RSV ~ Mark 11 Notes
Mk 11:1-15 | ISB Notes
Mark devotes over one-third of his Gospel to Passion Week, the final days of Jesusā life. His emphasis on these events reflects their importance for the Church, which annually celebrates them from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday.
Mk 11:1 | ISB Notes
Jerusalem: Jesus journeys to the Holy City amid thousands of pilgrims arriving for the annual feast of Passover (Ex 12:1-13; CCC 583). It is this OT feast that Jesus transforms at the Last Supper and through his death on the Cross (14:22-25; 1 Cor 5:7).
Bethphage: Hebrew for āhouse of figsā. Its exact location is uncertain but presumably near Bethany, about two miles east of Jerusalem (Jn 11:18).
Mount of Olives: The mountain directly east of Jerusalem. Its western slope faces the Temple Mount (13:3).
Mk 11:7 | ISB Notes
the colt: Recalls the messianic prophecy of Zech 9:9.
ā¢ The colt in this oracle symbolizes the kingās humility as he comes to Israel in āpeaceā, not mounted on a āwar horseā to lead a military strike against Rome (Zech 9:10). Jesusā entry into the city also recalls Solomonās procession into Jerusalem at his coronation as the King of Israel (1 Kings 1:32-40; CCC 559-60). See note on Mt 21:1-11.
Mk 11:8-10 | ISB Notes
Three details surrounding the triumphal entry recall Psalm 118, a psalm chanted by Passover pilgrims flocking to Jerusalem.
ā¢ (1) The leafy branches (11:8) echo the āfestal procession with branchesā in Ps 118:27. (2) The Hebrew acclamation Hosanna (11:9) means āsave usā and is taken from Ps 118:25. (3) Blessed ā¦ in the name of the Lord (11:9) is quoted from Ps 118:26. Jesus later interprets Psalm 118 in the Temple (12:10-11).
Mk 11:8 | ISB Notes
spread their garments: A symbolic gesture for honoring a newly crowned king (2 Kings 9:13).
ā¢ Morally (St.Ā Bede, In Marcum): the garments thrown under the colt signify the flesh of Christian martyrs, who lay down their lives for the gospel and so proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Mk 11:13 | ISB Notes
a fig tree: A traditional symbol of Israel (Jer 8:13; Hos 9:10).
not the season for figs: The import of this statement is not immediately clear.
It probably underscores what is most evident about Israel: it has yet to bear the fruits of repentance (Lk 13:6-9). When Jesus curses it, the withering and death of the tree become a visible prophecy of the doom that awaits Jerusalem for murdering the Messiah. The same point is made in the following episode, when Jesus topples the commercial stations set up in the Temple.
Mk 11:15 | ISB Notes
to drive out: Animals were sold in the outer court of the Temple as a service to Passover pilgrims who traveled to the city to offer sacrifice. Merchants, however, exploited this arrangement for their own financial gain. According to Jesus, they offended God by what they were doing and where they were doing it. The Temple should be a house of worship, not a place where daylight thievery and business traffic make prayer impossible.
ā¢ Jesusā dramatic demonstration of overturning tables foreshadows the Templeās violent destruction in A.D. 70. Several OT passages resonate in the background. (1) His aggressive cleansing of the outer court recalls Mal 3:1-4, where the Lord forewarned Jerusalem that he would make a divine inspection of the Temple to purify the sanctuary and its priests. (2) His temporary interruption of the Temple liturgy (11:16) is a prelude to a more permanent disruption in the sacrificial cult foretold in Dan 9:26-27. (3) His expulsion of the merchants recalls the vision of Zech 14:21, where the prophet predicts that no trader will be found within the Temple precincts in the messianic age. See note on 13:2 and CCC 584.
Mk 11:17 | ISB Notes
house of prayer: A reference to Is 56:7.
ā¢ Isaiah foresaw Yahweh gathering the Gentiles to share in the covenant worship of Israel. Jesus sees the corruption in the Temple courts as an affront to this oracle (CCC 584). The Templeās outer courtāthe area reserved for Gentile pilgrimsā has become a marketplace where worship is now impossible. Ultimately, Isaiahās vision of a Temple for all nations is fulfilled when Jesus makes a Temple of all nations in the Church (Eph 2:11-22).
den of robbers: An excerpt from Jer 7:11.
ā¢ In context, Jeremiah delivered a sermon in the Temple to warn Israel of Godās coming judgment upon Jerusalem. Because Israel failed to repent, Solomonās Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Jesus similarly confronts Israelites who presume that their covenant relationship with God will remain secure despite their sin (Jer 7:8-15). Their impenitence will result in the Templeās second destruction in A.D. 70.
Mk 11:23 | ISB Notes
this mountain: Presumably a reference to Mt. Zion, where Jerusalem stands. Its dramatic removal illustrates the power unleashed through prayer (Mt 17:20; 1 Cor 13:2; CCC 2610).
ā¢ Jesus may allude to Zech 4:7, where the prophet describes a vision of Zerubbabel rebuilding the Temple after its first destruction (586 B.C.). In his way stood a great mountain that Zerubbabel had to clear away in order to begin construction.
Here too the mountain of Jerusalem and the Temple must be pushed aside to make room for a new Temple: the true house of prayer built of Christian believers quarried from all nations (Mt 16:18; 1 Pet 2:4-5). See note on Mt 24:1-25:46.
Mk 11:25 | ISB Notes
stand praying: A traditional posture for Jewish worship (Ps 134:2; Mt 6:5; Lk 18:11).
Mk 11:30 | ISB Notes
the baptism of John: Jesus questions his interrogators to expose their malice (11:18). If they deny that Johnās ministry is from heaven, they will quickly lose favor with the people (11:32). If they affirm its heavenly authority, they stand condemned for ignoring Godās plan for their lives (Mt 21:32; Lk 7:28-30).