Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 11:22
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
22. Have faith in God ] as the personal source of miraculous power. (Comp. Mat 17:20; Luk 17:6.)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mar 11:22
Have faith in God.
Have faith in God
I. What faith is.
1. Taking God at His word, about things unknown (Heb 11:7), unlikely (Heb 11:17-19), untried (Heb 11:28).
2. Trusting Jesus at His invitation. Trust your soul to His care; your sins to His cleansing; your life to His keeping.
II. Whence faith comes.
1. From Gods grace (Eph 2:8; Rom 12:3)
2. From Gods Word (Rom 10:17; 2Ti 3:15).
3. From Gods working (1Jn 5:1; Col 2:12).
4. Out of the heart (Rom 10:10).
III. How faith works.
1. It overcomes the world (1Jn 5:4).
2. It purifies the heart (Act 15:8-9).
3. It works by love (Gal 5:6). (J. Richardson, M. A.)
Have faith in God-God will not desert those who trust in Him
Many years ago, when in my country charge, I returned one afternoon from a funeral, fatigued with the days work. After a long ride, I had accompanied the mourners to the churchyard. As I neared my stable door, I felt a strange prompting to visit a poor widow who, with her invalid daughter, lived in a lonely cottage in an outlying part of the parish. My natural reluctance to make another visit was overcome by a feeling which I could not resist, and I turned my horses head towards the cottage. I was thinking only of the widows spiritual needs; but, when I reached her little house, I was struck with its look of unwonted bareness and poverty. After putting a little money into her hand, I began to inquire into their circumstances, and found that their supplies had been utterly exhausted since the night before. I asked them what they had done. I just spread it out before the Lord! Did you tell your case to any friend? Oh no, sir; nobody knows but Himself and me. I knew He wouldnt forget, though I didnt know how He would help me, till I saw you coming riding over the hill, and then I said, Theres the Lords answer. Many a time has the recollection of this incident encouraged me to trust in the loving care of my heavenly Father. (G. Macdonald, D. D.)
One winter morning, a poor little orphan boy of six or eight years begged a lady to allow him to clean away the snow from her door. Do you get much to do, my little boy? said the lady. Sometimes I do, he replied, but often I get very little. And are you never afraid that you will not get enough to live on? The child looked perplexed a moment, and then answered, Dont you think God will take care of a boy if he puts his trust in Him, and does the best he can?
Have faith in God
Gotthold saw several sailors step into a boat to cross a river. Two took the oars, and, as usual, turned their backs upon the shore to which they intended to sail. A third stood and kept his face unaverted on the place where they wished to land, and which they very speedily reached. See here, he said, to those about him, what may well remind us of our condition. Life is a mighty river, rapidly flowing into the ocean of eternity, and returning no more. On this river we are all afloat in the bark of our vocation, which we must urge forward with the oars of industry and toil. Like these sailors, therefore, we ought to turn our back upon the future, put our confidence in God, who stands at the helm, and by His mighty power steers the vessel to where happiness and salvation await us, and diligently labour, unconcerned about anything else. We would smile, were these men to turn round and pretend that they could not row blindfold, but must needs see the place to which their course was directed; and it is no less foolish in us to insist on apprehending, with our anxieties and thoughts, all things, whether future or at hand. Let it be our part to ply the oar and toil and pray; but let us leave it to God to steer and bless and govern. O my God, be with me in my little bark, and bless it according to Thy good pleasure! I will turn my face to Thee, and, as Thou shalt enable me, I will diligently and faithfully labour; for all else Thou wilt provide.
The orphans prayer
A little child, whose father and mother had died, was taken into another family. The first night she asked if she might pray, as she used to do. They said, Oh, yes. So she knelt down, and prayed as her mother had taught her; and when that was ended, she added a little prayer of her own: O God, make these people as kind to me as father and mother were. Then she paused, and looked up, as if expecting an answer, and then added, Of course you will. How sweetly simple was that little ones faith; she expected God to do; and, of course, she got her request.
Have faith in God-Never give up in despair
An industrious tradesman had fallen on bad times; his business would not prosper, and he lost heart. His wife, however, kept cheerful; she went on praying, and tried to hearten up her husband. But it was no use; he kept on saying there was no hope for him, and he might as well go out of life, for there was nothing good to be looked for. One morning the cheery wife came down with a face as sad as her husbands. Whats the matter? said he. Oh, she replied, with a shudder, Ive had such a dreadful dream. I dreamt God was dead, and all the angels were going to His funeral! What nonsense! said her husband. How can you be so silly? Dont you know God cant die? She thought a moment, and then brightened up. Thats true, she answered. But, oh, husband! if He cant die, He cant change, either. He has taken care of us all our lives: why should we begin to think He has forgotten us now? Itll only be a passing cloud, may be, thats hiding the sun, just to try us. Let us trust Him through it all. Youre right, wife, said the man. Seems to me Ive believed in God without trusting Him. Let us ask Him to forgive me this sin of mistrust May be my ill luck has been a punishment for that same, sent to open my eyes. However that may have been, the tide did turn, and neither man nor wife ever mistrusted God again.
Have faith in God-Wonder-working faith
It is not only to faith, as a general spiritual force of boundless potency and value, that our Lord here directs our thoughts; but also, and more particularly, to the faith which sees what things are useless and ready to die, and puts them out of the way; the faith which confronts obstacles as big as solid mountains, and yet is sure that it can remove or surmount them; the faith which faints at no difficulty, no apparent impossibility even, but attacks even the greatest of them with courage and good hope. This is the faith to which Christ here invites us-the faith which He Himself exercised, not only when He banned the fig tree, but also when He set Himself to save and raise the world against its will, and had therefore to face a world in arms. It is the faith which believes truth to be stronger than error, righteousness than unrighteousness, good than evil, even though all the world should have espoused the losing cause. It is the faith which believes not only that spiritual energies are stronger than material forces, but also that the good spiritual forces of the universe are stronger than its evil forces, and are sure to overcome them in the end. Nothing seems more doubtful to us at times than the victory of faith over the world; yet nothing is more certain. The whole history of the world is one long continuous testimony to the fact, that it is by faith in great principles that men are really swayed. What is the history of every great movement by which the world, or any portion of it, has been raised, purified, reformed, and renewed, but just this: Faith in some great truth or principle-faith in justice, faith in freedom, faith in wise laws and deep convictions-has grown to enthusiasm in a few hearts; and in the power of this faith they have spoken and toiled, facing and gradually beating down all opposition, detecting signs of decay in the most venerable and solidly established institutions, customs, statutes, and dooming them to perish; encountering whole mountains of obstacle and difficulty, yet taking them up and at last casting them into the sea. (S. Cox, D. D.)
