Tree Speech (Mark 11:12-25)

There is a tree that grows at Syracuse University known as The Tree of 40 Fruit.^[1] It is a living, growing art project of professor Sam Van Aken, who has grafted the tree in such a way that it does, in fact, bear 40 different varieties of stone fruit every year. Peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, and almonds all grow on this tree, along with their unique leaves and blossoms.

The first Tree of 40 fruit was planted in 2011.^[2] Others can be found growing at the University of Southern Indiana, Colby College in Maine, Roanoke College in Virginia, and various museums on the east coast. You can’t plant a Tree of 40 fruit seed. You have to graft each branch, year by year. But the result is both beautiful and bountiful.

In our text, Jesus inspects a fig tree. It’s mature and well-supplied with all it needs. After all, it’s growing in a town whose name means “House of Figs.”^[3] But Jesus doesn’t find a tree with many varieties of fruit. He doesn’t find any figs. He doesn’t even find the precursor to fruit on the tree. He then does something we’ve never seen Him do before: He works a destructive miracle. Then He goes into the temple and violently disrupt what was happening there, only to go back to the fig tree and give the disciples what, on first listen, seems like an unattainable teaching about true faith.

What is going on? Is this a scene where, as one infamous commentator dares to suggest, Jesus “wastes” His miraculous power because He was in an “ill-temper?”^[4]

No, this isn’t Jesus losing His cool. Something prophetic and theological is happening in this text. It has many ties to many other passages of Scripture. So, let’s listen to what our Lord wants to reveal as we see Him curse a fig tree, cleanse His Father’s house, and counsel His followers about faith.

Mark 11:12 – ¹² The next day when they went out from Bethany, he was hungry.

Did Jesus get sick? We’re not specifically told, but a question like that helps us gauge our assumptions about Jesus’ humanity. He is fully God and fully Man. We see Him tired in the Gospels. We see Him thirst. And here, He was hungry. Not hangry – that’s not why the tree gets cursed, but the Lord experienced humanity in a real and comprehensive sense.

It makes sense that He was hungry. They’re doing a lot of walking in these passages but the first meal was eaten at midmorning, not straightaway like we usually do.^[5] But more important than the hunger is the connective work Mark is bringing into this text. “The next day.” In the last passage, Jesus had just come into Jerusalem, entered the temple and examined everything there, then He left. “The next day.” Mark wants to tie these scenes together.

And he’s not only tying this text to the last, he’s also going to use this “sandwich” technique we’ve seen him use before.^[6] Remember when it was the story of Jairus’ daughter being raised from the dead? It starts one story, then interrupts the telling with a separate story, then he returns to the first story. He does this a few times in his Gospel to develop themes and what these situations reveal.

Remember: The Gospels are not just a list of biographical facts. They are carefully constructed literary works of inspiration, given that we might know truth. We must understand this fig tree story in the context of Jesus’ entry into the temple in verse 11, His return to the temple in verse 15, and in connection with the many passages of Scripture that are tied to what we see in this scene.

Mark 11:13 – ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to find out if there was anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs.

Why would He expect figs if it’s not the right season? Well, Jesus wasn’t actually hoping to find a fig for His hunger. He’s not trying to solve a problem, but preach a sermon. He’s acting out a prophetic parable for His disciples. This would first remind them of the parable He told in Luke 13 about a master examining a fig tree, finding no fruit, and demanding it be cut down. It should also remind them of Micah 7, where God laments the fact that when He came looking for faithful people in the land of Israel, He found none. He said it was like finding no early figs, which the Lord craves.^[7]

Our God craves spiritual fruit in our lives. He’s looking for growth. He’s looking for faithfulness. He examines our lives, just as He examined the temple and this fig tree. Does He find fruit?

We’ll get back to the personal application at the end. But Christ’s main teaching was about the national situation. And to do that, the fig tree was a great illustration. Figs were incredibly important in Israel. They were the most fruitful of all trees and their fruit was often used to produce the firstfruits offerings required in the temple.^[8]

Now, fig trees have an interesting phenomenon called the breba crop. These are small green figs that appear at times even before the leaves.^[9] They taste bad and are not normally eaten,^[10] but they signal a true crop of fruit is coming. This tree had no ripe figs and no breba figs, but lots of leaves. It was leafy by sterile. Good for nothing. Soaking up light and water, but giving no crop.

This image is the opposite of what Jews hoped for, ideally and prophetically. In Haggai, in Micah, in Zechariah, we’re given the ideal image of the Messianic age: You will sit under your own fig tree and gather its fruit. Whereas in Jeremiah 8, when pronouncing God’s judgment on Israel, the image is “There will be…no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither.”^[11]

Mark 11:14 – ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard it.

He wanted them to hear it. This isn’t irritation, it’s instruction. He’s trying to help the disciples understand what is at stake personally and nationally as Christ heads into Passion week.

When the Master came to inspect the fig tree of Israel, did He find faith? Did He find obedience? Did He find fruit? In some cases He did on the individual level, but not on the national level. For thousands of years, Israel had recited Proverbs 27:18:

Proverbs 27:18 – ¹⁸ Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever looks after his master will be honored.

But they did not look after their Master, they did not tend the spiritual fig tree, and judgment would be the result.

