Month: April 2022

11 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples ² and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” ⁴ They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, ⁵ some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. ⁷ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, 
“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 
¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 

¹¹ Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

¹² On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 

Jesus cleanses the Temple

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; ¹⁶ and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. ¹⁷ He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a den of robbers.” 

¹⁸ And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. ¹⁹ And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 

²⁰ In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. ²¹ Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” ²² Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³ Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. ²⁴ So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 

²⁵ “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” NRSV

Get into the Word

1. Where is Jesus heading? What does he tell his disciples to do? How does he tell them to deal with any questions? Why do you think Jesus did this, [check Notes]? How do you think the disciples felt about this? What happens as they carry out this errand? 

2. What does Jesus do next?How does the crowd respond to Jesus’ actions? What were they saying? Why do you think they reacted the way they did? How does Jesus respond to this situation?

3. What happens as Jesus leaves Bethany. How does Jesus react to the situation? How do you think the disciples felt?

4. Where does Jesus go next? What does he do there? How does he explain his actions? How did the Jewish leaders react to all this? What did they begin doing? How do you feel the disciples responded to the situation? 

5. What has happened to the fig tree? Who remarks about it? How does Jesus respond to the situation? What does he tell the disciples? How do you think they felt about his comments? In what other situations does Jesus talk about faith? [See Notes]

Get Personal

How “strong” has your faith been recently – moving a mountain, moving a good-sized hill or perhaps a small pile of dirt? How is God helping you deal with “not doubting, but believing” [11:23]? How is this affecting your prayer life?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

11:1-11. Jesus’ triumphal entry — Matthew includes the donkey as well as its colt. He also includes Zechariah’s prophecy: Tell the people of Israel, “Look, your King is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey,” [9:9]. [Matt 21:1-11].
Luke version is very close to Mark’s. Luke reports the Pharisees telling Jesus to order the crowd to stop, but he responds, “If these were silent, the stones would shout out,” [Luke 19:29-40]. Luke also says that Jesus wept over the city.
11:12-14 and 20-25. Cursing the fig tree — Matthew’s version of this incident comes after Jesus cleanses the Temple. The fig tree withers immediately and the disciples ask Jesus how this happens. Jesus tells them to have faith and not doubt: Even if you say to this mountain, “Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive, [Matt 21:18-22]. 
Luke does not include this particular incident, but records a similar parable about a man with a fig tree in his vineyard. After three years of no fruit, so the man told his gardener to cut it down. The gardener told the man to give the fig tree one more year before cutting it down,[Luke 13:6-9].
Luke includes Jesus’ comment about faith

in a different situation: The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you,” [Luke 17:5-6].
11:15-19. Cleansing the Temple — Matthew actually puts this incident right after Jesus’ triumphal entry, using almost the same words as Mark, [Matt 21:12-13]. 
Luke also puts this incident on the same day as the triumphal entry. His version is similar to Mark and Matthew, [Luke 19:45-48].
John also includes this incident in his Gospel, but very early in Jesus’ ministry: The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me,” [John 2:13-17].
11:25. Some manuscripts include verse 26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.

10 ³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” ³⁹ They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 

⁴¹ When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. ⁴² So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ⁴³ But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” 

The healing of blind Bartimaeus

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁹ Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.”
⁵² Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. NRSV

Get into the Word

1. In this section, who approaches Jesus? What do they ask of him? How does Jesus respond to their request? What does he ask them? What do they say? How does Jesus answer them?

2. How do the other disciples react to all this? How does Jesus deal with this situation? What does he say about service? About being first? How might you have reacted if you had been present? 

3. Where does Jesus go next? What happens on the road? What does the man ask of Jesus? Why do you suppose he made this request? How does the crowd react to this situation? How well does this work?

4. How does Jesus respond to the man? What does the man ask Jesus to do? How does Jesus answer the man? How does he respond to Jesus’ action?

Get Personal

How do you feel when other people praise you for helping or serving them? How does this affect your relationship with them? How does God help you understand serving him? Serving other people?

(Cross-references to Matthew and Luke are given in brackets)

10:35-45. James’ and John’s request — Matthew reports that James’ and John’s mother asks for the positions of honor. He also omits Jesus’ reference to his “baptism of suffering.” The rest of the incident is almost identical to Mark, [Matt 20:20-28].
Luke does not include this incident. 
10:37. Your glory — James and John are still thinking Jesus is about to establish an earthly kingdom and they want high places in it. The other disciples are just as greedy [v. 41].
10:38. Cup . . . baptism — Jesus is actually using two Old Testament symbols of judgement and suffering.
10:43. Great . . . servant —Luke puts a similar speech after the disciples’ argument about who is the greatest at the Last Supper, but he adds: You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel [Luke 22:27-30]. 
John includes similar comments after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet: since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. You know these things — now do them! That is the path of blessing,
[John 13:13-17].
10:46-52. The healing of blind Bartimaeus — Matthew tells of two blind men (without naming them) shouting at Jesus. Jesus feels sorry for them and touches their eyes to heal them and they follow him, [Matt 20:29-34]. 
Luke’s version is closer to Mark’s with a single blind beggar, but Luke does not name him either, [Luke 18:35-43]. 

Luke follows this healing with the story of Jesus and Zaccheus, the tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus and ended up hosting him for dinner that night. He also repented and gave his money to the poor and to those he had defrauded, [Luke 19:1-10]. 
Luke also includes the parable of ten pounds (talents) at this point: A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’ Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ (And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’) ‘I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away, [Luke 22:22-26].