The Fig Tree and the Temple

Mark 11 begins Passion Week. Jesus' entry fulfills Zechariah 9:9; He comes as Israel's humble King on a colt never ridden, an animal set apart for sacred use. The crowd's cry from Psalm 118 hails the coming kingdom of David. Yet Jesus enters the temple, looks around at everything, and leaves; the inspection comes before the judgment.

Mark sandwiches the temple clearing between the cursing and the withering of the fig tree. The leafy tree promised fruit but had none, just as the temple bustled with activity but failed in its purpose. Quoting Isaiah 56, Jesus shows that the temple was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations; the Court of the Gentiles had become a marketplace. Quoting Jeremiah 7, He calls it a den of robbers.

The withered fig tree becomes a lesson on faith. Faith in God can move mountains. Some scholars suggest that "this mountain" points to the temple mount, since Jesus Himself would become the meeting place between God and people. Prayer must be joined to forgiveness. When the leaders challenge His authority, Jesus' counter-question about John exposes that they care more about public opinion than truth.