Faith in God
1. There is Christs command itself.
2. Gods own character demands this faith.
3. Gods gifts claim and warrant faith.
4. The way in which we specially honour Him is by having faith in Him.
5. Unbelief profits nothing.
6. Faith has dons wonders in time past, and it can do wonders still. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 22. Have faith in God] is a mere Hebraism: have the faith of God, i.e. have strong faith, or the strongest faith, for thus the Hebrews expressed the superlative degree; so the mountains of God mean exceeding great mountains-the hail of God, exceeding great hail, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
22. And Jesus answering saith untothem, Have faith in God.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jesus answering, saith unto them,…. To all the disciples; for what Peter said, he said in the name of them all; and according to Matthew, the disciples said, “how soon is the fig tree withered away?” To which this is an answer; though the Arabic version renders it, “to him”; as if the words were directed particularly to Peter:
have faith in God; or “the faith of God”, so the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions; that is, exercise, and make use of that faith which has God for its author, which is the work of God, and of his operation, a free grace gift of his; and which has God for its object; and is supported by his power, and encouraged by his goodness, truth, and faithfulness: and so the Arabic version renders it, “believe in God”; not only that such things may be done, as the drying up a fig tree, but those that are much greater.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Have faith in God ( ). Objective genitive as in Gal 2:26; Rom 3:22; Rom 3:26. That was the lesson for the disciples from the curse on the fig tree so promptly fulfilled. See this point explained by Jesus in Mt 21:21 which see for “this mountain” also.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
INSTRUCTION ON PRAYER AND FAITH, V. 22-26
1) “And Jesus answering saith unto them,” (kai apokritheis ho lesous legei) “And replying Jesus said,” (autois) -Directly to them,” to His disciples who were following Him.
2) “Have faith in God.” (evhete pistin theou) “You all have, hold, or possess (hold on to) the faith of God,” Genetive objective which means, The faith God has given you, Joh 1:12; Eph 2:8; 1Co 12:9. It is the faith that God requires each person place in His Son for salvation, Joh 1:11-12; Joh 8:24.
WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE
I was standing with a friend in his garden gate one evening when two little children came by. As they approached us he said to me, “Watch the difference in these two boys.” Taking one of them in his arms he stood him on the gatepost, and stepping back a few feet he folded his arms and called to the little fellow to jump. In an instant the boy sprang toward him and was caught in his arms. Then turning to the second boy he tried the same experiment. But in the second case it was different. The child trembled and refused to move. At last my friend had to lift him down from the post and let him go. “What makes such a difference in the two?” I asked. My friend smiled and said, “The first is my own boy and knows me; but the other is a stranger’s child whom I have never seen before.” And there was all the difference. My friend was equally able to prevent both from falling, but the difference was the boys themselves. The first had assurance in his father’s ability and acted upon it, while the second, although he might have believed in the ability to save him from harm, would not put his belief into action. And so it is with us. We hesitate to trust ourselves to that loving One whose plans for us are far higher than any we have ourselves made. He, too, with outreached arms, calls us, and would we but listen to His voice, we would hear’ that invitation and promise of assurance as He gave it of old “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
– D. L. Moody
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
22. Have faith in God So complete was the evidence of miraculous power that it furnished foundation for a lesson of miraculous faith.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And Jesus answering says to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you that whoever will say to this mountain, ‘be you taken up and cast into the sea’, and shall not doubt in his heart but will believe that what he says happens, he will have it.’
Jesus’ reply to Peter and the others was that, as He Himself had demonstrated, they must have faith in God. He was pointing out the lesson of what faith can accomplish. The one who truly has confidence in God can not only wither fig trees but can even remove mountains. This general idea of moving a mountain was one that Jesus used fairly regularly. See Mat 17:20 (but not there cast into the sea); and compare Luk 17:6.
This kind of faith was in complete contrast with those who had turned the house of prayer into a haunt for brigands. They had turned from faith to worldliness, and that was why they could be seen as withered. Any true faith was dead. But the faith that had enabled the withering of the fig tree was available to all who truly believed God. So if the leaders of the people were preventing the Temple from being a house of prayer, His disciples must not make the same mistake. Rather they must demonstrate their faith in God, and it is prayer of this kind that will prevent them from withering. Then impossible things will be possible. For when men trust God fully they will be able to cast a mountain into the sea with a word.
Certainly we may see His promise here as including the fact that their Father could deal with any and all difficulties that they met, if their faith was strong, and Jesus may well have had in mind Zec 4:6-7 where for Zerubbabel ‘the great mountain shall become a plain’ through the action of God’s Spirit. There the idea was of the great mountain was of difficulties removed. And so, He promised, it will be for all who serve Him fully and pray believingly. There may also be some truth in the comparison often made with Jewish writings where a great teacher who explained difficulties in Scripture was called a ‘mountain remover’. They too would through faith in God become ‘mountain removers’.
But in this context we must see it as pointing to more that that. For when He said ‘this mountain’ He may well have indicated the Temple Mount. Isa 2:2 had spoken of ‘the mountain of the Lord’s house’, and Isa 2:3 had paralleled ‘the mountain of the Lord’ with ‘the house of the God of Jacob’. This would indeed explain why He spoke of it being ‘cast into the sea’ (there was no sea near enough to be significant), for being cast into the sea was a picture of judgment. In Mar 9:42; Luk 17:2 to be cast into the sea was the fate envisaged for sinners (compare also Mar 5:13; Exo 15:4; Jon 1:15; Jon 2:3). So in the context of the withering of the fig tree and His actions in the Temple He must surely have been hinting here at the future that lay in store. This mighty Temple and this great city were to be ‘cast into the sea’ of judgment because they were spiritually barren. And it was at His word, as He had demonstrated with the fig tree. Jerusalem would be destroyed and its house would be left to it desolate (Mat 23:38; Luk 13:35).
