Foundations: New Testament - MarkSample

Prior to this point in his Gospel, Mark had given an account of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and then in surrounding regions. Mark 11 marks the shift to Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem, which would culminate at the cross. Like all of the Gospel writers, Mark included the account of Jesus’ entry into the city, which was the epicenter of Judaism in Jesus’ day. This similarity with the other writers indicates how important and symbolic this event was for Jesus’ time on earth. Most notably for Mark, the triumphal entry demonstrated Jesus’ humble nature and divine mission. Riding on a donkey rather than a war horse highlighted that Jesus was a humble servant, while the acclamation of the people proclaimed His identity as the Messiah and King. 

Once Jesus was in Jerusalem, his first act was cleansing the temple, which was bookended by the symbolic withering of the fig tree. What Jesus found when He went into the temple was heart-wrenching; the center of Jewish worship had been overrun by greed and materialism. By quoting Isaiah, Jesus referred to the temple as “My house” (Mark 11:17), again declaring His authority and unity with God. This event marked a deepening divide between Jesus and the religious leaders, who were now determined to kill Him. 

Jesus used the symbolism of the withered fig tree to teach His disciples that the nation of Israel had become as spiritually fruitless as the tree Jesus cursed. The same lesson is important for today’s followers of Jesus to understand as well. A person can look spiritually healthy on the outside, but the best indicators of spiritual health are a person’s faith in God and love for others (see vv. 22-25). Faith that moves mountains is faith that believes Jesus is who He says He is and acts on that truth.