American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Mark 11
1
And when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sends forth two of his disciples,
Reference
Parallel theme
John 8:1
Mark 14:13
Matthew 26:30
Matthew 24:3
Matthew 21:17
References Jerusalem
Acts 1:12
Zechariah 14:4
2
And said to them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as you be entered into it, you shall find a colt tied, where on never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
3
And if any man say to you, Why do you this? say you that the Lord has need of him; and straightway he will send him here.
4
And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
5
And certain of them that stood there said to them, What do you, loosing the colt?
6
And they said to them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
7
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat on him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zechariah 9:9
8
And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strewed them in the way.
9
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord:
Reference
10
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that comes in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Reference
11
And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about on all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13
And 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.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 21:19
14
And Jesus answered and said to it, No man eat fruit of you hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Reference
15
And 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;
16
And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17
And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but you have made it a den of thieves.
Reference
18
And 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.
Reference
21
And Peter calling to remembrance said to him, Master, behold, the fig tree which you cursed is withered away.
23
For truly I say to you, That whoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he said.
Reference
Faith
Matthew 17:20
Matthew 21:21
Luke 17:6
1 Corinthians 13:2
Parallel theme
John 15:7
Psalm 37:4
John 14:13
24
Therefore I say to you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.
Reference
25
And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 3:13
Ephesians 4:32
Luke 6:37
Matthew 6:12
Matthew 5:23
James 2:13
Prayer
Matthew 6:5
Luke 18:11
26
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
27
And 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,
28
And say to him, By what authority do you these things? and who gave you this authority to do these things?
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 2:14
29
And Jesus answered and said to them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30
The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
31
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did you not believe him?
32
But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
Reference
33
And they answered and said to Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Summary of Mark 11
Mark 11 begins with Jesus approaching Jerusalem during the final days before His crucifixion, and He sends two disciples ahead to obtain a young colt on which He will enter the city.
The disciples find the colt exactly where Jesus said it would be, place their cloaks on it, and Jesus rides into Jerusalem while crowds spread cloaks and leafy branches across the road and shout words of praise associated with God's promised kingdom.
This entry presents Jesus as a humble and peaceful King, deliberately contrasting the image of a conquering military ruler with the manner in which He approaches Jerusalem.
Jesus enters the temple, looks around, and returns to Bethany for the night, but the following day He encounters a fig tree covered with leaves but without fruit.
He declares that no one will ever eat from the tree again, and this action becomes an important symbol within the chapter because the fruitless tree represents the danger of having an outward appearance of religious life while lacking the spiritual fruit God expects.
Jesus then enters the temple and drives out those buying and selling, preventing people from using the temple courts as a commercial passageway and condemning the religious corruption that has taken place within God's house.
He declares that the temple was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the leaders have turned it into a place characterized by exploitation and corruption, making His action both a judgment against religious hypocrisy and a declaration of His authority over the temple.
The chief priests and teachers of the law respond by seeking a way to destroy Jesus because they recognize that His actions threaten their authority, while the ordinary people remain amazed by His teaching.
The following morning, the disciples discover that the fig tree has withered from its roots, and Peter remembers Jesus' earlier words, giving Jesus the opportunity to teach about faith.
Jesus tells His disciples to have faith in God and uses the dramatic image of moving a mountain into the sea to describe the kind of confident trust that depends upon God's power rather than human ability.
He then connects faith with prayer, teaching that believers should approach God with confidence while also emphasizing that prayer must be accompanied by forgiveness toward those who have wronged them.
This connection is important because Jesus does not present faith as a technique for obtaining whatever a person wants, but as a relationship of trust in God that includes humility, prayer, and reconciliation with others.
When Jesus returns to the temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders directly challenge Him by asking who gave Him authority to perform the actions He has performed.
Rather than answering immediately, Jesus asks them whether John the Baptist's baptism came from heaven or from human authority, forcing them to confront the same question of divine authority that they are asking about Him.
The leaders realize that either answer will expose their lack of integrity, because if they acknowledge John's divine authority, they must explain why they rejected his message, while if they deny it, they risk angering the people who regarded John as a prophet.
They therefore answer that they do not know, and Jesus refuses to give them the direct answer they demanded, because their problem is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to accept the implications of the evidence already available.
Mark 11 therefore connects the triumphal entry, the fig tree, the cleansing of the temple, the teaching about faith and forgiveness, and the confrontation over authority into one coherent picture.
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as the promised King, but instead of immediately taking political power, He confronts the spiritual corruption within the center of Israel's religious life.
