Mark Outline Covenant Eschatology Commentary Series Daniel Rogers March 2018 danielcr2011@gmail.com Mark 11 I. Verses 1-11: The Triumphal Entry A. Verses 1-3 i. Jesus does not command His disciples to steal a colt in this passage as some try to say. ii. Instead, there seems to be a prearranged situation between the Lord and the villagers or at least there was a good relationship between Jesus and the villagers. iii. Notice that there is no doubt in the mind of Jesus that they will be happy to send the colt. B. Verses 4-6 i. As the disciples take the colt, some are wondering why they are taking it. ii. As Jesus predicted, they allowed the colt to be taken. C. Verses 7-8 i. Here the people give Jesus a King s welcome as He approaches Jerusalem. ii. This is in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 iii. This passage that Jesus would come with salvation. iv. It also predicts that the chariot and bow of war would be cut off from the land. This is parallel to the mountain passage in Isaiah 2. D. Verses 9-11 i. Here the people quote from Psalm 118:25-26 a. The context of this passage is Messianic ( the stone that the builders reject ). b. This saying, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord is a reaction to God answering the prayer of verse 25. (i). The tribes of Israel were under oppression from Gentile nations since the time of the Assyrians, and the southern tribes were under Gentile oppression since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. (ii). The people saw Jesus as a relief from these nations. They expected Jesus to be the redeemer of Israel. (iii). Jesus said that this saying would be uttered at His coming (Matthew 23:39). (a). In other words, they would be expecting God to answer their prayers concerning the Roman desolation of Jerusalem. (b). Unfortunately for them, no help would come. ii. They associate this triumphant entry to the coming of the kingdom of David something that both Jesus and John the Baptist taught much about.
II. III. a. The restoration of the throne of David was associated with the restoration of Israel. (i). Ezekiel 37:24-28 (ii). Hosea 3:5 b. Jesus and John the Baptist taught this message of the restoration of Israel being associated with the kingdom. (i). Matthew 19:28 (ii). Matthew 3:1-12 Verses 12-14: Jesus Curses the Fig Tree A. Verses 12-13 i. Jesus becomes hungry, so He seeks food from a fig tree. ii. It was not the correct season for figs, so there were none to be found on the tree. B. Verse 14 i. Jesus curses the tree so that it will never bear fruit again. ii. This fig tree, as can be seen in the verses below, is a symbol for Israel. a. Israel was never consistent in following God. b. Like the fig tree, they only bore fruit on occasion. c. God expects to find His people bearing fruit year-round and not when it is just convenient. d. Jesus curses the tree to indicate that Israel was doomed for their unfruitfulness. Verses 15-19: Jesus Cleanses the Temple A. Verses 15-16 i. Jesus actions here are often brought under attack from skeptics. ii. However, these actions are justified when you consider the harm that the merchants were causing. a. Imagine if unleavened bread and grape juice were sold for profit on Sunday for higher than what the average income owner can reasonably afford. b. This is like the high-priced tickets in the streets outside of stadiums and the high-priced instillation fees that cable companies charge when they have no reasonable competition. B. Verses 17 i. There are two Old Testament texts cited here. a. Isaiah 56:7 b. Jeremiah 7:11 ii. The two passages cited highlight the expectation of the Jews versus the reality. a. One marks the desire that the Jews had for the restoration of Israel. They expected the temple to be the central of the New Covenant Kingdom, but Jesus shows them that their desire will not come true. b. The latter is a sad mutation of its original purpose, and such a mutation means that it would be quickly destroyed (Jeremiah 7:14). c. Here, as Jesus did with the fig tree, is a pronouncement of judgement on Jerusalem. iii. John 2:18-22 a. Jesus was made under the Law (Galatians 4:4). b. His death on the cross marked the changing of the ages from the Old Covenant age to the New Covenant age.
IV. c. The driving out of the merchants represents the failure of Israel as the chosen people, and it foreshadows the New Covenant temple that Christ began when He became the head of the corner at His resurrection. C. Verses 18-19 a. The Scribes and Pharisees were unhappy with Jesus actions because (i). They were jealous that Jesus did what they did not have the courage to do (ii). Or they had arranged something with the merchants to get gain. b. Because of the hostility, Jesus and His disciples left the city because there were things that still needed to be done before Jesus would be lifted up. Verses 20-26: The Withered Fig Tree A. Verses 20-21 i. The disciples notice that the fig tree that Jesus cursed had been withered up. ii. This was all planned by Jesus, and it utilizes a popular literary device. a. The subject is introduced (verses 12-14). b. A climatic event occurs that reveals more about the introduction. c. The introduction is answered with a final event so that a lesson can be learned. B. Verses 22-24 i. The mountain referenced here is the Mount of Olives. a. Mark 11:1 b. Some take this mountain to be figurative, and while there is an interesting message in that interpretation, it seems more reasonable that this mountain is the one introduced earlier in the text. c. This does not, however, mean that the mountain does not represent something else as the fig tree represents Old Covenant Israel. (i). It may be the case that the mountain represents the kingdom of the world (Revelation 11:15). (ii). It could be that it simply is another symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Galatians 4:25). (iii). If you flip a coin you will probably have a better guess than I do if one of these is correct at all. ii. Jesus is using hyperbole to teach a lesson on faith. a. While God could certainly cast a mountain into the sea, this isn t the purpose of this saying. b. Instead, Jesus is teaching them that they should not be afraid to ask God of anything. c. In the coming years, the tribulation would be so great preceding the destruction of Jerusalem that it would be necessary to fully trust in God. d. This is like the message of James 1:5ff. C. Verses 25-26 i. Jesus stresses selflessness throughout His ministry.
