14 And G2532 Jesus G2424 answered G611 and said G2036 unto it, G846 No man G3367 eat G5315 fruit G2590 of G1537 thee G4675 hereafter G3371 for G1519 ever. G165 And G2532 his G846 disciples G3101 heard G191 it.
Hear, H8085 O Israel: H3478 The LORD H3068 our God H430 is one H259 LORD: H3068 And thou shalt love H157 the LORD H3068 thy God H430 with all thine heart, H3824 and with all thy soul, H5315 and with all thy might. H3966 And these words, H1697 which I command H6680 thee this day, H3117 shall be in thine heart: H3824 And thou shalt teach them diligently H8150 unto thy children, H1121 and shalt talk H1696 of them when thou sittest H3427 in thine house, H1004 and when thou walkest H3212 by the way, H1870 and when thou liest down, H7901 and when thou risest up. H6965 And thou shalt bind H7194 them for a sign H226 upon thine hand, H3027 and they shall be as frontlets H2903 between thine eyes. H5869
Behold, H7200 I set H5414 before H6440 you this day H3117 a blessing H1293 and a curse; H7045 A blessing, H1293 if ye obey H8085 the commandments H4687 of the LORD H3068 your God, H430 which I command H6680 you this day: H3117 And a curse, H7045 if ye will not obey H8085 the commandments H4687 of the LORD H3068 your God, H430 but turn aside H5493 out of the way H1870 which I command H6680 you this day, H3117 to go H3212 after H310 other H312 gods, H430 which ye have not known. H3045 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD H3068 thy God H430 hath brought thee in H935 unto the land H776 whither thou goest H935 to possess H3423 it, that thou shalt put H5414 the blessing H1293 upon mount H2022 Gerizim, H1630 and the curse H7045 upon mount H2022 Ebal. H5858 Are they not on the other side H5676 Jordan, H3383 by H310 the way H1870 where the sun H8121 goeth down, H3996 in the land H776 of the Canaanites, H3669 which dwell H3427 in the champaign H6160 over against H4136 Gilgal, H1537 beside H681 the plains H436 of Moreh? H4176 For ye shall pass over H5674 Jordan H3383 to go in H935 to possess H3423 the land H776 which the LORD H3068 your God H430 giveth H5414 you, and ye shall possess H3423 it, and dwell H3427 therein.
And now go to; I will tell H3045 you what I will do H6213 to my vineyard: H3754 I will take away H5493 the hedge H4881 thereof, and it shall be eaten up; H1197 and break down H6555 the wall H1447 thereof, and it shall be trodden down: H4823 And I will lay H7896 it waste: H1326 it shall not be pruned, H2168 nor digged; H5737 but there shall come up H5927 briers H8068 and thorns: H7898 I will also command H6680 the clouds H5645 that they rain H4305 no rain H4306 upon it.
Either G2228 make G4160 the tree G1186 good, G2570 and G2532 his G846 fruit G2590 good; G2570 or else G2228 make G4160 the tree G1186 corrupt, G4550 and G2532 his G846 fruit G2590 corrupt: G4550 for G1063 the tree G1186 is known G1097 by G1537 his fruit. G2590 O generation G1081 of vipers, G2191 how G4459 can ye, G1410 being G5607 evil, G4190 speak G2980 good things? G18 for G1063 out of G1537 the abundance G4051 of the heart G2588 the mouth G4750 speaketh. G2980 A good G18 man G444 out of G1537 the good G18 treasure G2344 of the heart G2588 bringeth forth G1544 good things: G18 and G2532 an evil G4190 man G444 out of G1537 the evil G4190 treasure G2344 bringeth forth G1544 evil things. G4190
And G2532 in the morning, G4404 as they passed by, G3899 they saw G1492 the fig tree G4808 dried up G3583 from G1537 the roots. G4491 And G2532 Peter G4074 calling to remembrance G363 saith G3004 unto him, G846 Master, G4461 behold, G2396 the fig tree G4808 which G3739 thou cursedst G2672 is withered away. G3583
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Mark 11
Commentary on Mark 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
Mr 11:1-11. Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, on the First Day of the Week. ( = Mt 21:1-9; Lu 19:29-40; Joh 12:12, 19).
See on Lu 19:29-40.
Mr 11:11-26. The Barren Fig Tree Cursed with Lessons from It—Second Cleansing of the Temple, on the Second and Third Days of the Week. ( = Mt 21:12-22; Lu 19:45-48).