The fig tree represents outward appearance without fruit, while the temple represents religious activity without genuine devotion, and both images point toward the same warning that God is not satisfied with visible religious forms when the underlying heart and behavior remain unfaithful.
The chapter also shows that Jesus' authority is not simply the authority of a teacher who has gathered a following, because His actions in the temple and His challenge to the religious leaders demonstrate that He is acting with a claim to divine authority.
The central message is that God desires genuine faith, spiritual fruit, sincere prayer, forgiveness, and worship that reflects His purposes, rather than religious appearance, empty tradition, personal ambition, or outward activity without inward obedience.
Mark 11 ultimately presents Jesus as the humble King who enters Jerusalem, confronts a corrupted religious system, exposes fruitless faith, teaches His followers to trust God and forgive others, and refuses to submit His authority to leaders who demand evidence while deliberately refusing to respond to the truth they already know.
The disciples find the colt exactly where Jesus said it would be, place their cloaks on it, and Jesus rides into Jerusalem while crowds spread cloaks and leafy branches across the road and shout words of praise associated with God's promised kingdom.
This entry presents Jesus as a humble and peaceful King, deliberately contrasting the image of a conquering military ruler with the manner in which He approaches Jerusalem.
Jesus enters the temple, looks around, and returns to Bethany for the night, but the following day He encounters a fig tree covered with leaves but without fruit.
He declares that no one will ever eat from the tree again, and this action becomes an important symbol within the chapter because the fruitless tree represents the danger of having an outward appearance of religious life while lacking the spiritual fruit God expects.
Jesus then enters the temple and drives out those buying and selling, preventing people from using the temple courts as a commercial passageway and condemning the religious corruption that has taken place within God's house.
He declares that the temple was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations, but the leaders have turned it into a place characterized by exploitation and corruption, making His action both a judgment against religious hypocrisy and a declaration of His authority over the temple.
The chief priests and teachers of the law respond by seeking a way to destroy Jesus because they recognize that His actions threaten their authority, while the ordinary people remain amazed by His teaching.
The following morning, the disciples discover that the fig tree has withered from its roots, and Peter remembers Jesus' earlier words, giving Jesus the opportunity to teach about faith.
Jesus tells His disciples to have faith in God and uses the dramatic image of moving a mountain into the sea to describe the kind of confident trust that depends upon God's power rather than human ability.
He then connects faith with prayer, teaching that believers should approach God with confidence while also emphasizing that prayer must be accompanied by forgiveness toward those who have wronged them.
This connection is important because Jesus does not present faith as a technique for obtaining whatever a person wants, but as a relationship of trust in God that includes humility, prayer, and reconciliation with others.
When Jesus returns to the temple, the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders directly challenge Him by asking who gave Him authority to perform the actions He has performed.
Rather than answering immediately, Jesus asks them whether John the Baptist's baptism came from heaven or from human authority, forcing them to confront the same question of divine authority that they are asking about Him.
The leaders realize that either answer will expose their lack of integrity, because if they acknowledge John's divine authority, they must explain why they rejected his message, while if they deny it, they risk angering the people who regarded John as a prophet.
They therefore answer that they do not know, and Jesus refuses to give them the direct answer they demanded, because their problem is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to accept the implications of the evidence already available.
Mark 11 therefore connects the triumphal entry, the fig tree, the cleansing of the temple, the teaching about faith and forgiveness, and the confrontation over authority into one coherent picture.
Jesus arrives in Jerusalem as the promised King, but instead of immediately taking political power, He confronts the spiritual corruption within the center of Israel's religious life.
The fig tree represents outward appearance without fruit, while the temple represents religious activity without genuine devotion, and both images point toward the same warning that God is not satisfied with visible religious forms when the underlying heart and behavior remain unfaithful.
The chapter also shows that Jesus' authority is not simply the authority of a teacher who has gathered a following, because His actions in the temple and His challenge to the religious leaders demonstrate that He is acting with a claim to divine authority.
The central message is that God desires genuine faith, spiritual fruit, sincere prayer, forgiveness, and worship that reflects His purposes, rather than religious appearance, empty tradition, personal ambition, or outward activity without inward obedience.
Mark 11 ultimately presents Jesus as the humble King who enters Jerusalem, confronts a corrupted religious system, exposes fruitless faith, teaches His followers to trust God and forgive others, and refuses to submit His authority to leaders who demand evidence while deliberately refusing to respond to the truth they already know.