God's house vindicated. THE TEMPLE WAS DESIGNED AS A RELIGIOUS CENTRE FOR THE NATIONS . It contains the idea of the Divine house, and therefore of the home for all men. II. THE ASSOCIATIONS SHOULD BE SUCH AS BECOME THE PLACE . "Peace and purity should be maintained in the service of God." The Church should be like the home. The associates of traffic and the passions it excites should be shut out. "Let vain and busy thoughts have there no part; ... read more
The destruction of the fig tree. I. THE SUFFICIENT REASON FOR THE ACT . 1 . Not an outcome of petulance or disappointment. The idea of Christ being "in a temper" is preposterous! The difficulty as to the phrases, "if haply he might find anything thereon," and "he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs," is for the most part factitious and artificial. Our Lord was not mistaken—first expectant and then disappointed. "He came to the tree, not for the... read more
The fruit of the fruitless fig tree. This action of our Lord Jesus is one of the very few he is recorded to have performed to which exception has been taken. It has been objected that the "cursing" of the fig tree was a vindictive act, and unlike and unworthy of the gracious and beneficent Redeemer. In answer to this objection, a distinction must be drawn between a vindictive and a judicial proceeding; the latter having no element of personal irritation or ill feeling. It must not be... read more
Parallel passages: Matthew 21:12-22 ; Luke 19:45-48 .— The blighting of the barren fig tree. I. SYMBOLISM . 1 . Miracles of mercy. Mercy has been called God's darling attribute; judgment is his strange work. The only-begotten Son, who has declared the Father unto us, has manifested the selfsame character. His miracles are miracles of mercy—all save two. Of these two, one was permissive and punitive, when our Lord allowed the devils to enter into the swine of the Gadarenes;... read more
And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon . St. Matthew ( Matthew 21:19 ) says he saw "one fig tree" ( μὶαν συκῆν ), and therefore more conspicuous. Fig trees were no doubt plentiful in the neighborhood of Bethphage, "the house of figs." Dean Stanley says that "Mount Olivet is still sprinkled with fig trees." This fig tree had leaves, but no fruit; for it was not the season of figs ( ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς οὐκ ἧν σύκων ) . Other... read more
No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever ( εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ) . These words, in their application to the Jewish nation, have a merciful limitation—a limitation which lies in the original words rendered "for ever," which literally mean for the age. "No man eat fruit of thee henceforward, for the age;" until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. A day will doubtless come when Israel, which now says, "I am a dry tree," shall accept the words of its true Lord, "From me is thy... read more
And they come to Jerusalem: and he entered into the temple. Not the holy place, nor the holy of holies (into which the high priest might alone enter), but into the temple court; for into that the people went to pray, and to witness the sacrifices which were being offered before the holy place; for this court was, so to speak, the temple of the people. Our Lord was not a Levitical priest, because he was not sprung of Levi and Aaron. Therefore he could not enter the holy place, but only the... read more
"And Jesus went into the temple." "Jesus went into the temple." The act was characteristic and suggestive. I. IT EXEMPLIFIED THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HIS WORK AND THAT OF JOHN . From the beginning to the end of his ministry the Baptist, so far as we know, was a stranger to the temple courts. John was in the wilderness, and the people from Jerusalem and Judea "went out" to hear him. Christ was never apart from his people. He was not a voice crying in the wilderness,... read more
Christ cleansing the temple. The acts of our Lord were not merely intended to accomplish an immediate result. Had they been, they were sadly ineffectual. If, for example, he had simply set before himself the design of clearing the temple of intruders, he could have secured that end more permanently than he did. But he recognized that the noblest thing is not to cut off a public abuse, but to dry up the spring whence it flows, which often lies deep in the human heart. Remedial measures are... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 11:12
And on the morrow, when they were come out from Bethany, he hungered. This was, therefore, the day after Paint Sunday (as we call it)—on the Monday, the 11th day of the month Nisan, which, according to our computation, would be March 21. He hun g ered. This showed his humanity, which he was ever wont to do when he was about to display his Divine power. The fact that he hungered would lead us to the conclusion that he had not been spending the night in the house of Martha and Mary. It... read more