Marcos 11
J.C. Ryle · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 11
Ryle: Let us take care that we each individually learn the lesson that this fig tree conveys. Let us always remember, that baptism, and church-membership, and reception of the Lord's Supper, and a diligent use of the outward forms of Christianity, are not sufficient to save our souls. They are leaves, nothing but leaves, and without fruit will add to our condemnation. Like the fig leaves of which Adam and Eve made themselves garments, they will not hide the nakedness of our souls from the eye of an all-seeing God, or give us boldness when we stand before Him at the last day. No! we must bear fruit, or be lost forever. There must be fruit in our hearts and fruit in our lives, the fruit of repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and true holiness in our conversation. Without such fruits as these a profession of Christianity will only sink us lower into hell. Being reminded (363)(anamimnesko from ana = again + mimnesko = remember so literally recall again is more forceful than mimnesko alone) carries idea of carefully thinking back and reconstructing something in one’s mind (“call over in your minds, one by one), not merely remembering. In passive voice as in this passage, it means to be reminded. Curse (2672)(kataraomai from katara = a curse from kata = down + ara = a prayer, a curse) literally is to curse down and so to call a curse down upon someone or something as in the case of the fig tree. Mark 11:22 And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. Have: Mk 9:23 2Ch 20:20 Ps 62:8 Isa 7:9 Joh 14:1 Tit 1:1 faith in God: Col 2:12 Mark 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew 21:21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. PRESENT TENSE FAITH IN GOD And Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God - In Matthew's parallel Jesus introduction with "Truly (amen) I say" indicates that what follows is important and authoritative. Have is a command in the present imperative calling for continual (lifestyle, habitual) trust in, belief in or reliance on God and in this case I would submit is only possible to obey as we are enabled by the Holy Spirit. Note that have is plural, so Jesus is not just responding to Peter, but to the Twelve. Paul Apple - You would have thought that Jesus would have spoken more directly to the issue of Hypocrisy – and He actually does by addressing the need for genuine faith instead of a self-righteousness that is oriented towards external works – but he makes the application to the exercise of that faith in believing prayer – talking about the means by which Jesus performed the miracle … not the significance of the cursing itself Matthew 21:21 records that the Twelve were amazed (thaumazo) which expresses the idea of one's response when confronted by divine revelation in some form, in this case Jesus' words withering the tree in 24 hours. Of course, ultimately what are the amazed at? They are clearly amazed at the authority and power of Jesus which was clearly evident by the dead fig tree. It is notable that they do not asked Jesus to explain what He had cursed the fig tree. Jesus does not explain it but instead calls them to change their focus from the dead fig tree to living God going on to emphasize the importance that they have faith in God and in this context specifically in the power of God which they have seen displayed. Note the important point that faith is not faith in "faith" or faith in something nebulous, but is in the living God as the object of their faith. Faith is only as good as the object in which it trusts, in this case the ever trustworthy, always faithful God. Of course He wants them to have faith in Him, but His focus here is upon faith in God. Wuest ties this together nicely explaining that "This is just another instance in the life of our Lord that brings to view His humanity and His dependence upon God the Holy Spirit, for the words He uttered, the prayers which He prayed, the miracles He performed, and the life which He lived, was as the Man Christ Jesus, doing all this in the energy of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord exercised faith in the cursing of the fig tree. He presses home the lesson of the necessity of faith to the disciples. The word “God” is in the genitive case, showing here the object of faith." (Borrow Mark in the Greek New Testament for the English reader ) Peter came to fully comprehend this truth of Jesus' dependence on the Spirit declaring "you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good (HOW? BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!) and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:37-38+) 🙏 THOUGHT - This truth cannot be overemphasized, the truth about Jesus giving the disciples (and us) an example to imitate by walking and working depending on the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter and the disciples would not understand fully until the Spirit came at Pentecost and indwelt them and subsequently supernaturally empowered them to "turn the world upside down!" Beloved, we have access to that same Power and in fact to live this Christian life to the glory of God we must daily learn to depend on the Spirit's power. Christianity is not natural but supernatural. Sadly, too many saints because of ignorance of their need for the Spirit and God's abundant promise of power from the Spirit, fail to partake of His enablement. Instead they attempt to live the supernatural life in their own (natural) strength which will always lead be futile and lead to frustration. Remember, Peter denied Christ 3x relying on h is natural strength but boldly proclaimed Christ in the very city He was crucified only 40 days earlier! We have that same Power Source beloved. Read The Holy Spirit-Walking Like Jesus Walked! and see the chart comparing Filled with His Spirit/Richly Indwelt with His Word which emphsizes the importance of being "filled" with the Word for those who desire to be filled with the Spirit. Hiebert - The fact that He had cursed the fruitless tree did not raise a moral problem for the disciples. (IN CONTRAST TO SOME OF THE COMMENTARIES!) Concerning the significance of the action, they did not inquire, and He left the point unexplained, allowing later events to make it clear to them. His reply was a gentle rebuke of their lack of faith in the power of His word. The withered fig tree gave them a vivid demonstration of its power. Let them maintain that faith amid what lay ahead. Danny Akin on Have faith in God - The great missionary Hudson Taylor said, ―God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him.‖ He is faithful 14 when the religious establishment and its institutions fail. Trust the One who judges with severity and extends amazing grace to those who do not deserve it but seek it in faith. Swete “The answer is remarkable; the Lord does not explain the lesson to be learned from the fate of the tree, but deals with a matter of more immediate importance to the Twelve, the lesson to be learnt from the prompt fulfillment of His prayer (ED: THE ROOT IDEA OF "CURSE" IS kata = down + ara = a prayer).”