But why did Jesus curse the tree? Seems “mean” to us, right? He could’ve just done a miracle of fruit producing like He had done with the loaves and fishes. But it’s not actually about the physical fruit and His physical hunger. This is about Israel and faith and obedience.

God will not force fruit to grow in your life if you will not cooperate with Him. Now, He is the Author and Finisher of our faith – He will complete the work He began in you – but spiritual growth does not happen if we refuse to walk with God and obey Him and present ourselves as sacrifices.

Mark 11:15-17 – ¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem, and he went into the temple and began to throw out those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple. ¹⁷ He was teaching them: “Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!”

Usually when I read this text, my first interpretation is that Jesus was upset that the money changers were ripping off pilgrims coming to offer sacrifice. And that is true – but that’s only half of it.

First, let’s understand the scam. This system had only started in 30AD.^[12] The high priest’s family bought their priesthood from Rome and they actually owned the booths that the merchants used.^[13] When you came, you had to convert your money into the temple shekel, and they would add a surcharge on when you did. On top of that, things like doves would be tripled in price.^[14] It was quite a racket – one that put a burden on people trying to worship God. That’s a big no-no in God’s eyes.

But there was another layer here, one that Jesus specifically called out in the two Old Testament Scriptures He quoted. The first was Isaiah 56:7 which reminded Israel that God’s plan was not to isolate the Jews, but that ultimately all the Gentile nations would be brought into the family of faith.

But instead of being a light to the Gentiles, the leaders of Israel made it impossible for any Gentile God-fearers to join in. The temple of Jesus’ time was segregated into various courts. You had the court of the men, for Jewish men, the court of the women, and then the court of the Gentiles. It was a big area where anyone seeking the God of Israel could come in and pray. But now it was overrun with commerce. All these booths, all the animals, all the transactions happened there.

So, you’re a Gentile, who God really loves and wants to come and find faith, but instead of being able to pray, you’re dealing with thousands of sheep and birds and merchants and pilgrims and animal poop and noise. Gentile worshippers were effectively pushed out though God wanted to graft them in, like the Tree of 40 fruits!

Jesus had already cleared this nonsense out once at the beginning of His ministry. But they went right back to it. Now, at the end of His ministry, He does it again. This time He also quotes Jeremiah 7, “where Jeremiah condemns the idea that the temple is a safe haven for Judah in its sin.”^[15]

Sadly, the leaders of Israel rejected God’s mercy and His patience and His warnings. They kept bringing robbers into the temple. And in the end they would reap what they sowed. In 66 AD, Josephus records that “robbers” took possession of the temple and slaughtered the priests.^[16] Josephus used the same word for robbers that Mark used.

Mark 11:18 – ¹⁸ The chief priests and the scribes heard it and started looking for a way to kill him. For they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was astonished by his teaching.

Jesus essentially brings the activity of the temple to a stop. At least for the moment, He shut down the cash cow for the corrupt family of the High Priest. But what was worse news for them was the multitudes of people were in agreement with Jesus. “Yeah! These guys are ripping me off!”

And so, the chief priests and scribes decided it was time to kill Jesus. Of course, the Pharisees and the Herodians were like, “What took you so long?” They’ve been plotting to kill Jesus since chapter 3! But now we have a unified conspiracy: Pharisees, Sadducees (represented by the High Priest and chief priests), the scribes, the Herodians, and nearly all the Sanhedrin.

Mark 11:19 – ¹⁹ Whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

I love this because, despite the power wielded by all those involved in the conspiracy against Jesus, despite the power of Rome, despite everything going on, it’s clear that Jesus is in charge. He comes and goes as He pleases because He would accomplish what His Father sent Him to do. But now, Mark closes the sandwich with a few more challenging verses.

Mark 11:20-21 – ²⁰ Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. ²¹ Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 

This tree was an object lesson. On the national level, Israel was spiritually dead. From the roots up. Look at the corruption of their leaders. Instead of nourishing their people, they exploited them. Look at the temple, defiled with commerce. It was fruitless and ruined.

Mark 11:22-24 – ²² Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received, it and it will be yours.

Doesn’t this seem to come out of nowhere? What does this have to do with Israel and the coming judgment? And how can we take these verses other than to think, “Well, if I’m honest, I’ll never have faith like that?” If I really was a Christian, shouldn’t I be going around working crazy miracles?

Well, first of all, these words also connect back to Old Testament prophecy. This brings us back to Zechariah 4, where the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel about how God can overcome any difficulty, even a mountain standing in our way. It’s that famous passage that says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.”

Also, we need to understand that this is not the only time Jesus taught these words to His disciples. These same phrases are used multiple, different times in both Matthew and Luke.

Let’s try to put ourselves in the place of the 12. Jesus has been saying things that are totally different than what you’ve always assumed about the Messiah, about the Kingdom and when and how it is established. And now, throughout Mark 11 through 16, Jesus is going to suggest that He Himself is going to replace the temple.^[17] He has totally rejected all the leaders of their nation.

So, if you’re one of the 12, your entire traditional belief system has been upended by this interaction with the fig tree and Jesus’ actions in the temple.^[18]

So now, Jesus gives them personal comfort and instruction that God has not proclaimed them as fig-less trees. God has not given up on them, even if His glory has departed from the temple. We can have faith in God and it’s important that our faith is founded, focused, and flowing from His will and His power, not traditionalism or nationalism or materialism. Instead of relating to God through dead formality, we can commune with Him with living and power-filled faith. And when we’re walking with Him, nothing is too hard for Him to accomplish in and through our lives. And that’s how we bear fruit. Not through legalism. Not through traditionalism. Not through nationalism. Through personal, obedient faith.

