New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Mark 11
1
As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 8:1
Mark 14:13
Matthew 26:30
Matthew 24:3
Matthew 21:17
References Jerusalem
Acts 1:12
Zechariah 14:4
2
He said to them, "Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey's colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here.
3
Someone may ask you, 'Why are you doing this?' If so, say, 'The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.' "
4
So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it.
5
Some people standing there asked, "What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?"
6
They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go.
7
They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 9:9
8
Many people spread their coats on the road. Others spread branches they had cut in the fields.
9
Those in front and those in back shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" --(Psalm 118:25,26)
Reference
11
Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
12
The next day as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, they were hungry.
13
Not too far away, he saw a fig tree. It was covered with leaves. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 21:19
14
Then Jesus said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" And his disciples heard him say it.
Reference
15
When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he entered the temple area. He began chasing out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were exchanging money. He also turned over the benches of those who were selling doves.
16
He would not allow anyone to carry items for sale through the temple courtyards.
17
Then he taught them. He told them, "It is written that the Lord said, " 'My house will be called a house where people from all nations can pray.' --(Isaiah 56:7) But you have made it a 'den for robbers.' "--(Jeremiah 7:11)
Reference
18
The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard about this. They began looking for a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Reference
20
In the morning as Jesus and his disciples walked along, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up all the way down to the roots.
Reference
21
Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you put a curse on has dried up!"
23
"What I'm about to tell you is true. Suppose one of you says to this mountain, 'Go and throw yourself into the sea.' You must not doubt in your heart. You must believe that what you say will happen. Then it will be done for you.
Reference
Faith
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 21:21
Luke 17:6
1 Corinthians 13:2
Parallel theme
John 15:7
Psalm 37:4
John 14:13
24
"So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours.
Reference
25
And when you stand praying, forgive anyone you have anything against. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins."
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 3:13
Ephesians 4:32
Luke 6:37
Matthew 6:12
Matthew 5:23
James 2:13
Prayer
Matthew 6:5
Luke 18:11
27
Jesus and his disciples arrived again in Jerusalem. He was walking in the temple courtyards. Then the chief priests came to him. The teachers of the law and the elders came too.
28
"By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "Who gave you authority to do this?"
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 2:14
29
Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
30
Was John's baptism from heaven? Or did it come from men? Tell me!"
31
They talked to each other about it. They said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'
32
But what if we say, 'From men'?" They were afraid of the people. Everyone believed that John really was a prophet.
Reference
33
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said, "Then I won't tell you by what authority I am doing these things either."
Chapter Summary
Mark 11 begins with Jesus approaching Jerusalem during the final days before His crucifixion, and He sends two disciples ahead to obtain a young colt on which He will enter the city.
The disciples find the colt exactly where Jesus said it would be, place their cloaks on it, and Jesus rides into Jerusalem while crowds spread cloaks and leafy branches across the road and shout words of praise associated with God's promised kingdom.
This entry presents Jesus as a humble and peaceful King, deliberately contrasting the image of a conquering military ruler with the manner in which He approaches Jerusalem.
Jesus enters the temple, looks around, and returns to Bethany for the night, but the following day He encounters a fig tree covered with leaves but without fruit.
He declares that no one will ever eat from the tree again, and this action becomes an important symbol within the chapter because the fruitless tree represents the danger of having an outward appearance of religious life while lacking the spiritual fruit God expects.
Jesus then enters the temple and drives out those buying and selling, preventing people from using the temple courts as a commercial passageway and condemning the religious corruption that has taken place within God's house.
He declares that the temple was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the leaders have turned it into a place characterized by exploitation and corruption, making His action both a judgment against religious hypocrisy and a declaration of His authority over the temple.
The chief priests and teachers of the law respond by seeking a way to destroy Jesus because they recognize that His actions threaten their authority, while the ordinary people remain amazed by His teaching.
The following morning, the disciples discover that the fig tree has withered from its roots, and Peter remembers Jesus' earlier words, giving Jesus the opportunity to teach about faith.
Jesus tells His disciples to have faith in God and uses the dramatic image of moving a mountain into the sea to describe the kind of confident trust that depends upon God's power rather than human ability.
He then connects faith with prayer, teaching that believers should approach God with confidence while also emphasizing that prayer must be accompanied by forgiveness toward those who have wronged them.
This connection is important because Jesus does not present faith as a technique for obtaining whatever a person wants, but as a relationship of trust in God that includes humility, prayer, and reconciliation with others.
When Jesus returns to the temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders directly challenge Him by asking who gave Him authority to perform the actions He has performed.
Rather than answering immediately, Jesus asks them whether John the Baptist's baptism came from heaven or from human authority, forcing them to confront the same question of divine authority that they are asking about Him.
The leaders realize that either answer will expose their lack of integrity, because if they acknowledge John's divine authority, they must explain why they rejected his message, while if they deny it, they risk angering the people who regarded John as a prophet.