To ‘have faith in God’ in this way is to trust God fully, it is to walk in His ways and be fully taken up with His will. This promise is not therefore for the sensation seeker but for those who are dedicated to Him and will shy from asking for anything that is not in accordance with His will.
Note what is required. ‘Shall not doubt but will believe that what he says will happen.’ There is no doubt that Jesus knew that He could have cast the Temple into the sea had it been necessary, but that would have been contrary to His mission. He had not come to do the spectacular. Rather His prayers would carry forward into future history when the Temple would indeed be destroyed. Nor was He suggesting that others should do so either. His point is that nothing is impossible to the one who truly prays. But in the end it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the destruction of the Temple was in Jesus’ mind, for the mountain is ‘cast into the sea’.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Mar 11:22. Have faith in God. Or, a divine faith; literally, the faith of God. And who could find fault, if the Creator and Proprietor of all things were to destroy, by a single word of his mouth, a thousand of his inanimate creatures, were it only to imprint this important lesson more deeply on one immortal spirit? See on Matthew 17.
Inferences drawn from our Lord’s cursing the fruitless fig-tree. When our Saviour had rode through the streets of Jerusalem, that evening he lodged not in the city; whether it was that he would not, lest, after the public acclamations of the people, suspicions of plotting, or of a desire of popularity, might be raised against him; or whether he could not for want of an invitation. Hosannahs were more cheap than an entertainment; and accordingly he goes that evening, without eating, from Jerusalem. O unthankful citizens, do you thus part with your no less meek than glorious King; whose title was not more proclaimed in your streets, than was your own ingratitude! There is no wonder in men’s unworthiness; but there is more than wonder in thy mercy, O Saviour of men, who wouldst yet return thither on the morrow; and if thou mayest not spend the night with them, wilt yet spend with them the day.
Thou, that givest food to all things living, art thyself hungry, (Mar 11:12.): Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, kept not so poor a house, but that thou mightst have eaten something at Bethany: whether thy haste outran thine appetite, or whether on purpose thou forbarest any repast, to afford opportunity for thy ensuing miracle, I neither presume to resolve nor conjecture. This was not the first time that thou wast hungry; as thou wouldst be a man, so thou wouldst suffer those infirmities which belong to humanity. Hence thou knowest to pity what thou hast felt. Are we pinched with want? we endure but what thou didst, and have reason to be patient: thou enduredst what we do; we have reason to be thankful.
But what shall we say to this thine early hunger? The morning, as it is privileged from excess, so likewise from need; the stomach is not used to rise with the body; surely, as thine occasions were, no season was exempted from thy want. Thou hadst spent the day before in the holy labour of thy reformation; after a supperless departure, thou spendest the night in prayer; no meal refreshed thy toil. Why do we think much to forbear a morsel, or to break a sleep for thee, who didst thus neglect thyself for us?
As if meat were no part of thy care, as if any thing would serve to stop the mouth of hunger, thy breakfast is expected from the next tree, Mar 11:13. A fig-tree grew by the way-side, full-grown, well-spread, thick-leaved, and such as might promise enough to a remote eye; thither thou camest to seek that which thou didst not find; and not finding what thou soughtest, as displeased with thy disappointment, didst curse that plant which deluded thy hopes; thy breath instantly blasted that deceitful tree; what then could it do,otherwise than the whole world must needs do under thy malediction,but wither and die away.
O Saviour, I would rather wonder at thine actions, than discuss them. If I should say that, as man, thou either didst not know, or didst not consider this fruitlessness, it could no way prejudice thy divine Omniscience. It were no greater disparagement to thee to grow in knowledge, than in stature; nor was it any more disgrace to thy perfect humanity, that thou, as man, knewest not all things at once, than that thou wert not in thy childhood at thy full growth. But herein I doubt not to say, it is more likely thou camest purposely to this tree, and fore-resolving the event; thus to found the occasion of so instructive a miracle: like as thou knewest Lazarus was dying, was dead, yet wouldst not seem to take notice of his dissolution, that so thou mightst more gloriously display thy power in his resurrection.
Besides, I have learned that thou, O Saviour, wert accustomed not to speak only, but to work parables; and what was this but a real parable of thine? All the while thou hadst been in the world, thou hadst given many proofs of thy mercy; the earth was full of thy goodness: but now, immediately before thy passion, thou thoughtst fit to give a double demonstration of thy just austerity; how else should the world have seen that thou canst be severe, as well as meek and merciful? And why mightst not thou, who didst make all things, freely destroy a plant for thy own glory! Wherefore were thy best creatures created, but for the praise of thy mercy and justice! What great matter was it, if thou, who once saidst, Let the earth bring forth the herb yielding seed, and the tree yielding the fruit of its own kind, shalt now say, Let this fruitless tree wither?
Yet was all this done in figure: in this act of thine, I see both an emblem and a prophesy. How didst thou therein mean to teach thy disciples how much thou hatest an unfruitful profession, and what judgment thou meanedst to bring upon that barren generation? Once before hadst thou compared the Jewish nation to a fig-tree in the midst of thy vineyard, which, after three years’ expectation and culture yielding no fruit, was by thee, the owner, doomed to a speedy destruction. Now thou actest, what then thou saidst. Scarce any tree abounds more with leaves and shade; no nation abounded more with ceremonial observances, and semblances of piety. Outward profession, where there is want of inward truth and real practice, does but help to draw down and to aggravate judgment: had this tree been utterly bare and leafless, it had perhaps escaped the curse. Hear this, ye vain hypocrites, who, only solicitous for a fair outside show, never care for the sincerity of a conscientious obedience; and thus with your own hands, draw and help forward the curse upon you!