11. And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon—surveyed.
all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out into Bethany with the twelve—Thus briefly does our Evangelist dispose of this His first day in Jerusalem, after the triumphal entry. Nor do the Third and Fourth Gospels give us more light. But from Matthew (Mt 21:10, 11, 14-16) we learn some additional and precious particulars, for which see on Lu 19:45-48. It was not now safe for the Lord to sleep in the city, nor, from the day of His Triumphal Entry, did He pass one night in it, save the last fatal one.
The Barren Fig Tree Cursed (Mr 11:12-14).
12. And on the morrow—The Triumphal Entry being on the first day of the week, this following day was Monday.
when they were come from Bethany—"in the morning" (Mt 21:18).
he was hungry—How was that? Had he stolen forth from that dear roof at Bethany to the "mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God?" (Lu 6:12); or, "in the morning," as on a former occasion, "risen up a great while before day, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mr 1:35); not breaking His fast thereafter, but bending His steps straight for the city, that He might "work the works of Him that sent Him while it was day?" (Joh 9:4). We know not, though one lingers upon and loves to trace out the every movement of that life of wonders. One thing, however we are sure of—it was real bodily hunger which He now sought to allay by the fruit of this fig tree, "if haply He might find any thing thereon"; not a mere scene for the purpose of teaching a lesson, as some early heretics maintained, and some still seem virtually to hold.
13. And seeing a fig tree—(In Mt 21:19, it is "one fig tree," but the sense is the same as here, "a certain fig tree," as in Mt 8:19, &c.). Bethphage, which adjoined Bethany, derives its name from its being a fig region—"House of figs."
afar off having leaves—and therefore promising fruit, which in the case of figs come before the 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—What the precise import of this explanation is, interpreters are not agreed. Perhaps all that is meant is, that as the proper fig season had not arrived, no fruit would have been expected even of this tree but for the leaves which it had, which were in this case prematurely and unnaturally developed.
14. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever—That word did not make the tree barren, but sealed it up in its own barrenness. See on Mt 13:13-15.
And his disciples heard it—and marked the saying. This is introduced as a connecting link, to explain what was afterwards to be said on the subject, as the narrative has to proceed to the other transactions of this day.
Second Cleansing of the Temple (Mr 11:15-18).
For the exposition of this portion, see on Lu 19:45-48.
Lessons from the Cursing of the Fig Tree (Mr 11:20-26).
20. And in the morning—of Tuesday, the third day of the week: He had slept, as during all this week, at Bethany.
as they passed by—going into Jerusalem again.
they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots—no partial blight, leaving life in the root; but it was now dead, root and branch. In Mt 21:19 it is said it withered away as soon as it was cursed. But the full blight had not appeared probably at once; and in the dusk perhaps, as they returned to Bethany, they had not observed it. The precision with which Mark distinguishes the days is not observed by Matthew, intent only on holding up the truths which the incident was designed to teach. In Matthew the whole is represented as taking place at once, just as the two stages of Jairus' daughter—dying and dead—are represented by him as one. The only difference is between a more summary and a more detailed narrative, each of which only confirms the other.
21. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him—satisfied that a miracle so very peculiar—a miracle, not of blessing, as all His other miracles, but of cursing—could not have been wrought but with some higher reference, and fully expecting to hear something weighty on the subject.
Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away—so connecting the two things as to show that he traced the death of the tree entirely to the curse of his Lord. Matthew (Mt 21:20) gives this simply as a general exclamation of surprise by the disciples "how soon" the blight had taken effect.
22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed … he shall have whatsoever he saith—Here is the lesson now. From the nature of the case supposed—that they might wish a mountain removed and cast into the sea, a thing far removed from anything which they could be thought actually to desire—it is plain that not physical but moral obstacles to the progress of His kingdom were in the Redeemer's view, and that what He designed to teach was the great lesson, that no obstacle should be able to stand before a confiding faith in God.
24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them—This verse only generalizes the assurance of Mr 11:23; which seems to show that it was designed for the special encouragement of evangelistic and missionary efforts, while this is a directory for prevailing prayer in general.
25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses, &c.—This is repeated from the Sermon on the Mount (see on Mt 6:12); to remind them that if this was necessary to the acceptableness of all prayer, much more when great things were to be asked and confidently expected.
Mr 11:27-33. The Authority of Jesus Questioned—His Reply. ( = Mt 21:23-27; Lu 20:1-8).
See on Mt 21:23-27.