Bible Study series: Mark 11:20-25. Jesus gives us permission to speak to obstacles (and diseases and evil spirits). But everything must surrender to the will God, even our words. And speaking to obstacles right in front of us is not the same as decreeing, which only God does. Don’t confuse the categories and roles.
Friendly greetings and a warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together how to apply these truths to our lives.
I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click here:
If you would like to see the original Greek, please click here:
At that link, I also offer more commentary and a Summary and Conclusion, geared towards discipleship. Scroll down to the bottom and check it out!
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Mark 11:20-25
20 And then as they were passing by early in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed is dried up.” 22 Then in reply, Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth: whoever says to this mountain, ‘Get up and be thrown into the sea!’ and does not doubt in his heart but instead believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. 24 Therefore, I say to you: everything for which you pray and ask, believe that you received it and it shall be done for you. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against someone, so that your heavenly Father would forgive you your transgressions.” (Mark 11:20-25)
Comments:
There is great parallel in Luke 17:5-6. I think they are different pericopes (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-peas) or sections of Scriptures, which Jesus spoke at different times and different contexts, but their meaning overlaps.
The fig tree withering is a “judgment miracle,” which has precedence in the OT: the judgment on Egypt in Exodus (Exod. 7-14) and in the Elijah-Elisha narratives (2 Kings 1:4, 10-14; 2:23-24; 5:27; cf. 1 Kings 13:1-5; 15:5; 2 Chr. 26:16-21. It also happens in the NT: Peter against Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), and Paul against the sorcerer Elymas Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6-12). All of those episodes were against people; here it is against a fig tree. See my comments on vv. 12-14 about chronological snobbery in our modern society and how people lived back then in an agricultural society (and still do).
See also Luke’s parable of the barren fig tree for more insights (13:6-9).
20-21:
Mark says it was not the season for figs (v. 13). He arranges the fig tree episode in two parts: the actual cursing; the cleansing of the temple coming in between; and finishes the fig tree episode afterwards (vv. 20-25). Clearly there is a symbolic message going on here. (See my comments at vv. 15-19.) Most scholars interpret the fig tree, therefore, as a type of Israel, rejected for not bearing fruit (cf. Is. 5:1-7, where Israel is compared to a vineyard; and Jer. 24:1-8, where figs are unripe or rotten). More specifically, here are some passages that Jesus, inspired by the Spirit and guided by the Father, was reenacting (all from the ESV):
… as leaves fall from the vine,
like leaves falling from the fig tree. (Is. 34:4)
Next:
When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
there are no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them.” (Jer. 8:13)
A short line:
And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, (Hos. 2:12)
Finally:
It has laid waste my vine
and splintered my fig tree;
it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down;
their branches are made white. (Joel 1:7)
All those passages, above, speak of God’s judgment. The fruitless vines and fig trees are withered at his judgment. Clearly Jesus is using the same imagery here.
However, many Jews converted after Pentecost (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 6:7; 21:20), so the above analysis is not about them, but about the ones who rejected their Messiah. So the cursing of the tree is an action parable designed to say the temple is coming to an end, which happened in A.D. 70, when the Romans sacked the city and destroyed the temple. Ever notice how there are no more animal sacrifices going on there now? Judaism was devastated and forever changed.
Mark 13:5-31 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Mark 13:32-37 Teaches Second Coming
Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 and 17 in Parallel Columns Are Finally Clear
The temple which had green leaves—the outer appearance of promise—was not bearing fruit. With such full leafage, the tree should have had at least some figs on it, even if unripe. Its green leaves were false advertising. To speak unusually for a moment: the tree was “confused” and had “issues.” It was boastful. Something was wrong with the tree, just as something was wrong with the temple. Mark places the temple cleansing before the fig tree pericope; therefore, the symbolism adds up to the same message. The temple was fruitless, and it was about to be destroyed, as Mark 13 will argue.
