Mark 11 – The Triumphal Entry, Cleansing of the Temple, and a Lesson in Faith
Mark 11 marks a turning point as Jesus enters Jerusalem as King, confronts religious corruption, and teaches His disciples about faith, authority, and fruitfulness in God’s kingdom.
The King Enters and Confronts
Mark 11 begins the final phase of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He enters Jerusalem as the prophesied King, but His kingdom does not come with military might—it comes with truth, justice, and cleansing. From the fig tree to the temple, this chapter reveals the cost of fruitlessness and the power of bold faith.
✔ Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey—fulfilling prophecy.
✔ He cleanses the temple of corruption and commerce.
✔ The fig tree is cursed for bearing no fruit.
✔ Jesus teaches about mountain-moving faith and forgiveness.
✔ Religious leaders challenge His authority—and are left speechless.
📖 Key Verse: “Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you… whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed… it shall be done.” – Mark 11:22-23
🔎 True faith produces fruit, confronts sin, and rests in God’s power and authority.
Mark Chapter 11 - Overview
Mark 11:1-11 – The Triumphal Entry
📖 Mark 11:2 – “Go your way into the village… ye shall find a colt tied… loose him, and bring him.”
🔎 Jesus enters Jerusalem on a colt—a sign of peace and fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9. Unlike earthly kings who arrive on horses for war, the Messiah comes humbly to bring salvation.
📖 Mark 11:8-10 – “Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
🔎 The crowds welcome Jesus with Messianic praise from Psalm 118, though many misunderstand His mission. They expect a political savior, but Jesus comes to conquer sin.
📖 Mark 11:11 – “He looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come.”
🔎 Jesus enters the temple and assesses its condition quietly, preparing to take action the next day.
Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 – The Cursed Fig Tree
📖 Mark 11:13 – “He came, if haply he might find anything thereon… but found nothing but leaves.”
🔎 The fig tree had leaves—a sign it should bear fruit—but was barren. It represents Israel’s spiritual emptiness despite outward religiosity.
📖 Mark 11:14 – “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.”
🔎 A symbolic act of judgment—fruitlessness invites divine correction.
📖 Mark 11:20-21 – “The fig tree… was dried up from the roots.”
🔎 The withering from the roots signifies judgment on false religion that lacks inward transformation.
Mark 11:15-19 – The Cleansing of the Temple
📖 Mark 11:15 – “He cast out them that sold and bought in the temple…”
🔎 Jesus doesn’t cleanse the temple quietly—He drives out greed and injustice. God’s house is for prayer, not profit.
📖 Mark 11:17 – “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
🔎 Quoting Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, Jesus exposes the corruption, exclusion, and exploitation happening under the guise of worship.
📖 Mark 11:18 – “The scribes and chief priests… sought how they might destroy him.”
🔎 Truth exposes darkness. The religious elite plot His death, unable to accept His challenge to their authority.
Mark 11:22-26 – Faith to Move Mountains
📖 Mark 11:22-23 – “Have faith in God… whosoever shall say unto this mountain… shall not doubt… he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
🔎 Faith is not wishful thinking—it’s confident trust in God’s power and will. Mountains represent impossible situations that are overcome through believing prayer.
📖 Mark 11:24 – “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
🔎 A reminder that faith and prayer are deeply linked. Our requests must align with God’s will and be rooted in trust.
📖 Mark 11:25-26 – “When ye stand praying, forgive… that your Father… may forgive you.”
🔎 Forgiveness is essential to effective prayer. A bitter heart blocks spiritual flow.
Mark 11:27-33 – Jesus’ Authority Questioned
📖 Mark 11:28 – “By what authority doest thou these things?”
🔎 The leaders question Jesus’ authority—not seeking truth but seeking to trap Him.
📖 Mark 11:29-30 – “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?”
🔎 Jesus turns the trap back on them with divine wisdom. If they deny John’s authority, they lose credibility. If they affirm it, they condemn themselves for rejecting him.
📖 Mark 11:33 – “We cannot tell…”
🔎 Their evasion reveals spiritual cowardice and hardened hearts. Jesus refuses to answer hypocrites.
Mark Chapter 11 - Deeper Study
Overview: Fruit, Faith, and False Religion
🔹 Timeframe: The final week before Jesus’ crucifixion.
🔹 Setting: Jerusalem and the temple.
🔹 Theme: Jesus confronts empty religion and calls for authentic faith and repentance.
Key Takeaways
🔑 True worship bears fruit. Pretending will eventually be exposed.
🔑 Faith that trusts God fully can overcome any mountain.
🔑 Forgiveness is required to maintain fellowship with God.
🔑 Jesus has full authority—and He will confront hypocrisy.
🔑 God desires purity in His house, not profit or performance.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Zechariah 9:9 – Jesus enters on a donkey as Israel’s peaceful King.
🔮 Isaiah 56:7 / Jeremiah 7:11 – Judgment on the temple foretold and fulfilled.
🔮 The Fig Tree – Often used in the prophets as a symbol of Israel’s judgment (Hosea 9:10, Micah 7:1).
🔮 Rejection of Authority – Foreshadowing of how religious leaders would reject the Cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Hosanna & Messianic Hope – “Hosanna” means “save now”—a plea for deliverance. The people expected political liberation.
📜 Temple Marketplace – The outer courts became a place of exploitation, especially of Gentiles and the poor.
📜 Rabbis and Authority – Only those approved by established schools were considered “legitimate.” Jesus had no such human credential.
💡 Final Reflection: Does Your Faith Bear Fruit?
Mark 11 challenges us to ask:
📌 Do we praise Jesus with our lips but deny Him with our lives?
📌 Are we a house of prayer—or performance?
📌 Is our faith bold enough to move mountains and humble enough to forgive others?
🚀 Jesus is King—but He confronts, cleanses, and calls for change. Will we let Him?
The Triumphal Entry
Mar 11:1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
Mar 11:2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
Mar 11:3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
Mar 11:4 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.
Mar 11:5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
Mar 11:6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
Mar 11:7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
Mar 11:8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
Mar 11:9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Mar 11:10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
Mar 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
Mar 11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
Mar 11:13 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.
Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Mar 11:15 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;
Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Mar 11:18 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.
Mar 11:19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
Mar 11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
Mar 11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mar 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mar 11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
Mar 11:27 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,
Mar 11:28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
Mar 11:29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Mar 11:30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
Mar 11:31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
Mar 11:32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
Mar 11:33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
Date Written
Around 55-65 A.D.
Written By
John Mark
Language
Greek
Verses
33