Mark 11
COMMENTARY:
: 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna, Blessed is HE that comes in the name of the Lord. (5614 “Hosanna” [hosanna] means be propitious, “Save I pray”, ‘help, I pray”, Save us, please!, exclamation of praise, implying rulership, or an exclamation of adoration.)
DEVOTION: Remember Jesus wasn’t accepted by the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They wanted to kill HIM. The people knew the feelings of the religious leaders yet still came out to greet HIM and sing a song in HIS honor.
HE was riding a donkey that HE had taken from a near-by village. The people there wondered why HIS disciples were taking the donkey. One of the traditions of a king was that he would ride a donkey into town as a conquering hero. Jesus rode one into town to fulfill prophecy. At HIS second coming HE is going to ride a white horse.
Now the people are singing praise to Jesus. They are excited that HE has come to town. Many thought HE was going to come to overcome the Roman government of the day. That was not HIS purpose. HE could have done it but HE was there for a more important reason. HE was going to die on the cross for our sins.
We should be singing praises to HIM will all of our heart every day that we are alive. We shouldn’t wait until Sunday. We shouldn’t wait until HIS return to start really singing. We should be singing everyday with joy in our heart for our free gift of salvation.
Too many people who say they are Christians don’t have the joy of the LORD in their heart. Our joy should show to those around us that don’t have Jesus. They need to see something different in our life that they should want.
CHALLENGE: Show those around you that you are different. You have praise regularly for the LORD!!
: 17 And 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. (4335 “prayer” [proseuche] means to ask, beseech, invocation of God, to vow, to dedicate, or earnestly.)
DEVOTION: The temple was open to all nations. There were Jews all over the world. They all came for the feast of the Passover. This was one of three feasts that the children of Israel were to attend by command of the LORD. The city of Jerusalem was full of worshipers. They were to bring tithe and offering to the temple.
What was happening? The ones who didn’t bring sheep had to buy some before going into the temple. The sales people were charging high prices. Those who did bring sheep were told that they were not pure enough. It was a group of people who were stealing from those who came to worship.
The second way they were cheating the worshipers was to charge more for exchange of currency. Here we find that those who come from Canada have an exchange rate that they have to pay for receiving American money for Canadian money. This exchange rate changes for day to day. This was true for those coming from other countries to worship the LORD. The money changers were charging more than they should. Again the religious leaders were cheating those who wanted to serve the LORD.
Jesus turned over their tables to show HIS displeasure with their actions. The priests were allowing this to happen to make more money off those who were coming to worship. Jesus didn’t want the worshipers cheated. HE did something about it that didn’t please the powers that be.
Today we have many in and out of the church that are taking advantage of people who want to support the LORD’S work. There are people who send letters in the mail saying that the LORD told them to send a letter to you so that you could support their ministry. They even put the person’s name in the letter to make it look real. There are others who say that if you give them money the LORD will bless you ten times as much. Some even send gifts that have been anointed for people to realize they are blessed of the LORD. These types of letters don’t please the LORD.
Our churches today have fewer people in prayer meeting or don’t have a prayer meeting because of lack of attendance. It is hard to find a church open during the week to go into and pray if you want to. The prayer life of the normal church person is sometimes nonexistent.
There are still some churches who keep the prayer meeting going. There are some that even have all night prayer meeting once a year. The LORD wants us to be coming to HIM in prayer regularly. HE would like the church to gather together for prayer regularly as well. If we wonder why there is so much confusion and fighting in our churches we might look at this as a reason. Prayer does change things and people. It is hard to argue with someone you have just prayed for. It is hard to argue in business meetings if there has been a genuine time of prayer before you start. God wants us to have churches that consider prayer important. The leaders of the church should be in every prayer meeting.
CHALLENGE: Pray for your church. Attend prayer meeting if you are a leader in the church. Pray for your church leaders by name each day.
: 22 And Jesus answering said to them, Have faith in God. (611 “answering” [apokrinomai] means to give an answer to a question proposed, to begin to speak, but always where something has preceded to which the remarks refer, respond, declare, to react verbally, reply, or reply to a statement.)
DEVOTION: Jesus demonstrated HIS power over a fig tree. Why would HE do such a thing as to curse a fig tree? It wasn’t time for the tree to have figs but it had leaves. Remember that HE was in HIS final days on this earth. HE had some more lessons to teach HIS disciples.