That which was the fault of this tree, was also the punishment of it,fruitlessness, Mar 11:30. Had the boughs been appointed to be torn down, and the body split in pieces, the doom had been more easy; the juicy plant might yet have recovered, and have lived to recompence this deficiency. Now it shall be, what it was, fruitless. Horrible state of that church, or that soul, which is punished with her own sin! Outward plagues are but favour, in comparison of spiritual judgments.
Our Lord’s malediction might have been perfectly consistent with a long continuance; the tree might have lived long, though fruitless; but behold! no sooner is the word passed, than the leaves droop and turn yellow,the branches wrinkle and shrink,the bark changes colour,the root dies,the plant withers.
O God! what creature is able to abide the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure? Even the most great and glorious angels of heaven could not stand one moment before thine anger, but perished under thy wrath everlastingly. How irresistible thy power! how dreadful thy judgments! Lord, chasten my fruitlessness, but punish it not: at least, if thou punishest, oh curse it not; lest I wither, and be consumed!
REFLECTIONS.1st, The last week of the life of Jesus is now come, and we see him entering Jerusalem in triumph, not terrified with the fears of his enemies, or cast down by the sufferings that he was about to undergo.
1. He enters Jerusalem amid the hosannas of the people. He ordered his disciples, when he drew near the city, to bring an ass’s colt from the opposite village, directing them to the spot, and delivering a message from him, if any questioned them for what they did. Accordingly they went as Jesus had commanded them; and when the owners of the colt demanded why they loosed him, they told them the Lord hath need of him; and they contentedly let him go. Seated on this mean animal did Jesus enter the city, while, to express their gladness, his poor followers spread their garments in the way, and cut down branches from the trees as at the feast of tabernacles, surrounding him with hosannas, wishing prosperity to the long-expected Messiah, now bringing salvation to his people; praying that his reign may be long and happy who comes to sit on his father David’s throne, invested with divine authority; calling on the angels to join their praises, and begging God to pour down the best of blessings on the Messiah and his people.
2. He went directly to the temple: that was his palace: he aimed not at a temporal but spiritual dominion. And looking round to observe what was done there, and to take notice of the abuses which called for his correction, and, as appears from Mat 21:12-13 casting out those who trafficked there, he retired in the evening to Bethany with the twelve, the place that he chose for his abode. Note; The eye of Jesus is upon his temple, to see what the priests do there: it is upon the living temple of his people’s heart, observing every rising thought of evil. How watchful then need we be!
2nd, We have,
1. The cursing of the barren fig-tree, the type of the destruction of the Jewish nation. Our Lord, on his return from Bethany to the temple in the morning, being hungry, seeing a very flourishing fig-tree, came, expecting to find some figs thereon; for the time of figs was not yet, or the time of figs, when they should be gathered in, was not yet, and therefore he might expect fruit on the tree; but, finding none, he cursed the tree in the hearing of his disciples, who took particular notice of it. For the curses of the Lord are fearful, and never fall in vain.
2. He purges the temple of the buyers and sellers, who had made that sacred place a house of merchandize. It appears from Mat 21:12 that he had done the same the preceding day; but, probably supported and encouraged by the priests, the traders had returned to their former traffic the next day, and were thus again expelled. And, to vindicate his procedure, he quoted the words of the prophet, Isa 56:6-7 where God, speaking of the sons of the stranger, the proselytes, undertakes to welcome them to his house, which should be a house of prayer to all nations. But the court, which was appropriated to the service of the Gentiles, they had profaned by turning it into a market; and made it by their knavery and extortion a den of thieves.
3. The priests and scribes, incensed at what they saw and heard, especially at those severe rebukes which reflected so deeply on their characters, were bitterly exasperated; and, being determined to murder him, sought only how they might do it without exposing themselves to the fury of the populace; for they were afraid openly to use violence, the people in general expressing such a veneration for Christ’s person, and such respect and reverence for his doctrine. Note; Envy and malice naturally lead to murder; and it is only the fear of men that in a multitude of instances deters the wicked from the very act.
4. In the evening they returned to Bethany; and the next morning, in their way to the city, the disciples took notice with surprise of the withering of the fig-tree; and Peter, pointing to the tree, observed to his Master how it was withered away in consequence of the curse that he had pronounced upon it. Thence Christ took occasion to encourage them confidently to exercise faith in God at all times: and, especially in the exertion of the miraculous powers with which he had furnished them, they should find nothing impossible, not even to remove the mountain on which they stood, and cast it into the sea, if they had an unshaken trust in the divine power and promises, and looked up to God, nothing doubting: for whatever they should ask in prayer, which should be for his glory to give, and they were warranted from his word to expect, should certainly be given them. And on this occasion, as what would be essential to their obtaining an answer to their prayers, he inculcates fervent love and mutual forgiveness: when they stood praying for forgiveness, they must be ready to grant that pardon to others which they themselves sought at God’s hand. But if, under the spirit of uncharitableness, they refuse to forgive their brother his trespasses, their prayers would be in vain, and they must never hope for the pardon which themselves sought at the hands of their heavenly Father. Note; (1.) Faith is the conquering grace that overcomes the world, and bears down all obstacles before it. If at any time we are terrified by guilt, or enslaved by corruption, it is through our want of faith in God. (2.) Nothing can be a more powerful argument to engage our charity and forgiveness towards others, than what arises from our own prayers.
3rdly, Vexed at the heart to behold the respect paid to Jesus, and impatient to revenge his rebukes, which they construed into reproaches, we have,
1. The demand of the chief-priests and elders, challenging Christ to produce his authority for what he had said and done the preceding days, as if he had been lord and master of the temple.
