Mark 11:1-12:27 Jesus shows His power through words

Jesus is fully in control of His situation.  He is the one who saves & blesses.  He has clear priorities and standards to which we must keep.  He will bring about different responses.

Jesus is ready to proclaim who He is, so that the disciples and crowds get to see what He has come to do. 

11:1-6  The 2 disciples were tested by seeing if they would be obedient to what Jesus asked/commanded, and also in their faith in trusting that things would be as Jesus said. 

The fig tree in v12ff was a picture of Israel.  It was a reminder that although the tree could have borne fruit, it was not the season.  Jesus is teaching the Israelites that God is in charge of what bears fruit and what does not.  God is the One who can bring judgment that lasts upon anything/anyone.

v20-25  Effective prayer is dependent on:

Faith in God – believing you will receive what you ask, forgiving those we have anything against.

Jesus refused to answer the question of the chief priests, teachers of the law and elders because He knew they were trying to trick Him.  His question was to show His authority and wisdom.  The root of the problem was their heart attitude.  He knew what they were trying to do and effectively revealed this in His answer to them.

12:1-12  Jesus’ relation to God and the prophets is that He was the Son of the Father – the prophets bore witness to Him, but ultimately, He came and they killed Him. 

The motives of the tenants was purely about themselves and their own gain.  We must never forget the twisted motives and the heinous behaviour this can lead to. 

v13-17  Jesus’ wisdom was incredible in knowing the questioners’ hypocrisy.  Jesus reminded them of their responsibility within the world – they ‘belong’ to Caesar and so they should give to him, but more importantly, they belong to God and so must give what is His to Him.  Romans 13:1-7 show this clearly.

v18-27  Jesus shows they do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God.  What a telling statement.  Jesus allows the Scriptures to respond to the situation and to reveal the power of God.