Mark 11:25   This is not preached on enough. Prayer is a precious privledge, which can easily be blocked by sin. Though we are not quick to admit it, failure to forgive is sin. Forgiveness should be a significant part of our core values. In fact, forgiveness is a major tool for the progress of the…

Mark 11:24We should pray expectantly. This is not to say that we may force the will of God. But, it is his will to answer our prayer. And how so? Because the prayers of righteous persons will be in accord with his will. God may go about the answer in a different manner than we…

Mark 11:23   Now this concept has been torn every direction in which it may seem to go. We always want an easy fix to our problems. We look for assurances like this. We want to be able to know that we can make things happen. We want power over our circumstances.  The best thing to…

Mark 11:22This verse is in the perfect spot! Right here in the middle of the failure of the Jewish nation to believe we find this exhortation to faith. Right in the middle of what seemed a time of failure for our Lord. Right in the middle of disappointment and defeat. It is here that we…

Mark 11:21Peter was always the first to say what everyone else was thinking. He says this about the fig tree as if there could have been some other outcome. Indeed, there may have been many even in that day uttering meaningless curses. This type of flagrance leads to a warped sense of what is true.…

Mark 11:20The withering of the fig tree was of a nature as to be quite noticeable. Though not a horticulturist, I can say that this withering would be somewhat unnatural. Few outward conditions would cause such a death of the tree. To dry up from the roots was quite strange. Perhaps poisoning in the ground,…

Mark 11:19Why does Jesus always exit the city? Why not stay? Well, there would be several answers to this. For one, finding a place to stay in Jerusalem would be very difficult. For another, staying outside of the city afforded them more relaxation, and less noise. And finally, it gave them an opportunity to be…

Mark 11:18These men wanted to kill Jesus for the same reason that they didn’t want to do it in public. They thought only of themselves and the religious aristocracy they had comfortably set within Roman power. It was not an easy trick. They maintained a shaky ballance. Due to their focus on their own devices,…

Mark 11:17What a contrast! Jesus’s message on this occasion was easy for anyone to grasp. The evidence of the truth of his words was all around. Everyone knew why the setup was like it was. They all knew the temple elite were getting rich off of everyone. Indeed, many of the Jews living in Jerusalem…

Mark 11:16This is an intriguing irony. Though the Jews were very strict on Sabbath laws, they allowed for the temple to be a thoroughfare. In other words, if something wasn’t specifically forbidden, they felt it was perfectly allowable. The rules were structured for the greatest benefit of the ruling elite, not for the greatest glory…