2. He answers their question by another. By what authority did John preach and baptize? give me a direct reply. The answer was easy; but the difficulties in which on either side it involved them were great. They saw that to confess his mission divine, was to own all that Jesus claimed, John having borne testimony to him; on the other hand, to deny that the Baptist was sent of God, and to brand him as a pretender and impostor, would instantly enrage the people to rise up, perhaps, and stone them, all men in general being persuaded of John’s prophetic character; therefore, after reasoning on the matter, they are forced to conceal under a lie a truth which they dared not own, and to pretend ignorance of what they knew, as the only way to evade the answer that Christ demanded of them. He therefore was fully justified in refusing them farther information, when it evidently appeared that they sought not conviction of the truth, but merely his destruction. Note; (1.) It is a mercy to be able to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and at last to confound those who refuse to be convinced. (2.) They who wilfully choose to be ignorant, are justly abandoned to judicial blindness.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Ver. 22. See Trapp on “ Mat 21:21 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 11:22 . , have faith . The thoughts of Jesus here take a turn in a different direction to what we should have expected. We look for explanations as to the real meaning of an apparently unreasonable action, the cursing of a fig tree. Instead, He turns aside to the subject of the faith necessary to perform miraculous actions. Can it be that the tradition is at fault here, connecting genuine words of the Master about faith and prayer with a comparatively unsuitable occasion? Certainly much of what is given here is found in other connections
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Have faith in God. He and He alone can restore it to life – yea, “life from the dead”. See Rom 11:15.
God. App-98.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mar 11:22. , have) Hold fast.- , faith) Such as it is right that they should have, who have God [as their God]: faith great and sincere, which believes in God, and believes in there being no foundation save God in all the things of the natural world. So in prayer of God, i.e. to God in solitude, Luk 6:12. So the kindness of God is used of the kindness, which is bestowed on the orphan [of Jonathan] from a regard to God alone, 2Sa 9:3, with which comp. Mar 11:1. So the cedars of God are trees not planted by human hands. The mountains [hills] of God, those which human culture does not reach.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Have faith
Have the faith of God; i.e. the faith which God gives. Cf. 1Co 12:9; Eph 2:8.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Have: Mar 9:23, 2Ch 20:20, Psa 62:8, Isa 7:9, Joh 14:1, Tit 1:1
faith in God: or, the faith of God, Col 2:12
Reciprocal: Num 20:8 – speak Jos 10:14 – the Lord 2Ki 2:10 – Thou hast Mat 14:29 – he walked Mat 21:21 – If ye have Luk 8:50 – believe Luk 17:6 – If Act 3:16 – through 1Co 12:9 – faith 1Co 13:2 – and though I have all Jam 1:6 – let Jam 5:15 – the prayer
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
FAITH AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
Have faith in God.
Mar 11:22
If we search the Word of God, we shall find that our spiritual life owes it commencement, its continuance, and its consummation to faith.
I. Spiritual life commences by an act of faith.The just shall live by faith. The bestowal of spiritual life is, and ever must be regarded as, the gracious act of a loving God. But faith is the Divinely appointed link which brings this quickening power into our poor, dead souls, and makes us partakers of the life of God. By grace are ye saved through faith.
II. Faith is as necessary for the maintenance of our spiritual lifefor its development, for its expansion, for its strengtheningas it ever was for its inception (Gal 2:20; 2Co 1:24; Eph 6:16; Act 21:13). Each day of our lives will bring its own song of victory, if each day, like St. Paul, we live by the faith of the Son of God. Before that mighty principle of life the world with all its hostility will be despised, the flesh with all its unholy appetites will be quelled, and the devil with all his wiles will be trampled under foot. All things become possible to him that believeth.
III. Faith leads on to the final triumph of present discipline in the eternal glory that awaits the sons of God. Christians are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. When their warfare is accomplished, when their race is run, when their work is finished here on earth, they receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls.
Rev. G. Arthur Sowter.
Illustrations
(1) I was standing one summer afternoon in the very centre of the Rhine at Neuhausen. Above me the river swept along in its mighty course. Around me it thundered with a deafening roar as it leaped over the falls with an overwhelming force. Yet there I stood, in the heart of this mighty cataract, unharmed and void of fear. What prevented me from being swept away by the rushing waters? What gave me such security? A little point of rock which jutted above the waters and parted their torrent hither and thither. The river above me dashed fiercely against the rock, but it withstood the awful impact of the flood, it deflected the rushing current, and under its shadow I was safe. A single step beyond that shelter was death; beneath it, life and security. Such is the position of the soul which trusts in Christ.
(2) Lytton has beautifully said, As mankind only learnt the science of navigation in proportion as they acquired the knowledge of the stars, so in order to steer our course wisely through the seas of life we must have fixed our hearts upon the more sublime and distant objects of heaven.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Chapter 9.
Prayer and Its Power
“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”-Mar 11:22-23.
An Unexpected Reply.
On the Tuesday morning of that eventful week, when again our Lord and His followers made their way to Jerusalem, Peter noticed that the once leafy and luxuriant fig-tree was limp and wilted and dying. He remembered the episode of the previous morning, and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, behold the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God” (Mar 11:21-22). Now, that is not at all the kind of reply we should have expected Jesus to make to Peter’s remark. At the first sight, it scarcely seems to the point. The kind of answer that would have seemed to us natural would have been some reference about the sure fulfilment of all His words. Instead of that, “Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” That was, according to Jesus, the central and all-important truth to be learned from the withering of the fig-tree, a lesson of faith and its limitless power.
Power by Faith.
Christ accomplished His mighty works through the power of God resting upon Him, and the power was His because of His perfect and absolute union with the Father. Christ was never ineffective or impotent (like the disciples at the foot of the transfiguration hill), for the simple reason that He was never out of touch with God. He Himself worked the works of Him that sent Him (Joh 9:4); and His disciples, by faith might enter into enjoyment of the same power. “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also.” Nay more-“greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto the Father” (Joh 14:12). Our Lord, therefore, went on to declare, in startling terms, the power faith confers. “Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it” (Mar 11:23). This figure about “removing mountains” was, the commentators tell us, a favourite figure of speech for things passing ordinary capacity. And a vivid and striking figure it is. For what so solid and unmovable as the mountains “fixed in their everlasting seats”? And yet “to faith,” Jesus says, the task of removing mountains is no impossibility. No task, then, is too mighty for “faith” to accomplish. No difficulty is too stupendous for “faith” to overcome. For faith links a man up to God. It reinforces man with the omnipotent energies of God. “This is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith” (1Jn 5:4).
