Mark 11:1-11 Context is critical to understanding the Bible. Read the passage in context and from start to finish. I covered the idea of Coronation day in a previous study on Matthew 21. I am encouraging you to read through that commentary to gain an understanding of the prophesies that are associated with this passage. The concepts of Coronation day and the donkey where studied when we looked at the Matthew passage.
Timing is always a key to understanding the scriptures. The Jewish people were obviously going through a coronation ceremony when they welcomed Yeshua into Jerusalem. The problem of the ceremony was that it was about six months off on the Jewish calendar. Or it would seem so. The Jewish people certainly acknowledged the king on the Jewish calendar on Tishrei 1 and 2, but this was the celebration of the coronation of the king. This is one of the main elements of Rosh Hashanah. This takes place during the Gregorian month of September.
The king did not take office at this time. New kings were coronated officially just prior to Passover. The Jewish people would welcome the king into office at Passover. The month of Nisan was considered to be the beginning of the year of the kings. With this taken into consideration to throws a new twist on Passover.[i] The study of this subject is difficult. It hinges on the Passover though. When the Passover was first implemented, God changed the first of the year from Tishrei 1 to Passover (Ex 12:1-2). The celebration of the new year still takes place in Tishrei (September), but the new year does not officially take place until Passover.[ii] When the subject of coronation of the Kings is done in the Bible with this taken into account, it helps understand why they cleaned house after coronation. They were acting in accordance with the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Yeshua would be recognized as King by the people as He entered Jerusalem five days prior to Passover (John 12:1, 12). For a deeper study look at the study in Matthew which also includes the new notes from this study.
Mark 11:12-14; 20-22 The Fig Tree. When fig trees are discussed in the scriptures, they indicate a time of prosperity. The cursing of the fig tree may be symbolic of Yeshua declaring the end of the current era of prosperity for the Jews. Shortly after His death, burial and resurrection, Jerusalem will be destroyed (70 A.D.).
I did a small search through the scriptures on “fig”. The findings were interesting. The fruit is often mentioned as a common staple. Yet, the phrase “and everyone will sit under his vine and under his fig tree” occurs several times (1 Ki 4:25; 2 Ki 18:31; Micah 4:4; Nah 3:12; Hab 3:17; Hag 2:19; Zech 3:10). When destroying the prosperity of Egypt, it is stated that God struck down their vines and their fig trees, thus indicating an end to prosperity (Ps 105:33).
The most interesting verse from the Old Testament regarding the fig tree is almost quoted exactly in this passage (Jer 8:13). God brings a message of judgment against Judah since they had embraced pagan worship. They became involved in sun and star worship. Torah was moved to the back burner and almost completely forgotten. This was a blending of God’s instructions with the pagan religion. How do we know this? Jeremiah calls it “continual apostasy” (Jer 8:5). Read the entire passage for context (Jer 8:1-13). The teachers (scribes) twisted the Word of God to a point where it turned it into a lie.
During Yeshua’s day sun worship was not taking place, however, twisting of the scriptures was taking place (Jer 8:8-9). Oral Torah had morphed to the point to where it brought bondage to the people instead of life and liberty. Yeshua taught Torah. I have taught and firmly believe that Yeshua did not teach anything new in the New Testament. Everything He taught can be found in Torah or in other Old Testament scriptures except for the concept of the extra mile. Yeshua sought to return the people to pure Torah as it was originally written. When we read of the constant conflict between His teaching of Pure Torah and the Oral Torah that the religious leaders were teaching, Jeremiah 8 begins to make sense. Yeshua was declaring through the example of the fig tree that the time for the “lying pen of the scribes” had come to an end (Jer 8:8). The self-serving system that was in place was about to be demolished (Jer 8:9-10). Yeshua declared through the example of the fig tree that the current season would soon pass away along with its fruit (Jer 8:13).
I have often wondered at change that many Messianic believers today make. Many of us who embrace Torah and recognize the feasts and festivals of the scriptures find in them life and liberty. They are a breath of fresh air to the stuffy doctrine that has been passed down and developed in the Christian Church as a whole. The doctrine of the Church is heavily influenced by “replacement theology”. This simply means that the Jews had their chance, they blew it. God forfeited their right to become chosen people and Christians take their place. This is the greatest heresy ever conceived of. Christians are merely beginning to embrace the concepts of Torah. God has graciously allowed us to join with the Jews in an opportunity to have liberty and eternal life (Ro 11:17-27).