Strauss on vv. 13c-14: “Yet Jesus’ actions are neither petty nor vindictive if he is intentionally acting out a parable symbolizing the unfruitfulness of Israel and the nation’s coming judgment. This is not a fit of temper against an innocent tree, but as an object lesson for the benefit of the disciples.” Symbolic actions are found among the prophets (1 Kings 11:29-31; Is. 8:1-4; 20:1-6; Ezek. 4:1-15; Hos. 1:2) Jeremiah communicated to his audience with enacted parables (Jer. 13:1-11; 19:1-13; 27:1-22) (p. 492).
Now let’s move on to a subsection of the pericope, which flows out of the answer to prayer. Jesus lifts the object lesson to a general teaching about prayer and faith in God.
22:
“have faith in God”: first, the clause tells us that our faith has a direction: God. The direction is not our own faith or in the power of our own words.
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
23:
This verse is very rich with truth, so it is right that Jesus would begin it with this clause, next.
“I tell you the truth”: Jesus’s faith in his own words is remarkable and points to his unique calling. In the OT and later Jewish writings is indicates a solemn pronouncement. It means we must pay attention to it, for it is authoritative. He is about to declare an important and solemn message or statement. The clause appears only on the lips of Jesus. That is, in Paul’s epistles, for example, he never says, “I truly say to you.” That phrasing had too much authority, which only Jesus had. The clause only appears on the lips of Jesus in the NT. The word appears in a Jewish culture and means “let it be so.” So Jesus speaks it out with special, divine emphasis. “Let this happen!” “Let what I’m about to say happen!” We better take it seriously and not just walk by it or read over it with a casual air.
Next, Jesus says to speak out the order or command. Here the verb “speak” is the standard one.
The verbs “arise” and “be thrown” are in the passive commands. Often passives in a context like this are called the “divine passive.” That is, God is the one who acts behind the scenes. Just because God is not mentioned does not mean he is not behind those two verbs. We pray and God works it out and removes the mountain and throws it into the sea.
Commanding the mountain is a visual image of a spiritual truth—it’s a metaphor. Jesus is speaking metaphorically and hyperbolically. Hyperbole (pronounced hy-PER-boh-lee) means a deliberate and “extravagant exaggeration” (Webster’s Dictionary) to make a strong point and startle the listener. Modern example: “The ice cream seller is really generous! He piled the ice cream on my cone a mile-high!” No, a “mile high” (1.6 km) is not to be taken literally. Followers of Jesus must learn to read the Bible on its own terms, without their wearing monochrome glasses, in which every word appears the same literal color in different contexts. Yes, most of it can be taken literally, like the histories or the commands of the Torah and Epistles. But in significant sections of Scripture, the Bible is not a “flat,” one-dimensional book, on one simplistic level. It is multi-layered. And this clause about the mountain is a case in point. This verse is not to be interpreted literally and simplistically.
Objection: you’re saying the fig tree did not wither; it was merely symbolic. No, I’m not saying that. It was a real tree which did wither, but it was an action parable. Jesus had a higher purpose than seeing tree dry up from the roots, just for fun. What I do mean, however, is this. Don’t stand in front of a literal mountain and command it to “be gotten up” and “be thrown” into the sea. You can surely, however, command an obstacle in your personal walk with God—like a disease—to be removed and be thrown into the sea (so to speak). Remember that those verbs are in the divine passive. God is their subject. God causes “the mountain” (so to speak) to “be arisen” and “be thrown.”
Renewalists love verses like v. 23 because they love to confess out loud and speak out and pray out loud. This is solid teaching. Personally, my prayer life is done with an open voice, when I take my prayer walks.
“do not doubt in your heart”: But it boils down to the same thing: don’t waver or doubt God’s ability to remove the mountain in your life.
“Believes that what he says will happen”: All these verbs are in the present tense, so the latter verb could be translated as “is happening” or “is coming about.” In that translation, it is a process. However, Decker argues for the future meaning. NET translates it as future, and so do most translations. You can decide, whether it is “will happen” or “is happening.” I’ll go with the majority.