ii. Physical selflessness is one thing, but to be able to show love, compassion, and forgiveness especially to your enemies is a tough job. iii. A large part of the Sermon on the Mount was devoted to selflessness including forgiveness: Matthew 6:5-15. iv. Jesus said this knowing that He would soon face the cross and that He would be willing to forgive the very ones who rejected Him. V. Verses 27-33: The Authority of Jesus Challenged A. Verses 27-28 i. The Pharisees, still upset with Him concerning His cleansing of the temple, question Jesus authority. ii. They deemed themselves to be of the highest authority of the land, and they even considered the nation to belong to them: John 11:48. iii. They recognized the following that Jesus had as a threat to their position. B. Verses 29-33 i. Jesus says that He will answer their question if they can answer His. ii. He knows that they will not be able to answer because they would sacrifice honesty to save face in front of the people, but they also did not want to make themselves guilty of not following a prophet of God. iii. They decide to feign ignorance, so Jesus refuses to answer their question. a. Some may not see this as being fair. b. However, Jesus explained to this group on several occasions who He was and who gave Him the authority to do the things that He did. c. Nicodemus even admits that the Pharisees recognized His power, and the Pharisees agreed to this in private (John 3:2; 11:47). d. The common people believed in Jesus, so the rulers had no reason not to accept the evidence.
Mark 12 I. Verses 1-12: The Parable of the Tenants A. Verse 1 i. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 5:1-7. a. Jewish teachers would often quote from a section of Scripture to invoke the entire context of that passage. b. The context of this passage is judgement on Israel. c. In fact, chapters 2-5 of Isaiah are all about the same subject: the coming of the kingdom and judgement on Israel. (i). Isaiah 2:1-5 (ii). Isaiah 2:10-12, 19, 21 (a). Splendor of His majesty (2 Thessalonians 1:9) (b). Luke 23:28-31 (c). Revelation 6:16 (iii). Isaiah 3:1 (iv). Isaiah 4:2-6 ii. The elements of the parable a. The man is God. b. The vineyard is Israel c. The vine-growers are the leaders of the people. B. Verses 2-5 i. To begin with, God does not come Himself, but He sends servants to receive some of the produce. a. These servants represent the prophets. b. As in Isaiah, the only fruit that is found is spoiled and the vine-growers are wicked. ii. Each servant sent is harmed, and some are even killed. a. Jesus said that the prophets that died in the Old Testament did so because of Jerusalem. b. Luke 13:33-34 c. Matthew 23:34-36 C. Verses 6-8 i. As a final plea to the vine-growers, God sends His Son. ii. This, of course, is Jesus: John 3:16. iii. The vine-growers reject the Son and kill Him. iv. They do so to take the inheritance for themselves.
a. The rulers of the people, as seen in the previous chapter, were jealous of the authority that Jesus displayed. b. As was seen in that same chapter, they considered the nation to be theirs and not God s. II. III. D. Verse 9 i. The owner of the vineyard decides to come Himself and judge the vine-growers. ii. The vineyard, then, is given to others to a nation willing to bear its fruit (Matthew 21:43). E. Verses 10-11 i. Jesus applies Psalm 118:22-23 to this same theme of rejection and judgement. ii. In Mark 11:9-10, Jesus referred to another portion of this chapter (Psalm 118:25-26). iii. Psalm 118:22-23 is also quoted in Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20-22; and 1 Peter 2:4-8 iv. The cornerstone of what? a. Jesus is the cornerstone of the new temple. b. The new temple is the church. c. Jesus is the cornerstone of the church. d. Which means, by the way, that the church was prophesied about in the Old Testament something that some dispensationalists reject by insisting that the church is part of the grace (or mystery) dispensation. F. Verse 12 i. They wished to kill Him at this point because they realized that the parable was about them. ii. They would have understood the reference to both Isaiah 5 and Psalm 118. iii. They did not kill Him, however, because they were afraid of the people. Verses 13-17: Paying Taxes to Caesar A. Verses 13-14 B. Verses 15-17 Verses 18-27: The Sadducees Question About the Resurrection A. Verses 18-23 B. Verses 24-25 C. Verses 26-27
IV. Verses 28-34: The Greatest Commands A. Verses 28-31 B. Verses 32-34 V. Verses 35-37: Whose Son is the Christ? A. Verse 35 B. Verses 36-37 VI. Verses 38-40: Beware of the Scribes A. Verses 28-39 B. Verse 40 VII. Verses 41-44: The Widow s Offering A. Verses 41-42 B. Verses 43-44