Scripture referenced 9 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Romans 8:31-32 read aloud as good news: 'If God is for us, who can be against us?'
31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?
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Mark 10:45
quoted as a key verse: 'The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many'
45 For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Mark 11:1-19
the main passage preached, covering the triumphal entry, cursing of the fig tree, and clearing of the temple
1 When they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethsphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples,
2 and said to them, “Go your way into the village that is opposite you. Immediately as you enter into it, you will find a young donkey tied, on which no one has sat. Untie him, and bring him.
3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs him;’ and immediately he will send him back here.”
4 They went away, and found a young donkey tied at the door outside in the open street, and they untied him.
5 Some of those who stood there asked them, “What are you doing, untying the young donkey?”
6 They said to them just as Jesus had said, and they let them go.
7 They brought the young donkey to Jesus, and threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat on it.
8 Many spread their garments on the way, and others were cutting down branches from the trees, and spreading them on the road.
9 Those who went in front, and those who followed, cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
11 Jesus entered into the temple in Jerusalem. When he had looked around at everything, it being now evening, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
12 The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry.
13 Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.
14 Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it.
15 They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves.
16 He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple.
17 He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a den of robbers!”
18 The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching.
19 When evening came, he went out of the city.
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Zechariah 9:9
cited as the prophecy fulfilled by Jesus riding a donkey: 'Your king is coming to you, humble, riding on a donkey's colt'
9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
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1 Peter 2:24
quoted: 'He personally carried our sins in his body on that cross so that we could be dead to sin and live for righteousness. By his wounds, we are healed'
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
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Acts 2:24
referenced to say that death could not keep Jesus in its grip
24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.
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John 18:36
paraphrased: Jesus said 'my kingdom is not an earthly kingdom; if it were, my followers would fight'
36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here.”
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Mark 1
recalled that people were amazed because Jesus taught with real authority, unlike the teachers of the religious law
1 The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you:
3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!’”
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
5 All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.
6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.
7 He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.
8 I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
9 In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
12 Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.
13 He was there in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals; and the angels were serving him.
14 Now after John was taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”
16 Passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”
18 Immediately they left their nets, and followed him.
19 Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
20 Immediately he called them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants, and went after him.
21 They went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught.
22 They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.
23 Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
24 saying, “Ha! What do we have to do with you, Jesus, you Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
25 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
26 The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
27 They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!”
28 The report of him went out immediately everywhere into all the region of Galilee and its surrounding area.
29 Immediately, when they had come out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
31 He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them.
32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick, and those who were possessed by demons.
33 All the city was gathered together at the door.
34 He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. He didn’t allow the demons to speak, because they knew him.
35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark, he rose up and went out, and departed into a deserted place, and prayed there.
36 Simon and those who were with him followed after him;
37 and they found him, and told him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38 He said to them, “Let’s go elsewhere into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because I came out for this reason.”
39 He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
40 A leper came to him, begging him, kneeling down to him, and saying to him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”
41 Being moved with compassion, he stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I want to. Be made clean.”
42 When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.
43 He strictly warned him, and immediately sent him out,
44 and said to him, “See you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
45 But he went out, and began to proclaim it much, and to spread about the matter, so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city, but was outside in desert places: and they came to him from everywhere.
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John 15:5
used as application verse: 'I am the vine, you are the branches; if you remain in me you will produce fruit; apart from me you can do nothing'
5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
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Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Pastor Mark opened Mark 11:1-19, the start of Holy Week, on a Monday evening with the congregation at First Baptist Jackson. He walked through Jesus' triumphal entry, his cursing of a fig tree, and his clearing of the temple, showing how all three moments point to the same thing: Jesus' deliberate, costly commitment to go to Jerusalem and give his life as a ransom.
What was said
The passage does not arrive during Advent or Holy Week on the church calendar. It arrives here because this is simply where the congregation has landed in Mark. But that gave the study a particular weight, because the whole Gospel has been building toward this moment. Jesus had already predicted three times that he would be betrayed, handed over, mocked, flogged, and killed. He walked toward Jerusalem anyway, and Pastor Mark pressed on why anyone would do that. The answer Mark has already supplied is the key verse he highlighted: the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
When Jesus sends two disciples ahead to retrieve an unridden colt, he is not improvising. Matthew records that this fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy that Jerusalem's king would come humble, riding on a donkey's colt. Pastor Mark paused there to draw a clear picture: this is not a king on a war horse coming to conquer nations. Jesus rode in as the king of peace, coming to save the nations rather than defeat them. The disciples' simple act of obedience in fetching the colt, Pastor Mark noted, was the very thing that fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy, which is reason enough not to underestimate small acts of obedience.
The crowd lining the road was shouting genuine praise, spreading garments and branches and crying out blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord. But Pastor Mark pointed out that their expectations and Jesus' intentions were not the same. Many in the crowd wanted an earthly king who would overthrow Rome, remove injustice, and restore David's kingdom by force. Jesus himself had told Pilate plainly that his kingdom is not of this world. Those same voices praising him on Sunday would be calling for his crucifixion before the week was out, and Pastor Mark did not soften that, though he noted it was all part of God's plan.
On Sunday evening Jesus walked through the temple and simply looked around. On Monday morning he returned, and that is when things moved quickly. He had noticed a fig tree in full leaf with no fruit, and he cursed it. Then he entered the temple and began overturning the money changers' tables and driving out the merchants. Pastor Mark held those two moments together deliberately: the fig tree looked fruitful and wasn't, and the temple looked like a house of worship and wasn't. Both were bearing the appearance of something real without the substance.
Jesus himself supplied the charge against the temple, quoting scripture: "My temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have turned it into a den of thieves." The problem was not just dishonest commerce. The outer courts where Gentiles were permitted to worship had been turned into a marketplace, making it practically impossible for outsiders to draw near to God. The religious leaders, rather than receiving this as a correction, began plotting how to kill him. Pastor Mark noted the irony plainly: the people who should have been opening the door to God had become the barrier, and Jesus did the opposite.
The response of the religious leaders also revealed something about Jesus that had been running through Mark since chapter one. They were afraid of him not because of the table-flipping but because the people were amazed at his teaching. Back in chapter one the crowd had already noticed that Jesus taught with real authority, unlike the teachers of the law. There was something authentic about him that could not be manufactured or controlled, and the leaders recognized that their grip on the people was loosening.
Pastor Mark closed with John 15, where Jesus calls himself the vine and his followers the branches. The fig tree and the temple were each a warning about the appearance of fruitfulness without the real thing, and the answer Jesus gives is not to try harder but to remain in him. Fruit happens in the branches when they stay connected to the vine. The call at the end of the evening was not a program or a resolution but simply that: stay there, remain with him, because that is where the real fruit comes from.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- The pastor pointed out that Jesus walked toward betrayal, suffering, and death knowing exactly what was coming, because the Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. What does it do to you personally when you sit with that, that he kept walking toward it anyway?
- The disciples were simply told to go ahead and untie a donkey, and their small act of obedience ended up fulfilling an Old Testament prophecy. Can you think of a time when a simple act of obedience turned out to matter more than you expected? What makes it hard to take those small steps when we cannot see the bigger picture?
and 3 more questions in the guide
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