A Task for Faith.
There are some who hold that when Jesus said, “This mountain” He pointed across the valley to the hill on which the Temple stood, all flashing and gleaming with its marble and gold; that what He meant to suggest was that these twelve disciples of His with a great faith in their hearts could remove “that mountain”; could break down and overthrow the fabric of Judaism; could cast the knowledge of God and the worship of God-supposed hitherto to be confined to that mountain-into the midst of the sea, i.e. could diffuse it amongst all nations. I am doubtful whether the saying is to be interpreted in that specialised way; and yet the diffusion of Christianity, in spite of all efforts to crush and destroy it, is a most striking illustration of its truth. It is one example of the “removing of the mountain.” For if any enterprise ever seemed hopeless, it was the enterprise on which the Apostles at the bidding of Christ set out. There was Judaism, on the one hand-stable, as it seemed, as one of the eternal hills. And here were twelve illiterate and humble provincials on the other. Twelve men against a nation, a nation reinforced by adherents in every part of the world. To expect these twelve men to break up the fabric of Judaism seems as absurd as to expect twelve men with pick-axe and shovel to shift Mont Blanc. But, when the time came, they had a mighty faith in their hearts, and the seemingly impossible did not daunt them. Within fifty years there was no Temple on Mount Zion, and Judaism as a sacrificing system was no more. The mountain was cast into the midst of the sea.
Mountains Removed.
-In the Early Days of the Church.
This triumph of faith assuredly does not stand alone. After Jerusalem, the early disciples found themselves confronted by Rome, in some respects the mightiest and most colossal fabric of empire the world has ever seen. A handful of Jews on the one side, and mighty Rome on the other. But with faith in their hearts they addressed themselves to the task their Master had assigned them. “I am ready to preach the Gospel to you also that are in Rome” (Rom 1:15), declares Paul. He was all eagerness to give himself to the task. “Remove!” he cried. And “Remove!” cried his followers and successors. And the mountain began to totter. Rome, that once persecuted and harried and slew the Christians, in time showed signs of yielding, until at last with Julian’s baffled and defeated cry, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!” you behold the mountain cast into the midst of the sea.
-In India.
Many another mountain has been removed since those far-off days. When William Carey went out to India to preach Christianity a great many people felt that he might as well try to shift the Himalayas as try to replace Hinduism with Christianity. Sydney Smith (himself a clergyman), in the pages of the Edinburgh Review, made fine sport of the foolish enterprise of the “consecrated cobbler,” as he dubbed him. William Carey knew the difficulty. He was aware that to make an impression on India was like trying to remove mountains. But he had faith, superb and magnificent faith, and so, weak and lonely as he was, he went out to India, and, confronting the mountain of Hinduism, began to cry, “Be thou removed.” Others followed in Carey’s wake, and took up the same cry. A little army of missionaries is to-day saying, “Be thou removed.” It is true Hinduism is not yet cast into the sea. But will anyone look at India and say the mountain has not moved? All India has been shaken out of its old allegiance. Its faith in its million gods is dying. The mountain is yielding, crumbling, falling; our successors should see it cast into the midst of the sea.
-In the South Seas.
When John Williams went out to the South Seas, a lustful and cannibal paganism had those fair islands in its grip. John Williams went from island to island, and faced that paganism-solid and unshakeable as the mountains, so it seemed, because so inextricably intertwined with the entire social life of the people. He faced that paganism in island after island, crying before it, “Be thou removed! Be thou removed!” It seemed a hopeless and impossible enterprise; but look at the result. Islands have been cleansed, civilised, Christianised. The Christian Church has taken the place of the cannibal feast. The mountain has been cast into the midst of the sea.
The day of miracles is not over. “The works that I do shall ye do also,” said Jesus, “and greater works than these shall ye do.” The power that worked in and through Christ is willing to work in and through us. This is the one condition-have faith in God.
Faithless Prayer.
From speaking of faith our Lord proceeds to speak of prayer. The transition is quite a natural one. It is prayer that expresses faith. It is because we believe in God that we pray to Him at all. It is in prayer we open our souls to God’s indwelling. But prayer which is not the expression of faith is mere waste of breath. The only effectual prayer is believing prayer-prayer animated and informed by a living faith. “Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them.” (Mar 11:24). Believe that ye have received them! Why, we offer many prayers without expecting answers to them-just exactly as members of the Church at Jerusalem offered prayers for the release of Peter, and were frightened almost out of their wits when Rhoda came and told them Peter was actually knocking at the door. We pray for revivals, but we scarcely expect them. We pray for conversions, but we should be surprised if people really did cry, “Men, brethren, what must we do to be saved?” We do not believe that we have the things we ask for. Faith does not animate our prayers, and as a result they fail.
-And its Result.
I wonder whether this may in part account for the ineffectiveness of the Church. We still have a good deal of prayer (of a sort), but it is not this expectant, believing prayer. And perhaps it is our lack of faith that accounts for our weakness. Unbelief interferes with our supply of power. You perhaps remember that incident about a Colorado village which Mr Gordon narrates in his Quiet Talks on Power. The rainfall is slight out there, and so some public-spirited citizen made a reservoir away up in the hills, and by means of pipes brought an abundant supply of fresh, sweet water into every house in the town. But one morning, when the housewives turned the taps, there was only a little damp splutter; no water came. The men set out to investigate. They thought something must be the matter with the reservoir. But there was nothing amiss up there; it was full of clear, cold, sparkling water. They examined the pipes as far as they could, but they could find no break. And so it went on for a day or two, until the little village was threatened with a water famine. Then one of the officials got a note which said, “If you will first pull the plug out of the pipe about eight inches from the top you’ll get all the water you want.” So up the men went again, and dug open the pipe, and found a plug which some mischief-maker had inserted. That plug was keeping the water away from the town. The full reservoir was of no use to the town because of that plug.
Pull out the Plug.