They therefore answer that they do not know, and Jesus refuses to give them the direct answer they demanded, because their problem is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to accept the implications of the evidence already available.
Mark 11 therefore connects the triumphal entry, the fig tree, the cleansing of the temple, the teaching about faith and forgiveness, and the confrontation over authority into one coherent picture.
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as the promised King, but instead of immediately taking political power, He confronts the spiritual corruption within the center of Israel's religious life.
The fig tree represents outward appearance without fruit, while the temple represents religious activity without genuine devotion, and both images point toward the same warning that God is not satisfied with visible religious forms when the underlying heart and behavior remain unfaithful.
The chapter also shows that Jesus' authority is not simply the authority of a teacher who has gathered a following, because His actions in the temple and His challenge to the religious leaders demonstrate that He is acting with a claim to divine authority.
The central message is that God desires genuine faith, spiritual fruit, sincere prayer, forgiveness, and worship that reflects His purposes, rather than religious appearance, empty tradition, personal ambition, or outward activity without inward obedience.
Mark 11 ultimately presents Jesus as the humble King who enters Jerusalem, confronts a corrupted religious system, exposes fruitless faith, teaches His followers to trust God and forgive others, and refuses to submit His authority to leaders who demand evidence while deliberately refusing to respond to the truth they already know.
The disciples find the colt exactly where Jesus said it would be, place their cloaks on it, and Jesus rides into Jerusalem while crowds spread cloaks and leafy branches across the road and shout words of praise associated with God's promised kingdom.
This entry presents Jesus as a humble and peaceful King, deliberately contrasting the image of a conquering military ruler with the manner in which He approaches Jerusalem.
Jesus enters the temple, looks around, and returns to Bethany for the night, but the following day He encounters a fig tree covered with leaves but without fruit.
He declares that no one will ever eat from the tree again, and this action becomes an important symbol within the chapter because the fruitless tree represents the danger of having an outward appearance of religious life while lacking the spiritual fruit God expects.
Jesus then enters the temple and drives out those buying and selling, preventing people from using the temple courts as a commercial passageway and condemning the religious corruption that has taken place within God's house.
He declares that the temple was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the leaders have turned it into a place characterized by exploitation and corruption, making His action both a judgment against religious hypocrisy and a declaration of His authority over the temple.
The chief priests and teachers of the law respond by seeking a way to destroy Jesus because they recognize that His actions threaten their authority, while the ordinary people remain amazed by His teaching.
The following morning, the disciples discover that the fig tree has withered from its roots, and Peter remembers Jesus' earlier words, giving Jesus the opportunity to teach about faith.
Jesus tells His disciples to have faith in God and uses the dramatic image of moving a mountain into the sea to describe the kind of confident trust that depends upon God's power rather than human ability.
He then connects faith with prayer, teaching that believers should approach God with confidence while also emphasizing that prayer must be accompanied by forgiveness toward those who have wronged them.
This connection is important because Jesus does not present faith as a technique for obtaining whatever a person wants, but as a relationship of trust in God that includes humility, prayer, and reconciliation with others.
When Jesus returns to the temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders directly challenge Him by asking who gave Him authority to perform the actions He has performed.
Rather than answering immediately, Jesus asks them whether John the Baptist's baptism came from heaven or from human authority, forcing them to confront the same question of divine authority that they are asking about Him.
The leaders realize that either answer will expose their lack of integrity, because if they acknowledge John's divine authority, they must explain why they rejected his message, while if they deny it, they risk angering the people who regarded John as a prophet.
They therefore answer that they do not know, and Jesus refuses to give them the direct answer they demanded, because their problem is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to accept the implications of the evidence already available.
Mark 11 therefore connects the triumphal entry, the fig tree, the cleansing of the temple, the teaching about faith and forgiveness, and the confrontation over authority into one coherent picture.
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as the promised King, but instead of immediately taking political power, He confronts the spiritual corruption within the center of Israel's religious life.
The fig tree represents outward appearance without fruit, while the temple represents religious activity without genuine devotion, and both images point toward the same warning that God is not satisfied with visible religious forms when the underlying heart and behavior remain unfaithful.
The chapter also shows that Jesus' authority is not simply the authority of a teacher who has gathered a following, because His actions in the temple and His challenge to the religious leaders demonstrate that He is acting with a claim to divine authority.
The central message is that God desires genuine faith, spiritual fruit, sincere prayer, forgiveness, and worship that reflects His purposes, rather than religious appearance, empty tradition, personal ambition, or outward activity without inward obedience.
Mark 11 ultimately presents Jesus as the humble King who enters Jerusalem, confronts a corrupted religious system, exposes fruitless faith, teaches His followers to trust God and forgive others, and refuses to submit His authority to leaders who demand evidence while deliberately refusing to respond to the truth they already know.