It is also sad to remark that a large portion of the liturgy and teaching of the Christian church revolves around pagan feasts and festivals. It is abundantly clear that Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, All Saints Day, and a myriad of others developed as pagan worship was blended with Christian worship. Almost all of these feast days originated with the sun worship from the Greek and Roman Empires. The root of this pagan religion is found in Ba-al and Asherah worship from the Old Testament. The gods changed their names as they morphed through the changes of human rule, but their nature stayed the same. It is easy to trace sun worship back to the flood.
Another aspect of modern Christian theology is that it is heavily influenced by the Plato and Socrates. For example, our view of God and life is more platonic than it is Hebrew. God is often seen as an uncaring deity that prods people for fun instead of the caring, intimate God that we have. Life is seen as a play where we are “shadows on a wall” playing out our scripts. The connection between intimacy and life is lost even though this is the main message of Christianity. We are often trying to manufacture life from liberty without going to the roots of Torah. A study of Plato’s teachings causes many Christians to believe that he was right on the mark with his teaching. They do not realize that we are justifying theology based upon Plato by teachers that have abandoned Torah. Plato was not on the mark! Paganism was blended with Christianity and a study of Plato opens our eyes to that deception.
Many Christians will tell you that they are “New Testament” Christians meaning that the Old Testament is no longer valid. The depth of their study goes to a cursory reading of the scriptures through snippets caught as the preacher pounds the pulpit on Sunday mornings. Do you realize that less than four percent of all Christians have actually read the entire Bible from cover to cover?
Perhaps you are wondering what my tirade is all about in this discussion. The fig tree that we are looking at in this discussion is a picture of the Christian Church today (Jer 8). Yeshua declared judgment on the religious leaders and religious system of the Jews in His day because of their perversion of Torah. He came to teach pure Torah and it was rejected by the religious leaders. Therefore, God put an end to the system through the Roman Empire at 70 A.D.
Today, Messianic Christians have not returned to pure Torah, but rather to the regulations and writings of the Rabbi’s. Walking into a Messianic church is often like walking into a synagogue. The Messianic’s have embraced Jewish customs found in the Bible. They have also embraced the prayers, teachings and the very doctrines that are taught in the Talmud, which is simply Oral Torah written down. Why are we as believers returning to the Oral Torah that Yeshua fought against? Why do we refuse to return to the written Torah as Yeshua taught that brings life and liberty? Instead, we are learning how to pray the Jewish prayers and blessings in Hebrew. Our songs are morphing to Hebrew as well. I believe that we should return to the Jewish Roots (Jer 16:16). Yet, instead we embrace the very Oral Torah that Yeshua preached against. If I had a do-over and was able to wind my life back forty years, this would be the message that I would hammer from Christian Pulpits. It is time to return to the ancient paths and teach the scriptures as they are written.
Mark 11:15-19 Feast of Unleavened Bread: Yeshua was acting in accordance with His new office as King of the Jews. Passover is ushered in on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Prior to this feast, each person will clean their house of yeast that is in it. Cleaning the yeast out of the house does not take place on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it takes place before it.
Prophecy declares that when the millennial kingdom is ushered in, there will be many changes. One of the changes during the reign of the Messiah will be a return to the festivals of the Lord. Zechariah declares that when the kingdom is in place, there will be no merchants in the house of the Lord:
Zechariah 14:20–21 (NLT) “On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: HOLY TO THE LORD. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the LORD will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar. In fact, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil their sacrifices. And on that day there will no longer be traders in the Temple of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
Yeshua was ushering in His Kingdom. He was not bringing in the kingdom of physical reign but that of moral reign. Context shows us that Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a King on coronation day. He allowed himself to be crowned King and was now acting in accordance with that crowning. He was cleaning house by removing the filth from the Temple. The symbolism is tremendous.
When a scripture is quoted in Hebrew thinking, the context of that scripture is expected to be understood. Yeshua declared that His house was to be a “house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). Let’s look at that passage for a moment, we will use the New Living Translation since it captures the thought so well:
Isaiah 56:6–8 (NLT) “I will also bless the foreigners who commit themselves to the LORD, who serve him and love his name, who worship him and do not desecrate the Sabbath day of rest, and who hold fast to my covenant. I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations. For the Sovereign LORD, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”
This passage does not point to the Hebrew people alone! Yeshua was declaring a change to Temple practices. He was declaring that both Jew and Gentile would be entering the house of prayer together! Yeshua then quotes from another scripture declaring that the religious leaders had allowed the temple to become a den of robbers, let’s continue with the New Living Translation:
Jeremiah 7:8–11 (NLT) “Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
The essence of the verse captures the attitude of the religious leaders during Jesus’ day. The idea of these two passages that Yeshua quotes carries the connotation of change. Yeshua was declaring change during His new kingdom.
