of manuscripts do not contain this verse… Don’t let that throw you. If some scribe added it later, he was attempting to emphasis what is clearly implied in verse :25 -

Mark 11:25

Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

There is no getting around the need to forgive those who have offended, hurt, or wronged you… We live in a fallen, sin-marred world. We live in sin-marred bodies… You will need to be forgiven - and you will need to forgive … often … until Jesus comes!

The heart that has experienced forgiveness - is the heart that forgives others!

Write this reference down - you and I need it!

Ephesians 4:32

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

It is sobering … but if we have hard, unforgiving hearts, it calls into question if we have ever received or appreciated the forgiveness God offers us.

Questions to Consider in Community Group:

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
What should be said about the “cleansing of the Temple”?
What should we understand about Jesus’ words; “Have faith in God”?
Why does the issue of “unforgiveness” weigh so much in one’s prayer life?
What are take aways you see in this text?
What are your thoughts about the quotes that were shared?

James Smith - “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, etc. (Heb. 11:1). Faith acknowledges the things unseen, and acts as if they were visible. So Noah built the ark (v. 7). So Moses forsook Egypt (v. 27). ‘Seeing Him who is invisible.’ ‘Blessed is he who hath not seen and yet hath believed’ (John 20:29). Through faith Jacob coveted the birthright (Gen. 25:31). And because Esau could not see its value he despised it and sold it. ‘Oh, I see it’ is not equivalent to ‘Oh, I believe it.’ For with the heart man believeth (Rom. 10:10). God judgeth the heart. A clear head is no evidence of a believing heart.”

Hudson Taylor - “Have faith in God” [could be translated] Hold on to the faithfulness of God.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “Faith is holding on to the faithfulness of God and, as long as you do that, you cannot go wrong. Faith does not look at the difficulties… Faith does not look at itself or at the person who is exercising it. Faith looks at God… Faith is interested in God only, and it talks about God and it praises God and it extols the virtues of God. The measure of the strength of a man’s faith, always, is ultimately the measure of his knowledge of God… He knows God so well that he can rest on the knowledge. And it is the prayers of such a man that are answered.”