Mark 11:25 – ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”

And now we inspect the tree of our own lives. It’s easy to see the deadness of a Sadducee. It’s easy to write off the temple when it’s full of scammers. But Jesus encourages the disciples – and us – to carefully examine our own lives. Are we growing in spiritual fruit? God is a forgiver. He was willing to forgive the merchants, the Pharisees, even the High Priest himself if they would repent. So, if we think we’re living for God, if we think we’re walking with Him, but we’re not like Him, we’re more like this leafy but sterile tree.

May God save us from being a tree like that. May the Lord cleanse the temple of our hearts from any corrupt merchant we’ve given space to. Instead, may we grow in many fruits. Fruits of forgiveness. Of repentance. Of obedience. Of worship. Fruit of all kinds as the Lord continues to graft onto our lives, to cultivate in our lives, and to reap a harvest of His powerful grace as we grow in Him.

Let That King In (Mark 11:1-11)

In 2022, Elon Musk shocked everyone by buying Twitter. When he arrived at headquarters as boss that first day, he made some bold moves. He threw out four top executives and pledged to get rid of 75% of the staff. Most famously, he arrived at the front door holding a kitchen sink, tweeting, “Entering Twitter HQ – Let that sink in!” One reporter noted, “Elon isn’t afraid to commit to the bit.”

The truth is, Elon’s big gesture almost didn’t happen. He sent his team to go get a sink, but due to miscommunication and the strangeness of the request, Musk said the store almost refused to sell them one.

In our text tonight, Jesus arrives to Jerusalem as Messiah and King for the first time. In earlier chapters of Mark, Jesus frequently demanded that people not proclaim Who He is and what He did for them, but now that phase is over. The King has arrived.

On His way into the royal city, He sends a team of disciples to go and get a special item – one with great significance. Elon carrying a sink into Twitter HQ falls into the “antics” category as far as I’m concerned. Jesus wasn’t joking around – these weren’t antics – this was prophetic. The Son of David had arrived and, though He came in peace, He would be confronted, betrayed, conspired against, and ultimately killed.

Mark 11 through 16 focuses on what we call Passion Week. Forty percent of the book all about these last few days before Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. He’s been approaching for a few passages now, but the final act starts in verse 1 of chapter 11.

Mark 11:1-3 – ¹ When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ² and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’”

Bethany is about 2 miles from Jerusalem. Bethphage is about 1 mile. The Mount of Olives was a ridge east of Jerusalem with a valley in-between. These geographical markers have significance. First of all, Bethphage literally means, “House of unripe figs,” which foreshadows what happens in the very next set of verses.

But it’s the Mount of Olives that grabs our attention tonight. You see, in Ezekiel 11, something dramatic and terrible happens: Because of the sin of the nation, the glory of God departs from the Temple and from Jerusalem. Guess where it stops? The Mount of Olives. But here the Lord God returns from the Mount of Olives. He comes as a Savior, a Suffering Servant, to rescue not just the Jews, but all mankind from our sin. He comes to restore the relationship between God and man.

Now listen: Jesus knew that He was the Messiah. Recently the ladies of The View made news when one of them said Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah. That’s absolutely untrue. He definitely did. And this scene is one of those times. He is purposefully fulfilling prophecy in this scene.

There were many prophecies that Jesus fulfilled without trying. Like being born of a virgin or being from Nazareth. Those weren’t of His own accomplishment. But at other times, He carefully, purposefully accomplished Biblical prophecy which foretold the Messiah. God loves to reveal.

In this scene, the prophecies in question are found in Zechariah 9 and Genesis 49. Both speak about how the Christ would arrive to Judah and Jerusalem.

Arriving on a colt would stand out. Many people were on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Culturally, it was expected that if you could walk, you should walk. But Jesus pauses and changes His normal behavior. We’ve never seen Him riding an animal before. He always walked everywhere unless He was on a boat. Now He sends His guys to go get this donkey to not only signify that He’s the Messiah of Genesis and Zechariah, but to demonstrate that He is a holy King coming in peace.

It was significant that He used a colt that had never been ridden. First, it would signal this animal was being used for a sacred purpose. In the Law of Moses, there were certain rituals and sacrifices set apart for animals that had never been ridden or worked in a normal way. This was not just a convenient way to get into town. Jesus was doing a sacred, holy, divine work.

Second, the Mishnah taught that a king’s mount could not be ridden by anyone else. So not only was He saying He is holy, but that He is a King.

The third significance is when a king came on a donkey, it wasn’t to cmake war. It was for peace. So, Jesus is making a very big statement here. He’s living out a prophetic parable for all to see.

Mark 11:4-6 – ⁴ So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it, ⁵ and some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They answered them just as Jesus had said; so they let them go.

We don’t know which two disciples this was, but good on them. They’re obedient, they’re bold, they’re brave. This could’ve gone sideways if it didn’t work out. A donkey normally cost between 2 and 10 months’ wages. So, walking off with someone else’s colt is like grand theft donko.

And the message Jesus gave them to say was a little light on detail. They had to trust His foreknowledge. They had to trust in providence. They had to trust His leading. And they did!

