Christ Church Study—Mark 11:1-25 Prepared by Brien Koehler (Week of May 30, 2021)

“’ arrival in marks the beginning of passion week, the final days of his life in which he will fulfill his destiny as suffering and glorified . Everything in the has been leading up to these climactic events, to which Mark devotes over a third of his narrative. It begins with Jesus’ entrance into the Holy City and the temple as her humble king. But how will Jerusalem receive her Messiah?” Mary Healy, The .

1 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at and , near the , he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' just say this, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.'" 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, "! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor ! Hosanna in the highest !" 11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. 15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 He was teaching and saying, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." 18 And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19 And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." 22 Jesus answered them, "Have faith in . 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:1-25 (New Revised Standard Version)

1. How many disciples does Jesus send out ahead of him? Can you remember another time when he did this? How do you think the availability of the donkey was arranged? (There is no right answer to this one!) 2. As you read and study this passage, you will see that the secrecy of earlier chapters is gone: Jesus is advertising his mission as the Messiah with every move. It might not be obvious to modern readers, but Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was planned to reveal the truth to those who had eyes to see and ears to hear. • Why would the colt be one that had not been used or ridden before? (Num 19:2, Deut 21:3, 1 Sam 6:7). How might the colt point to where the tribe of the Messiah? (Gen 49:10-11, compare to Matthew 2:6) • What does Jesus tell the disciples to say if anyone asks why they are taking the colt? Jesus never refers to himself as “the Lord” in earlier chapters; what would using this name mean to those who heard it? • Why a colt instead of a magnificent horse? (:9, 1 Kings 1:32-34) • Read (from the Apocrypha) 1 Maccabees 13:51 and Psalm 118:25-26, a psalm about military victory. Since the crowd welcoming Jesus imitates the crowd in Maccabees and quotes this psalm, what kind of Lord are they expecting? (Preview: Jesus quotes from Psalm 118 in :10-11, applying it to his coming passion and resurrection)

3. The entry into Jerusalem ends in a rather quiet way. (v. 11) Why would Jesus end the day, even though it was late, at the Temple? (Look at Malachi 3:1-2)

4. The fig tree episode (vv 12-14, & vv 20-26) needs to be read as related to the (vv. 15-19). In the writings of the prophets, Israel is frequently described as a fig or a fig tree (Jer 24:1-8; 29:17; Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:7). The fig tree episode is not just a temper tantrum by Jesus. What is he showing us in the fig tree episode? (Joel 1:7-12; see Jer 8:13; Hosea 2:14).

5. What does Jesus say the Temple is intended to be, and what does he say it actually is, in v. 17? Mark adds an interesting phrase to the purpose of the Temple that is not in the other . What is it? (see :6-7)

6. What has happened to the fig tree, and what does it relate to the future of the Temple system? (v. 20) Why do you think Jesus offer the teaching on faith, prayer, and at this particular time?

Going Deeper:

The cleansing of the Temple is a demonstration of judgment pronounced and executed by the Messiah, who came suddenly to His Temple and acted in the Name of the Lord. The Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church in which we are members needs constant cleansing too—we don’t have to look far for examples. And, St. Paul teaches that our bodies are likewise temples—temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20). Look carefully at yourself, just as Jesus looked around and took stock of the Temple the night before he cleansed it. What is there in your own life that needs to be overturned and driven out?