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Gospel of Mark

Have Faith in God: Mark 11:22-25

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22 ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. 23 ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’ 

Mark 11: 22-25

Horsham: 19th May 2025

How did we get here?:
These verses follow the discovery by the disciples that the fig tree which had, hours earlier, been cursed by Jesus is now dead (vv 20-21). Our familiarity with the story is such that we can thoughtlessly say ‘the fig tree died’, without pausing to notice the extraordinary supernatural power which lies behind that phrase. Finding that the tree had died so quickly must have left those who had witnessed the event profoundly impacted. In their astonishment, the disciples look to Jesus for an explanation.

Have Faith in God:
Jesus answer is simple, direct and foundational to the teaching which follows. ‘Have faith in God‘ (v22).  Those who walk in the light of the Kingdom, who pray in simple faith, believing in their hearts that nothing is impossible for God, will see powerful and extraordinary answers to their petitions.

William Barclay points out that the claim that faith can move mountains (v23) is common in rabbinic teaching, and appears in Matthew 17:20 and in similar form in Luke 17:6. In each of these instances, the context is different. This saying was never intended to be taken literally. It means that prayer, prayed in faith – faith in the Almighty, all powerful God, can resolve even the greatest of challenges.

Barclay suggests, we might assume that these verses contain phrases which were common sayings of Jesus (Barclay Loc:5562). 

Effective Prayer
First, pray in a spirit of faith, believing that God will answer your prayer (v24). Of course, this assumes that we are doing all that we can to live in God’s will, and that this passion is reflected in our prayers.

Secondly, but just as important, comes the need for forgiveness (v25).

‘And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your father in heaven may forgive your sins.’ (v25)

There is an echo here of Christ’s familiar teaching on prayer. This, he once said, is how we should pray:

‘Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.’ (Matthew 6:12)

But there is something more. Here’s a hugely important lesson.  Forgiveness of others, says Jesus, is an essential pre-requisite for effective prayer.

Context:
So, great teaching, but why has Mark included these teachings at this point in his narrative? What is his context? Mark has just taken us through the incident with the fig tree and the clearing of the temple, both highly symbolic and dramatic parables. The response of the disciples to the sudden death of a fig tree leads Christ to point out that they have failed to grasp the potential supernatural power of prayer.  Rather than being randomly placed alongside these two familiar stories, these teachings are relevant to the theme of his unfolding narrative.

End Piece:
The Apostle Paul tells us to ‘pray constantly’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). If we want to make a difference in this broken world, we must learn how to pray effectively. Pray believing in the supernatural power of prayer. Pray in faith. Pray in confidence. Pray with a thankful and forgiving heart. The forgiving heart, says Jesus, is critical.

‘Perhaps only those who have learnt what that means will be in a position to act with Jesus’ authority against the injustice and wickedness of our own day.’ NT Wright, p151

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 3: Clearing the Temple Mark 11:15-18

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15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ 18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

Mark 11: 15-18

17th March 2025: Horsham

(Published on the Crossblog on 30th April 2025)

Jesus has walked the three or four miles from Bethany to the city of Jerusalem. As he left the village, Jesus had effectively put a curse on an apparently healthy fig tree which had provided no fruit. By the time he and his disciples return later that day, the tree will be dead.

His destination is Jerusalem. The Temple. When he arrives, he is  frustrated by the commercial activities taking place in the Temple Courts. I want us to think about what was going on and why.

The Pilgrims: The time of the Passover festival is approaching. The population of Jerusalem is hugely swollen by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. Some have come from the towns and villages around Jerusalem, but many have travelled long distances from around Israel and beyond. For all of them, their destination is the Temple.

Their pilgrimage is spiritual. It’s about spiritual celebration and service. They are there to worship God. That means sacrifice, offering and prayer. For sacrifice they need animals and they must be in peak condition. They need money to pay the temple tax and make offerings. These things can only be sorted at the Temple. In the outer court – the Court of the Gentiles – money can be changed and animals purchased. When Jesus arrives, this Court is full of noise and bustle, focused around the market – the money changers and the animal traders.

There is little space for quiet. Little space for prayer. The traders and the Temple authorities are making money from the market activities. ‘The Court of the Gentiles should have been a place of praying, but it was instead a place for preying and paying.’ (Wiersbe, p.136)

The Traders: Every animal presented for sacrifice has to be in perfect condition. If it is not up to standard, it will be rejected by the priests. Quite clearly, a sheep which has been driven through the wilderness and along dusty roads will not be in the best condition when it arrives at the Temple. Everyone knows that to pass the scrutiny of the priests, it was necessary to buy your animal in Jerusalem. For this purpose, the court of the gentiles, a large public area surrounding the temple itself, had developed into a livestock market, offering certified lambs, oxen and doves. Certfied as suitable for sacrifice. Of course, in the Temple market, the ‘captive audience’ creates the opportunity to inflate the cost of animals. In some cases, those who are poor can offer a dove in sacrifice in lieu of a lamb. There are records of the Chief Priests controlling the prices to minimise the risk of selling doves at extortionate prices to the poorest worshippers, but it does happen. For Jesus and his family this was nothing new. When Christ was born, Mary and Joseph offered two doves (Luke 2:22-24).