What’s wonderful about this scene is that here we have this all important detail: Jesus needs to enter Jerusalem on not just a donkey but the colt of a donkey. Not just a colt, but a colt on whom no one has ridden. Not just a colt on whom no one has ridden, but – given the prophecy of Genesis 49 – it actually matters that the colt be tied up and be untied when the moment comes. This is what was required to properly prophetically accomplish this monumental arrival into Jerusalem. And, in this moment, Jesus shares the activity, the opportunity, the responsibility with His followers. With the two disciples. With the owner of the donkey. With the other people standing around. He brings believers into the work in meaningful ways. That is grace. That’s His heart for us. He makes us instruments of His glorious activity.

Providence still includes us in God’s work. He doesn’t have to but He wants to. The question is: What is God leading me to be a part of? It’s not nothing! We are still emissaries of the coming King.

Mark 11:7-8 – ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.

They roll out a red carpet for Jesus. Different Gospels use different words for what sort of plants the people were putting down. Some were dropping straw, some rushes or leaves, others large palm branches. It was an impromptu and makeshift moment of worship and devotion for the Lord.

The people didn’t understand all of what was going on, but they realized Jesus was not just another pilgrim. They do for Him what was done for a king back in 2 Kings chapter 9. It had been done for Simon Maccabaeus in the inter-testamental period when he came into Jerusalem.

Some of the pilgrims on the road would’ve been traveling with palm fronds, because that was part of the Feast of Tabernacles. Many would have brought the palm branches from Jericho – 17 miles away. But imagine: As Jesus gets onto the colt, as those passages of the Old Testament came together in your mind after years of reminder and memorization, suddenly you’re there, holding a palm branch and you realize that the Reason the Feast exists is in your midst! The palm is not for the Temple, it’s for Him! The day you spent your life singing about, the Person that the Feasts and the Temple and the Psalms had been preparing you for for generations was there, with you on the road. Of course they broke out into acts of praise and shouts of joy!

Meanwhile, the King of kings is a King of love and of grace. He did not demand golden fabric or even red velvet. He was blessed to be honored with palm branches and soft leaves.

Christian, you have devotion and worship that can please the Lord, that can glorify and honor the Lord. It’s not about the value, it’s about your heart. But do not refuse to give Him the praise and the devotion and the sacrifice that He is owed.

Mark 11:9-10 – ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

They’re quoting Psalm 118 here. It’s one of the Hallel Psalms. There are three sets of Hallel Psalms and Psalm 118 specifically was sung every year at the Feast of Tabernacles and at Passover. And now they get to sing it to the Passover Lamb, Himself – God Who came to tabernacle with us.

Hosanna means “oh, save us now!” And so, though it’s clear no one fully knew that Jesus’ saving work was going to lead to the cross, the expectation is high. Luke explains that there were many people who thought the Kingdom of God was going to appear right away.

Apparently the Romans knew that some were calling Jesus a King, but clearly they did not understand all the implications of what Jesus was doing that day. Because, had they understood, Jesus would’ve been immediately arrested.

There’s good evidence indicating that “He Who comes” is also a Messianic Title, by the way. So, here’s a group of people who want salvation and Kingdom.

What they didn’t understand is how the King would bring the Kingdom. This is what the last number of passages have been about. Jesus trying to help His followers understand what the Kingdom required. How the Messiah must first suffer and die. How we don’t go out conquering, but serving. How salvation comes first personally, then one day it will come nationally and globally.

Sadly, we’ll see that when the saving work that they’re praying for with every hosanna finally happens, everyone has abandoned Jesus, His countrymen stand at the foot of the cross reviling Him, not worshiping Him. They wanted political salvation. But they needed propitiation for sin.

But in this moment, something huge has happened. This is a truly historic, prophetic, powerful moment as the King enters the city. If the people didn’t praise, the very rocks would’ve cried out. This was a once-in-human-history manifestation of God’s intervention in human history. And then…

Mark 11:11 – ¹¹ He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

That’s it? It’s kind of anti-climactic. He goes to the Temple. It’s late in the day because they just walked 17 miles from Jericho, no one is there. Jesus looks around the 37 acre Temple complex, then He says, “Alright, let’s walk 2 more miles back to Bethany.”

Why not do something? Well, He’s going to do a lot, but it’s all on a specific timeline. He’s going to cleanse the temple, but He wants to do so at a time when a lot of people will see it happen and realize what has become of God’s house. And then He will face wave after wave of opposition, and day by day He will come closer to Calvary, the reason He came. The King had arrived, but before being enthroned, He would first be rejected, beaten, killed, and entombed. The King’s first coming was not about conquering the city of Jerusalem. It wasn’t about taking over. It was about taking our sins upon Himself and bearing them away.

Forbes magazine wrote that the day Elon came to Twitter, “Chaos reigned.” He flexed the power of his authority, making it clear who was in charge of the office.

Here in Mark, as the King of kings arrives in His city, meekness reigns. He came in peace. He came with restraint. Knowing all that was going on behind the scenes, knowing all that would happen. Yet He held back the power of His wrath which He would’ve been right to pour out not only in the Temple or Jerusalem, but the whole world. Consider all He could’ve demanded. All that was owed Him. Consider what humanity deserved. And yet, at His first coming, He came in grace, in peace, in compassion.