May it not be so with us and the Divine power? There is no failure in God. The reservoir of grace and power is as full as ever it was. And yet somehow or other we are short of power, we lack force, we have no strength. What is the matter? There is a plug in the pipe. There is something that stops the outflow of the Divine energy of grace. And what is that something? Unbelief. We have not a living, utter trust in God. We do not believe that we have the things for which we ask. And before the power will come we must take out the plug. We must do away with, unbelief. We are not straitened in God, we are only straitened in ourselves. It is faith, daring and triumphant faith, we want-a living and whole-hearted trust in God. According to our faith it shall be unto us. “Lord, increase our faith.”
Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary
2
The first reply of Jesus was that it requires faith in God.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
LET us learn from these words of our Lord Jesus Christ, the immense importance of faith.
This is a lesson which our Lord teaches first by a proverbial saying. Faith shall enable a man to accomplish works, and overcome difficulties, as great and formidable as the “removing of a mountain, and casting it into the sea.” [Footnote: It is clear that a promise like this of “removing mountains” must be taken in a figurative sense. It appears to be a proverbial expression, and to be used as such by Paul, 1Co 13:2. Moreover it is a promise that must be interpreted with sober and reasonable limitations. We have no right to expect that whatever we take it into our heads to ask of God shall at once be done for us, whether it be for His glory and our sanctification or not. We have no warrant for presuming that in every difficulty and trouble, God will at once work a miracle and deliver us from our anxiety as soon as we make it a subject of prayer. The things about which we pray, must be things having special reference to our own vocation and providential position. Moses at the head of the twelve tribes of Israel-Elijah on Mount Carmel-Paul in the Philippian prison, might confidently expect miraculous interpositions in answer to prayer, in a way that private individuals may not expect in our days. Above all, we must not think to prescribe to God the time and way in which He shall “remove mountains” for us.] Afterwards the lesson is impressed upon us still further, by a general exhortation to exercise faith when we pray. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” This promise must of course be taken with a reasonable qualification. It assumes that a believer will ask things which are not sinful, and which are in accordance with the will of God. When He asks such things, he may confidently believe that his prayer will be answered. To use the words of James, “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” (Jam 1:6.)
The faith here commended must be distinguished from that faith which is essential to justification. In principle undoubtedly all true faith is one and the same. It is always trust or belief. But in the object and operations of faith, there are diversities, which it is useful to understand. Justifying faith is that act of the soul by which a man lays hold on Christ, and has peace with God. Its special object is the atonement for sin which Jesus made on the cross. The faith spoken of in the passage now before us is a grace of more general signification, the fruit and companion of justifying faith, but still not to be confounded with it. It is rather a general confidence in God’s power, wisdom, and goodwill towards believers. And its special objects are the promises, the word, and the character of God in Christ.
Confidence in God’s power and will to help every believer in Christ, and in the truth of every word that God has spoken, is the grand secret of success and prosperity in our religion. In fact, it is the very root of saving Christianity. “By it the elders obtained a good report.” “He that cometh unto God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” To know the full worth of it in the sight of God, we should often study the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Do we desire to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we wish to make progress in our religion, and become strong Christians, and not mere babes in spiritual things? Then let us pray daily for more faith, and watch our faith with most jealous watchfulness. Here is the corner-stone of our religion. A flaw or weakness here will affect the whole condition of our inner man. According to our faith will be the degree of our peace, our hope, our joy, our decision in Christ’s service, our boldness in confession, our strength in work, our patience in trial, our resignation in trouble, our sensible comfort in prayer. All, all will hinge on the proportion of our faith. Happy are they who know how to rest their whole weight continually on a covenant God, and to walk by faith, not by sight. “He that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isa 28:16.)
Let us learn, for another thing, from these verses, the absolute necessity of a forgiving spirit towards others. This lesson is here taught us in a striking way. There is no immediate connection between the importance of faith, of which our Lord had just been speaking, and the subject of forgiving injuries. But the connecting link is prayer. First we are told that faith is essential to the success of our prayers. But then it is added, no prayers can be heard which do not come from a forgiving heart. “When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
The value of our prayers, we can all understand, depends exceedingly on the state of mind in which we offer them. But the point before us is one which receives far less attention than it deserves. Our prayers must not only be earnest, fervent, and sincere, and in the name of Christ. They must contain one more ingredient besides. They must come from a forgiving heart. We have no right to look for mercy, if we are not ready to extend mercy to our brethren. We cannot really feel the sinfulness of the sins we ask to have pardoned if we cherish malice towards our fellow men. We must have the heart of a brother toward our neighbor on earth, if we wish God to be our Father in heaven. We must not flatter ourselves that we have the Spirit of adoption if we cannot bear and forbear.
This is a heart-searching subject. The quantity of malice, bitterness, and party spirit among Christians is fearfully great. No wonder that so many prayers seem to be thrown away and unheard. It is a subject which ought to come home to all classes of Christians. All have not equal gifts of knowledge and utterance in their approaches to God. But all can forgive their fellow-men. It is a subject which our Lord Jesus Christ has taken special pains to impress on our minds. He has given it a prominent place in that pattern of prayers, the Lord’s prayer. We are all familiar from our infancy with the words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.” Well would it be for many, if they would consider what those words mean!
Let us leave the passage with serious self-inquiry. Do we know what it is to be of a forgiving spirit? Can we look over the injuries that we receive from time to time in this evil world? Can we pass over a transgression and pardon an offence? if not, where is our Christianity? If not, why should we wonder that our souls do not prosper? Let us resolve to amend our ways in this matter. Let us determine by God’s grace to forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. This is the nearest approach we can make to the mind of Christ Jesus. This is the character which is most suitable to a poor sinful child of Adam. God’s free forgiveness of sins is our highest privilege in this world. God’s free forgiveness will be our only title to eternal life in the world to come. Then let us be forgiving during the few years that we are here upon earth. [Footnote: The expression “when ye stand praying,” in this passage, ought not to be overlooked. It is one of those forms of speech in the Bible, which ought to teach all Christians not to he dogmatical in laying down minute rules about the externals of religion, and especially about the precise manner, gesture, or posture in which a believer ought to pray. If a man is fully persuaded that he can hold closer communion with God, and pour out his heart more freely and without distraction, in the attitude of standing than in that of kneeling, I dare not tell him that he is wrong. The great point to insist on us is the absolute necessity of praying with the heart. The last words of Sir Walter Raleigh to his executioner on the scaffold are a beautiful illustration of the right view of the question: “Friend, it matters little how a man’s head lies, if his heart be right in the sight of God.”]