The Money Changers: Most of the worshippers are from Israel, so why the need for money changers? The answer is quite simple. The temple has its own currency. Pilgrims need to pay tax at the temple and the only money which was accepted was the Tyrian Shekel. These coins, originally minted in the city of Tyre, are now produced in Judea under license from the Romans. They can only be used within the Temple compound. One feature of the Tyrean shekel is that it had an unusually high silver content and so the value was consistent and clear to everyone. Exchange rates were set by the traders themselves and so there was profit to be made at the expense of pilgrims.

The Temple Authorities: The market is controlled by the Temple authorities, and one reason for high prices is that animal sellers and money changers are required to pay a fee to these authorities to get a license to sell. There is some  evidence that the Temple authorities deliberately inflated prices, but there is also evidence that at times they were instrumental in reducing the burden on pilgrims by driving prices down (for an example see the actions of Rabbi Ben Gamaliel to reduce the price of doves, recorded in the Mishnah, Kerithoth 1:7).

Jesus actions: You’ll know the story. Jesus has very strong views about what is going on. He starts turning over tables of money changers and dove sellers. ‘Is it not written that my temple shall be a house of prayer for all nations!’ (Isaiah 56:7) ‘But you have made it a den of robbers.’ (Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus is really saying, this is the Temple and God expects his people to be producing fruit. In reality, rather than encouraging worship and upholding the Law, the authorities were continuing a situation where space was given to lucrative commerce rather than prayer. Instead of facilitating heartfelt worship, the focus is on making money from it.

The Result: There were several reasons why Christ’s action would have upset the authorities. There was a momentary interruption to cash flow. There is a need to keep control – to be seen to respond to this outrageous behaviour of a Rabbi. A riot in the temple courts will attract the attention, even the intervention of the Romans.  Perhaps worst of all, the people were excited, and attracted to Jesus. Many of them were there when he entered the city, riding a donkey. Many of them had heard that this was the Messiah, and they want it to be true. In this moment, he is clearly, and very publicly, attacking the authorities.  They are, after all, the overseers of the whole thing. So many reasons for the Jewish leaders to want to be rid of him.

End Piece: This was not the first time Jesus had visited the temple. The practices of the market place in the Temple had developed over many generations. It’s easy for us to be critical of the situation that provoked Jesus to take action, but to everyone involved, including the pilgrims, that was just the way things had always worked. The vast majority of people didn’t even notice that they were doing anything wrong, and maybe that’s what really annoyed Jesus.

The real message here is that Israel is not fulfilling it’s purpose before God. The healthy looking fig tree is failing to produce even those small immature fruit which might have been available at this time of year. The fig tree is symbolic of Israel. Like the fig tree, Israel itself is at risk of finding itself deeply out of favour with God.

From time to time we wonder how Jesus would react if he walked into our Church. Maybe, rather than condemning the money changers, animal traders and temple authorities, it might be more fruitful to reflect on what is going on in our own Churches and our own way of life.  If Jesus walked into your world right now, what might attract his attention? (Matthew 7:3-5)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 2: The Fig Tree – Mark 11:12-14 and 19-21

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12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.          […]          19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[e] went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Mark 11:12-14 and 19-21

5th March 2025: Horsham

(Published here on 30th April 2025)

Yesterday, I pointed out a literary device which appears in Mark’s gospel which we call the ‘Markan Sandwich’. This device brings two separate stories together with a common theme (the Markan Sandwich is explained here).  In this case, the two stories are the cursing of the fig tree, and the story of Jesus clearing the temple. In this post I’m concentrating on the story of the fig tree.

At first glance, this is a rather strange story. Christ’s actions feel jarringly out of character. We see Jesus ‘using his power to blast a tree which had disappointed him when he was hungry.‘ (Barclay, Loc 5466). This seems particularly harsh on the tree because Mark tells us that figs were not in season. More than ever, we really need some context!

Setting the Scene: It’s early morning. Jesus has spent the night in Bethany, a few miles from Jerusalem, and is making his way to the city where he will visit the Temple. He’s hungry. Whilst figs are not in season, the fact that the tree is in leaf means that it would normally offer some immature edible fruits. These fruits are actually buds called ‘breba or taqsh’ which appear with the first leaves of the spring but don’t develop into fruits. There were no taqsh. The tree looks as if it will serve Christ’s needs. It does not.

The Curse: The ‘curse’ which Jesus places upon the tree is this. “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” (v14). The incident is reported in Matthew 21. Whilst there are some textual variations in the Greek, in essence the same words are reproduced. This might sound like an expression of anger, but in truth, it is a clear statement of condemnation. Matthew says that the impact was immediate. Mark tells us that the disciples noticed the dead tree at the end of same day. The fact is that the tree rapidly – supernaturally – withers and dies. Yet why, we still want to ask, did Jesus say this to a fig tree?

