The idea is clear. Judea and Jerusalem are the fig tree. He has examined them. No fruit can be found there, for they are barren. He declares judgment upon them. Their prophesied future is that they will wither and die.
The message is so vital and appalling that Jesus, unusually, is prepared to perform a miracle in order to bring it home. The disciples would never forget the lesson of the fig tree. When Jerusalem is destroyed they will remember and recognise that God’s curse was upon it because it had failed to be ready for its visitation. Israel had been warned that God would ‘come suddenly to His Temple’ (Malachi 3.1), but they had not prepared themselves.
Both the ride into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the Temple are statements of who He is and what He has come to do. They precipitate only enmity from the authorities, for the ‘people of God’ are not ready.
Jesus Is Challenged as to His Authority to Act in Such a Manner (Mark 11. 27-33).
His enemies are ganging up. Not only the Scribes, but also the Chief Priests and the Elders have come to see Him because He has trespassed on their domain. They ask Him who has given Him authority to act in such a way. Do they really want to know? He tests them out.
He asks them whether the baptism of John was from Heaven or of men. They are in a fix. They are in the Temple, thronged with people who counted John as a prophet. They dare not say what they think. So they say weakly, ‘We cannot tell’. They have declared from their own mouths that they are not able to judge such things. How then can they expect to judge Jesus’ authority fairly? The fig tree has truly withered.
Jesus Makes His Last Appeal to the Authorities (Mark 12. 1-12)
He tells the leaders the parable of a man who takes great trouble in setting up a vineyard (quoted almost word for word from Isaiah 5.2, where it turns out to be a fruitless vineyard ). When he sends servants to collect his dues they are rejected and badly treated, and sometimes even killed. So finally he sends his son. Remorselessly the vineyard keepers kill the son. And what will be the result? It can only mean their destruction.
The meaning is so clear that even the leaders cannot fail to understand. God is the vineyard owner, the leaders of Judea and Jerusalem are the vineyard keepers, the prophets are the rejected servants, and Jesus is the son. There can now be no doubt that Jesus is claiming to be more than a prophet. He is claiming that His relationship with God is unique. He is the true Son.
They grind their teeth and say nothing. Their minds are so set that they will not even consider His claim. But the people are all about and passions run high at such a time. They knew that if they arrest Jesus there can only be trouble. So they go their way. But they will not forget. When the time comes they will be ready.
The Leaders Try To Discredit Jesus Before The People (Mark 12. 13-34)
First the Pharisees and Herodians try. Should they give tribute to Caesar? If He says ‘yes’ the people will turn against Him, for they hate the tribute. If He says ‘no’ they can have Him arrested by the Romans as a troublemaker and rabble-rouser.
He calls for a tribute coin. Whose face and written authority are on it? Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. If they hold Caesar’s coin they must pay his tribute. The people would agree to this. They would not carry Caesar’s coin. (The answer seems simple enough now, but what genius!)
Next come the Sadducees, who deny a resurrection. Again He answers their question, and does it so well that one of the Scribes is impressed.
The Scribe himself asks the next question. What is the most important of the commandments? This was a disputed point. Jesus replies by quoting Deuteronomy 6. 4-5 and Leviticus 19.18. The greatest commandments are to love God and neighbour. The Scribe, a thoughtful man, is even more impressed. He had expected to dispute, but found himself agreeing. His further comment gains him the commendation, ‘You are not far from being under God’s Rule’.
This is the end of the questioning. They recognise that he is too clever for them.
Jesus Again Makes Clear His Uniqueness (Mark 12. 35-37)
Jesus quotes from Psalm 110.1 ( which they all acknowledged was written by King David), the words, “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit at my right hand”, which they all recognised as referring to the coming King. If King David himself can call the coming king ‘Lord’, how can he be merely David’s son? Again Jesus is stressing His uniqueness.
Jesus Teaches The People and Commends the Generous Widow (Mark 12.38-44).
Jesus condemns those who use religion for their own benefit, whether to satisfy their pride or to line their pockets. He commends the widow who gives secretly all that she has.
Jesus Warns His Disciples of What the Future Holds (Mark 13. 1-37)
He forecasts the destruction of the Temple, the rising of false messiahs, wars, troubles and famine. He points out that they will face persecution, but that the good news will reach out to the whole world. He describes a future desecration of the Temple and final times of great tumult. And finally He describes the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. They know who the Son of Man is and they are to watch and be ready for His coming. This message is the final seal on His ministry. He knows His time has come.
