The Gospel of Mark, rightly Divided
Mark 11:12-22 | Session 44 | Mark Rightly Divided
Matthew 11:12-14, 20-22 | The Fig Tree
Verses 12-13 -
This took place the day after the triumphal entry of the previous verses. They had returned to Bethany (v. 11), and now were heading back into Jerusalem (probably a 20-minute journey by foot).
Jesus saw a fig tree growing on the Mount of Olives, a common place for both fig and olive trees. Some have suggested that the fig tree is representative of Israel. While the fig is one of Israel's five naturally grown crops, it may or may not have been seen symbolically of Israel. Nothing in the scripture confirms the symbolism. Being hungry, Jesus hoped that, perhaps, the tree might have some figs, even though "the time of figs was not yet" (v. 13). This is most likely to say, simply speaking, that under some conditions the tree might have some ripe figs, but it wouldn't be necessarily expected.
Verse 14 -
Jesus cursed the fig tree. We are not told why, but we know that "the disciples heard it." I suspect it is related to messages similar to that of John the Baptist: “the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (Matt. 3:10). It is almost certainly a curse for that generation of Israel. It cannot be a curse on Israel for eternity since God has yet to fulfill His promise to Abraham in full (Gen. 12:1-3).
After an interlude in verses 15-19, the story continues. We will place them together for ease of interpretation.
Verse 20 -
Jesus and his disciples had once again spent the night in Bethany, or at least in the vicinity of the Mount of Olives. Once again, they returned to Jerusalem, and on the way, they saw the fig tree, "dried up from the roots." I hesitate to make too much symbolic testimony from this because we are not given an explanation in scripture. Does it being dried "from the roots" indicate the death of Israel internally? Can a person tell whether the tree died from the bottom up or the top down, or is this just a metaphor meaning "completely dead"? I tend to see it as a metaphor, and any symbolism should be held lightly since the text is not explicit.
Verses 21-22 -
Peter remarks about the sudden death of the tree, connecting the curse to its demise. Jesus simply answers with, "Have faith in God." His answer (further explained in verses 23 and following) seems to call for understanding the curse and the death of the tree as a real event with symbolic meaning. It appears to recognize that the nation will "die" but have a future, as per Rom. 11:15.
Matthew 11:15-19 | Cleansing The Temple
Verses 15-16 -
After cursing the fig tree, and before noticing its death the next morning, Jesus and his disciples entered the temple to cleanse it. Most believe the temple cleansing happened once, but as noted in Mark 11:1-11, if there are two triumphal entries, then there are two temple cleansings. Matthew's account has Jesus cleansing the temple right after the triumphal entry, whereas in Mark, the cleansing happens the next day. If these are separate entries into Jerusalem, it logically follows that there would be two cleansings, which would reconcile the discrepancies between Matthew and Mark by making them separate events.
However, we should note that ancient literature does not always follow the same chronological order as we do. There may be ways to reconcile the differences, such as the possibility that Matthew compressed events rather than emphasizing chronology. Regardless, one must recognize that there are differences between the two accounts.
Incidentally, if one takes the Matthew and Mark accounts to be two separate events, then there are likely three instances of Jesus cleansing the temple, since John places his account at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
In the cleansing, Jesus was concerned that the business and commerce that had begun to take place in the temple should cease. It was not the place for such activity, though the activity itself was not sinful. It seems people were coming and going through the temple as if it were a thoroughfare, and that the needs of worshipers were being met by unscrupulous merchants.
Verse 17 -
This line concerning a house of prayer for all nations and a den of thieves has become commonplace in Western culture's memory. Unfortunately, it has been applied in every conceivable manner to local churches today, from not selling items in the church foyer to claiming to be an international house of prayer. The best understanding is that this was a doctrine for the Jewish temple. Doctrine for a local assembly should be developed from Pauline writings, not from the Gospels.
Verse 18 -
The Holy Spirit lets us know what is going on behind the scenes, namely that the scribes and chief priests knew that they had to "destroy him." They had to do this because "all the people was astonished at his doctrine." First, we should note that the word "people" in Middle English could be used as a singular, and thus "people was" was good grammar in that day. Today, the word "people" has evolved into a plural. Second, it was the "doctrine" of the Lord, that is, His teaching that astonished the people (as opposed to His winsome personality or impressive presentation). This was true from the beginning, when He taught as one with authority (Mark 1:21-22). But now this teaching was threatening the status quo by which the scribes and chief priests had a very comfortable living and powerful political position. By the end of the week, they will have accomplished their goal…or so it will appear.
Verse 19 -
Jesus left the city, having spent the day in Jerusalem, and departed to Bethany or vicinity.
