The Lord was getting nearer to Jerusalem. When they reached the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples to bring a colt, that was probably not tame, for the Lord to ride upon. Because “the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:1010For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10)) are His, He could claim the colt and tame it.
How rightly the Lord deserved the praise rendered that day by His disciples! But He didn’t stay in that religious city, because their leaders were about to reject Him completely. He returned to Bethany where Martha, Mary and Lazarus lived.
The Lord desired fruit from Israel, but under the law, they could bear no fruit for God. They had a profession — plenty of leaves on the fig tree — but no fruit. Only faith in God, not works, can produce fruit.
When Jesus began to cleanse the temple, the scribes and chief priests sought to destroy Him. They were making the house of God a den of thieves.
Peter remembered what the Lord had said about the fig tree and noticed how quickly it had withered away. It was a picture of Israel, soon to lose their place and nation and wither away. Later on, God will reverse the future of this fig tree; see Mark 13:27-2927And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. 28Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: 29So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. (Mark 13:27‑29). Until then, the Lord’s disciples are exhorted to have faith in God, pray believingly and have a forgiving spirit.
Men like to bestow authority upon one another. They thought that the Lord should be subject to their authority. The chief priests, scribes and elders set themselves up to judge His authority, but He told them to first decide the source of John’s authority. They could not do it. Then how could they judge as to the source of the Lord’s authority?
1. When someone would ask the disciples why they were loosing the colt, they were to say that the Lord had __________ of him. Mark 11:___
2. When the Lord was hungry and came to a fig tree, did He find any fruit on it? __________ Mark 11:___
3. Instead of the temple being a __________ of prayer for all nations, it had become a den of thieves. Mark 11:___
4. What happened to the fig tree that the Lord had cursed? __________ Mark 11:___
5. The chief priests, scribes and elders said they could not tell who gave authority to John the Baptist. So the Lord Jesus said, “__________ do I tell you.” Mark 11:___