{"id":24647,"date":"2022-09-24T10:41:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T15:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-mark-1120\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T10:41:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T15:41:07","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-mark-1120","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-mark-1120\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 11:20"},"content":{"rendered":"

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

20 26<\/strong>. The Withered Fig-Tree<\/p>\n

20<\/strong>. And in the morning<\/em> ] The early morning of Tuesday in Holy Week.<\/p>\n

as they passed by<\/em> ] On their return to the Holy City.<\/p>\n

dried up from the roots<\/em> ] From St Matthew (Mat 21:19<\/span>) it would appear that “some beginnings of the threatened withering began to shew themselves, almost as soon as the word of the Lord was spoken; a shuddering fear may have run through all the leaves of the tree, which was thus stricken at its heart.” Trench.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

See the notes on “Mat 21:21<\/span>“. It is I confess the opinion of many excellent interpreters, whom I reverence, that the main end of our Saviours cursing and blasting this fig tree, was to let his disciples see in a type what would be the consequent of a spiritual barrenness. That spiritual barrenness is exceedingly dangerous is out of question; our Saviour teacheth us it plainly by another parable of the fig tree, Luk 13:6-9<\/span>, and the apostle teacheth us it, Heb 6:7<\/span>,8<\/span>. But I see nothing to guide us to any such interpretation of this action of his, which was a miraculous operation, by which as he; <\/P>

1. Plainly showed his Divine power; so; <\/P>

2. These verses inform us, that it was his design to show his people the power of faith, that is, a full persuasion, that whatsoever we ask of God according to his will, and which may tend to his glory, shall be done for us. <\/P>

Which interpretation of this action of our Saviours solves all the difficulties relating to this story, about which interpreters have so disquieted themselves. <\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

20. And in the morning<\/B>ofTuesday, the third day of the week: He had slept, as during all thisweek, at Bethany. <\/P>

as they passed by<\/B>goinginto Jerusalem again. <\/P>

they saw the fig tree driedup from the roots<\/B>no partial blight, leaving life in the root;but it was now dead, root and branch. In Mt21:19<\/span> it is said it withered away as soon as it was cursed. Butthe full blight had not appeared probably at once; and in the duskperhaps, as they returned to Bethany, they had not observed it. Theprecision with which Mark distinguishes the days is not observed byMatthew, intent only on holding up the truths which the incident wasdesigned to teach. In Matthew the whole is represented as takingplace at once, just as the two stages of Jairus’ daughterdying anddeadare represented by him as one. The only difference is betweena more summary and a more detailed narrative, each of which onlyconfirms the other.<\/P><\/p>\n

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

And in the morning, as they passed by<\/strong>,…. The fig tree; when they returned the next morning from Bethany, or the Mount of Olives, or the place, wherever it was, they had been that night:<\/p>\n

they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots<\/strong>; they did not see it immediately wither as it did, nor could they see it, as they went from Jerusalem to this place, because it was then in the evening; but in the morning, as they came along, they observed it; not only that the tender branches and boughs of it, but the trunk and body of the tree, and even the roots of it, were all dried up; so that it was entirely dead, and there was no room ever to expect it would revive, and bear any more fruit.<\/p>\n

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

As they passed by in the morning <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Literally, passing by in the morning. The next morning. They went back by the lower road up the Mount of Olives and came down each morning by the steep and more direct way. Hence they saw it. Mt 21:20<\/span> does not separate the two mornings as Mark does.<\/P>

From the roots <\/B> ( <\/SPAN><\/span>). Mark alone gives this detail with <\/SPAN><\/span> perfect passive predicate participle from <\/SPAN><\/span>. <\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) “And in the morning as they passed by,”<\/strong> (kai paraporeuomenoi proi) “And as they passed along early the next morning,” In the clear daylight of the morning, in contrast with the darker shadows of the previous late afternoon, as they went passed it, while going out of Jerusalem, Mar 11:19<\/span>.<\/p>\n

2) “They saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.”<\/strong> (eidon ten suken ekserammenen ek hrizon) “They saw the fig tree had been withered from the roots,” had dried, Mat 21:19-20<\/span>. This perhaps expresses the thoughts of our Lord concerning Israel in her barren form of worship.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

C. TUESDAY:
1. THE LESSON OF THE WITHERED FIG TREE. 11:20-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

TEXT 11:20-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away, And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, 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. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand praying forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your tresspasses.<\/p>\n

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 11:20-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

626.<\/p>\n

Is there any significance in the amount of time involved in the withering of the fig tree?<\/p>\n

627.<\/p>\n

What is indicated in the withering from the roots up?<\/p>\n

628.<\/p>\n

Of what was Peter reminded when he saw the withered tree?<\/p>\n

629.<\/p>\n

Was there a question implicit in the statement of Peter in Mar. 11:21<\/span>? What was it?<\/p>\n

630.<\/p>\n

Show the connection of the words of Peter in Mar. 11:21<\/span> and those of our Lord in Mar. 11:22<\/span>.<\/p>\n

631.<\/p>\n

Was there a special need for faith at this time? Why?<\/p>\n

632.<\/p>\n

Did Jesus have reference to a literal mountain?<\/p>\n

633.<\/p>\n

Please associate this faith with the supernatural powers exercised by the apostles throughout their ministry.<\/p>\n

634.<\/p>\n

Discuss the context of Mar. 11:25-26<\/span> i.e. show how they relate to what has preceded.<\/p>\n

COMMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIME.A.D. 30Tuesday, 4th April, 12th of Nisan, the third day before the great Jewish Passover.
PLACES.On the road from Bethany to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

PARALLEL ACCOUNTS.Mat. 21:19-22<\/span>.<\/p>\n

OUTLINE.1. The withered fig treehow did it happen?, Mar. 11:20-21<\/span>. 2<\/span>. By faith in Godyou could do even greater, Mar. 11:22-24<\/span>. 3<\/span>. But not if you do not forgive, Mar. 11:25-26<\/span>.<\/p>\n

ANALYSIS<\/strong><\/p>\n

I.<\/p>\n

THE WITHERED FIG TREEHOW DID IT HAPPEN?, Mar. 11:20-21<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

This question raised in the morning as Jesus and the apostles passed the withered fig tree.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Peter asked the question.<\/p>\n

II.<\/p>\n

BY FAITH IN GODYOU COULD DO EVEN GREATER, Mar. 11:22-24<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

Faith in God essential.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

Real faith can remove mountains.<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

No request is denied those with genuine faith.<\/p>\n

III.<\/p>\n

BUT NOT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE, Mar. 11:25-26<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

When you pray forgive that you might be forgiven.<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

If you do not forgive you can not be forgiven.<\/p>\n

EXPLANATORY NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

I.<\/p>\n

THE WITHERED FIG TREEHOW DID IT HAPPEN?<\/p>\n

Here begins the record of Tuesday, which extends (if we include with the day the evening, according to our way of reckoning) to the end of chap. 13. The other records of the day are Luke, chaps. 20, 21, and Matthew, Mat. 21:20-25<\/span>; Mat. 21:46<\/span>. This was the last day of his public ministry. Of no other day have we so full a record, and none that we know of was more significant in his personal history. Now came the great decisive conflict, in which his enemies were openly worsted, one after another, and driven to the desperation of hatred.But first, on the way to the city, they observed the blighted tree. Dried up from the roots. It was no mere injury or weakening, no withering of the foliage; the tree was destroyed and already ruined.And Peter, calling to remembrance. Peculiar to Mark, and doubtless a personal reminiscence of Peter.Yet here, as elsewhere, he uttered the general thought. Which thou cursedst.i.e. which thou didst devote to evil. Beware of associating with the word in the least degree the idea of profanity. The ordinary name for this act, the cursing of the fig tree, is an unfortunate one. To modern ears it suggests strong language, even profane language, and improper feeling; whereas the language was moderate and feeling was right. Blighting, or destruction, is far better.<\/p>\n

II.<\/p>\n

BY FAITH IN GODYOU COULD DO EVEN GREATER.<\/p>\n

Mar. 11:22<\/span>. Have faith in God. Literally, faith of God, God being conceived of as the object of faith. A very unexpected turn of discourse, the purpose of his act upon the tree being entirely ignored. Why did he not explain the symbolic meaning of the act? And why did he content himself with giving an object-lesson in faith? It was on the principle of Joh. 16:12<\/span> : I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. He preferred to leave the sad symbolic meaning to be perceived at a later time, when they could better understand it. Before the day was over they might begin to understand it for themselves by observing how Jerusalem treated their Master. If not so, his discourse at evening might begin to open their eyes. For that discourse this act was a kind of text, It did not now need unfolding; it would be opened soon enough. But of a lesson in faith they were in need ; and so, instead of telling them why this had been done, he told them how works of faith still greater might be performed.<\/p>\n

Mar. 11:23<\/span>. Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, etc. A similar saying had been given the disciples after their failure to heal the lunatic child (Mat. 17:20<\/span>). Such language cannot possibly have been understood by them or meant by him in any sense but that of hyperbole. (See an allusion to this saying in 1Co. 13:2<\/span>). The thought is that works as impossible to human strength as the moving of the Mount of Olives to the sea shall be possible to faith and shall actually be wrought. With God all things are possible. For an illustration of Jesus bringing divine possibilities near to human faith, see his words to Martha (Joh. 11:23-27<\/span>).Undoubting confidence is the secret of such power; but confidence in what? The belief that those things which he saith shall come to pass must have some foundation ; what is the true foundation? Plainly, the confidence that is here encouraged is the confidence that the proposed act is accordant with the will of God, and that the will of God can and will be done. Such confidence, if it is to be of any value, cannot be blind, It must have its rational and spiritual supports. No man can expect, under this promise, that a mountain will be removed until he is convinced by good reasons that God wishes it to be removed. If he is sure of that, and sure that what God wishes can and will be done, he will believe that the mountain is to be removed. The promise is made to undoubting confidence; but if there is room for question whether the confidence is not irrational, how can it continue undoubting? So this promise gives no encouragement to random, enthusiastic prayers or to selfish petitions. Prevailing prayer is reasonable.<\/p>\n

Mar. 11:24<\/span>. Thereforei.e. because faith is so mightyI say unto youa sign of special emphasisWhat things soever ye desire when ye pray. This is given correctly by the revisers: all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for. Desire is a mistranslation for ask.Believe that ye received (them), and they shall be to you. So literally. The verb received is in the aorist. The best commentary on this saying is found in Rom. 8:26-27<\/span>, where the acceptable petitions which are destined to be granted are said to have been given to the suppliant by the Holy Spirit, and by him made so strong in the soul as to be unutterable groanings of desire. Thus our Lord says, Believe that you received these things from the Spirit of God as the materials of prayer; believe that these longings were awakened in you from above; and your requests shall be granted. But this faith, again, cannot be blind, if it is to inherit such a promise. It must have its reasonsso good that the whole man shall be satisfied with them. The reading of the will of God must be rational, as well as the pleading of it. The promise is, in meaning, When you have reason to believe, and do believe that your prayer came to your heart from the Spirit of God, you may be sure that an answer to your prayer will also come from God. Compare the profound yet simple testimony concerning prayer in 1Jn. 5:14-15<\/span>. There, as here, the crucial point is the knowing that we are asking according to his will. But thanks be to God that there is a Spirit who maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God, working in them that which is well-pleasing in his sight !<\/p>\n