What if you came home tonight and there are evil, criminal squatters trying to take over your house? That’s what had happened to Jesus’ Father’s house, right? Now, He does drive out the money changes the next day, but before the cross Christ moves with meekness.

But understand: Meekness is not weakness. He was a Servant, but He was not subservient. There’s a cultural idea out there today that Jesus’ highest command was “Thou shalt be nice.” And that all He did was go around being cool with everybody and accepting everything everyone did. But it’s not true. He called people to repentance. He set them free from sin and commanded them not to return to it. Yes, in His first coming, He came in meekness, but in His second coming, He does not come like a King at peacetime. The next time He returns, He comes not on the colt of a donkey, but on a charging white horse, with a sword in His mouth.

Our part is to enthrone Him in our lives. Not to reject His rule over us. Our part is to give Him our praise and our worship and our hearts. And to be used as instruments of His work according to His leading.

Do You See What Bart Sees? (Mark 10:46-52)

How close and how bright does a situation have to be for you to recognize a familiar face? That’s not really a question we think about, but one that does come up in, say, court proceedings. The outcome of trials often hinges on eyewitness identification. Researchers have tried to determine just how much light and at what distance a person can reliably recognize another person.

What they came up with has been called the rule of fifteen. No more than 15 meters and 15 lux of illumination.^[1] That’s equivalent to street lighting at night.

We have a better chance of recognition if we can hear the person. Research shows that we can identify the voice of a loved one after just 2 words or 4 syllables.^[2] And we’ve got way more range than 15 meters. The normal male voice can normally be heard and understood at distances up to 600 feet. Though, “there is a recorded instance under optimal acoustic conditions, of the human voice being detectable at a distance of 10.5 miles across still water at night.”^[3]

Of course, sometimes we don’t recognize someone we should. Recently I found myself in a group of people and was sitting and talking for a while before I realized I knew the person sitting across from me. I don’t know if it’s from the brain damage or just a lack of awareness.

The Gospel of Mark is all about recognition. Do we recognize Jesus? Who do people say that Jesus is? That’s the central question. Who do we say that He is? As we go through this book, Who Christ is is being revealed. But we also learn how people – even disciples – sometimes fail to recognize what it means that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus is the Son of Man, that Jesus is the suffering Servant, that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and all the rest that is revealed in these passages.

We’ve been in a section where the 12 keep failing to recognize Who Jesus really is and what that means for His Kingdom. They don’t recognize that they are missing certain directions the Lord keeps trying to give them. So again and again, Jesus stops to teach what it means to be a disciple.

We’re about to enter the final act of the Gospel, which is all about passion week. The section we’ve been in started with Jesus healing a blind man. Now, it’s going to end with Him healing another blind man in Jericho. They are bookends of Jesus pre-cross ministry.^[4] This is the last healing in Mark. But more than a healing, this is a depiction of ideal discipleship. We’ve seen a few less-than-ideal examples in the last few passages. Now, with Bartimaeus, we see as one commentator writes, “the last and therefore climactic miracle performed by Jesus. [Which] provides an example of one who understood who Jesus was, responded immediately to His call despite discouragement from others, believed in Him, and followed Him as a disciple. It remains an example for others to follow.”^[5]

Mark 10:46 – ⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting by the road.

This is the only time in the Gospel of Mark where we’re told the name of the person being healed.^[6] One likely reason why is that Bartimaeus was a known Christian in the Church at the time, and people could go and follow up with him about his story.^[7]

We’re also given an important geographical marker. This is happening in Jericho. Now, some skeptics will lash out at this story, because Mark says they were coming to Jericho and Matthew says they were leaving Jericho. So, there it is – the Bible must be fake!

No, in reality, there were two Jerichos. The old city is introduced to us in the book of Joshua. But Herod the Great had build new Jericho about a mile away as the site of his winter palace.^[8] And so Matthew and Mark harmonize as Jesus leaves old Jericho and makes His way into new Jericho.

You don’t want to be blind in the first century AD. There are no assistance programs. No technologies to help you navigate life. Your options were beg or starve. Bartimaeus had no future.

Mark 10:47 – ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

We have no reason to think he ever met Jesus before or heard Him speak before. But he knew something no one else in the crowd did. As the commotion grows, Bartimaeus asks someone, “Who is it coming down the road?” They call Him Jesus of Nazareth. But despite his pitiable position, Bartimaeus had hope the God’s Word was being fulfilled through this Jesus he had heard about. So when they said it was Jesus of Nazareth, Bartimaeus does not think of Him as a Nazarene, but as the Messiah. Son of David is a Messianic title.^[9]

Without sight, he saw Who Jesus really was. And, in this moment, he is the only one who sees Jesus for Who He really is. The Son of David. The Deliverer of Israel. The Christ and Messiah. The One they had been waiting for.

How did a blind man see what almost no one in the entire book has realized? The only other person who ever acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah was Peter. But then he went on to immediately demonstrate he didn’t quite understand what that meant.

But Bartimaeus saw it. How? Well, he knew God’s Word. Jesus had healed a blind man. Actually, He healed multiple blind people. Now listen – no Old Testament prophet had ever healed someone of blindness. And yet, Isaiah prophesied many times that one day it would be possible. That one day the Christ would open the eyes of the blind. And so, Bartimaeus is demonstrating incredible and Biblical faith here. That Jesus is not just a healer, but He is the Healer. The Lord Who came to save.