When Yeshua turned over the money tables and ran the merchants out of the temple, He was sending a clear message to the religious authorities. The game was going to change. The chief priest and scribes knew the scriptures well. They were aware of the context of the passages quoted and the implications of those passages. Yeshua was not just bringing change, He was threatening their very jobs. They began looking harder at how to eliminate Jesus from the scene.
Mark 11:19-21 Remember from the earlier discussion in the passage on the fig tree from Jeremiah 8? The crux of the discussion was that paganism would be judged and the pagan and Hebrew mix of religion would be eliminated leaving behind a withered and dead fig tree. The idea was that the prosperity of the religion would dry up. Perversion of Torah would be removed. Sandwiching the two passages of the fig tree with the cleansing of the temple in the middle emphasizes the application to Jeremiah 8. The cleansing of the temple is emphasized by the discussion of the fig tree.
Mark 11:22-26 Yeshua had a deeper meaning for the fig tree. It went beyond the meaning found in Jeremiah 8. Faith or acting according to the instructions of God is merely the beginning of action. Jeremiah prophesied against the people when they abandoned God’s instructions (torah). In the Greek language “faith” is a verb, not a noun. Therefore, putting faith into action is “faithing”. They misplaced their “faithing” or putting into action what they believed into false gods. The same problem takes place with those who follow God’s instructions as a religion.
If we merely follow and put into action our belief by living according to a set of standards, then we are living according to the instructions of God. However, we are not embracing the power of the Word of God. God’s instructions are a standard that we live life by. This is a given. Yeshua teaches a deeper truth from Jeremiah’s passage.
Faith is putting into action God’s word; it does not mean just living according to God’s word. Living according to God’s word is compliance. Faithing, or putting into action God’s word means that we live according to God’s word and put it into action. We are not compliant, but rather aggressive in our behavior.
“Have faith in God” indicates action based upon God. Pray expecting that God will answer in a powerful way. The Jewish people have a prayer called the “standing prayer”. Its official name is the Amidah. It is prayed twice daily at about 9AM and 3 PM. Yet, some pray the prayer three times daily. The prayer is packed with tremendous truth. Yet, it is a rote prayer that is prayed over and over. The action of faith is simply praying standing. This prayer is referred to when Yeshua instructs them on “standing praying” (Mark 11:25).
To summarize: Faith is not just complying with God’s instructions. It is putting the instructions into action by expectantly basing our convictions on what God’s word teaches. Yeshua demonstrated this by cursing the fig tree. Then allowing the disciples to observe the wilting of the fig tree and the fulfillment of prophecy. God’s instructions put into action is faith. Living according to God’s instructions as a way of life is compliance. Yeshua was teaching a deeper meaning. We can live successfully as God’s children simply by being obedient to His instructions. OR we can live in power by putting into action His word.
Application: Putting God’s word into action involves personal risk. It exposes us to the possibility that God will not answer our prayer. For example, suppose you are praying for someone who is having trouble in silence. In other words, your personal prayers are said for this person that God will deliver them from their problems. Then you watch secretly to see if God will answer the prayer. In many ways this is like praying the Amidah or standing prayer. You pray and wait to see if God will take action.
Person risk is involved when you approach the person who is having trouble and pray with them. Earnestly enter into prayer and call on God to remedy their needs. The application is as broad as the world of needs. Prayer is only the vehicle, what fuels the prayer is your knowledge that God will answer and you expect Him to answer. Now you are at personal risk that God may not answer the prayer.
One way to minimize personal risk is to follow Yeshua’s command. Sin is certainly blatant sin that includes all the bad habits that we fall into. Biblical sin is simply failing to live your life in compliance with God’s word. When we do not follow Torah, or God’s instructions, we are sinning. James puts it simply: If we know the right thing to do and do not do it, then we are sinning (James 4:17). Yeshua narrows it down even more (Mark 11:25-26). The last six commandments deal with personal relationships with other people. Failing to follow God’s commands damages personal relationships. When we have something against another person, we have failed to live according to those final six commandments in some way. This is the reason that it is vitally important to seek to heal broken relationships.
Mark 11:27-33 The standoff: Yeshua is questioned by the scribes and elders regarding His authority to teach and heal. His answer is interesting, He catches them in a social dilemma. The people recognized John the Baptist as a prophet. The religious leaders did not. They were unwilling to admit that John was sent by God as a prophet. Yeshua left them with their answer. They did not believe in John, why would they believe in Yeshua if He made a statement? This is a springboard that will lead into the next chapter.
[i] https://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/2009/04/passover-coronation-day-for-jewish.html, accessed 7/20/19
[ii] http://www.alexisrael.org/pesach-happy-new-year, accessed 7/20/19