III.<\/p>\n

BUT NOT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE.<\/p>\n

Mar. 11:25-26<\/span>. Forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your father also which is in heaven may forgive you. This saying is very similar to Mat. 6:14-15<\/span>; Mat. 18:35<\/span>. <\/span>Mar. 11:26<\/span> is properly omitted by the revisers as having been added here by free quotation from Mat. 6:15<\/span>. The solemn words concerning forgiveness were added, perhaps, partly to prevent misunderstanding of his act upon the fig tree and false inferences from it. Prayer is a tremendous power, but it cannot be used for the gratification of personal resentments. So far from that, the cherishing of such resentments is fatal to prayer itself, being fatal to that full acceptance with God upon which, as a basis, prevailing prayer proceeds. An unforgiving prayer against an enemy would be null and fruitless by its own nature according to this law. Still further, the unforgiving spirit would vitiate all prayer, In this searching law, expressed in Mar. 11:26<\/span>, there is nothing retaliatory or narrow on the part of God. The reason for the law lies in the nature of things. The unforgiving spirit is not the penitent and humble spirit to which forgiveness is promised. Rather is it the hard and self-asserting temper to which the remission of sins cannot be granted. To harbor resentment while pleading for pardon is to cherish the guile of Psa. 32:2<\/span>. This law, limiting the availability of prayer, makes power contingent upon love: the true Christian relation.For other illustrations of what things are contingent upon love, study the First Epistle of John. Do not shrink from the Epistle, either. No part of Scripture is more searching or more fundamental. (W. N. Clarke).<\/p>\n

FACT QUESTIONS 11:20-26<\/strong><\/p>\n

702.<\/p>\n

What is especially significant about the day on which this incident Occurred?<\/p>\n

703.<\/p>\n

In what sense are we to understand the use of the word cursed as in Mar. 11:21<\/span>? What would be a better word? Why?<\/p>\n

704.<\/p>\n

Why didnt Jesus explain the symbolic meaning of destroying the fig tree? Cf. Joh. 16:12<\/span>.<\/p>\n

705.<\/p>\n

Show the similarity of Mar. 11:23<\/span> and Mat. 17:20<\/span>.<\/p>\n

706.<\/p>\n

What is the essential thought in Mar. 11:23<\/span>?<\/p>\n

707.<\/p>\n

What is the true foundation for removing a mountain to the sea?<\/p>\n

708.<\/p>\n

Show how Rom. 8:26-27<\/span> and 1Jn. 5:14-15<\/span> illustrate the meaning of Mar. 11:24<\/span>.<\/p>\n

709.<\/p>\n

Why were the words on forgiveness added to those on faith?<\/p>\n

710.<\/p>\n

What was said about Psa. 32:2<\/span> and the first letter of John?<\/p>\n

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

(20-25) And in the morning.<\/strong>See Notes on Mat. 21:20-22<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

113. THE WITHERED FIG TREE REMARKED, vv. AND REFLECTIONS, Mar 11:20-26<\/em><\/span><\/em> .<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

20<\/strong>. <\/strong> In the morning <\/em> Of Tuesday in the Passion Week. Dried up from the roots <\/em> Marking how total was the death and aridness of the tree. The decay of long years was wrought upon it in a few hours, perhaps in a moment.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

‘And as they passed by in the morning they saw the fig tree, withered away from its roots.’<\/p>\n

‘They passed by.’ Possibly, but not necessarily, the day after the cleansing of the Temple. The point is that they saw it when they were re-entering the city whose end it portrayed, which was probably the next morning.<\/p>\n

‘They saw the fig tree withered away from its roots.’ It is emphasised that its roots were dead, just as the supposed source of religious sustenance for the Jews was dead.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Jesus Teaches a Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree ( Mat 21:20-22<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ) <\/strong> In Mar 11:20-26<\/span> we have the account of Jesus teaching His disciples a lesson from the withered fig tree. Note in this passage of Scripture how faith and forgiveness go hand in hand (see also Luk 17:3-10<\/span>). The building of the Panama Canal began as an idea, impossible as it may seem, then a confession of faith and agreement. This was mountain-moving faith in action.<\/p>\n

Mark’s Gospel gives us a much more extensive description of Jesus teaching His disciples about having faith in God than the other Gospels. This is because Mark’s Gospel places more emphasis upon the need to have faith in God to work miracles as the needed signs while preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in His commission to them (Mar 16:14-18<\/span>), which is the underlying theme of this Gospel.<\/p>\n

The Confession of Our Faith – <\/em><\/strong> The Lord taught Kenneth Hagin a tremendous lesson from this passage of Scripture in Mark’s Gospel. The Lord showed him that Jesus mentioned the words “saying” three times, while mentioning the word “faith” only once. He then told Hagin that God’s people were not missing it in having faith, but rather, in their confession. He then asked Kenneth Hagin to teach three times as much on a believer’s confession as on them having faith. [122]<\/p>\n

[122] Kenneth Hagin, Bible Faith Study Course <\/em> (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Faith Library Publications, c1991, 1999), 71.<\/p>\n

Andrew Wommack used this story of Jesus teaching His disciples to speak to the mountain in Mar 11:20-26<\/span> to teach believers that God has already healed their bodies according to 1Pe 2:24<\/span>, “and by his stripes ye were healed.” They just needed to speak this divine Word of God over their bodies and command sickness and disease to leave in Jesus’ name. He then gave the illustration of a television signal. This broadcast signal was in the room, but it could not be seen. An unbeliever would say that it was not there because they could not see it; but, if a person turns on their television set, the signal is manifested in the natural. In the same way, we turn healing on in our bodies when we confess what God’s Word has already been declared about it. We must simply come in agreement with it. [123]<\/p>\n

[123] Andrew Wommack, “Sermon” (Kampala, Uganda: Glory of Christ Church), 18 February 2007.<\/p>\n

Faith and Patience – <\/em><\/strong> In his book I Saw Heaven,<\/em> Roberts Lairdon quotes a statement that Jesus make to him during his heavenly visitation regarding our faith and confession, “Then He (Jesus) cried harder and said, ‘I do not understand why people say they believe I will do something, but when it does not happen in their time, they begin to doubt my Word. If they will just believe and say with confidence that I will do it, I will<\/em> do it at the correct time.’” [124]<\/p>\n

[124] Roberts Lairdon, I Saw Heaven <\/em> (Tulsa, Oklahoma: Albury Publishing, 1991), 38.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:20<\/strong><\/span>  And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. <\/p>\n

Mar 11:20<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <\/strong> Comments – <\/em><\/strong> When a tree withers, it normally withers from the outmost branches downward, with the trunk and roots dying last. However, Mar 11:20<\/span> describes a situation where the tree is withering from the roots upward. It would be easy for the disciples to justify this fig tree being withered from the limbs downward; but it would have been a unique sight and obvious miracle to observe this tree with withered roots with the limbs still strong.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:22<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong> Comments – <\/em><\/strong> In Mar 11:22<\/span> Jesus responses to Peter’s observation by telling His disciples to have faith in God. He wanted to teach His disciples that the fig tree withered not because He was the Son of God, but because He had faith in God. This faith in God is the basis of all miracles, which Jesus will refer to in His final commission in Mar 16:15-18<\/span> by saying, “These signs shall follow them that believe…”<\/p>\n

Mar 11:23<\/strong><\/span>  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. <\/p>\n

Mar 11:23<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> <\/strong> Comments – <\/em><\/strong> In 1Co 13:2<\/span> Paul makes a reference to the gift of faith, “and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” Jesus makes several references to the great potential of faith in Mar 11:23<\/span> and Luk 17:6<\/span>. He also operated with this gift when He spoke to the storm and it ceased (Mar 4:39-40<\/span>), and when He cursed the fig tree (Mar 11:14<\/span>); for Jesus used this statement in Mark’s Gospel to explain how the fig tree had withered. <\/p>\n

Mar 11:23<\/span>, “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.”<\/p>\n

Luk 17:6<\/span>, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.”<\/p>\n

Illustration – <\/em><\/strong> One day while praying in tongues for about an hour, I began to pray in English for the understanding (1Co 14:15<\/span>). Out of my spirit came these words, “There are many mountains that you will have to speak to, and many strongholds that you will have to tear down.”<\/p>\n

1Co 14:15<\/span>, “What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”<\/p>\n

Mar 11:24<\/strong><\/span>  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. <\/p>\n

Mar 11:24<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> “What things soever ye desire” <\/strong> Comments – <\/em><\/strong> We must have a desire before we can pray in faith. It is our desire for change that plants the seeds of faith within our heart. When we are afraid to challenge our circumstances, our faith cannot operate. Thus, fear suppresses our desires, but the Word of God stimulates our desire for change and to reach for what God has promised to us. For example, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside for years begging. This was because he was subject to his circumstances. He had no hope of experiencing change. When he heard that Jesus Christ was passing by, he was moved with great desire to receive a miracle of healing; for he had heard reports of the many miracles that Jesus had performed for others. These words stimulated a desire within his heart and moved him to reach out in faith to receive from God (Mar 10:46-52<\/span>).<\/p>\n

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The lesson of the dead tree:<\/p>\n

v. 20<\/strong>. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots.<\/strong><\/p>\n

v. 21<\/strong>. And Peter calling to remembrance, saith unto Him, Master, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away.<\/strong><\/p>\n

v. 22<\/strong>. And Jesus, answering, saith unto them, Have faith in God.<\/strong><\/p>\n

v. 23<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

<\/strong> It was on Tuesday morning that Jesus again passed by the fig-tree with His disciples. The curse of Jesus had taken effect; the whole tree, from the roots, was withered and dead. On the evening before things had been in shadow, and therefore the apostles could easily overlook the condition of the tree, especially since their minds were likely occupied with other matters. But in the clear morning light the tree stood out from the rest so prominently that Peter remembered the incident of the day before. In a half-pleased and half-awed manner he called the Lord’s attention to the result of His curse. Jesus then proceeds to give the disciples a second lesson from the miracle, one applicable to themselves and to the Christians of all times. He impresses upon them His favorite topic, next to the proclamation of the Gospel. Faith in God, trust towards God, absolute reliance upon Him is required in the kingdom of Christ. Solemnly He declares to them that such a trust has mountain-moving properties, that nothing can withstand it. But the confidence must be absolute, unqualified, not tinged by the slightest doubt. With God’s command and promise before us, nothing is impossible. A Christian in most cases does not attain the object that he is striving for because there is some apprehension, some doubt in his heart as to the possibility of carrying out the plan. Such vacillating, uncertain natures defeat the ends of faith. And the tool and weapon of faith, by which it accomplishes its great deeds and wins its victories, as Jesus impresses upon His disciples, is prayer.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20-24<\/span> . Comp. on Mat 21:20-22<\/span> . But according to Matthew the tree withered away forthwith after the cursing<\/em> , so that the following conversation immediately<\/em> attached itself thereto. A later form moulded in accordance with the immediate result in other miracles. If Mark had separated the miracle into two acts in order to give to it the more importance (see Kstlin, p. 335) he would have reckoned erroneously, as the immediate result is the greater and therefore the more in keeping with a “later reflection” (Hilgenfeld). But this variation of the tradition has nothing to do with the view that the entire history is only a legendary formation from Luk 13<\/span> (in opposition to Schenkel).<\/p>\n