So not only does Bartimaeus hope Jesus is that Person, He believes it enough to pray to Him. The way he asked Jesus for mercy was a common line of prayer that we see in the Psalms, where people called out to God.^[10] So, without sight or sound, Bartimaeus recognizes Jesus for Who He is.

Mark 10:48 – ⁴⁸ Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, “Have mercy on me, Son of David!”

This is a pretty sad moment for humanity. Many people told him to shut up. We’re used to seeing people bringing their sick loved ones to Jesus, hoping He will help them. This is the opposite. They actively try to stop this poor man from getting to the Lord. To them, he’s not worth helping. He’s an annoyance. He’s a zero.

Their discouraging behavior doesn’t stop him, though. That in itself shows the courage of his faith. Because these were people he relied on economically. It was their coins he needed to survive.

But Jesus was more important than any decorum, any economic incentive, any peer pressure. Receiving the grace of God was way better than being in the crowd’s good graces.

Mark 10:49 – ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man and said to him, “Have courage! Get up; he’s calling for you.”

The Gospels never fail to show the tender kindness of Jesus. Remember: His mind is set on Calvary. He knows He’s in the final phase of His mission. He’s eager to get on with it. But He will stop for the lowest of the low. He will pause to give His love and attention to a zero.

Jesus never gets worn down by annoyance or cynicism. I think after three years and thousands of people like this trying to get my attention I’d eventually say, “Another dirty beggar wanting something from me? What is that, the 50th guy today?”

But Christ’s mercy is new every morning. His compassions fail not. He really, truly, personally loved Bartimaeus. Jesus Himself said, “the way the Father loves Me, that’s how I love you!”^[11]

Meanwhile, let’s learn something about “the crowds” in life. Look at how fickle they are. One minute, they were yelling at him to shut up. Now they’re like sucking up to him and giving him advice. “Have courage!” He already had courage – courage to believe despite their pressure.

The crowds of life are often fickle and two-faced. Don’t chase their approval.

Mark 10:50 – ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

I find it easy to think of this story as primarily a healing narrative. But it’s a discipleship narrative. Like the fishermen before, when called Bartimaeus left all he had on the spot and followed.

And notice the energy here. He threw off his coat. He jumped up. This is a man full of faith.

This may just look like a bum’s dirty jacket, but we need to understand how valuable this coat was. This is the garment that keeps him warm, his bedding, and probably what he spread out to collect coins as he begged.^[12] We can imagine them jingling on the ground, rolling into the road as the man ran in the dark to where Jesus stood.

Now remember what happened earlier: The rich young ruler had been called by Jesus. But he would not leave his possessions. He had too many and they had too tight a grip on him.

But here is Bartimaeus. When he’s introduced, he’s sitting. Sitting in darkness. Sitting by the road. Sitting in hopelessness and misery. And with one call from Christ, he’s up and jumping and moving.

Christ calls us to life. To activity. To closeness with Him and opportunities to share in His work. He calls us to live out our faith. Bartimaeus didn’t only believe Jesus was the Messiah, on that day, he oriented his life and future around that fact.

Mark 10:51a – ⁵¹ Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

This is exactly what Jesus said to James and John in the last passage. Word for word. In that scene, the disciples failed to understand what discipleship really means. What about Bartimaeus?

Mark 10:51b – “Rabboni,”, the blind man said to him, “I want to see.”

There’s more here than meets the eye. First, he uses another title for Jesus. He’s already recognized Him as Messiah. But here he uses not just the normal word for teacher, but an intensified version. One that means teacher and master.^[13] Even the 12 hadn’t used this title of Jesus.

But his request wasn’t just that he wanted to see. What he said could be translated, “Please, give me sight,”^[14] or, “Master, let me receive my sight.”^[15] He knew it was in Christ’s power to accomplish, but would have to be a gift of grace. And we’ll see that Bartimaeus didn’t use his sight for his own plans, but he would use his vision to follow Jesus’ leading.

Mark 10:52 – ⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go, your faith has saved you.” Immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road.

Sometimes Christians get hung up in verses like this. Is Jesus saying that if we have strong enough faith we decide whether we’re healed? No. How are we saved? by grace, through faith. In other words, it was God’s will and power that accomplished the healing, not Bartimaeus’ faith. But by exercising faith he was able to receive what God was willing to give.

In other words, you can’t faith enough to make a miracle happen if it isn’t God’s will to work it. Bartimaeus understood that sight would be a gift from Christ to be received. Not an accomplishment of his own spirituality.

As Jesus healed him, He also gave a command. What was it? “Go.” Bartimaeus had a free choice in that moment to go where he wished. And where did he go? “Immediately…he began to follow Jesus on the road.” He didn’t go back to his coat. He didn’t go back to any coins. He kept walking after Jesus. In the Gospels, the phrase “follow on the road” is a technical term for discipleship.^[16]

And understand, this was no casual walk in the park. Spiritually, he was walking into intense opposition with his Lord. But even physically this was a hard road to take. The walk from Jericho to Jerusalem was 17 miles with a 3,500 foot climb in elevation.^[17]

But Bartimaeus’ discipleship was roadworthy! He was ready to follow. The story starts with him sitting by the road, now he’s on the road. Healed physically, saved spiritually.^[18] Now he has a future. Now he has life. Now he has all he needs because he is with Jesus.