The Jewish Leaders Plot How They Can Put Jesus To Death (Mark 14. 1 - 11)
Afraid of crowd reaction the Jewish leaders wonder how they can take Jesus in such a way that no one will know until too late. They decide against acting during the Feast of the Passover for this reason, but then they have a peace of luck. Almost unbelievably, one of the twelve Apostles, probably disillusioned by Jesus talk of coming death and constant harping on humble service and self-sacrifice, comes to them privately and offers to find a way for them to take Jesus secretly. They gladly offer him money once the job is successfully completed. Meanwhile a woman comes to Jesus and pours on His head what was probably her most treasured possession - a boxful of valuable spikenard. Jesus clearly finds Himself bolstered up by this act of love, and sees in it an anointing for His death.
The Last Supper - The Passover (Mark 14. 12 - 25)
Jesus, as a Galilean, celebrated the Passover a day before that customary in Judea and Jerusalem. At the Supper He reveals that one of the twelve will betray Him. He is not caught by surprise. Knowing Judas intimately He can discern the signs.
Jesus takes the Passover bread and breaks it, but instead of saying, “This is the bread of affliction”, as would be normal at the Passover, looking back to the afflictions of Israel in Egypt prior to their deliverance, He says, “Take, eat. This is my body”. He is parallelling the affliction He must face with that of the people of Israel, an affliction to be followed by deliverance. Then He takes the cup, and when they had drunk He says, “This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many.” There can be no doubting the epoch making nature of this statement. It was not the kind of change anyone would think of inventing. He is claiming that His death will bring in a totally new covenant with God to bind together a new covenant people. The past is to be superseded.
Gethsemane (Mark 14. 26 - 42)
Jesus forewarns His disciples of the nerve-wracking events to come, and, in spite of protest, of the certainty of their failure under pressure, and then reaches Gethsemane, where He goes apart to pray. It is clear that what He is about to face weighs heavily upon Him. He has told His disciples that the thought of the death He must endure makes Him burdened down with sorrow. Now He prays that, if possible, He may be excused the ‘cup’ that He must drink (see Psalm 75.8; Isaiah 51.17). But submits Himself to the will of His Father. He knows that in the end there is really no alternative.
Betrayal (Mark 14. 43 - 52)
The one problem the Jewish leaders had had was how to arrest Jesus secretly away from the people. It was this information that Judas could give them. Jesus must have conveyed to him in some way that He would be in Gethsemane, and it was his inside knowledge that enabled the arrest. Jesus makes clear His contempt for the stealthiness of the arrest. They dare not do it in the open, and by this they condemn themselves.
Trial and Condemnation (Mark 14. 53 - 72)
Mark only tells us of the main ‘trial’ before the a hurried gathering of certain members of the Sanhedrin (the main Jewish Council). The other gospels also tell us of preliminary questionings. It was not, of course, an official trial. Such a trial would have required more notice, and would not have been held at night. But it was an indication that the Chief Priests knew that they could not go before Pilate, the Roman procurator, without giving some semblance of having the approval of the official Jewish authority. They probably made sure that they invited the ones who would support their case, but even so evidence would be required, and the evidence failed. It seemed as though things had reached an impasse.
Then, in frustration and desperation, the High Priest (the other gospels tell us it was on oath) asked Him, “Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed?” Jesus, who up to this point had said nothing, replied, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven”, (a clear reference to Daniel 7.13).
The High Priest is satisfied that he now has a charge to lay before Pilate. The man claims to be a Messiah. To the Romans that would mean only one thing, a rebel and a troublemaker. But it should not have been so treated by the Jews, and the fact that they condemn Him shows how many of the more open-minded members of the Sanhedrin were not present.
Peter, meanwhile, has denied Jesus three times, as Jesus had foretold.
The Trial Before Pilate (Mark 15. 1 - 14)
In the morning they bring Him before Pilate, charging Him with pretensions to being the King of the Jews. When questioned on the matter by Pilate, He replies, “It is you who say it”. But although Pilate recognises that really He has done nothing wrong, he wants to avoid trouble. So he accepts Jesus as guilty by default and tries to get Him released on a pretext. The attempt fails. The guilty rabble-rouser is set free, the innocent man is condemned.
It will be noted that Mark has made the trials a setting to bring out the claims about Jesus. Here is one who is the Christ, the son of the Blessed, the King of the Jews. This latter is stressed constantly in the narrative.
Jesus is Crucified (Mark 15. 15 - 47)
After shameful treatment Jesus is led away to be crucified, yet even here His titles are proclaimed. On His cross is written, “The King of the Jews”, while His accusers call Him, “Christ, the King of Israel”.