] Fritzsche is wrong in rejecting this order, because “ is opposed to the preceding .” In fact . is the leading idea (and passing by<\/em> in the morning), pointing out the modal definition to the following . . .<\/p>\n

Mar 11:22<\/span> . ] confidence in God<\/em> ; genitive of the object. Comp. Act 3:16<\/span> ; Rom 3:22<\/span> ; Gal 2:20<\/span> ; Gal 3:22<\/span> ; Eph 3:8<\/span> ; Dem. 300, 10; Eur. Med.<\/em> 414.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:24<\/span> . ] because the confidence has so great effect.<\/p>\n

] (see the critical remarks): The praeterite<\/em> is not “ ineptum<\/em> ” (Fritzsche), but the having received<\/em> , which one believes has its ground in the counsel of God<\/em> . Comp. Mar 13:20<\/span> . The real de facto<\/em> bestowal is future ( ).<\/p>\n

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ver. 20. See Trapp on “<\/em> Mat 21:20 “<\/em> Learn to stand in fear of Christ’s curse: he can blow men to destruction, smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,Isa 11:4<\/span>Isa 11:4<\/span> ; Job 4:9<\/span> . <\/p>\n

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

20 26.<\/strong> ] The answers are very similar to those in Matt., but with one important addition here, viz. Mar 11:25-26<\/span> : see Mat 6:14<\/span> , and 1Ti 2:8<\/span> . The connexion here seems to be, ‘Though you should aim at strength of faith, yet your faith<\/em> should not work in all respects as you have seen me do, in judicial anger condemning the unfruitful and evil; but you must forgive<\/em> .’<\/p>\n

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20-25<\/span> . The withered fig tree and relative conversation<\/em> (Mat 21:20-22<\/span> ).<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20<\/span> . , passing by the fig tree (on the way to Jerusalem next morning). : the position of this word after ., instead of before as in T.R., is important. It gives it emphasis as suggesting that it was in the clear morning<\/em> light that they noticed the state of the tree. It might have been in the same condition the previous evening, but it would be dark when they I passed the spot.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar 11:20-26<\/p>\n

20As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly 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. 24Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25Whenever 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.”]<\/p>\n

Mar 11:20 “As they were passing by” They took the same route from Bethany to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

“withered from the roots up” This was the sign of total rejection of Israel (cf. Mar 12:1-12), or at least her current leaders.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:21 “Being reminded, Peter said” Peter vividly remembers!<\/p>\n

Mar 11:22 “Jesus answered saying to them” Peter again acted as the spokesman for what all of the disciples were thinking.<\/p>\n

“‘Have faith in God'” This is a present active imperative. This is a common theme in the Gospel. Faith\/trust\/belief (i.e., noun, pistis; verb, pisteu; see Special Topic at Mar 1:15) in YHWH (and His Messiah) is fallen mankind’s only hope. This current world system and its power structures must not attract our attention and concern. God is with us and for us. Look to Him, only to Him!<\/p>\n

This symbolic act of judgment and rejection affected their entire traditional belief system. We can only imagine how radical Jesus’ new teachings and perspectives were to these traditional first century Jewish men! Jesus powerfully and obviously rejected the Temple (as it was functioning) and the leadership, both Sadducees and Pharisees (both liberal, Hillel, and conservative, Shammai).<\/p>\n

There is a Greek manuscript variant which adds the Greek conditional particle ei (i.e., “if”) in MSS and D. This would make it a first class conditional sentence. However, its presence could be a Hebraic idiom denoting a direct quote. It is not included in MSS A, B, C, L, or W, nor in any of the English translations used in this commentary. It probably came from scribes wanting to make it exactly like Luk 17:6 or even Mat 21:21 (which has ean instead of Luke’s ei).<\/p>\n

Mar 11:23 “Truly” This is literally “amen.” See Special Topic at Mar 3:28.<\/p>\n

“‘to this mountain'” This was (1) possibly a literal reference to the Mount of Olives (cf. Zec 14:4) or (2) a figure of speech as in Zec 4:7. This phrase was a common rabbinical metaphor for removing difficulties.<\/p>\n

In the OT this type of “leveling” language was often used to describe YHWH’s coming (cf. Mic 1:3-4; Hab 3:6). He would be available to all the earth because the mountains would be leveled (cf. Zec 14:4) and the valleys filled up and the rivers and seas dried up, so that all may approach Him in Jerusalem. This metaphorical nature language is replaced in the NT by needy people coming to Jesus, not Jerusalem. In the NT “Jerusalem” in Palestine becomes “new Jerusalem,” the holy city coming down out of heaven. The NT has universalized the OT prophecies related to geographical Jerusalem and Palestine.<\/p>\n

“‘into the sea'” This is possibly a reference to the Dead Sea, which is visible from the Mount of Olives.<\/p>\n

“‘does not doubt'” Faith is a key factor in prayer (cf. Jas 1:6-8).<\/p>\n

“heart” See Special Topic at Mar 2:6.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:23-24 “they will be granted him” This statement must be balanced with other biblical statements about prayer. This is a good example of why we should not proof-text one verse and say “the Bible says it, that settles it.” The Bible says a lot more about prayer. The worst thing God could do to most Christians is answer their prayers! Usually we pray for all the wrong things. Please read and contemplate the Special Topic below on “Effective Prayer.”<\/p>\n

SPECIAL TOPIC: EFFECTIVE PRAYER <\/p>\n

Mar 11:24 “‘that you have received them'” There is a manuscript variant related to the tense of the verb lamban. The aorist, which reflects a Hebrew idiom of an expected fulfillment, is found in MSS , B, C, L, and W. Apparently this was altered by scribes (1) to the future tense to match Mat 21:22 (cf. MS D and the Vulgate) or (2) to the present tense (cf. MS A and the Armenian translation).<\/p>\n

Mar 11:25 “‘Whenever you stand praying'” The normal posture for prayer was standing with the eyes open and the head and arms lifted upward. They prayed as if in dialogue with God.<\/p>\n

“‘forgive, if you have anything against anyone'” Our forgiveness of others is the evidence, not the basis, of our forgiveness (cf. Mat 5:7; Mat 6:14-15; Mat 7:1-2; Mat 18:21-35; Luk 6:36-37; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13; Jas 2:13; Jas 5:9). The unforgiving person has never met God!<\/p>\n

“if” This is a first class conditional sentence. Believers often hold grudges. Knowing God in Christ must change these attitudes. We are forgiven so much how can we treat others made in God’s image with contempt and settled animosity?<\/p>\n

“‘your Father who is in heaven'” Jesus spoke Aramaic, which means that many of the places where “Father” appears as the Greek, Pater, it may reflect the Aramaic Abba (cf. Mar 14:36). This familial term “Daddy” or “Papa” reflects Jesus’ intimacy with the Father; His revealing this to His followers also encourages our own intimacy with the Father. The term “Father” was used only in the OT for YHWH, but Jesus uses it often and pervasively. It is a major revelation of our new relationship with God through Christ.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:26 This verse is absent in the Greek uncial manuscripts , B, L, and W. It is included with several variations in MSS A, D, K, X, and the Peshitta translation and the Diatessaron (i.e., the four Gospels merged into one). It seems that an ancient scribe added this phrase from Mat 6:15.<\/p>\n

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

And in the morning, &c. Verses 20-26 are a Divine supplement of details, here. <\/p>\n

from = out of. Greek ek. App-104. Not the same word as in Mar 11:12. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

20-26.] The answers are very similar to those in Matt., but with one important addition here, viz. Mar 11:25-26 : see Mat 6:14, and 1Ti 2:8. The connexion here seems to be, Though you should aim at strength of faith,-yet your faith should not work in all respects as you have seen me do, in judicial anger condemning the unfruitful and evil; but you must forgive.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Greek Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20-26<\/p>\n

4. THE FIG TREE FOUND WITHERED<\/p>\n

Mar 11:20-26<\/p>\n

(Mat 21:20-22)<\/p>\n

20 And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots.–This must have been the first time they had seen it after Jesus pronounced a curse upon it.<\/p>\n

21 And Peter calling to remembrance–From this we learn that it was Peter who made the remark attributed by Matthew to the disciples as a body. (Mat 21:20.)<\/p>\n

saith unto him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.–Matthew’s record is, “How did the fig tree immediately wither away?” It seems that the disciples were surprised that the tree had died and especially so soon.<\/p>\n

22 and Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.–Have a strong abiding faith and confidence in God. A strong belief that he is able to accomplish things even through the weakest and most insignificant agents and means that appear most difficult with perfect ease, as the fig tree was made to wither away by a word. Here we learn that one of the designs of cursing the fig tree as related to the disciples was to strengthen their faith and prepare them for the great trials soon to come upon them.<\/p>\n

23 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,–Faith, doubts, and fears are not located in the fleshly lobe of the breast which pumps the blood through the veins, but in the mind, the intellect. Nothing can be availed when the heart is filled with unbelief and doubt.<\/p>\n

but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it.–He must believe that what he says will come to pass. He must have no doubts. No doubt this was literally true, that if they had the miraculous faith they could remove the mountain as easily as Jesus withered the fig tree by a word. God could move the mountain through them as readily as to heal the sick, or raise the dead.<\/p>\n

[No faith that will enable people to remove mountains or perform any miracle exists now. The reason is that the day of miracles has passed. “Whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge (miraculous), it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.” (1Co 13:8-10.)]<\/p>\n

24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for,–True prayer, either miraculous or common, is always in harmony with God’s will (1Jn 5:14), and in the name of Christ (Joh 14:13).<\/p>\n

believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.–This no doubt was very encouraging to his apostles to whom it was spoken. The promise of this verse in connection with prayer and faith relates to all things whatsoever ye pray and ask for.<\/p>\n