There’s a wonderful Biblical connection here. Jesus, the Son of David, is about to go to Jerusalem in what we call the Triumphal Entry.

When David first marched into Jerusalem, there was this taunt that even the blind would be able to repel him – that the blind and the lame would stop David from conquering the city. And at the time it became a saying that, “the blind are despised by David and they will never enter the house.”^[19] And now, the Son of David comes again into His city. But this time, He heals the blind and brings them with Him. Jesus, the Savior King.

And so, we recognize Christ for Who the Word shows Him to be. The Creator. The Savior. The Healer. The King. The Master. The Lord of all. The One Who still calls to us. Calls us to His presence. Calls us to follow. Calls us to receive His grace and all we need for life and Godliness. He is calling. Let’s follow Him, knowing Who He is and what that means for our lives.

Asking For Trouble (Mark 10:32-45)

What’s the biggest gift you ever asked for? Think back to letters to Santa or your wedding registry. Sometimes the request betrays an ugly selfishness. Like when a boy told Santa, saying he’d be more than willing to trade his sister for a north pole elf just as soon as the stork dropped her off.^[1]

Sometimes it’s just the size of the ask that raises eyebrows. Last year, Elon Musk asked to have his 2018 Tesla pay package reinstated after a judge said he couldn’t have it. It took a while, but he finally won what the company offered him: $139 billion dollars.^[2]

In our text, James and John bring a big request to Jesus. But not only do they not realize what it would cost for them to get what they want, they also have not considered that their motivations are not at all in line with the example or the guidance Jesus has given them.

A Christian does not lift themselves up at the expense of others – like the boy trading his sister for an elf. And so, in yet another cringe-inducing interchange, Jesus tries once again to explain that greatness in His Kingdom is found in service, in humility, and in following our Savior’s example.

We want to examine this text not as though we’d never make a similar mistake. After all, we ask the Lord for a lot of things. And we’re not immune from the flaws we see in the apostles. And so, we don’t want to read this text to laugh at their blunder, but to learn how to evaluate ourselves.

Mark 10:32a – ³² They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were astonished, but those who followed him were afraid.

Morale is a little low. The group has been traveling from Galilee in the north on the southern road leading to Jerusalem. All along the way, the Lord has been challenging and correcting the disciples’ assumptions and understandings. He’s been blowing their minds with truths that totally upend their spiritual perspective. At times, He has had to rebuke them outright. In fact, He recently became indignant at them for their behavior.

But they followed. We have to commend their faithfulness. Many had turned back from following the Lord. The rich young ruler would not follow as a disciple. But they followed. And they weren’t lagging behind the Lord. Rabbis usually walked in front of their students.^[3]

But Mark also wants us to understand that while the disciples were wrestling with confusion, the Lord Jesus was fixed on His mission. As one commentator put it, He’s “anxious to get on with it.”^[4] “It” being the cross, our deliverance. He was not afraid. He was adamant.

Mark 10:32b-34 – Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them the things that would happen to him. ³³ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Gentiles, ³⁴ and they will mock him, spit on him, flog him, and kill him, and he will rise after three days.”

This is the third time in Mark that Jesus predicted what would happen. Each time He adds additional detail or clarity. Here He spells it all the way out. And now, they’re closing in. They’re on the ascent to Jerusalem. The disciples feel the pressure, they’re aware of danger, but Luke explains that they understood none of these things.^[5]

We cannot understand spiritual truths without the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[6] As we’re growing in our knowledge of the Word, we also must grow in our relationship with God the Holy Spirit. I’m not criticizing the 12 for that because they had not yet received the indwelling Holy Spirit.^[7] But their missteps in this phase of discipleship highlight for us how necessary relationship with the Holy Spirit is. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor Who will teach us all things and remind us of everything Christ has told us.^[8] He does this and much more, and so let’s never neglect Him.

Mark 10:35 – ³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.”

Wow. Has anyone ever asked you something that made you spit out your drink? They know from the start that what they’re asking is a little beyond the pale. That’s why they want Him to agree before telling Him what they want.

On top of giving in to selfishness here, James and John fail to treat Jesus as a real Person. I mean, He’s just said, “Guys, I’m about to be murdered. In a short time, I’m going to be tortured and brutalized and treated with more contempt than any of us can imagine.”

“Ok. Anyway, we have some things we’d like You to give us.” But I have to admit I’ve treated Jesus this way in my prayer life. More butler than Commander. Rattling off want after want after want without pausing to thank Him or give Him praise or wait for Him to speak to my heart.

Now listen: God wants us to cast our cares on Him. He wants us to bring Him our petitions and requests. But that’s not all prayer is about, not by a long shot. And though all of us have wants in life – and the Lord wants to hear about them – discipleship means adjusting our thinking and remind ourselves that what matters more is what God wants for our lives.

Mark 10:36 – ³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them.

The Lord is so patient. Yes, there were times where He had to sharply rebuke His people, but over and over we see His grace, we see His patience, we see His tenderness in how He dealt with people who were dealing badly with Him. Those who should’ve known better and done better. But as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.^[9]

Not only is this patience, it’s also kindness. He gives them one more chance to abort this ill-conceived mission. The Lord often asks questions like this to give us a chance to think through our choices, our attitudes, our designs. “Where are you, Adam?” “Why are you angry, Cain?” “Where are you going, Hagar?” “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Mark 10:37 – They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.”

