Mark 11.1-33 tells us about Yeshua’s entry into Jerusalem on Nisan 10; the cursing of the fig tree; his controversy with the money changers in the Temple and his reproof of the chief priests, scribes, and elders concerning his authority.
v 1…And as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage (house of unripe figs-an allusion to Israel) and Bethany (house of figs), near the mount of Olives (several miles east), he sent two of his talmidim (to prepare for the fulfillment of Zech 9.9).
v 2…And he said to them, “Go into the village opposite you (Bethany), and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied (Matt 21.2 says an “ass tied, and a colt with her-the donkey is a type of the old, stubborn nature and the colt a type of a converted nature, or second generation birth-Job 11.12), on which no one yet has ever sat (but Yeshua can control its nature-Num 19.2; Deut 21.3; 12 Sam 6.7); untie it and bring it.
v 3…And if someone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord (Yehovah) has need of it (for his purposes) and immediately he will send it back here (return it when he is finished with it).”
v 4…And they went away and found a colt tied at the door outside in the street (where two ways meet); and they untied it.
v 5…And some of the bystanders were saying to them (what Yeshua had prepared the talmidim for), “What are you doing untying the colt?”
v 6…And they spoke to them just as Yeshua had told, and they gave them permission (didn’t question it any further).
v 7…And they brought the colt to Yeshua and put their garments on it (to make him more comfortable, like a saddle);
v 8…And many spread their garments in the road (like a carpet to welcome a king), and others leafy branches (a token of joy like at Sukkot) which they had cut from the fields.
v 9…And those who went before (came from Jerusalem), and those who followed after (from Jericho), were crying out “Hosanna (give victory)! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Yehovah);
v 10…blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David (in respect to the Messiah who is David’s son); hosanna in the highest (the people were gathering because it was Passover and Nisan 10 is the day when lambs were separated and inspected for blemishes, sickness and if kosher they were to be offered four days later on Passover-Exo 12.1-43; the people were selecting their lambs and Yehovah had selected his lamb and Yeshua is saying here by his actions, “I am going to be your Passover lamb” as he rode down the mount of Olives towards Jerusalem; Yeshua would be inspected for four days and found to be without sin or blemish; also, this day is 483 years or 173,880 days after Neh 2.1 and fulfills Dan 9.25 where it predicts that the Messiah will come).
v 11…And he entered Jerusalem into the Temple; and after looking around (an inspection, and he did not like what he was seeing), he departed for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late (probably stayed with Lazarus and his two sisters).
v 12…On the next day (Nisan 11) when they had departed Bethany, he became hungry.
v 13…And seeing at a distance a fig tree (in this story it will be a type of Israel-Hos 9.10; Nahum 3.12; Zech 3.10) in leaf (making a show that it was fruitful, like Israel). He went if perhaps he would find anything on it, and he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet (Then why did Yeshua look? Because he is going to use this unproductive tree as a lesson; looking for fruit when there is would be none would only stimulate the curiosity of the talmidim; when Yeshua is doing this he is into the fourth year of his ministry, and a tree and its fruit are holy to Yehovah in the fourth year. A person cannot eat from a tree until its fifth year. A tree that is unfruitful is called “forbidden” or “uncircumcised” in Lev 19.2-25. Israel went into exile for being “uncircumcised” or unfruitful in the time of Jeremiah-Jer 8.13, 9.26. No figs equals no people; no fig tree, no peace. When Yeshua came during his fourth year he expected to find fruit for Yehovah. That means they should have fulfilled their calling, and corporately accepted Yeshua as Messiah. Even though it was early, the kingdom was being offered-Isa 60.22. The leaves were there, but there wasn’t any fruit. This will lead to Luke 19.41-44 and 21.1-36. He said they were to learn the lesson of the fig tree in Luke 21.29. Now they were going into exile and the people will be scattered. Yeshua is using this tree as an object lesson).
v 14…And he answered and said to it (responded to its fruitless testimony), “May no one ever eat from you again (the tree is cursed for its misleading appearance that suggested fruitfulness, but it was void of the fruits expected. This was the case in Israel in the first century).