This faith which Jesus was pointing out to his apostles, a lesson passed upon, and drawn from, the withered fig tree, was something that they would need all through their ministry, and especially under the great trials and darkness of the week before them. This promise was evidently a special one, and given to the apostles in regard to working miracles. To them it was true. But it is manifest that we have no right to apply this promise to ourselves. It was designed especially for the apostles; nor have we a right to turn it from its original meaning. Miraculous faith and miracle working power were gifts of the Spirit. (1Co 12:4-11.) Common or justifying and saving faith which is common to all God’s people (Tit 1:4) comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). The miraculous or uncommon faith which worked miracles and was a gift of the Spirit was limited to inspired men. But the common or saving faith produced by the word of God, common to all God’s people, never did and never will work a miracle. This is the faith that all Christians have today. There is no uncommon or miraculous faith now. This explains why we have no miracles at present.<\/p>\n

25 And whensoever ye stand praying,–[I think the word “stand” in this and other passages does not refer to the erect position or mean to stand on the feet. “Stand” has different meanings; the dictionary gives a dozen different senses. One is to stand erect on the feet, as opposed to a prone or sitting or lying posture; the other is to be fixed and permanent, as opposed to being in motion. Standing water is opposed to running water. Then there is standing on the knees, as distinct from standing on the feet; to stand on the knees is the way of standing for prayer. To stand in prayer is to stand on the knees. I doubt if there is a single example in the Bible of a person’s fixing himself for prayer that the kneeling or prostrate position was not assumed. To stand in prayer, as used in the Bible, does not mean to stand on the feet, but on the knees. Example: “And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven.” (1Ki 8:22.) Then followed the prayer he prayed. This standing was upon his knees. Verse 54 says: “And it was so, that, when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto Jehovah, he arose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven.” A literal translation of Act 7:60, “He, Stephen knelt down,” is “standing upon the knees.” The hypocrites who stood “in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men” must have stood on the knees. When they stood on their knees and stretched forth their hands toward heaven, people saw that they prayed.]<\/p>\n

forgive, if ye have aught against any one;–Ill will or any cause of complaint–all must be forgiven if we expect God to forgive us.<\/p>\n

that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.–Our forgiving those who trespass against us opens the way for God to forgive us. Until we do our part the door of forgiveness towards us is closed.<\/p>\n

26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses.–This verse, taken from the Authorized Version, is omitted in the American Revised Version. [To forgive a man is to hold him as if he were guiltless. No one can do this until he repents. Until he repents he is guilty. God does not forgive a man until he repents. He cannot hold him guiltless while he persists in his wrong. To overlook a wrong is not to forgive it. To forgive is to hold him guiltless. While no one can forgive in the sense of holding him guiltless until he repents, yet he must hold himself in a forgiving spirit–ready to forgive when he does repent, and anxious to show him kindness that he may be brought to repentance. God is our example in this. While he could not forgive man in his sin, he loved him, did him kindness, and gave his only begotten Son to die for him, that he might be brought to repentance. When we pray we must forgive those who turn from their trespasses, and pray that those who have not repented may repent that we may forgive them. We are to forgive others as God forgives us.]<\/p>\n

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

the Conditions of Prayer <\/p>\n

Mar 11:20-33<\/p>\n

The great lesson taught by this stricken tree justified its doom. It was not yet the time of the fig harvest, but some of last years fruit might still be found; and the hope of this was still further aroused by the abundance of young leaves. It was a type of profession without performance. In addition to proclaiming the doom of promise which is not followed by performance, our Lord drew from the miracle the great lesson that faith can absolutely reckon on Gods faith, that is, His faithfulness. Throughout His life, as we look into the heart of Jesus, we find only forgiving love, humility, faith. Forgiveness and love are the conditions of all successful prayers, Mar 11:24-26. We do not show sufficient appreciation for our Lords marvelous intellectual power. He was more than equal to these clever intellects trained to argument. They were beaten at their own game.<\/p>\n

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Chapter 49<\/p>\n

Have faith in God.<\/p>\n

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 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. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.<\/p>\n

(Mar 11:20-26)<\/p>\n

The fig tree the Lord Jesus cursed dried up from its roots. No doubt its roots died as soon as it was cursed; but the disciples did not see until the next morning, as they passed by and saw its tender branches and leaves withered. Let every eternity bound soul be warned. He who smites the earth with the rod of his mouth and caused the fig tree to wither with his word shall slay the wicked with the breath of his lips (Job 4:9; Isa 11:4). This fig tree was useless when green and flourishing with life, because it bore no fruit; but, when it was withered, it was used of God to arouse his servant Peter and made opportunity for the Master give us the important instructions here set before us about faith in God. We should never forget that all things were made by him and for him (Col 1:16; Rom 11:36), that all things were made for his glory (Pro 16:4), and that he uses all things for the benefit of his elect (Rom 8:28). Here, the Lord Jesus used the useless fig tree to teach us about faith in God. Faith, true faith in God, is that which distinguishes true believers from mere religious hypocrites. May God the Holy Spirit teach us that which our Lord Jesus here taught his disciples, that we may have faith in God.<\/p>\n

Essential Faith <\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

When the Master said to Peter, Have faith in God, he was reminding him and us of the lesson of the barren fig tree. Faith in God is essential. Peter appears to have been surprised that the fig tree, which was cursed yesterday, was withered today. But the Lord Jesus here declares that all men shall likewise perish without true faith in God. It is not just faith that is essential. Everyone has faith in something. That which is essential is true faith in the one true and living God, the glorious, triune, eternal, sovereign, holy Lord God who has revealed himself in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ through the Scriptures.<\/p>\n

Believers are people who live by faith in Christ, who is God our Savior. It is written, three times in Holy Scripture, The just shall live by faith (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). Faith is more than an isolated act. It is more than a creed, a confession, or a ceremony. Faith is the believers heart attitude of confidence in the Lord God. This faith in God is the gift of God to chosen, redeemed, called sinners. It is the very root and essence of true Christianity.<\/p>\n

Initially, it is trusting Christ alone as our Lord and Savior (1Co 1:30). But true faith is something more than trusting Christ to save me. It is trusting Christ to rule me, protect me, provide for me, and do all things needful for me, according to his own infinite wisdom, goodness, and grace for all time and all eternity.<\/p>\n

If we would know the true meaning and value of faith, we should often read and meditate upon Hebrews chapter eleven. It was by faith that the elders obtained a good report. He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek him.<\/p>\n

Our Lord used a proverbial saying in Mar 11:24 to describe the great power of faith in God. This proverbial statement about removing mountains must be interpreted cautiously and soberly in this day of religious nuts, who have been taught by health, wealth, prosperity hucksters that if you want a million dollars, just trust the Lord for it; and show that you trust him by sending me all your money. Our Lords statement here is not a blanket promise that God will do anything we take a notion for him to do, as long as we have enough faith, or believe perfectly, without a doubt in our hearts.<\/p>\n

What he is telling us is this. True faith in our God enables believers to overcome great obstacles, accomplish great things, and triumph over great difficulties. Do you want to grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord Jesus Christ? Do you want to be a strong, valiant believer? Do you desire to grow in spiritual maturity? If you do, pray for more faith and jealously guard that faith God has given you. Nurture it with the Bread of Life in the house of God, water it with prayer, and exercise it with consecration to Christ.<\/p>\n

We must never imagine that true faith is perfect faith. The fact is no one on this earth has perfect faith. With regard to the salvation of our souls, the smallest measure of faith in Christ, because it is the fruit and gift of God the Holy Spirit, proves our saving union with Christ. A drop of water in the morning dew is as truly water as all the rivers of the world. It is the same in nature and in quality, though not in quantity. The same thing is true regarding faith. I say that specifically for the comfort and encouragement of Gods saints who are weak in faith and continually cry to him to increase their faith (Luk 17:5).<\/p>\n

To those poor souls who are cast down because of the weakness of their faith, the Spirit of God declares, Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake (Php 1:29). Faith itself is the gift of God; and the measure of faith we are enabled to exercise is the gift of God, according as God deals to every man the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). Wherever this grace of faith in Christ is given, it proves the possessor of it to be a heaven born soul, elect of God, for only those who were ordained to eternal life believe (Act 13:48). Robert Hawker rightly observed<\/p>\n

As to the act of being justified by faith, it is plain from the whole tenor of Scripture that while it is blessed to have strong and lively acting of faith on the person, work, and righteousness of God our Savior, yet the babe in Christ, as well as the strong man in the Lord, is as truly justified, because it is Christ which justifieth, and not the strength of our faith in Christ which contributes thereto. By him, (saith Paul) that is, by Christ, all that believe, whether slender faith or strong faith, all that believe, are justified from all things (Act 13:39).<\/p>\n

Our Lords word to his disciples in Mar 11:23 is sweet and precious. Faith in God, trusting the rich mercies of God in Christ and the faithfulness of his covenant promises to us in his Son, will remove all sin and all difficulties. He compares our sins and all the obstacles and difficulties in this world arising from sin to a mountain. He probably pointed to the Mount of Olives and said, 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. By faith in Christ, we cast the mountains of our sins into the sea of Gods forgetfulness, where God has cast them. As soon as we trust him, they are gone. And, as soon as we take any mountain of trouble in the hand of faith and lay it upon the broad shoulders of God our Savior who cares for us, the troublesome weight of care is gone. With the faith he gives, as with God who gives it, nothing shall be impossible (Mat 17:20; Luk 1:37). Blessed are they, who rest the whole weight of all things upon their faithful, covenant God and Father, who walk by faith and not by sight. He that believeth shall not make haste (Isa 28:16).<\/p>\n

Praying Faith<\/p>\n

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them (Mar 11:24). Here our Savior teaches us that faith, true faith, inspires earnest prayer. Prayer is not, as many ignorantly presume, a blank check waiting for you to fill in the amount you want. Prayer is a spiritual exercise, involving spiritual matters. I do not mean that prayer has nothing to do with carnal things. It has everything to do with the believers carnal things. But to the believer, his carnal things are spiritual matters turned over to the Master. So when our Lord here tells us that when we pray in faith, we have whatever it is that we desire, he is simply re-enforcing what he taught in the model prayer, by which he taught us to pray (Mat 6:9-13).<\/p>\n

I do not pretend to know much about prayer; but I do know that those things our Savior taught us to pray for in Matthew 6 are the things for which believers commonly pray. In all our petitions before God, these are, essentially, the things we truly want, the desires of our hearts. And, if these are the things we really want from God, when we pray, we shall have whatsoever we desire.<\/p>\n

We want the honor of Gods name Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.<\/p>\n

We desire the establishment of Gods kingdom, that is the salvation of his elect Thy kingdom come.<\/p>\n

We want the will of God our Father. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.<\/p>\n