“shall be done for him”: this clause literally reads: “shall be for him.” It is almost as if the answer exists for him, but remember, once again, that God answers the prayer; your words do not create something out of nothing. And vv. 24-25 proves that this is about praying, not decreeing, because Jesus himself pinpoints it with the actual word praying and the word therefore. Remember the divine passive; “be gotten up” (or “be arisen”) and “be thrown” are God’s actions. Don’t arrogate all authority to you and your words. Be in relationship with God. Don’t think that your faith is in itself, and don’t exclude the Father. Have faith in a living person, not faith in faith.
24:
“Everything for which you pray and ask”: this is definitely an open-ended prayer. Another translation: “Everything for which you ask in prayer” (hendiadys or two words combined more closely into one as if they were one action).
Please see my post on prayer:
What Is Biblical Intercession?
As I have written in other similar verses in this commentary, let’s never forget that faith rests on the will of God. We Renewalists must be very careful about commanding God or things in nature to happen because we want them to. Even Jesus said he does what he sees the Father doing: Jesus “can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son does also” (John 5:19). Word-of-Faith teachers say they read the Word and understand what the will of God is, so they can command things. Part of that is true because of what Jesus just said in v. 24, but partly certain excessive Word-of-Faith teachers often misinterpret Scriptures which seem to indicate they can boss God around, like humans calling things into existence. (They base this on Rom. 4:17, but the verse clearly says God is the one who calls things into existence.)
Is ‘Decreeing’ Biblical for Christians?
Faith-filled and Spirit-filled Christians must get a personal word from God. They must abide in Christ and his words abide in him so that they can hear from God about each individual and unique case. “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7). They must pray according to God’s will (1 John 5:14). They must not launch out on their own and believe that God shall and must heal everyone, and if he didn’t, then they themselves or the sick person must not have had enough faith or spoken the right confession out loud. Somehow it’s their fault. No.
In my own life, I have heard from God that a sickness in a relative was “not a sickness unto death.” She has been cancer free for a long time (over a decade and a half, if I recall). I also received a personal word that another relative was going to be taken home, so I should not pray for his healing (he died a few days later). No amount of commanding and pleading and rebuking would have altered the outcome. And to be honest, I have seemingly heard from God about yet a third relative and believed God would heal him, but he died. I was going through a time of deception in my life, but even in this case I relented and realized in his last hours that he would not be healed. I had been deceived, but I didn’t give up on healing because of this disappointment (even after another relative lectured me about how wrong I was). Healing is in the word. I never give up on the clear teaching of Scripture. People need to follow what Jesus said in this passage and actively do faith, not pull back or go inside their shells like a turtle and give up. Disappointments happen down here on earth. It’s the human condition.
Yes, healing is in the atonement, but not everyone will be healed in their current bodies when God says that the ultimate healing is for them to be taken from their broken-down earth-suits and brought into his presence, where there is no more disease or brokenness—the ultimate healing, also won for us in the atonement.
Why Doesn’t Divine Healing Happen One Hundred Percent of the Time?
Pray for healing fearlessly and with active faith!
More directly relevant to these verses is this post about decreeing:
We have to be careful about believing that our words create or cause things to come into existence. Yes, speak to already-existing obstacles, but to create something out of nothing is God’s jurisdiction, not yours.
Once again: Is ‘Decreeing’ Biblical for Christians?
“Believe that you will receive”: Okay, the verb “receive” is in the aorist (past) tense, so the clause could easily be translated as “believe that you received.” (“believe” is in the imperative present, so your believing should keep going on, and it is commanded). Now back to the aorist. Decker says that the meaning of the clause implies a future situation. Then he quotes a Greek grammar book: “An aorist after a future condition is, to a certain extent, futuristic.”
However, commentator France writes about v. 24 that the aorist tense should be in the past:
The aorist tense of [received] … takes still further the demand made on faith in the [“happens”] of v. 23: you must believe not only that it is happening, but that you have received it already (cf. Is. 65:24; Mt. 6:8).
This saying, together with the concept of God doing the humanly impossible in answer to prayer in v. 23, sharply raises the problem of unanswered prayer which we have noted already at 9:24. The simplistic reading of this passage which attributes all ‘unanswered’ prayer to inadequate faith on the part of the one praying can be pastorally disastrous, and must be set against the fact that the will of God is not necessarily to be equated with the desire of the person praying.