v 15…And they came to Jerusalem (from Bethany). And he entered the Temple and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the Temple (in what was called the “Bazaars of Annas” at the southern end of the complex in the court of the Gentiles. They belonged to the sons of Annas who provided animals approved for offerings for a price. He was cleansing his father’s house of leaven/sin right before Passover) and overturned the tables of the moneychangers (they would exchange pagan money with idols pictured on them for a shekel, often at high prices. It was the fact that they did this in a sanctified (had a kedusah) area in the court of the Gentiles that was the main problem. The one place the non-Jews had for worship was being turned into a marketplace for thieves, and Yeshua was furious. This is the second time Yeshua did this. The first time was in John 2.13-15) and the seats of those who were selling doves (Yeshua declares these people to be thieves and were desecrating the services of Yehovah and prohibiting the non-Jews from worshiping in peace).
v 16…And he would not permit anyone to carry goods through the Temple (anything that was for common use. The Temple was to be used for the worship of Yehovah not a short cut).
v 17…And he began to teach and said to them, “Is it not written (documented), ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?’ But you have made it a robber’s den (Isa 56.7; Jer 7.8-11).”
v 18…And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought how to destroy him (the Sanhedrin had moved out of the Lishkat ha Gazit, or Chamber of Hewn Stone, to the eastern end of Royal Stoa, with the bazaars of Annas at the western end, in protest over some atrocities committed by Pilate. So, they could hear what was going on. In moving, the Sanhedrin could not issue a death sentence. This will figure into why they could not kill Yeshua and they needed the Romans to do it. Yehovah had already planned that the Messiah was going to be crucified, not the normal Jewish methods of execution. All of this was in the plan of God); for they were afraid of him (because he was making great changes and the people were not listening to them like before), for all the multitude was astonished at his teaching (his doctrines relating to the Torah).
v 19…And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city (probably to Bethany-he did not stay in Jerusalem these last few days).
v 20…And as they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree (of v 14) withered from the roots (the tree was entirely dead, like Israel was in their oral laws, worship, and doctrines of the teachers, etc).
v 21…And being reminded, Peter said to him, “Rabbi, behold (take notice) the fig tree which you cursed has withered (Israel and their teachings and oral laws were not fruitful; Israel was going into exile 40 years later).”
v 22…And Yeshua answered saying to them, “Have faith (confidence in action) in God (and his Torah-they already possessed it, God has given it so don’t look for “other truth” in some oral law, traditions, or some rabbinical system).
v 23…Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain (Jerusalem and the Temple Mount), ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea (Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed, and the people scattered in the sea of the nations; their teachings are an obstacle to true faith), and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him (what Yeshua is saying is this: with faith in God and his Torah the false teachings coming from the Temple and the Sanhedrin, controlled by Beit Shammai at the time, can be overcome, and they will enter the kingdom of God. A keen mind in the Torah is an idiom meaning “an uprooter of mountains.” Israel was at the “foot” of Mount Sinai when the Torah was given. In Hebrew “at the foot” is “tachat” meaning “under.” Faith will remove the Torah’s judicial aspect, the death penalty for sin, from crushing them, and removed. Without faith, this judicial aspect of the Torah will crush them. In the first century there was a concept that Sinai was seen as a wedding chuppah over their heads if they accepted the Torah. If they didn’t, it would fall and crush them under its weight of Torah-Matt 21.44).
v 24…Therefore I say to you all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you (possess or obtain it).
v 25…and whenever you stand (a common position in prayer-2 Chr 6.13), forgive (meaning to “lay it away, don’t bring it up again”) if you have anything against anyone (their “debt” to you), so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive your transgressions (your debt to Yehovah).
v 26…But if you do not forgive (lay it away, keep bringing the debt up again), neither will your father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions (we must be free from an unforgiving spirit/attitude/heart).”
v 27…And they came again to Jerusalem. And he was walking in the Temple (courts), the chief priests, and the scribes, and elders (in the Sanhedrin, interpreters of the Torah or the oral law) came to him.
v 28…And saying to him, “By what authority (what source) are you doing these things (cleansing the Temple, overturning tables, whipping the sellers, etc), or who gave you this (kind) of authority to do these things (they really didn’t want to know)?”
v 29…And Yeshua said to him, “I will ask you one question (if you really want to know), and you answer me, I will (then) tell you by what authority I do these things (because it will be the same authority).
v 30…Was the baptism (immersion) of John (that he supervised) from heaven (Yehovah told him to do it, his authority), or from men (originate from man-made traditions or oral laws)? Answer me (directly, right now).”
v 31…And reasoning with one another (in a debate among themselves), saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
v 32…But if we say, ‘From men?’-they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed.
v 33…And answering Yeshua, they said, “We don’t know.” And Yeshua said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things (If they didn’t believe John, they would not have believed Yeshua either. He said a similar thing in John 5.39-47. If they did not believe Moses, how would they ever believe him).”
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