Mark 11:15   Jesus seems out of character to many when he does this. But really he is not at all. Consider this, were these activities not going on at other times when he went through the temple? Yes. Did he do this every time he went there? No. Was he disruptive for no reason? No,…

Mark 11:14   The disciples heard it. Interesting. Mark, of course, tells us this so that we will know how they knew later that the tree withered due to his words. But, it also tells us something else. Jesus didn’t yell at this tree. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. Our verse here…

Mark 11:13   Though on the face of it this verse seems to be quite straightforward, it has been the cause of much consternation to Bible scholars. And why is this? It is due to the wording here. It sounds as if Jesus is looking for fruit on a tree, and doesn’t know that there is…

Mark 11:12It is interesting to think that it may have been Jesus’ habit to grab a bite to eat along the way like this. We don’t really know because the Gospels don’t say that much about his eating habits. We do know he ate meals with people on occasion. But, he likely ate along the…

Mark 11:11This is one of the very interesting verses of Scripture. Jesus comes into the temple, looks around really good, and then leaves. Strange! Why this weird behavior? Well, it is not strange at all when you put it in context. Scripture reveals to us what he was looking for, and what he found.This is…

Mark 11:10Make sure to understand one thing here. The kingdom is not the kingdom of David because Jesus’s kingdom is the kingdom of David. The kingdom is Jesus’s kingdom, and David’s kingdom is tied to that. In other words, even though David’s kingdom came first, the kingdom belongs to Christ, and always has. But God,…

Mark 11:9What a fine procession! The imagery is amazing here. The whole crowd cries out in unison whether before or behind. It must have been something to see and hear. And Jesus was the center of all of it.The word we see here, ‘Hosanna’, needs some explanation. Very often we find that words in the…

Mark 11:8What were they doing? Making a way fit for a king! Jesus deserves the best. Do we always treat him this way? No. But we should. He is worthy.The fact that they had the needed tools to cut branches from the trees indicates the involvement in this activity. This crowd wasn’t only made up…

Mark 11:7I’ve always thought it strange that they immediately knew what Jesus had in mind. But, really it isn’t strange at all. They knew that the Messiah would take his place as the King on the throne of David. And Jesus will indeed do this. But, at this point he finds the nation not ready…

Mark 11:6To how many of us has he said, I have need of you! Yet we will willingly offer our colt. Of whatever we may have we find something to give, but not what he seeks. He has need of us. But we fail to see what being needed by him really means. We fail…