Marcos 11
Ryle: We have no right to look for mercy, if we are not ready to extend mercy to our brethren. We cannot really feel the sinfulness of the sins we ask to have pardoned if we cherish malice towards our fellow men. We must have the heart of a brother toward our neighbor on earth, if we wish God to be our Father in heaven. We must not flatter ourselves that we have the Spirit of adoption if we cannot bear and forbear. so that - Term of purpose. The purpose of personally forgiving others before going to the Father. your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions - If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. This is speaking not of our daily communion which is disrupted by holding on to unforgiveness. This does not speak of the full forgiveness the believer receives in redemption by the blood of Christ. Trespasses (3900)(paraptoma from para = aside + pipto = fall) is literally a falling aside or beside to stumble on something (so as to loose footing) and in its figurative ethical usage (all uses in the NT) it describes a "false step", a violation of moral standards or a deviation from living according to what has been revealed as the right way to live. Paraptoma is a false step out of the appointed way, a trespass on forbidden ground, a stepping out of line of true conduct, a deviation from truth and uprightness. Paraptoma describes what a person has done in transgressing the will and law of God by some false step or failure. Paraptoma is akin to parapipto, to fall beside a person or thing, to fall away, to deviate from the right path, or to turn aside (see note Hebrews 6:6). The basic idea of paraptoma is that of stumbling or falling so as to lose one's footing I found a little remedy To ease the life we live And make each day a happier one: It is the word "forgive." —Anonymous One illustration - WHEN FORGIVENESS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE - Corrie ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place, was taken captive and spent time in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. While in prison, Corrie saw incredible abuse, so inhumane that it drove the prisoners to incredible depths, including intentionally allowing lice to breed on their bodies because the more lice they had, the less likely it would be that the guards would molest them! And Corrie even witnessed the death of her own dear sister. After the war, God sent Corrie ten Boom on a mission of mercy through the war-torn cities to encourage residents to choose forgiveness over bitterness. She would motivate her audiences by sharing some of the atrocities she had experienced, implying that if she could forgive such horrors, so could her listeners. One night speaking, she immediately recognized the man who came walking down the aisle as a particularly cruel guards in one of the concentration camps. The man did not recognize her however. As he approached Corrie he said... Fraulein, you don't know me, but I was a guard in one of those camps. After the war, God saved me. I wish I could go back and undo those years. I can't, but I've just been prompted by God to come tonight and ask you, would you please forgive me? Then he extended his hand to her. Can you imagine the horrible thoughts and memories that raced through Corrie's mind as she recognized his face and then even worse, heard his incredible plea for forgiveness? How could she? Corrie said her arms froze at her side and she was literally unable to move. The flashbacks in her mind replaying the atrocities, the death of her sister, the abuse. And then God's Spirit said to her, Corrie, what have you been telling everyone else to do? As an act of your will, will you choose to forgive? Corrie went on to explain what happened next... I reached out my hand, and I put it in his, and I said, 'You're forgiven. She later reported that at that moment... It was like a dam broke loose—all the bitterness and resentment—and God set me free. The Spirit of Forgiveness "Forgive, if ye have ought against any" Mark 11:25 Note the language. If there labours in our heart the refusal to forgive then we are out of tune with an infinite God and out of harmony with the forgiving Jesus. The spirit of forgiveness should flood and fill our souls. Of course the divine principle of forgiveness must be observed. While the spirit of forgiveness should pervade our beings, forgiveness cannot be imparted until repentance is manifested. Immediately the offender begs forgiveness it should be instantly forthcoming. We are not to question the motives, we are to grant the request until seventy times seven. No