From the depths of His suffering, He cried out in the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, and no doubt He drew courage from the fact that that Psalm ends in victory (“for He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither has He hid His face from him. But when he cried to Him He heard --- all the ends of the earth shall remember, and turn to the Lord” Psalm 22. 24, 27). Then with the final words of that Psalm, “It is finished” He dies.
Then the centurion over the guard cries, “Truly this man was the Son of God”. The testimony is complete.
The final irony is added that He is buried by a member of the Sanhedrin, but one who “waited for the Rule of God”.
The Resurrection (Mark 16. 1 - 8)
The following day, as soon as they are able, women followers of Jesus come to His tomb to anoint His body, only to find the stone that covered the tomb rolled away, and when they enter it they find a young man sat there ‘clothed in a long white garment’.
They can hardly believe his words. “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where He was laid. But go and tell his disciples, and Peter, that He goes to Galilee before you. There you will see Him, as He told you”.
Then they flee from the tomb, trembling and amazed, saying nothing to anyone, for they are filled with awe. We can compare this with Mark 10.32. There the disciples were amazed and filled with awe because Jesus was so set on going urgently to Jerusalem to His death. Now the women are amazed and filled with awe because of triumph over death.
Important Note.
(A few early and reliable manuscripts end the Gospel at this point, and it is clear at a glance that the final part is a later addition. It could well have been based on notes that Mark had made, or alternatively on an early statement of faith. It was certainly joined at a very early date as is shown by its being in the majority of manuscripts of different types coming from a wide area, and known to Tatian and Irenaeus (early Christians) as well as others. What would seem certain is that Mark never finished his narrative. Why, we do not know, but we can almost certainly surmise that he died unexpectedly. Alternatively the original manuscript may have been torn, but had he not died this would surely have been remedied. Putting both together we might even surmise a violent end and a manuscript rescued at the last moment. Had he finished it himself he would certainly have made the connection more integrated and fluent. It is evidence of the reverence in which the manuscript was held that no one else tried to finish it for him. Instead they added something which they considered had equal weight. Mark may have left vv. 14 - 20 in note form, which followers added on with credal connections. There is no reason to doubt that this was under God’s guidance and inspiration).
The Resurrection Appearances (Mark 16. 9 - 20)
We have a summarised form first of an appearance to Mary Magdalene, compare 15.47; 16.1. The description “out of whom He had cast seven devils” would surely have been made earlier if it had been made by Mark, and verse 9 would have been made to connect with the earlier verses. Indeed verses 9 - 14 read like a summary for reading out at gatherings. They tell us how Jesus appeared to first Mary Magdalene, and then two others, none of whom were believed when they reported the fact. Then He appeared to the eleven and upbraided them because of their unbelief. (We in fact know all this from the other Gospels.)
Then He sends them into the whole world to proclaim the Good News to everyone everywhere, promising them signs following. And once He is received up to receive authority in Heaven, they obey Him and find His promises fulfilled.
”The beginning of the good news of Jesus the Christ” (1.1) is thus now moving on to fulfilment.
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FREE Scholarly verse by verse commentaries on the Bible.
GENESIS ---EXODUS--- LEVITICUS 1.1-7.38 --- 8.1-11.47 --- 12.1-16.34--- 17.1-27.34--- NUMBERS 1-10--- 11-19--- 20-36--- DEUTERONOMY 1.1-4.44 --- 4.45-11.32 --- 12.1-29.1--- 29.2-34.12 --- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA --- THE BOOK OF JUDGES --- PSALMS 1-17--- ECCLESIASTES --- ISAIAH 1-5 --- 6-12 --- 13-23 --- 24-27 --- 28-35 --- 36-39 --- 40-48 --- 49-55--- 56-66--- EZEKIEL --- DANIEL 1-7 ---DANIEL 8-12 ---
NAHUM--- HABAKKUK---ZEPHANIAH ---ZECHARIAH --- THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW ---THE GOSPEL OF MARK--- THE GOSPEL OF LUKE --- THE GOSPEL OF JOHN --- THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- 1 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-16 --- 2 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-13 -- -GALATIANS --- EPHESIANS --- COLOSSIANS --- 1 THESSALONIANS --- 2 THESSALONIANS --- 1 TIMOTHY --- 2 TIMOTHY --- TITUS --- HEBREWS 1-6 --- 7-10 --- 11-13 --- JAMES --- JOHN'S LETTERS --- REVELATION
--- THE GOSPELS
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