We trust our God to supply the daily provision for our needs. Give us this day our daily bread.<\/p>\n

We desire Gods forgiveness of our sins. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors .<\/p>\n

We want our God to protect us from temptation, sin and Satan. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.<\/p>\n

We seek grace from our God to personally give praise, honor, and glory to him. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. <\/p>\n

Are these the things that concern your soul? Are these the matters dearest to your heart? Are these things you ardently crave from God? Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. They are as sure as if you already possessed them, for it is written, The desire of the righteous shall be satisfied (Pro 10:24). <\/p>\n

Forgiving Faith<\/p>\n

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Mar 11:25-26).<\/p>\n

That faith which is wrought of God in the hearts of sinners, that faith in Christ by which we obtain the forgiveness of sins is a forgiving faith. The connecting link between the necessity of faith and the spirit of forgiveness is prayer. First our Lord taught us that faith is essential to both life and prayer. Here, he teaches us that we do not have true faith and cannot truly pray, if we have not been given a forgiving spirit from God the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Worship and prayer are works of the heart. Commonly, when we think of prayer, we think of kneeling. Here our Lord speaks of standing to pray. This is not accidental. When we worship God, in public or in private, our physical position and posture is totally insignificant. The only thing required in this regard is that we do nothing to call attention to ourselves, that we make no pretentious show of piety or humility. The standing that matters is standing before God, presenting ourselves to our God in prayer.<\/p>\n

The one thing that does matter in all aspects of worship and prayer, the one fruit of grace and faith, without which we cannot worship or pray, is that brotherly love which is manifest in a spirit of forgiveness.<\/p>\n

Our Lord, of course, is not telling us that we win Gods forgiveness by forgiving one another. But he is telling us that if we have not learned to forgive one another, we have not yet experienced or known Gods forgiveness.<\/p>\n

It is not enough that our prayers be earnest, fervent, and sincere. It is not enough that we pray in Christs name. Our prayers must have one more ingredient, or they are worthless. They must rise to the throne of God from a forgiving heart.<\/p>\n

We do not seek mercy, if we refuse to extend mercy. We cannot seek forgiveness from God if we do not forgive one another. We must have the heart of a brother if we call God our Father and Christ our Brother. We only flatter ourselves with a delusion if we think we have the Spirit of adoption, but harbor ill feelings, cherish resentment, and deny forgiveness to one another.<\/p>\n

What a heart-searching matter this is. Not all are gifted to sing, preach, or even speak a word for Christ. But all who truly know what forgiveness is forgive the offenses of others. Our Savior went to great lengths to teach us this repeatedly. May he give us grace to lay it to heart.<\/p>\n

The nearest approach we can make to being like Christ in this world is to bear injuries, forbear offenses, and forgive one another. Gods free forgiveness of our sins is our highest privilege and greatest joy, and our only title to heaven and eternal life in the world to come. Let us, therefore, be merciful, kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving in the few days we have in this world, where forgiveness is needed. Gods saints will need no ones forgiveness in heaven; but we all need much forgiveness here. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (Eph 4:32 to Eph 5:2).<\/p>\n

Fuente: Discovering Christ In Selected Books of the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:14, Job 18:16, Job 18:17, Job 20:5-7, Isa 5:4, Isa 40:24, Mat 13:6, Mat 15:13, Mat 21:19, Mat 21:20, Joh 15:6, Heb 6:8, Jud 1:12 <\/p>\n

they saw: Matthew informs us that this tree grew by the way-side, and was therefore not private, but public property; so that the destruction of it really injured no one. Our Lord was pleased to make use of this miracle to prefigure the speedy ruin of the Jewish nation, on account of its unfruitfulness under greater advantages than any other people enjoyed at that day; and, like all the rest of his miracles, it was done with a gracious intention, to alarm his countrymen, and induce them to repent. <\/p>\n

Reciprocal: Job 8:17 – roots Eze 17:10 – shall it<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Chapter 7.<\/p>\n

The Barren Fig-Tree: Messages<\/p>\n

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry: And seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And His disciples heard it. And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance said unto Him, Master, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. 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. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”-Mar 11:12-14, Mar 11:20-25.<\/p>\n

Christ as Judge.<\/p>\n

So much for the difficulties associated with this story of the barren fig-tree. Now let us deal with the solemn teaching of the story itself. I have said that this incident revealed Jesus in His capacity as Judge. Judgment is Christ’s prerogative. “The Father hath given all judgment unto the Son,” says John (Joh 5:22). “We must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ,” says St Paul, “that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what we hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2Co 5:10). While Jesus Himself asserts that before Him as Judge all the nations shall be gathered; and it is His judgment that sets the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Thus the uniform witness of Holy Writ is that Christ is Judge as well as Saviour. Whoever ignores this aspect of our Lord’s office shuts his eyes to whole tracts of New Testament teaching.<\/p>\n

Principles of His Judgment.<\/p>\n

But this incident does more than proclaim the fact that Jesus Christ is Judge. It also sets forth the principles of His judgment, showing us the things that fall under our Lord’s condemnation, and suggesting the penalties He inflicts. I have said that it was the Jewish people our Lord saw symbolised in this barren fig-tree; and it is their judgment which in parable is set forth in this incident. But our Lord’s judgments are never arbitrary or casual; they are based on great principles; they are governed by eternal law. So that from any individual case we are justified in deducting a general rule; and we may be sure that though this is primarily a judgment upon the Jews, the principles embodied in it are valid for all time.<\/p>\n

Barrenness-a Sin.<\/p>\n

Observe first that barrenness is a sin. That was the fault of this tree. It was not that it was spoiling the landscape by its ugly appearance, or blighting all vegetation near by its poisonous exhalations. As a matter of fact, it was doing no harm, and it was fair to look upon. It was barren; that was all. It was doing nothing. It was failing to fulfil the true end of its existence. And for that it was condemned. It seems to me we need to broaden our conceptions of what sin is. We are apt to cherish a narrow, mechanical, external idea of sin. “Sinner,” as we commonly understand the word, means someone who has committed a glaring, gross, and open offence. To be a sinner in the eyes of most people, a man must have done something positively shameful and wicked. But if we turn to a story like this, its first and most obvious lesson is that barrenness is a sin. A man need not do anything openly wicked in order to come under the condemnation of Christ. He comes under that condemnation if he does nothing, if he is simply barren and useless.<\/p>\n

The Repeated Warning.<\/p>\n

The Penalty of Inaction.<\/p>\n

When I read the instances of judgment given to us in the Gospels, I find that in nearly every case the men so condemned were condemned not because of any positive harm they had done, but because, like this fig-tree, they had done nothing. Take the judgment picture as given to us by our Lord in Matt. xxv. Upon some was pronounced this terrible judgment, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire.” What awful wickedness had they perpetrated to merit a doom like that? Nothing. It was not what they had done; it was what they had not done. There were at their doors hungry people to be fed, naked people to be clothed, thirsty people to be refreshed, sick people to be visited and comforted-and they had done nothing. “Inasmuch as ye did it not… depart from Me, ye cursed.” Take the parable of the talents. Upon one of his servants the householder pronounces this sentence, “Cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat 25:30). What enormity had this servant committed? Had he defrauded his lord, and robbed him of his money? No; for when his lord came back he returned to him the talent he had originally received. Again, it was not a case of what he had done; it was a case of what he had not done. His lord had given him a talent to trade with, but instead of using it, he hid the talent in the earth and did nothing. Take the story of Dives. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes being in torments” (Luk 17:23). What awful and monstrous sin had Dives committed, to find himself at the last in that flame? It is not charged against him that he had committed obvious sin. Possibly he had lived what would be considered an eminently respectable life. I should not be surprised if he had had a large funeral, and if the local Rabbi pronounced a eulogy over his coffin, extolling the virtues of the dead man. What, then, had he done, to be thus “in torments”? Again, it was not a case of what he had done; it was a case of what he had not done. Lazarus had lain at his gate in his poverty and sores day after day, and this rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day, had done nothing for him.<\/p>\n

A Warning Still Needed.<\/p>\n

We miss, then, the entire point of our Lord’s repeated teaching, unless we see that barrenness is a damning sin. Of many we need not fear that they will ever stand convicted of open and flagrant crime. Their danger is of another kind; it is the sin of barrenness. We are sent here to this world for a purpose. The Westminster Catechism expresses it this way, “The chief end of man is to glorify God.” And we glorify God as our Master did, by lives of usefulness and service. Here, then, is the matter that will decide our destiny. Are we fulfilling the purpose God had in mind? Are we going about doing good? Failure in this brings the condemnation upon us, “The God in Whose hand thy breath is, and Whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified” (Dan 6:23). So ran the reason given to a Babylonian king for the doom that was about to fall upon him.<\/p>\n

Where is our Fruit?<\/p>\n

How do we stand such a test? Do we bear the fruits of righteousness? Or are we barren trees? “The fruit of the Spirit,” says the Apostle, “is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance” (Gal 5:22-23). Are such fruits seen in us? Are we living lives of active and positive beneficence? It is not for me or any other man to judge, but one cannot help feeling that there are a large number of “barren trees” about. By worldly standards, these people live lives respectable enough; but they are colourless, ineffective, useless. It is not that they do much positive harm, but rather that in a world full of need and misery and sin, they do nothing. Upon all such fruitless, useless, barren lives the Divine judgment will fall.<\/p>\n

Profession and Practice.<\/p>\n

The next truth I find suggested in this story is this-that barrenness may exist where there is much promise of fruit. That was the characteristic of this particular fig-tree; there was much promise, but no performance. There was any amount of leafage, but not a single fig. The tree was not only barren, it was deceptive and false into the bargain. And this tree which promised so fair, but was so barren, reminded our Lord, as I have said, of the people of Israel. There was much of the show and parade of religion in Judaea. The Temple smoked with sacrifices. Priests were ever busy at the altars. The people ceaselessly trod its courts. One type of Jew, condemned by our Lord, was wont, if I may so put it, to advertise his religion. He tithed his mint and anise and cummin. He stood at the corner of the streets and made long prayers He made broad his phylacteries. By his actions and observances he called the world’s attention to himself, and said, “I am a religious man.” He was like this fig-tree, there was any amount of profession and promise, but the real thing was conspicuous by its absence. Mercy and truth were sadly to seek. These very men, so scrupulous about the washing of pots and pans and brazen vessels, carried within them foul and unclean hearts. These very men who stood at the corners of the streets and made long prayers were not above devouring widows’ houses. All through their lives this contradiction ran. They served God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. They sacrificed, but did not obey. They were like this tree, nothing but leaves.<\/p>\n