Here we have HIM demonstrated what can happen if the disciples had faith. HE wanted their faith to grow. HE wanted them to understand what power was available to them if they only believed. HE didn’t want them to doubt anymore. HE didn’t want them to have a hard heart. HE wanted them to believe that their faith statements would come to pass.
HE wanted them to trust in the LORD for little things such as a fig tree or big things such a mountain. They needed to know that even in the little things they had to trust the LORD. Once they could do that they would have the power to move mountains.
Doubt is a sin. Trust is genuine faith. We need to realize that we have the same power available to us today. The problem is doubt. The problem is confidence in the power of the LORD. The problem is that churches can run on human power rather than heavenly power and this causes failure. Many churches are existing Sunday after Sunday without a genuine work of the Holy Spirit in their midst.
Business as usual is not what God wants in any church. HE wants the church to be a lighthouse for the LORD in their neighborhood. HE wants people to realize that HIS church has power to move mountains. CHALLENGE: When was the last time your church moved a mountain? When was the last time you prayed for your church to move a mountain?
: 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 (863 “forgive” [aphiemi] means to send away, to bid going away or depart, to send forth, yield up, to expire, to let go, give up a debt, to remit, to give up, or keep no longer.)
DEVOTION: It goes against our human nature to let go of a hurt. If someone has hurt us we want to hurt them. Or especially if they hurt a family member, we want to hurt them. Our old nature wants to get even.
However, the LORD is teaching the disciples about how the new nature should act in a bad situation. HE is teaching them about prayer. HE is teaching about the POWER of prayer.
They had just witnessed a fig tree wither at the command of Jesus. Peter was amazed at how quick that took place.
This lesson was about FAITH. Do they really believe what Jesus is teaching them. Do they realize the power that was available to them?
Jesus tells them the key to answered prayer. That key is to give up a debt that others have make against us. They were not to keep score of offenses. They were not to hold grudges. When someone does something wrong against them, they are not to feel that they owe them an explanation. They are not to expect an apology.
Jesus told his disciples that if they want to have power in their prayers, they will have to forget a wrong done to them by others. If they are unwilling to forget the wrong, then the Father can’t forget our wrongs and give us the power we desire of him.
Does that mean that we are not Christians? NO! What does it mean? We will not have power in our lives to serve the LORD. We will not have power in our lives to serve the church. We will not be blessed of the LORD. Our fellowship with him is hindered by our lack of giving up a debt that we think someone owes us.
What do we owe the LORD? How many sins has HE covered with HIS blood? Should we hold on to a debt and hinder our spiritual development? The choice is ours today. What are we doing with those who have hurt us? Are we letting our relationship with them hinder our relationship with the LORD? Are we letting them steal power from us? Are our prayers being answered? Do we see power in our lives? Should we???? YES!
CHALLENGE: Examine your life to see if there is someone or some group that we blame for something that happened in the past. If we discover that we are bitter or holding a grudge – turn it over to the LORD. Ask HIM for HIS help to gain victory of this area of our life.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Temple a house of prayerverses 24-25
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Hosannaverses 9, 10
Templeverses 11, 15, 16, 27
House of prayerverse 17
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Davidverse 10
Is it not writtenverse 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Lordverses 9, 10
Godverse 22
Fatherverses 25, 26
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 3, 9
Jesusverses 6, 7, 11, 14, 15, 22, 29, 33
Name of the Lordverses 9, 10
Blessedverse 10
Cursing of fig treeverses 12-14, 20-22
Cleansing of templeverses 15-19
Taughtverse 17
Astonished at HIS doctrineverse 18
Master verse 21
Authority challengedverses 26-33
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
All nationsverse 17
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Money changers in Templeverse 15
Turning Temple into den of thievesverse 17
Trespassesverses 25, 26
Fearedverse 32
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessedverses 9, 10
Prayerverses 17, 24, 25
Doctrineverse 18
Faithverse 22
Not doubtverse 23
Believeverses 23-25, 31
Desireverse 24
Forgiveverses 25, 26
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jerusalemverses 1, 11, 15, 27
Bethphageverse 1
Bethanyverses 1, 11, 12
Mount of Olivesverse 1
Kingdom of our father Davidverse 10
Scribesverse 18
Chief priestsverses 18, 27
Eldersverse 27
Baptism of Johnverses 30-33
Church (New Testament people of God)
Two of the disciplesverse 1
Twelveverse 11
Disciplesverse 14
Last Things (Future Events)
Heavenverses 30, 31
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