Fuente: Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
Mar 11:22. Have faith in God, the object of faith. This miracle was a sign of the condemnation on Israel, and so understood by the Apostles. Still their views on the whole subject were indistinct. Our Lord thus answers a sense of weakness which the Apostles had in view of the glory and strength of the visible temple and its supporters. They are therefore directed to Almighty God as the object of their faith. The words have in themselves the widest application, but the next two verses show that the Apostles were directed to God as the source of power for themselves, spiritual power in the case of all believers, miraculous power in their case, in view of their special mission.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mar 11:22-24. Jesus answering, saith, Have faith in God The original expression, , is literally, Have a faith of God; that is, say some, Have a strong faith. And it is a known Hebraism, to subjoin the words, of God, to a substantive, to denote great, mighty, excellent; and to an adjective, as the sign of the superlative. In support of this interpretation, Bishop Pearce has produced a number of passages, universally explained in this manner. I cannot help, however, upon the whole, says Dr. Campbell, preferring the common version. My reasons are, 1st, I find that the substantives construed with , (God,) when it signifies great or mighty, are names either of real substances, or of outward and visible effects. Of the first kind are prince, mountain, wind, cedar, city; of the second are wrestling, trembling, sleep; but nowhere, as far as I can discover, do we find any abstract quality, such as faith, hope, love, justice, truth, mercy, used in this manner. When any of these words are thus construed with God, he is confessedly the subject, or the object of the affection mentioned. 2d, The word , both in the Acts and in the epistles, is often construed with the genitive of the object, precisely in the same manner as here. Thus, Act 3:16, , is, faith in his [Christs] name; Rom 3:22, , is, faith in Jesus Christ. See to the same purpose, Rom 3:26; Gal 2:16; Gal 2:20; Gal 3:22; Php 3:9; , hope, is used in the same way, 1Th 1:3. The evident meaning of this precept, as given to the apostles, was, Have a firm faith or confidence in the power and faithfulness of God, to enable you to effect what you believe will be for his glory, and the furtherance of the work in which you are engaged. This has been frequently termed the faith of miracles, concerning which, see note on Mat 17:20. It is certain, says Dr. Doddridge, that the attempt of performing miracles in public, was a remarkable instance of faith in the divine power and fidelity; for they were generally introduced by some solemn declaration of what was intended, which was, in effect, a prediction of immediate success: (so Peter says, Act 3:6, In the name of Jesus Christ, Rise up and walk; Mar 9:34, Eneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole; and again, Mar 9:40, Tabitha, arise.) And, in pronouncing this, the person speaking pawned all his credit as a messenger from God, and consequently all the honour and usefulness of his future life, on the immediate miraculous energy to attend his words, and to be visibly excited on his uttering them. And hence it is that such a firm, courageous faith, is so often urged on those to whom such miraculous powers were given. But what kind of intimation of Gods intended miraculous interposition the apostles, in such cases, felt on their minds, it is impossible for any, without having experienced it, to know. It is, therefore, an instance of their wisdom, that they never pretend to describe it, since no words could have conveyed the idea.
This exhortation, however, is not to be considered as being exclusively given to our Lords apostles and first disciples: it is also given to us, and to all his true followers, to the end of the world. We are all here exhorted to have a steadfast faith in the power, love, and faithfulness of God; and to be fully persuaded that he will make good all his declarations, and fulfil all his promises, in their proper meaning, to all true believers in due season; and this, notwithstanding any difficulties or apparent improbabilities which may be in the way. And it is on this foundation that we must approach God in prayer, fully expecting, if we ask such things as we are authorized by his word to ask, and are earnest, importunate, and persevering in asking them, that we shall certainly receive what we ask, as our Lord declares in the next words; even if the granting of our petitions imply Gods doing what is really extraordinary, he having, in all ages, on certain occasions, done what was truly miraculous, in answer to the prayers of his faithful people; innumerable instances of which, especially with respect to recovery from sickness, may easily be produced. For instances, see the Arminian Magazines, vol. 5., pages 251, 312; vol. 8., page 200; vol. 9, pages 35, 36; vol. 14., pages 468, 532; vol. 16., page 146; vol. 19., page 409.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have {e} faith in God.
(e) The faith of God is that assured faith and trust which we have in him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Rather than explaining the symbolic significance of the cursing of the fig tree, Jesus proceeded to focus on the means by which the miracle happened. This was an important discipleship lesson that Jesus had taught before (cf. Mat 6:13-14; Mat 7:7; Mat 17:20; Mat 18:19; Luk 11:9; Luk 17:6), but it appears only here in Mark. The point was that dependent trust in God can accomplish humanly impossible things through prayer (cf. Jas 1:6).
God is the source of the power to change. Moving a mountain is a universal symbol of doing something that appears to be impossible (cf. Zec 4:7). Jesus presupposed that overcoming the difficulty in view was God’s will. A true disciple of Jesus would hardly pray for anything else (Mat 6:10). The person praying can therefore believe that what he requests will happen because it is God’s will. He will neither doubt God’s ability to do what he requests, since God can do anything, nor will he doubt that God will grant his petition, since it is God’s will. He will not have a divided heart about this matter. [Note: See David DeGraaf, "Some Doubts about Doubt: The New Testament Use of Diakrino," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:8 (December 2005):744-49.]
Why did Mark not explain what Jesus assumed, namely, that disciples would pray for God’s will to happen? Evidently when he wrote, his original readers were committed Christians. The Roman Empire then weeded out simply professing Christians much more than is true today, at least in the West. The idea that a Christian would want anything but the will of God to happen was absurd in a world where identifying oneself as a Christian meant severe persecution and possibly death.