A Modern Evil.<\/p>\n

And still we find this same humbling phenomenon, barrenness where there is profusion of promise. Fruitless lives are to be found even amongst those who profess to be followers of Jesus. One of the sights that Interpreter pointed out in his garden to Christiana and her children was that of a “tree whose inside was all rotten and gone, yet it grew and had leaves.” Then said Mercy, “What is this?” “This Tree,” said Interpreter, “whose outside is fair, and whose inside is rotten, it is to which many may be compared that are in the garden of God, who with their mouths speak high in behalf of God, but in deed will do nothing for Him; whose leaves are fair, but their hearts good for nothing, but to be tinder for the devil’s tinderbox.” And that is just the old Dreamer’s way of stating the moral of this tree, that had abundance of leaves but nothing else. There are men and women, alas, many of them, who are all leaf, and no fruit. Church membership, attendance at public worship, participation in the Holy Communion, these are the leaves. But where is the fruit? There is nothing in their lives to demonstrate the reality of their faith. Their profession often leaves their life untouched. It all ends with the profession and the promise. It is a case of “nothing but leaves.” Now, a life all barren is bad enough; but a life that makes promise, and yet remains barren, is worse still; for it adds the sin of falsity to the sin of barrenness. Or, to put it in a slightly different form, a fruitless life is bad enough; but a fruitless life on the part of a professing Christian is the worst of all. Better make no profession than make a profession without practice.<\/p>\n

How is it with us?<\/p>\n

The biggest obstacle to religion to-day is not the man who is frankly not a Christian, but the man who says he is a Christian and does not live like one. Profession without practice brings the whole of religion into contempt. It causes the name of God to be blasphemed. We do well, therefore, frankly to ask ourselves, Have we the power of godliness as well as the form? Do we love Christ as well as profess Him? Or does it all end with the profession?<\/p>\n

“Either put on courage, or put off the name of Alexander,” said that great monarch to a soldier who was showing signs of cowardice in one of his battles. So I say, “Either put on Christ, or put off the name of Christian.” To profess Christ and to live for self, is not simply to be fruitless, but to be hypocrites into the bargain. Profession without practice, leaves without fruit, avail nothing with God. “Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21).<\/p>\n

The Doom of Barrenness.<\/p>\n

Now mark the doom of barrenness, as exemplified in this incident. “No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever” (Mar 11:14), said our Lord. And in the morning the disciples noticed that the “fig-tree was withered away from the roots.” The punishment of barrenness, as Dr Glover says, was judicial barrenness. Or, to put it in less technical language, the punishment of this fig-tree that refused to bear fruit was permanent inability to bear fruit. All this is neither arbitrary nor capricious, but in strictest accord with the principles of judgment, as we see them at work all about us.<\/p>\n

The Law of Atrophy.<\/p>\n

There are two laws with whose working we are quite familiar, which are illustrated in our Lord’s judgment on the fig-tree. They are closely connected with each other, indeed, may be regarded as complementary to each other. The first-shall I call it the law of atrophy?-is one of the observed laws of science, that powers and faculties unused, decay and perish. Muscles, e.g. unexercised, grow limp and flabby. The condition of retaining a faculty is its use. Now that is true in higher regions than the physical. The condition of retaining the spirit of generosity is the exercise of generosity. The condition of retaining the spirit of unselfishness is the practice of unselfishness. The man who never does a generous deed soon loses the capacity for generosity. The man who never does an unselfish deed loses the very power to be unselfish. Neglect is punished by loss. That is the principle illustrated in the doom of this tree. It refused to bear fruit; it lost the power of bearing fruit. “Henceforth no man eat fruit from thee for ever.”<\/p>\n

The Law of Permanence.<\/p>\n

The second law I see illustrated is the law of permanence. It is the positive side of the law of atrophy. We lose what we fail to use. But what we choose and practise that we tend permanently to become. This fruitless tree, what was its punishment? Permanent fruitlessness. It is a stern and awful law. But it is one whose working we see on every hand. It is the law set forth in that sequence, which says that actions repeated become habits, habits long continued become character, and character settles destiny. The man who does mean and miserly actions tends to become permanent miserly; the man who acts selfishly becomes selfish in the very grain of his nature; the man who allows himself to brood over foul and filthy things becomes filthy in the very make. Character is always tending to permanence. I can conceive no doom more awful than that a man should be permanently what he has made himself. And that is the principle of the Divine judgment. “He that is unrighteous, let him do unrighteousness still; and he that is filthy, let him be made filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him do righteousness still” (Rev 22:11). In a sense Christ’s judgment is simply the ratification of our own choice. We become permanently what we ourselves choose to be.<\/p>\n

The Responsibility of Hearing.<\/p>\n

“And the disciples heard it,” says St Mark, “heard,” that is, the sentence pronounced upon the barren tree; taking in not merely the words, but, then or later, the solemn import of them.<\/p>\n

Now, we ourselves have heard with our ears once again this story of the barren fig-tree. Have we heard it with the ears of the soul? Have we listened to and received its solemn warning? “If ye know these things,” said our Lord, “happy are ye if ye do them.” “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be My disciples” (Joh 15:8). If we have “heard” this solemn story aright, we shall ask God for His enriching and life-giving Spirit, we shall pray that that Spirit may come upon us, and that our barrenness may rejoice to own His fertilising power. For the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace goodness, kindness, meekness, temperance; and against such there is no law, no judgment, no doom; no, but the “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”<\/p>\n

Mar 11:15-18<\/p>\n

Chapter 8.<\/p>\n

The Cleansing of the Temple<\/p>\n

“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.”-Mar 11:15-18.<\/p>\n

The Scrutiny of the Temple.<\/p>\n

On the day that our Lord made His entry in lowly state into Jerusalem, He went straight to the Temple; for it was not Csar’s or Herod’s throne that He sought. The empire He came to establish was not material, but spiritual. His mission was not political; it was religious. Our Lord, however, took no action of any sort on His visit to the Temple, on the day of His triumphal entry. He contented Himself with a sweeping and searching scrutiny of the things that were being done within its precincts. “He looked round about upon all things.” The look was, no doubt, with a view to action. But it was eventide, and the action itself was postponed until the next day. “When He had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, He went out unto Bethany with the Twelve” (Mar 11:11).<\/p>\n

The Things Seen.<\/p>\n

The Reason for the Traffic.<\/p>\n

Now, what was it our Lord saw when He looked round about upon all things? To put it in a word, He saw the Temple desecrated. There were men chaffering and haggling, cheating and overreaching one another in the very house of God. We remember, of course, that it was not a case of general trafficking; all the buying and selling that went on was with a view to the requirements of the Temple worship. Jews came up to worship at the Temple from all parts of Palestine, from all parts of the world. You can see how inconvenient, even how impossible, it would be for them to bring their sacrifices with them. Take the Passover sacrifice. Pilgrims came flocking in their thousands and tens of thousands for that great feast. It would have been the extremity of inconvenience if they had had to bring the sacrificial lamb along with them. So, to meet their convenience, arrangements were made whereby the pilgrims could purchase the lambs they needed, in Jerusalem, or indeed in the Temple itself. It was the same with the money-changing. Jews coming from foreign countries would naturally be provided with the money of those countries. But the Temple tax had to be paid in Jewish coin. So again, to meet their convenience moneychangers attended in the Temple precincts, to exchange the diverse sorts of money the pilgrims brought for the Jewish half-shekel.<\/p>\n

-Its Scene.<\/p>\n

Further, we are not to think of this traffic as taking place in the shrine itself. Around the Temple there were a series of courts, and the largest and the outermost of these was the Court of the Gentiles. It was in this great Court of the Gentiles that the buying and selling took place. The Jew scarcely, perhaps, reckoned this court as a holy place. It was almost a profane place, for the uncircumcised Gentile could enter into it. The probability is that the Jew would have revolted in horror from the idea of permitting trafficking in the court where he himself worshipped; but he did not think that it mattered very much what happened in the Court of the Gentiles.<\/p>\n

The Real Offence.<\/p>\n

All this is not by way of excuse for the conduct of the Jews, but in order that we may see just wherein their offence lay. I do not think it was the mere buying and selling and money-changing that desecrated the Temple. If the motive of these actions had been a genuine desire to meet the convenience of the pilgrims, and to minister to their necessities, if kindliness and a spirit of helpfulness lay behind the buying and selling, I do not think that our Lord would have blazed up in holy anger against it, nor would He have accused those who engaged in it of turning His Father’s house into a den of robbers.<\/p>\n

The Sacred and the Secular: How Distinguished.<\/p>\n

In our Lord’s sight actions were sacred or profane according to the spirit that prompted them We have ourselves a rough and mechanical division of things into things secular and sacred. A hymn, for instance, is a sacred thing; a speech is a secular thing. But in Christ’s sight the hymn may be a secular thing, and the speech the sacred thing. An irreligious spirit makes the most sacred hymn a profane thing; a worshipful spirit makes a speech even on a secular theme a religious exercise. Now there is nothing more secular from our narrow point of view than buying and selling. But even buying and selling can be translated into Divine service. We all of us believe that, or else there is but a poor look out for those engaged in commerce. Supposing, then, that these people buying and selling in the Temple courts had been animated solely by the desire to help the pilgrims from all parts of the world, do you think that He Who said that God wanted mercy, and not sacrifice, Who in the very next chapter endorses the scribes’ declaration that to love God and to love one’s neighbour as oneself is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, do you think that He would have denounced them as “robbers,” and driven them in holy wrath out of the Temple precincts? I tell you nay. I do not think He would have rebuked them at all. Such buying and selling would have been converted into Divine service, and would not have been incongruous, even in a place set apart for prayer.<\/p>\n

The Temple-Market Perverted.<\/p>\n

It was not, then, the buying and the selling that in itself was wrong; it was the spirit in which it was carried on. Originally instituted to meet the convenience of the pilgrims, it was carried on from motives of cupidity and greed. The priests who permitted the traffic no longer thought of the pilgrims and their needs; they thought only of their own gains. The sale of animals for sacrifice became a source of profit. The exchange of money became an opportunity for extorting an oppressive discount. This market in the Temple, instead of being a help, became a burden to the worshipper. The sordid, mercenary spirit of the priests turned everything, as Dr Salmond says, to “desecration, profanity, greed and fraud.” It was this ugly and greedy spirit that stirred our Lord to indignation. They turned the very service of the Lord into an oppression. They turned the worship of the Temple into a way of gain. They brought the spirit of the world in its basest and foulest form right into the Holy Place. This it was that defiled the Temple. They were guilty of cheating and defrauding and oppression in the name of religion. Literally, they turned the house of prayer into “a den of robbers.”<\/p>\n

