Mark 11

Mark 11 begins with Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As it was prophecied in Zechariah 9:9, Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a colt. It was a sign to Israel that their king had come. That is why the people are praising Him saying Hosanna - which means "Save now" or "Save, we pray" - and saying blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. The people knew this was a fulfilment of Zechariah's prophecy.

Then Jesus went to Bethany and saw the fruitless fig tree on the way and cursed it. The fig tree represented the fruitless religious leadership of Israel, and He was pronouncing the downfall of Jerusalem by cursing it.

When Jesus returned to Jerusalem the next day He cleansed the temple. The temple was meant to be a place where the people of God could commune with God, but the religious leaders turned it into a market where they could fleece the people and fatten their own pockets. And even though they were greedy and wanted to kill Jesus, they still feared Him.

Then Jesus used the withered fig tree to teach the disciples about the power of faith. Faith in Jesus replaced faith in religion, tradition, and ritual. When we have faith that He is with us, nothing is impossible for us. And just as important is forgiveness. Forgiveness needs to take priority even over prayer.

Then the chief priests went to confront Jesus and challenge His authority, but, as Jesus does, He answered their question with a question of His own, and revealed their lack of authority. They basically asked Him what gave Him the right to accept praise from the people and clear the temple. He basically asked them if John the Baptist was sent by God or not. They refused to answer because they were worried about what people would think of them - showing that they had no real authority - so Jesus brushed them off revealing that they had no real authority over Him either.