Mark
11:12-26Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The
Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed
12 The next day when they came out from
Bethany, He was hungry. 13 After
seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to find out if
there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves,
because 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.
Cleansing
the Temple Complex
15 They came to Jerusalem, and He went into
the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the
temple. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the chairs of those
selling doves, 16 and would not permit anyone
to carry goods through the temple complex.
17 Then He began to teach them: “Is it not
written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all
nations?[a] But you have made it a den
of thieves!”[b]18 Then the
chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to
destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was
astonished by His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would go out of
the city.
The
Barren Fig Tree Is Withered
20 Early in the morning, as they were passing
by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Then
Peter remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that You
cursed is withered.”
22 Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 I assure
you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the
sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says
will happen, it will be done for him.24 Therefore
I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have
received[c] them, and you will have them. 25 And
whenever you standpraying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him,
so that your Fatherin heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. [26 But if
you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your
wrongdoing.]”[d][e]
Questions:
1.
Why did Jesus cures the fig tree?
A.
Because it didn’t have fruit on it.
2.
Why is Jesus mad about people selling animals on
Temple property?
A.
It was a place of worship, not the selling of
animals between robber and crooks.
3.
What is the Passover all about?
4.
Why does Jesus flip all the tables over?
A.
Because people shouldn’t sell these items on the temple
mount and they are selling them for an unfair price.
5.
What does the dead tree represent?
A.
It represents our faith in Christ if we don’t
believe in Him, or if we don’t have faith in Him, or if we don’t repent of our
sins.