It’s a big ask. They want to be the top, crown princes in the Kingdom.^[10] Kudos for swinging for the fence, guys, but it’s the same problem the 12 had been wrestling with this whole trip: Who is the greatest? How can I get in front of someone else? They want to sit, not serve.

Robert Utley points out that every time Christ predicted His death in Mark, the disciples start worrying about who will take His place as the big boss.^[11]

When we ask the Lord for things, we must first evaluate the motives behind the ask. Now, this is hard, because in our fallen humanity, sometimes we don’t even know our own hearts.^[12] But a different James – the half-brother of Christ – explains in his epistle:

James 4:3 – ³ You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Rather than praying and asking that way, the Lord encouraged us to pray that God’s will be done on earth and in our lives. What is His plan, His design, His program for the life He’s given us today?

Mark 10:38-39a – ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” ³⁹ “We are able,” they told him.

In the Old Testament, being given a cup to drink referred to what God has in store for someone.^[13] Jesus uses drinking a cup and being baptized as a metaphor for suffering and death.

He is gently trying to help them understand that Kingdom greatness costs something. Suffering. Service. Surrender. Dying to self, not exalting ourselves.

They glibly say, “Sure. We can do it.” They’re just saying what they think He wants to hear. They have not faced the cost. They will abandon Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Throughout this section we’re seeing how quick our human hearts are to rely on ourselves and over-inflate our spirituality. The rich young ruler did it, Peter did it, James and John are doing it. We tend to do it, too if we’re not careful. “We are able.” And yet they weren’t willing to wash feet.

Mark 10:39b-40 – Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. ⁴⁰ But to sit at my right or left is not mine to give; instead, it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Great irony here. They say, “Of course we’re able to do whatever to get this thing we’re asking for,” and now Jesus says, “Ok, well, you are going to pay the price. You’re going to be submerged in suffering and death for the sake of the Gospel,^[14] but you’re not going to get the position.”

Not that they wouldn’t rule and reign with the Lord – I mean, James and John have their names written on the foundations of the wall of New Jerusalem! But their ask was so high, it wasn’t even Christ’s to give! Who will receive this honor? No idea. That’s God’s business.

But, as we walk with God, as we cooperate with His plan, we will endure suffering. The New Testament talks a lot about suffering to us because it’s going to be part of the Christian experience. Part of discipleship, part of honoring God, is suffering. That doesn’t mean we go looking for it, but let’s be honest about what we’re agreeing to and not think it strange when it happens or lash out against God when it does.

Mark 10:41 – ⁴¹ When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John.

They’re not mad because James and John were being rude to Jesus, but because they asked first.^[15] This is a rare time where Peter had been frozen out of the Three Amigos. Usually it was Peter, James, and John. Not this time. If I was Andrew, I would’ve been mad at James and John but also thinking, “Yeah, Pete, see how it feels?” But when our hearts are in a pattern of selfishness, you bet we’re going to get mad at other people.

Mark 10:42-45 – ⁴² Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Remember how the unit starts: Jesus is leading the way to Jerusalem with purpose and urgency. Though His disciples are following, spiritually they have fallen behind. So now He has to pause, put His plan on hold, and perform 12 heart surgeries.

The Lord is so gracious. So kind. So faithful. He stops and says, “Ok guys, come here.” And once again tells them what He’s already told them. He already taught this lesson in Capernaum. He taught it by example every day. This is not a new revelation. It’s just one they wouldn’t yet submit to.

But again He explains that the way of the cross is through grace, service, humility, and meekness. Christian lives and Christian activity should not look like the world. It should not be organized like the world. He says, “Here’s what those in the world do. But it is not so among you.”

And to drive the point home one more time, Jesus says, “Look at Me. I came to serve. While you’re worried about how high of a position you think you’re owed in the Kingdom, I’m making sure you can be bought out of hell!”

Now, aside from the practical teaching, there’s also an important theological teaching here. Jesus is identifying Himself as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.^[16] He was struck for our rebellion. Crushed for our iniquities. He bore our sicknesses and carried our pains. He did not shrink from any of it. From foot washing to foot piercing. That’s our Lord and Savior. That’s the Master we follow.

And now He not only calls us to follow after Him, He explains that the way of the cross is the way to spiritual greatness in His Kingdom. Selflessness. Service. And not only doing acts of service, but being willing to be be treated as inferior to those around us.^[17] So, if I say to the Lord, “Well, I’m willing to push a broom, but if I’m not thanked for it, then I’m going to quit,” ok, that’s like the rich young ruler. That’s a refusal to follow as a disciple.

You see, discipleship is not internship. Why does a person intern? To get a foot in the door, to get experience, to get leveled up. If you intern, you double your odds of getting a job and that job will pay more.^[18] But discipleship isn’t about my greatness. It’s encapsulated by what John the Baptist so famously said: “He must increase, I must decrease.”

So, as we walk through these passages, we want to recognize those things that kept dogging the disciples tend to dog us today. And we want to once again answer the call to discipleship. To not only do what God asks, but to think how He thinks. Which will transform our hearts and the things we ask for and how we relate to others only for the better! Because we will be in proper position, following our leader, not falling behind, not motivated by selfishness, but service to the King.