Houses of God misused.<\/p>\n

All this has its most solemn teaching for us to-day. We should never dream of setting up a cattle-market or even a shop within sacred precincts, though in these days men are often puzzled as to what is permissible and what is not permissible in buildings set apart for the worship of God. My own strong feeling is that it is conducive to the spirit of worship to preserve these buildings entirely for worship, though I cannot assert that those who put them to other uses are wrong. But, even if we keep them rigidly and absolutely for worship, we may yet desecrate and pollute them. For, as I have tried to point out, the real character of an action is decided by the spirit in which we do it. You may have profane hymn-singing and secular preaching. God asks to be worshipped “in spirit and in truth,” but when we come together, and assume the form of worship while our hearts are all the while far away from God and holy things; when we sit in pews, and allow our minds to busy themselves with worldly affairs; when we bring pride, and jealousy, and uncharitableness with us; when we allow coarse and base and foul thoughts to go coursing through our minds, we are as really and truly polluting God’s house as were these traffickers who chaffered and haggled in the Temple precincts. In the ultimate resort it is the sinful heart that is the real cause of the pollution. And there is one prayer we may well offer whenever we come up to God’s house, and that is, “O God! make clean our hearts within us,” for holiness becometh God’s house for ever.<\/p>\n

The Jew, the Gentile-and Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Our Lord’s action, then, was first of all a condemnation of the evil spirit of greed that turned religion into a source of profit. In the second place, it was a protest against the differentiation made between the sacredness of the court in which the Jews themselves worshipped, and that in which the Gentiles worshipped. By turning the Court of the Gentiles into a cattle-market they as good as labelled it as a profane place. They said, in effect, that it did not much matter what was transacted there. It was an illustration in action of the traditional Jewish contempt for the Gentile. But Jesus knew no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Each was equally dear to the heart of God. The Temple, as He said, was a “house of prayer for all the nations.” In God’s great house Gentile and Jew were equally welcome, and the place where the Gentiles worshipped was every whit as sacred as the inner court where the Jews performed their devotions. And so He swept the dealers out of the Court of the Gentiles, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold the doves, and thereby declared their acceptance with God and their equal rights with the Jews. There was as little room in the house of God for the spirit of religious pride as for the spirit of avarice and greed. The presence of either was a desecration of the Holy Place. Both came under the judgment of our Lord when He swept this mob of traders out of the Court of the Gentiles, saying, “Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? but ye have made it a den of robbers” (Mar 11:17).<\/p>\n

Having thus pointed out the sins which came under the lash of our Lord’s condemnation, let us note some lessons which the incident as a whole is calculated to teach.<\/p>\n

The Sovereignty of Christ.<\/p>\n

First of all, observe the royal bearing of Jesus throughout this incident. The day previous the crowds had acclaimed Him as King, and He had gone to the Temple in triumph, as if to His royal seat. In this incident He proceeds to exercise His royal authority: He acts as King. He proclaims Himself Master and Lord in the Temple. “The Lord,” it had been said by one of the prophets, “shall suddenly come to His Temple.” By driving these traffickers helter-skelter out of the sacred courts Jesus proclaimed Himself the long-awaited King of Jewish expectation. All who witnessed the incident knew exactly what it meant. It was the Lord laying claim to His Messiahship. He had kept it hidden and secret in Galilee. But in Jerusalem, and especially during this last week, He publicly and repeatedly declared it. Notice, too, how He speaks of the Temple. When He purged it of its desecrations at the commencement of His career, He spoke of it as His “Father’s house.” But see how He speaks of it now. “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” My house! “By what authority doest Thou these things?” the chief priests asked of Him. It was a proper question to ask. For no mere man had a right to act as if he were Lord of the Temple, and no mere man had a right to speak of the Temple as “My house.”<\/p>\n

The Moral Authority of Christ.<\/p>\n

Notice again what an illustration we have here of the moral authority of the Lord Jesus Christ! He was only one man. There were scores, possibly more, of these traffickers and moneychangers. And yet before this one man unarmed this mob of men fled in something like abject panic. Jesus was vested with no external authority. He wore no badge of office. To outward appearance He was only a Galilean peasant-that and nothing more. How came these men to flee from before Him? There was a double reason. This is the first, sin is always weakness. Men who know they are in the wrong often show themselves timid in the face of righteousness. “Conscience doth make cowards of us all.” These men knew they were doing a wrong, an indefensible thing. And so, when Jesus challenged them, not a man dare stand his ground. But this is more than an illustration of the weakness of evil-it is also an illustration of the moral authority of Jesus. There was a purity and holiness in His very appearance before which evil could not stand. “Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth?” (Mal 3:2), the prophet asks. Not these traffickers and moneychangers, caught in the very act of desecrating God’s house. They fled before Him, conscience-stricken and ashamed.<\/p>\n

Moral Authority in Daily Life.<\/p>\n

We know something of this moral authority in everyday life. There was a shameful scene in our House of Commons some years ago, when, in the heat of party passion, members came to blows. The Chairman of Committees was in charge of the House when the storm broke. But he was powerless to quell it. So some one sent in a hurry for Speaker Peel. When he appeared, and looked in his own grave and dignified way upon the ugly scene, the men who had forgotten themselves, subdued by not so much the official as the moral authority of the Speaker, shrank like whipped school-boys to their places. There is immense moral authority in character. Men instinctively yield to it. But no one had it in such pre-eminent degree as Jesus. The crowd who brought before Him that wretched woman whom they had discovered in sin, stole away one by one, unable to bear the scrutiny of those clear eyes. The soldiers who came to seize Him went backward, and fell to the ground. These traffickers fled pell-mell before Him. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, “but are like chaff which the wind driveth away” (Psa 1:4).<\/p>\n

The Holy Indignation of Christ.<\/p>\n

Observe, again, the holy indignation of Jesus Christ, as illustrated in this incident. He was filled with just anger against these men who brought their avarice and greed into the Holy Place and turned God’s house into a den of robbers. In our conceptions of Jesus we must make room for indignation and anger. He was not gentle or tolerant towards persistent and continued sin; more especially towards the sin of those who inflicted wrong upon their fellows. It is towards the penitent sinner that Christ is all tenderness and pity.<\/p>\n

Cleansing Temple and Church.<\/p>\n

Christ, then, has just proclaimed His Kingship, and the first act of His reign, so to speak, is to cleanse the Temple. Surely the action is suggestive of the cleansing of His Church. For the Church is the instrument through which Christ will establish His Kingdom; but a corrupt and tainted Church is useless for such a work. When there is a corrupt Church and a corrupt ministry, you get a corrupt people. The wickedness of the sons of Eli made men abhor the offering of the Lord. And it is so still. Weakness, corruption, worldliness in the Church itself set religion at a discount amongst the people; and so judgment must begin at the House of God. Has not all this its meaning for our own time? Things are slack amongst us. Somehow or other religion seems to be losing its hold. The progress of the Kingdom is arrested. Can it be that the fault lies with the Church? Have things crept into the Church which have destroyed its effectiveness and weakened its power? We are constantly praying for a revival. Perhaps it is we ourselves who need to be cleansed and purified. Is it not a fact that doubts and timidities have crept into our speech? Is it not a fact that our prayers are often lifeless, and our enthusiasm cold? Is it not a fact that we have condescended to some perilously worldly methods in our efforts to win what we call success? And is it not a fact that by our mutual jealousies and strife we oftentimes make religion a laughing-stock to the world without?<\/p>\n

Our Need To-day.<\/p>\n

What we need to-day is that our Lord should come and cleanse His Church of these things that defile her in the eyes of men, and make vain all her efforts. A doubtful Church, a divided Church, a worldly Church is a powerless Church. A cleansing and purification of the Church is our sorest need. Let us all unite in the prayer that God will inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord; let us beg of Him that all they that do confess His holy name may agree in the truth of His Holy Word and live in unity and godly love. For a cleansed, redeemed and sanctified Church means a converted and rejuvenated world.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Gospel According to St. Mark: A Devotional Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20. Withered away from the roots. The day before the leaves were visible afar off; today, Tuesday, the blasting was complete. Our verse does not say when this took place, but when they saw it Matthew says that it took place immediately.<\/p>\n

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The blasting and sudden withering of the fig-tree at the word of Christ, plainly shewed his divine power, and by this miraculous operation, our Saviour designed to shew his disciples the mighty power of faith; that is, a full persuasion of the power of God, that he is able, and of the goodness of God, that he is willing, to grant whatever we ask according to his will, that has a tendency to his glory and our good. <\/p>\n

Learn hence, That faith is a necessary and principal ingredient in prayer praying without faith, is like to a man’s shooting without a bullet; it makes a noise, but doth no execution.<\/p>\n

Secondly, That whatsoever good thing God had made the matter of his promise, shall be given to good men in a way of perfromance, provided they pray in faith. Whatsoever ye desire, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20-21. And in the morning, they passed by, &c. Next morning, as they were returning to Jerusalem, it astonished the disciples not a little when they looked on the fig-tree that had been pronounced barren the night before, and found it dried up from the roots, that is, quite withered down to the ground and shrunk: a miracle the more extraordinary, because the fig-tree is remarkable for its abundant sap and moisture. Peter, in particular, expressed great surprise at it, saying, Master, Behold the fig- tree which thou cursedst is withered away. We have seen already that Jesus only said to the fig-tree, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever; this Peter, according to the Jewish manner of speaking concerning things that are barren, (Heb 6:8,) called a cursing of the fig-tree. And some ill-disposed readers, not apprehending the proper force of the words, are apt to form a very unbecoming notion of Jesus from this action. But they do so without the least cause. Every thing he said on the occasion was decent. Moreover, the transaction was intended to prefigure the speedy ruin of the Jewish nation, on account of its unfruitfulness under greater advantages than any other people enjoyed at that day, and, like all the rest of his miracles, was done with a gracious intention, namely, to alarm his countrymen, and to induce them to repent. Macknight. Thus Bishop Hall viewed this miracle, as appears by his excellent paraphrase on the passage: When he saw a fig-tree in the way, he came purposely to seek that fruit which he knew he should not find ripe, that he might hence take occasion to work that exemplary miracle upon it which ensued: for when he found only store of leaves upon it and no fruit, that he might in this tree show how much he hates a formal profession (such as the Jews made) of religion, without an answerable fruitfulness, he cursed the fig-tree, and said, Let that which is thy fault be thy punishment; since thou bearest no fruit at all, never mayest thou bear any. And presently the fig-tree, as blasted by that word of judgment, withered away. It is observable that the destruction of the swine, and this blasting of the fig-tree, were the only instances of punitive miracles in the whole course of our Saviours ministry, notwithstanding they do not appear to have been injurious. The case of the swine we have already considered; (see note on Mat 8:30-32;) and, with respect to the fig-tree, Matthew informs us that it was in the way, that is, in the common road, and therefore probably no particular persons property; but if it was, being barren, the timber might be as serviceable to the owner as before. So that here was no real injury; but Jesus was pleased to make use of this innocent miracle for the valuable purposes above suggested, as well as to teach his disciples the efficacy of faith, spoken of in the next words.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