forgiveness, however, can be imparted if repentance is not manifested, that is the divine order which cannot be breached. Parting thought: "If the offender say I repent, the offended must say, I remit"—Geo. Swinnock. Garth Brooks has a song which speaks of the unforgiving heart… We bury the hatchet But leave the handle stickin' out We're always diggin' up things We should forget about When it comes to forgettin' Baby, there ain't no doubt We bury the hatchet But leave the handle sticking out -Garth Brooks, "We Bury The Hatchet" on the Album: Ropin The Wind Related Resources: Forgive/Forgiveness Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Ephesians 4:32 Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Colossians 3:13 Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Matthew 6:12 and Matthew 6:14-15. Illustrations and quotes on forgiveness NT words for forgive/forgiveness: Forgiveness (859) aphesis Forgive (send away from, cancel the debt, release, let go) (863) aphiemi Forgive (grant, freely give, bestow) (5483) charizomai Excellent 5 Part Sermon Series on Forgiveness by Dr Ray Pritchard: following messages are also in his book - The Healing Power of Forgiveness (see reviews by readers) 1) Forgiveness Healing the Hurt We Never Deserved 2) Forgiveness and the Lord's Prayer 3) Judge Not! 4) Is Total Forgiveness Realistic 5) The Final Step-Blessing Your Enemies Other Resources on Forgiveness Father, Forgive Them by Dr. Ray Pritchard Forgiving the Unforgivable by Dr. Ray Pritchard How Can I Learn to Forgive? by Dr. Ray Pritchard Unless You Forgive by Dr. Ray Pritchard Forgiving the Unforgivable article by Dr. Ray Pritchard Forgiveness of Injuries (Mt 18:21-22) by John Angell James Forgiveness of Sins by Henry Law - 17 Chapter Treatise! G Campbell
Marcos 11
Ryle - The spirit which prompted this demand is too evident to be mistaken. These men hated and envied Christ. They saw His influence increasing. They saw their own power waning. They resolved, if possible, to stop the progress of this new teacher; and the point on which they made their assault was His authority. His mighty works they ought to have examined. His teaching they ought, in all fairness, to have compared with their own Scriptures. But they refused to take either one course or the other. They preferred to call in question His commission. Every true-hearted Christian who tries to do good in the world, must make up his mind to be treated like his Master. He must never be surprised to find, that the self-righteous and the worldly-minded dislike His ways. The lawfulness of his proceedings will be constantly called in question. He will be regarded as meddlesome, disorderly, and self-conceited, a pestilent fellow, and a troubler of Israel. (Acts 24:5; 1 Kings 18:17.) Scripture-readers, district-visitors, lay-agents, and un-ordained missionaries, are specially liable to meet with such treatment. And worst of all they will often meet with enemies, where they ought to find friends. Let all who are attacked by the world for trying to do good, take comfort in the thought that they are only drinking of the cup which Christ drank. Their Master in heaven sympathizes with them. Let them work on patiently, and believe that, if they are faithful, their work will speak for itself. The world’s opposition is sure to attend every really good work. If the servants of Christ are to cease from every movement which the world calls in question, they will soon come to an entire standstill. If we are to wait till the world approves our plans, and is satisfied with the propriety of our efforts, we shall never do anything on earth. (Mark 11:27–33. Spiritual blindness of the chief priests and scribes,—mental dishonesty of prejudiced unbelievers) Mark 11:29 And Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. I will: Isa 52:13 Mt 21:24 Lu 20:3-8 Mark 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Matthew 21:24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Luke 20:3+ Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: JESUS' QUESTIONS RELIGIOUS LEADERS' AUTHORITY! And Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question (literally "a word"), and you answer (command) Me, and then I will tell you by what authority (exousia) I do these things - Jesus in typical rabbinical fashion responds to their question with a question. Notice the time phrase "then." Only after they answer Him, will He then tell them from whence His authority comes. What are these things? In context this would especially refer to His cleansing the Temple, which resulted in a significant financial loss to the religious leaders. (Mk 11:15-17)