Today's Daily Bread Mark 11

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

Mark 11:1-33
The Triumphal Entry
1As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2"Go into that village over there," he told them, "and as soon as you enter it, you will see a colt tied there that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, 'The Lord needs it and will return it soon.'"
4The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside a house. 5As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. 7Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.
8Many in the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus, and others cut leafy branches in the fields and spread them along the way. 9He was in the center of the procession, and the crowds all around him were shouting,
"Praise God! F55 Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Bless the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!" F56
11So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked around carefully at everything, and then he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he went out to Bethany with the twelve disciples.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus felt hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree a little way off that was in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, "May no one ever eat your fruit again!" And the disciples heard him say it.
Jesus Clears the Temple
15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, 16and he stopped everyone from bringing in merchandise. 17He taught them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." F57
18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus' teaching. 19That evening Jesus and the disciples F58 left the city.
20The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, "Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"
22Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. 23I assure you that you can say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and your command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. 24Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. F59 "
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
27By this time they had arrived in Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders came up to him. They demanded, 28"By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? F60 Who gave you such authority?"
29"I'll tell who gave me authority to do these things if you answer one question," Jesus replied. 30"Did John's baptism come from heaven or was it merely human? Answer me!"
31They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe him. 32But do we dare say it was merely human?" For they were afraid that the people would start a riot, since everyone thought that John was a prophet. 33So they finally replied, "We don't know." And Jesus responded, "Then I won't answer your question either."
FOOTNOTES:F55: Greek Hosanna, an exclamation of praise that literally means "save now"; also in 11:10. F56: Pss 118:25-26; 148:1. F57: Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11. F58: Greek they; some manuscripts read he. F59: Some manuscripts add verse 26, But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins. F60: Or By whose authority do you do these things?

Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’~ Today
As I was reading this I was thinking about donkeys and the stubborn nature they have been known to have. Jesus told them to go get one of the stubborn nature and untie it, and loose it, loose that nature. Then use it to carry the presence of God. When they went to do it the donkey himself did not protest, but the people around questioned it. The response of the disciples to them was to be, God told us to, we do it under His lead, His prompting, His authority, not just because we don’t want it to have a stubborn will any longer, but because of the call for use from the Master, the one who authorizes us to bring change of use to this “animal”. Then the disciples threw their own garments over the stubborn natured beast, and covered it as it set out to fulfill its new redemptive purpose. After the disciples did this, many followed his lead and took off their own natural coverings to submit to the presence of God among them that day.
The fig tree story has been very much misunderstood by what has been written here in our English language. The time of figs had come, but the gatherers had not come around to gather up the fruits of the harvest yet. They were probably about to within that week, but had not yet. I read in a historical cultural commentary that this tree was on public property and its fruits were available for the taking, I’d assume that may mean that it may not even be first priority pickings for the gatherers. Anyway, the fruit comes and then the leaves, this tree was in full leaf and should have had fruit.
Jesus was hungry, for the will of His Father to be accomplished. The representation of the fig tree is that of the kingdom of God coming to earth! He expected by now, a few fruits of his earthly labor to become evidenced. He was about to die, had walked here in expressed God power for years. God sent Him to sow and reap the kingdom of God on earth. He expected His work to bring forth fruits, wouldn’t you expect your orange tree to have fruit right before the time of gathering? You would unless something was wrong.
This does speak about peoples of the earth, who were all sent here by God, as Jesus was, to bring heaven and earth together. What happens if that does not happen? If we are not hungry for God’s will?
I thought it interesting where He goes next. It seems to me that He’s on a “roll” in addressing the seriousness and urgency of the times. That He’s about to leave and there needs to be an overturning of what was, for what is to be.
What is to be, is people, loving God enough to love others. Not polish temples and enforce more and more tasks on people, in the name of God. It was/is not about the work- as in working to work and say we’re doing something.
What “work” are we doing? Loving God and loving people.
Let’s do the work of His ministry I whatever we do, but not sacrifice the people for the work. That is exactly what the religious system does, did and will do. It is actually working against God. I’m not saying don’t have and obey rules.
What spirit are you of? If we love, we’ll obey, but we have to do that because of love and love offers it’s response to a freewill being.
God’s house is us, and it was meant for communication with God, not works in place of communication with God. It may be easier to do a work and check it off the list, than to relate to God or people, right? Obviously, or else the religious spirits that had come to divide God’s plan for relationship, would not get so stirred up over its thought and command. When we relate to God as Our Father and our Lord, He is the Lord of the works and our unity with His plan makes what the works could accomplish seem like nothingness. In the relationship the work will actually be accomplished.
Prayer is what will change everything, nations, not just localities, but the world. Prayer will give us a world view, rather than just a me and you view, or a me and my church or synagogue view.
There is a “cut off” point, we always think because of God’s mercy we’ll never be “cut off”, but as we see here in the evidence of the fig tree, there will be a cutting off of old order. Really it seems from where Jesus went He was saying that the old religious ways man had set things up, (as ways to get to God) are no longer effective. The kingdom has come to earth. That was the cut off and distinction of that day. He told the disciples that day that they also could make distinctions and cut some unfaith-filled things out of their own lives, if they believe, and enter into the kind of fellowship with God that forgives others. Come outside of religion and believe.



Proverbs 27:17-19
17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another. 18 If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit; if you honor your boss, you'll be honored.
19 Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart.
Psalm 122:1
1 When they said, "Let's go to the house of God," my heart leaped for joy.