If France is right, then faith is very active. You believe that you have received it (even though you have not?). This past-tense translation will make the Word of Faith people jump for joy, because they always say that you must believe that you have already received your answer, and now you have to wait for it to manifest or appear before your eyes or your body is actually healed. While you are waiting for your answer that you have already received by faith, you have to keep believing. I concede that there is a deep truth in this clause, if it is translated as the past tense. However, I just want to repeat that we have faith in God, not in faith. We pray according to God’s will, not our own will or our own interpretation of Scripture. So if we put faith in our faith, we cut God off and place too much weight on ourselves and our words. Instead, let’s realize that we have a relationship with a loving Father, not with our own words or our own thoughts or even with the Bible—or our interpretation of it. If you abide in Jesus, he will lead you to pray the right prayer.
Boiled down: the verse is about praying and asking, not about decreeing.
“it shall be done for you”: it literally reads, “It shall be for you.” Either translation is acceptable. You can decide. Remember: you are in a relationship with the Father. He does the answering.
25:
“And when you stand praying”: it could be translated as “When you stand to pray.” If the latter translation is right, a synagogue service or a temple context is envisioned. Either way, the context of vv. 23-25 is prayer, not decreeing. Once again, see my post:
One more time: Is ‘Decreeing’ Biblical for Christians?
“when”: it does not say “if” you pray. And it does not say “pray whenever you feel like it.”
The rest of the verse is about forgiving. Uh-oh. Jesus is stating clearly that unforgiveness can hinder prayer. So let’s discuss the Greek verb for forgiving.
“forgive”: God lets go, dismisses, releases, sends away, cancels, pardons, and forgives our sins. Likewise, we should forgive those who sin against us because God forgives us every day. Please read these verses carefully and devotionally:
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Ps. 103:10-12, ESV)
From Micah:
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea. (Mic. 7-18-19, ESV)
In this verse 25, however, Jesus is talking about one person forgiving another. Yet the principle of letting the offense go still applies here, whether from person to person or God down to the repentant human. You’re the one who has anything or something against someone else, you must forgive.
Let me quote Matt. 6:12, 14-15 from the Lord’s prayer.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we have forgiven our debtors.
14 For if you forgive people their trespasses, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. 15 But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt. 6:12, 14-15)
I wrote in my comments back in Matt. 6:14-15:
These verses are strong and clear. There is no other way to read them than in their plain sense. You simply have to forgive others, or else your Father won’t forgive you. Are you ready to forgive? If not, consider all the sins of which your Father in heaven has forgiven you. Many and deep sins. Your walk with God will suffer greatly if you do not forgive. Your walk with him will thrive the moment you do forgive. Pray that you can be made willing to forgive, and then do it. Sometimes an evil spirit can attack your mind and deepen the unforgiveness and bitterness you already have. You can rebuke Satan off of your mind, as part of the process.
Now let me get a little theological. Will God forgive you if you hold bitterness even at your death? How far do we take these two stark verses? The context here is not about the afterlife and final judgment, but about life in the kingdom here and now, so I am reluctant to apply them outside of their down-to-earth context. I’m not clear what God would say to you at judgment if you had not forgiven your aunt (for example) for what she did to you. I somehow doubt he would throw you in hell for it, when you had still walked with God and confessed Jesus as Lord throughout all the other areas of life. My hunch is that he would not reward you but give you “special instruction” for your refusal to forgive. However, please don’t test the Lord about this. (I may be wrong.) Jesus is speaking extra-strong words here to throw water in your face and warn and wake you up. Forgive right now!
One big motive to forgive others is that God will forgive you your transgressions or missteps.
Verse 26?
Nearly all scholars say it was inserted later to correspond to Matt. 6:15. Mark 11:26 could not be left out (say later scribes)! But here it is: “But if you do not forgive, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses.”
GrowApp for Mark 11:20-25
1. Read Rom. 10:17. How do you build your faith?
2.. Read Eph. 4:32. Forgiveness is so important that the Father demands it from you, or else you’ll put yourself in the prison of unforgiveness. How do you escape it?
RELATED
10. Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel
2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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