The Fig Tree: The fact that this is a fig tree is significant. When the twelve explorers were sent by Moses from the wilderness into the Promised Land, they found wonderful things. One of the key things they reported finding was fig trees (Numbers 13:23. Deuteronomy 8:7-9  Fig trees, along with vines, are slow growing. They become identified with peace, stability and safety. In Scripture, the fig tree comes to symbolise Israel itself.

“When I found Israel,
    it was like finding grapes in the desert;
when I saw your ancestors,
    it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.

Hosea 9:10

The End Piece: Here, then, we have an image of Jesus coming to a fig tree, symbolic of the nation of Israel. The fig tree is in leaf. It looks healthy. It looks productive. It looks as if it is fulfilling it’s purpose. Yet at the moment when the Messiah comes, it is found wanting.

There is a warning for us all here. The symbolism is simple. At the moment when the Messiah comes, Israel itself is found wanting.

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:40)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

 

Gospel of Mark

Fig Tree and Temple 1: The Markan Sandwich – Mark 11: 12-25

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Horsham: 4th March 2025

(Published on The Crossblog 30th April)

You may come across a reference in a commentary or sermon to an aspect of Mark’s style which we call the ‘Markan Sandwich’. This is a literary device in which the writer starts to tell a story. After a short paragraph of introduction, he moves to a second story, before returning to conclude the first narrative. At first glance, the two stories may seem entirely unrelated to each other, but invariably they work together to make or emphasise a point. ‘The middle story nearly always provides the key to the theological purpose of the sandwich.’ (Dr Tim White).

The Sandwich: The ‘Markan sandwich’ device appears 7 times in Mark’s gospel (see the list at the end of this post). In these verses, Mark 11: 12-25,  we have a great example. Mark introduces the story of the fig tree which offers no fruit. He then relates the story of Christ clearing the temple, before returning to the conclusion of the story of the fig tree. We’re going to look at each of these stories, but first, let’s look at the link between them.

The Fig Tree: The fig tree should be able to deliver small fruits which would feed Jesus. These are not mature figs, but a kind of bud, referred to as a ‘breba’ in Spain, or a ‘taqsh’ in arabic countries. These small buds, which do not develop into full figs, appear in the cooler months of spring and are edible. They’re not a great delicacy, but if you were hungry, you would eat them.

This tree looks as if it should be capable of producing fruit. On close inspection, it offers nothing.

The Temple: In the Jewish mind, temple was a place of worship and sacrifice. Jesus reacted strongly to the corrupt commercial market which was being held within its’ walls. The market was the only, or at least the most visible, activity in the temple courts.

The temple looked as if it was capable of producing fruit for God, but on close inspection, Jesus found that it was failing in its purpose. The main activity was buying, selling and money changing, with some traders taking advantage of the many pilgrims and visitors.

The Link: Let’s start by noting that the Jews regarded the fig tree as symbolic of Israel. This is rooted in Old Testament imagery.

The fig tree’s fruitfulness is a metaphor for the nation’s blessing and favor from God. Conversely, the absence or destruction of fig trees symbolizes judgment and desolation. (see BibleHub commentary: ‘Symbolism of the Fig Tree)

We’ve already noticed that both the fig tree (which somehow represents Israel) and the temple (which should be the beating heart of Israel) are failing to produce fruit which is at the core of their created purpose.  Consequently, both are condemned by Christ. The destruction of the fig tree is immediate. In context, we see a performative parable which prophecies the destruction of the temple. That destruction is just as real and takes place at the hands of the Romans, nearly 40 years later.

The Lesson: In context, these two stories sit perfectly together and contribute to a single purpose. The lesson is simple. The follower of Jesus must produce fruit for the kingdom. That is our purpose. In these performative parables, Jesus criticises those who look as if they are being effective, but in reality they are not. Each of us, and every Church of every generation, needs to sit up and take note.

‘I know your deeds. You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead!’ (Revelation 3:1)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

For a simple but detailed review of the ‘Markan Sandwich’, see article by Dr Tim White, Professor of Ministry and Theology, Carolina University. 

The seven examples of the Markan Sandwich

Mark 5:21-43: The story of Jairus and the woman with the hemorrage;

Mark 6:7-30: The sending out of the Twelve and the death of John the Baptist.

Mark 11:12-21: The condemnation of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple;

Mark 14:1-11: The Plot to kill Jesus, including Judas’ betrayal, and the anointing of Jesus at Bethany

Mark 14:17-31 Christ’s prediction of his betrayal by Judas and Peter, and the Last Supper

Mark 14:53-72 Peter in the courtyard of the High Priest and interrogation of Jesus

Mark 15:40-16:8 The women at the cross and the tomb, and Christ’s body claimed by Joseph of Arimathea