THE WITHERING OF THE FIG-TREE<\/p>\n

Mat 21:20-22; Mar 11:20-26. And early in the morning, they, passing by, saw the fig-tree withered from its roots. The withering was so decisive that even the trunk of the tree dried up, as you see, from its roots, thus symbolizing the awful fate of the hypocrite, destined one day suddenly and decisively to wither away. Beware, lest the Lord come to you and find nothing but leaves? And Peter, remembering, says to Him, Master, see, the fig-tree which Thou didst anathematize is withered away.<\/p>\n

And Jesus, responding, says to him, have the faith of God. There is a difference between faith in God and the faith of God, the latter being a perfect faith, admitting no admixture of doubt. In justification, we have faith in God; while entire sanctification, eliminating all doubt and every other phase of depravity, is characterized by the faith of God. Here, Jesus imputes wonderful efficiency to the faith of God.<\/p>\n

For truly I say unto you, whosoever may say to this mountain, Be thou plucked up, and be thou east into the sea, and may not doubt in his heart, but believe that whatsoever he says is done, it shall be to him whatsoever he may say. They were then walking along on Mount Olivet, the highest in Southern Palestine, and here pointed out by the Savior in order to illustrate the miraculous availability of prayer, as it is His custom in all His ministry to illustrate spiritual things by temporal. Just as if great Mount Olivet were lifted up and plunged into the midst of the sea, so towering mountains of sin, responsive to the faith of God, are lifted clearly away and dropped down into the sea of forgetfulness.<\/p>\n

Therefore I say unto you that all things, so many as you ask for, praying, believe that thou receive, and it shall be unto you. While prayer in the Divine order is the invariable antecedent to the blessings involved in the gracious economy, yet we must remember that we do not receive what we pray for, but what we believe for, faith being the measuring-line of our reception from God. Then what is the utility of prayer? It is to bring us up to believing ground. Hence prayer and filth are like the two oars of the boat which row us across the river. The genuine faith of God is very scarce upon the earth, and it is because there is not enough o genuine, importunate prayer. We must so pray into the Divine presence and get in touch with the Almighty that the Holy Ghost will inspire our prayers as well as our faith. In a mysterious way we must sink into God, utterly abandoned to His will for time and eternity, getting away from self and humanity where we can fall prostrate on the great and precious promises, and there abide at the feet of Jesus, so illuminated and inspired by the Holy Ghost that we can receive and appropriate His infallible promises, and get where we can ask Him for great and wonderful achievements in the spiritual kingdom without wavering or doubting, and thus, by importunate prayer and indefatigable faith, take the kingdom of heaven by violence. Matthew says, in this connection: Verily I say unto you, If you have faith and doubt not, you shall not only do that of the fig-tree, but you may say to this mountain, Be thou plucked up and cast into the sea, and it shall be done.<\/p>\n

In the case of the fig-tree, the withering came instantly and complete.<\/p>\n

Mat 11:25. And when you may stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; in order that your Father who is in the heavens may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your trespasses. Thus, you see, an unforgiving spirit is an effectual barricade against prevailing prayer.<\/p>\n

You must not only clear away all obstructions by forgiving everybody, but in total and eternal abandonment to God so sink away into His will, losing sight of everything else, that the Holy Spirit will be pleased to confer the omnipotent grace of prevailing prayer and faith, putting you where you can ask and believe that He doeth it. This is the wonderful secret of bringing heaven down to earth. Lord, help us all to learn it!<\/p>\n

Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Mar 11:20-25. The Power of Faith.On the third day of the week, Peter draws attention to the withered fig-tree, and Jesus uses it to illustrate the great power of faith. The teaching does not seem to spring very directly out of the incident. The reference to removing mountains is rightly interpreted metaphorically. In effect, the mountains are the obstacles which prevent the easy access of man to the holy city of God. To faith these obstacles must yield (see Swete). Mk. himself seems to have felt that the power of faith is dangerously illustrated by the withering of the fig-tree, for he adds a sentence (Mar 11:25) about the necessity of possessing the spirit of forgiveness. Faith will not work capricious miracles. Our desires are not to be the measure of our prayers, unless reason and religion be the rule of our desires (Jeremy Taylor). The phrase your Father which is in heaven occurs here only in Mk. It seems to be an echo of the Lords Prayer.<\/p>\n

Mar 11:26 has been added to Mk. from Mat 6:15.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

11:20 {4} And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.<\/p>\n

(4) The power of faith is exceedingly great, and charity is always joined with it.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The lesson of the withered fig tree 11:20-26 (cf. Matthew 21:19-22)<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the third part of the incident centering on the cleansing of the temple (cf. Mar 11:12-14).<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

This event happened on Wednesday morning. "Withered from the roots" means that death was spreading through the tree beginning from its sources of nourishment. The roots of the tree correspond to the religious leaders of the nation. Death would pass from them to that whole generation of unbelieving Jews. Peter connected the judgment with Jesus’ words. Likewise Jesus’ word of judgment on that generation of Jews would have a similar effect.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CHAPTER 11:12-14, 20-25 (Mar 11:12-14; Mar 11:20-25)<\/p>\n

THE BARREN FIG-TREE<\/p>\n

“And on the morrow, when they were come out from Bethany, He hungered. And seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. And He answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward forever. And His disciples heard it.”<\/p>\n

“And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig-tree withered away from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto Him, Rabbi, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst is withered away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, 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. Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mar 11:12-14; Mar 11:20-25 (R.V.)<\/p>\n

NO sooner has Jesus claimed His kingdom, than He performs His first and only miracle of judgment. And it is certain that no mortal, informed that such a miracle was impending, could have guessed where the blow would fall. In this miracle an element is predominant which exists in all, since it is wrought as an acted dramatized parable, not for any physical advantage, but wholly for the instruction which it conveys. Jesus hungered at the very outset of a day of toil, as He came out from Bethany. And this was not due to poverty, since the disciples there had recently made Him a great feast, but to His own absorbing ardor. The zeal of God’s house, which He had seen polluted and was about to cleanse, had either left Him indifferent to food until the keen air of morning aroused the sense of need, or else it had detained Him, all night long, in prayer and meditation out of doors. As He walks, He sees afar off a lonely fig-tree covered with leaves, and comes if haply He might find anything thereon. It is true that figs would not be in season for two months, but yet they ought to present themselves before the leaves did; and since the tree was precocious in the show and profusion of luxuriance, it ought to bear early figs. If it failed, it would at least point a powerful moral; and, therefore, when only leaves appeared upon it, Jesus cursed it with perpetual barrenness, and passed on. Not in the dusk of that evening as they returned, but when they passed by again in the morning the blight was manifest, the tree was withered from its very roots.<\/p>\n

It is complained that by this act Jesus deprived some one of his property. But the same retributive justice of which this was an expression was preparing to blight, presently, all the possessions of all the nation. Was this unjust? And of the numberless trees that are blasted year by year, why should the loss of this one only be resented? Every physical injury must be intended to further some spiritual end; but it is not often that the purpose is so clear, and the lesson so distinctly learned.<\/p>\n

Others blame our Lord’s word of sentence, because a tree, not being a moral agent, ought not to be punished. It is an obvious rejoinder that neither could it suffer pain; that the whole action is symbolic; and that we ourselves justify the Savior’s method of expression as often as we call one tree “good” and another “bad,” and say that a third “ought” to bear fruit, while not much could be “expected of” a fourth. It should rather be observed that in this word of sentence Jesus revealed His tenderness. It would have been a false and cruel kindness never to work any miracle except of compassion, and thus to suggest the inference that He could never strike, whereas indeed, before that generation passed away, He would break His enemies in pieces like a potter’s vessel.<\/p>\n

Yet He came not to destroy men’s lives but to save them. And, therefore, while showing Himself neither indifferent nor powerless against barren and false pretensions, He did this only once, and then only by a sign wrought upon an insentient tree.<\/p>\n

Retribution fell upon it not for its lack of fruit, since at that season it shared this with all its tribe, but for ostentatious, much-professing fruitlessness. And thus it pointed with dread significance to the condition of God’s own people, differing from Greece and Rome and Syria, not in the want of fruit, but in the show of luxuriant frondage, in the expectation it excited and mocked. When the season of the world’s fruitfulness was yet remote, only Israel put forth leaves, and made professions which were not fulfilled. And the permanent warning of the miracle is not for heathen men and races, but for Christians who have a name to live, and who are called to bear fruit unto God.<\/p>\n

While the disciples marveled at the sudden fulfillment of its sentence, they could not have forgotten the parable of a fig-tree in the vineyard, on which care and labor were lavished, but which must be destroyed after one year of respite if it continued to be a cumberer of the ground.<\/p>\n

And Jesus drove the lesson home. He pointed to “this mountain” full in front, with the gold and marble of the temple sparkling like a diadem upon its brow, and declared that faith is not only able to smite barrenness with death, but to remove into the midst of the sea, to plant among the wild and stormswept races of the immeasurable pagan world, the glory and privilege of the realized presence of the Lord. To do this was the purpose of God, hinted by many a prophet, and clearly announced by Christ Himself. But its accomplishment was left to His followers, who should succeed in exact proportion to the union of their will and that of God, so that the condition of that moral miracle, transcending all others in marvel and in efficacy, was simple faith.<\/p>\n

And the same rule covers all the exigencies of life. One who truly relies on God, whose mind and will are attuned to those of the Eternal, cannot be selfish, or vindictive, or presumptuous. As far as we rise to the grandeur of this condition we enter into the Omnipotence of God, and no limit need be imposed upon the prevalence of really and utterly believing prayer. The wishes that ought to be refused will vanish as we attain that eminence, like the hoar frost of morning as the sun grows strong.<\/p>\n

To this promise Jesus added a precept, the admirable suitability of which is not at first apparent. Most sins are made evident to the conscience in the act of prayer. Drawing nigh to God, we feel our unfitness to be there, we are made conscious of what He frowns upon, and if we have such faith as Jesus spoke of, we at once resign what would grieve the Spirit of adoption. No saint is ignorant of the convicting power of prayer. But it is not of necessity so with resentment for real grievances. We may think we do well to be angry. We may confound our selfish fire with the pure flame of holy zeal, and begin, with confidence enough, yet not with the mind of Christ, to remove mountains, not because they impede a holy cause, but because they throw a shadow upon our own field. And, therefore, Jesus reminds us that not only wonder-working faith, but even the forgiveness of our sins requires from us the forgiveness of our brother. This saying is the clearest proof of how much is implied in a truly undoubting heart. And this promise is the sternest rebuke of the Church, endowed with such ample powers, and yet after nineteen centuries confronted by an unconverted world.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 20 26. The Withered Fig-Tree 20. And in the morning ] The early morning of Tuesday in Holy Week. as they passed by ] On their return to the Holy City. dried up from the roots ] … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 11:20”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24647\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}