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Read Mark Chapter 11

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1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?

6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.

7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.

8And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.

9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:

10Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

11And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

12And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:

13And 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.

14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.

15And 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;

16And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.

17And 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.

18And 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.

19And when even was come, he went out of the city.

20And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

23For 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.

24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

27And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,

28And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?

29And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.

31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?

32But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

33And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Mark 11

In short

Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king and cleanses the temple of merchants. He then curses a fig tree and teaches his followers about faith, prayer, and forgiveness. Religious leaders question his authority, but he refuses to answer them directly.

What the text says

Verses 1-11 describe Jesus entering Jerusalem. He sends two disciples to find a colt that has never been ridden, telling them to say "the Lord hath need of him" if questioned. They find the animal, bring it to Jesus, and the crowds lay garments and branches in his path, shouting "Hosanna" and blessing "he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Jesus enters the temple and then leaves for Bethany.

Verses 12-14 record that the next day Jesus curses a fig tree for having leaves but no fruit, though the text notes it was not the season for figs.

Verses 15-18 show Jesus in the temple driving out merchants and money-changers, overturning their tables. He teaches that the temple should be "the house of prayer" for all nations, not "a den of thieves." The chief priests hear this and seek to destroy him.

Verses 20-26 present the fig tree now dried from the roots. Peter mentions this to Jesus, who teaches about faith and prayer. Jesus says believers who pray with faith will receive what they ask. He adds that when praying, people must forgive others, or God will not forgive them.

Verses 27-33 show chief priests and elders asking by what authority Jesus acts. Jesus responds by asking whether John's baptism came from heaven or men. They refuse to answer, so Jesus says he will not tell them his authority either.

Takeaways

  • Jesus enters the city acclaimed as a king and cleanses the temple of commercial activity.
  • Faith in prayer and the need to forgive others are linked together as conditions for receiving from God.
  • Those in power avoid answering Jesus' question, and he refuses to answer theirs in return.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.