📅 February 15: Mark 11: When Faith Intersects with Actions

Daily Bible Readings February
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:date: February 15: Mark 11: When Faith Intersects with Actions

:earth_africa: Introduction

Mark 11 paints a revealing picture of faith, authority, and purpose in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Throughout this chapter, we see significant events such as Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the prophetic cursing of the fig tree, and a challenge to Jesus’ authority within the temple.

:palm_tree: Cursing the Fig Tree

Jesus walks up to a fig tree to find it bereft of any fruit. It had only leaves, which was a sign of fruit-to-come but did not deliver. He uses it as a living parable on the dangers of spiritual barrenness.

:scroll: Key Verse: Mark 11:13-14

:crown: The Triumphal Entry

Jesus enters Jerusalem in a manner that defies worldly understanding of power. He rode on a donkey, a symbol of peace, fulfilling the prophecies of Zechariah 9:9.

:scroll: Key Verse: Mark 11:9-10

:classical_building: Jesus cleanses the temple

Jesus manifests his righteous anger by overthrowing the money changers’ tables in the temple, restoring it to its original purpose - a place of prayer for all nations.

:scroll: Key Verse: Mark 11:17

:sparkles: Key Themes and Reflections

  • Faith over Doubt: Jesus illustrates the power of true faith in God. When we align our hearts with God’s will, the impossible becomes possible.
  • Authenticity: The condemnation of the fruitless fig tree underlines the importance of living an effective and authentic Christian life.
  • Humility: The triumphal entry reveals the humility in Jesus’s kingship, a contrast to the world’s understanding of power.
  • Reverence For Sacred Spaces: Jesus restores the sanctity of the temple, emphasizing the significance of maintaining purity in our worship places.

:bulb: Today’s Application

Strengthen your faith, cast out doubts, and renew your efforts to live an authentic Christian life. Always remember, humility and reverence to God should be at the forefront of our actions.

:mag: Hidden Gem

It’s interesting that when challenged by the chief priests and the Pharisees about his authority, Jesus responds with a question, thus forcing them to confront their own preconceptions (Mark 11:29-33).

:thought_balloon: Reflective Q&A

:question: What do the events of the a fruitless fig tree and Jesus cleansing the temple say to you personally?
A: These incidents challenge me to evaluate my own spiritual fruitfulness and purity of worship.

:question: How can we apply the lesson of the Triumphal Entry in our modern lives?
A: The primary lesson here is humility, regardless of the authority someone holds.

:question: How does Jesus demonstrate his authority, and what can we learn from that?
A: Jesus asserted his authority through wisdom and faith. His response to the chief priests and teachers of the law exemplify this.

:speech_balloon: Join the Discussion

What Verse stood out for you in Mark 11, and why? We’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections.

:date: See You Tomorrow in Mark 12

Join us as we continue this enlightening journey through the book of Mark. Tomorrow, we encounter Jesus’s profound teachings.

Stay connected with Jesus. Keep lighting the path with His word, while keeping your hearts open to His message.

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Mark 11
It is Sunday 10th Abib, and the crowds are gathering in Jerusalem for the time of Passover. There is a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the Lord Yahshua approached for the last time. For a moment the people responded, realising to some extent the significance of this prophet of Nazareth, until the leaders of the ecclesia turned them against him. • The record reveals: • [1] Triumphal entry into Jerusalem: vv. 1-10. • [2] In Jerusalem: v. 11. • [3] The barren fig tree: vv. 12-14. • [4] Second cleansing of the temple: vv. 15-17. • [5] Murderous hatred of the priests: vv. 18-19. • [6] Lesson of the withered fig tree: vv. 20-26. • [7] Yahshua’s authority questioned: vv. 27-33. • In verses 1-11 Christ rode with triumph into Jerusalem. He who in all his journeying throughout the land generally travelled like a poor man on foot, without noise, and without ceremony, now enters Jerusalem proceeding over the Mount of Olives, to face the accusations of the elders of the Jews and to lay down his life in accord with his Father’s great plan from the beginning. He rides upon an ass, as was anciently the manner of kings and great persons, and to fulfil the prophecy, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Zech. 9:9). The colt had never been sat upon previously, and might have been expected, therefore, to be rough-coated, even unkempt. But the action of the Lord was significant in accordance with the typical presentation of the Law, for Exo. 34:20 declares: “the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb.” • The company were before Jerusalem by Bethphage (meaning ‘House of Unripe Figs,’ and representing Israel see, vv. 12-14), and Bethany (meaning ‘House of Dates,’ representing the Gentiles). It was the place “where two ways met” (cp. v. 4), a choice to be made by all, for Yahshua earlier spoke of the way of life, declaring: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Branches were ‘strawed in the way’ (v. 8), an episode also recorded in Mat. 21:8 and John 12:13, and in each case the word for ‘branches’ is different. Matthew uses the Gk. ‘klados’ = a young tender shoot, broken off for grafting; Mark has the Gk. stibas (stee-bas’) or stoibas (stoy-bas’); from a primary word steibo (to “step” or “stamp”) = a spread (as if tramped flat) of loose materials for a couch; i.e., (by implication) a bough of a tree so employed. John uses the Gk. ‘baion’ = a palm branch. This is significant, and for vv. 9-10 see Psa. 118:24-26, one of the Passover Songs. Notice that Yahshua carefully looks at the situation before the violent action of cleansing the temple (v. 15). • On the way (vv. 12-14) he curses the fruitless fig-tree; applying the meaning of Bethphage (v. 1). The solitary fig tree by the wayside was evidently upon an eminence, for it was seen “afar off.” It represented the very nation that was typified by the fig throughout its long history. The tree was precocious, having leaves but no fruit. It should have contained fruit throughout the year. Its ostentatious show of leaves was like the fig leaf covering of Adam and Eve. The fact of leaves without fruit showed that no fruit was expected to appear. It was a graphic illustration of Israel, and Christ’s parables. • Then Yahshua purges the temple (vv. 15-19), taking the prophecy of Isa. 56:7 (Mark 11:17), and identifies ‘the house’ mentioned there as ‘his house,’ so he had authority over the house, as he had earlier declared that he was “Lord of the Sabbath.” In vv. 20-26 the Master exhorts his disciples to be steadfast, and willing to forgive their enemies. The phrase in v. 22, “have faith in God” is better translated as the mg., “Have the faith of God” (see Rom. 10:17; 11:16-17). Finally, in vv. 27-33, Yahshua defends his actions by the witness of John Baptist, who all recognised was a man sent of God, being a prophet. In this section of the gospel is found the key to the record of the ministry of Yahshua: By whose authority are these things done? It was the question of the temptation in the wilderness, the constant accusation of the elders, and the question by which the Master would later be condemned. In his answer, the Master points to his own baptism by John as the reason: a baptism that represented his crucifixion, and by which the diabolos (sin in the flesh) might be destroyed. No wonder they would not respond to the question, although shortly after, they were the means by which the “sign of the prophet Jonah” was fulfilled in the sacrifice which took away sin. — Logos