Is Jesus Hangry? Mark 11

Pay attention to the Marcan Sandwich of Mark 11: 12-25. Do you remember our discussion of the Marcan Sandwich? Mark will often break up a story with a main point tucked away in the middle to help flush out something Jesus wants us to take seriously. We will see Jesus enter Jerusalem and begin his final goodbyes, but, before his preaching concludes, he wants to make some important points for us regarding faith. Throughout Mark’s gospel we’ve seen how faith in Jesus brings about mighty deeds. Does Jesus desire that type of faith fueled worship and ministry in his Church? 

Reflection Questions: 

1.) When do we sing “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mk. 11:9) during the Mass? Why might that be so? How does it relate to Mark 11:1-10? 
2.) Mark 11:12-25 follows a similar pattern in Matthew’s gospel. Read Matthew 21:1-22, 33-41, and 43. How do these two passages relate to one another? How are they similar? How are they different? What do you think is the message Matthew and Mark want us to receive from Jesus?  
3.) In Mk. 11:27-33 we read an intriguing story about Jesus confronted by incredulous religious authorities. Why do they refuse to answer Jesus? How does fear of what others might think cloud our judgment and change our behavior as disciples of Jesus?  

 Food for Thought: 

 We might want to dismiss this section of the Gospel of Mark because Jesus looks a little testy. He curses a fig tree because it didn’t have any fruit for his breakfast. But it wasn’t the time for figs (Mk. 11:13). Jesus is either hangry or making a point. Jesus desires fruit from his disciples. He doesn’t care if it’s the “right season,” he desires those who worship the Father to do the Father’s will and the works that he is doing (John 14:12). We see the effect of Jesus’ curse upon the fruitless tree, it withers and dies (v. 21). What are the consequences for not bearing fruit...we die.  

When Jesus shows up at the Temple, he sees a lot of activity, but not fruit. The money-changers probably thought that they were doing good work; after all, they were helping people offer sacrifice in a ritually pure way. But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus saw that the Temple is meant to be house of prayer, but they are using the exchange rates from the Roman coin to the Temple currency for their gain. They turned something meant for prayer and intimacy with God into a marketplace. But we can’t buy love. That Jesus “cleanses” the Temple is quite a metaphorical way to speak about what he’s doing. Jesus kicks out hypocrisy and evil from the Temple. Many scholars believe this event, above all others, led to his crucifixion; Jesus directly attacked the religious system that had strayed from the Father’s will, but that had bolstered itself up and justified its activities.  

Mark picks the story back up with Peter’s shock about the withered tree, but Jesus doesn’t miss a beat. Jesus is not shocked by the power of his words. Not only does Jesus understand the power of his authority, but he desires to share that shocking authority with his disciples. Jesus doesn’t say “the fig tree withered, but you all just need to be virtuous and not worry about any of this ‘mighty deeds’ business.” Instead, Jesus wants his disciples to know just what authority they have in their relationship with him. With Jesus, by our faith in him, faith the size of a very small seed, we can literally move mountains. What shocks us further is that Jesus point to “this mountain” (v. 23), which is God’s own mountain, the Temple Mount, Mt. Zion!  

What does this mean for us today? No matter how much one might want to water down Jesus’ words, the very clear interpretation of this Marcan Sandwich is that Jesus wants his followers to bear fruit that relies on faith, the power of the Holy Spirit, and actually affects the world around us. He calls us to trust in him and recognize that we’ve been deputized in his kingdom to work mighty deeds and to expect that our worship will result in the kingdom breaking through into the world. Mark includes the verse on forgiveness in v. 25 to remind us that our Holy Spirit fueled faith and prayer is to be shaped by an attitude of forgiveness, compassion, and striving for unity. Jesus doesn’t want us to act like arrogant jerks with heaven’s power. Jesus desires that our sincere worship affects a change in us and that we then take that real relationship with the Father and, through the name of Jesus and his authority, do the works that he did. To get a clearer sense of this, we need only read the closing statement Jesus makes to his disciples in Mark 16:15-20. Jesus does not want a dead faith that looks busy but really is smoke without fire. Jesus wants us bearing the fruit of the kingdom that will last for eternal life. Jesus calls us to a faith that can move mountains, because we know who we are in Christ and with him.