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The Gospel of Mark

Chapter 10:46 - 11:26: Rejection of the King

Published since 02. Sep. 2025
Bible passages:
Mark 10:46 - 11:26
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And they come to Jericho, and as he was going out from Jericho, and his disciples and a large crowd, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, the blind [man], sat by the wayside begging. And having heard that it was Jesus the Nazaraean, he began to cry out and to say, O Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, that he might be silent; but he cried so much the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus, standing still, desired him to be called. And they call the blind [man], saying to him, Be of good courage, rise up, he calls thee. And, throwing away his garment, he started up and came to Jesus. And Jesus answering says to him, What wilt thou that I shall do to thee? And the blind [man] said to him, Rabboni, that I may see. And Jesus said to him, Go, thy faith has healed thee. And he saw immediately, and followed him in the way. And when they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sends two of his disciples, and says to them, Go into the village which is over against you, and immediately on entering into it ye will find a colt tied, upon which no [child] of man has ever sat: loose it and lead it [here]. And if any one say to you, Why do ye this? say, The Lord has need of it; and straightway he sends it hither. And they departed, and found a colt bound to the door without at the crossway, and they loose him. And some of those who stood there said to them, What are ye doing, loosing the colt?
And they said to them as Jesus had commanded. And they let them [do it]. And they led the colt to Jesus, and cast their clothes upon it, and he sat on it; and many strewed their clothes on the way, and others cut down branches from the trees [and went on strewing them on the way]. And those going on before and those following cried out, Hosanna! blessed [be] he that comes in [the] Lord's name. Blessed [be] the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest! And he entered into Jerusalem and into the temple; and having looked round on all things, the hour being already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. And on the morrow, when they were gone out of Bethany, he hungered. And seeing from afar off a fig-tree which had leaves, he came, if perhaps he might find something on it. And having come up to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the time of figs. And answering he said to it, Let no one eat fruit of thee any more for ever. And his disciples heard [it]. And they come to Jerusalem, and entering into the temple, he began to cast out those who sold and who bought in the temple, and he overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of the dove-sellers, and suffered not that any one should carry any package through the temple. And he taught saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? but *ye* have made it a den of robbers. And the chief priests and the scribes heard [it], and they sought how they might destroy him; for they feared him, because all the crowd were astonished at his doctrine. And when it was evening he went forth without the city. And passing by early in the morning they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. And Peter, remembering [what Jesus had said], says to him, Rabbi, see, the fig-tree which thou cursedst is dried up. And Jesus answering says to them, Have faith in God. Verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be thou taken away and cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but believe that what he says takes place, whatever he shall say shall come to pass for him. For this reason I say to you, All things whatsoever ye pray for and ask, believe that ye receive it, and it shall come to pass for you. And when ye stand praying, forgive if ye have anything against any one, that your Father also who is in the heavens may forgive you your offences. But if *ye* do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in the heavens forgive your offences.

In each of the first three Gospels, the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, along with the miracle of restoring sight to the blind man, introduces the final events leading to His death and resurrection. His time on earth as the Son of Man, who came to minister with lowly grace, is drawing to a close. Now, He presents Himself to Jerusalem as the Son of David—the promised Messiah. His rejection as the perfect Servant of Jehovah is followed by His rejection as the Son of David, both of which prepare the way for His greater service of giving His life as a ransom for many, as the Son of Man.

In Mark 10:45-52, we see the Lord entering Jericho, a city associated with a curse, not to enact judgment, but to offer lowly grace that would bear the curse. As He leaves the city, we encounter a blind man sitting by the roadside begging. The physical condition of the blind man reflects the moral condition of the nation. The Messiah, present with grace and power to bless, is ignored by a nation that is blind to His glory and its own deep need. Instead, they view Jesus merely as a despised Nazarene.

In contrast to the crowd, Bartimaeus is aware of his own need and his helplessness in fulfilling it. It is always the needy soul that is drawn to Jesus and is able to see His glory. While the people might refer to Jesus as a Nazarene, faith allows Bartimaeus to recognize Him as the Son of David, the One prophesied to "open the blind eyes" (Isaiah 42:7). Thus, he cries out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."

Whenever a soul seeks Jesus, there are often obstacles to overcome. Many people urged the blind man to be quiet, thinking that a beggar should not disturb the Lord. However, his faith overcame these hindrances; he cried out even louder, and the Lord stopped, commanding that he be brought to Him. Bartimaeus cast aside his garment and rose to come to Jesus. It is indeed a good thing to be conscious of our need and to recognize the glory of Jesus, casting aside any self-righteousness and approaching Him in our helplessness.

When the Lord asks, "What do you want Me to do for you?" the blind man simply replies, "That I might receive my sight." Here, the Lord takes the role of the doer, while the blind man accepts the role of the receiver. The Lord acknowledges this simple faith, and at once, the blind man receives his sight and begins to follow Jesus along the way, becoming His disciple. He did not attempt to follow Jesus to gain his sight; instead, he followed because he had received the blessing. We must first receive the blessings of salvation and forgiveness through what Christ has done before we can follow Him with our hearts' delight.

(Mark 11:1-6) As Jesus approached Jerusalem, preparations were made for His presentation to Israel as the Son of David, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah (Zech. 9:9). This event served as a renewed witness to the glory of the Lord and a final testimony to the people. By coming as King, Jesus acted with kingly authority. If anyone questioned why the disciples were untying the colt, the simple response—"The Lord has need of him"—would suffice to silence any objections. This will also be true in the future when Zion will proclaim, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3).

(Vv. 7-11) Upon entering Jerusalem, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd praising Him as King, quoting Psalm 118:25-26: "Save now … Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." This will be the cry of the nation in a future time when a remnant, awakened to repentance, looks to the Lord for salvation. However, that time had not yet arrived. Although the leaders of the nation rejected Him, the little children still rendered testimony to His glory (Ps. 8:2). After entering the city and the temple, everything came under the Lord's discerning gaze, which revealed the signs of rebellion, corruption, and unbelief—conditions that He refused to endorse with His presence. Thus, in the evening, He returned to Bethany, where there were a few who loved and acknowledged Him.

(Vv. 12-14) The following day, as Jesus returned to the city with His disciples, it is noted that "He was hungry." He approached a fig tree looking for fruit, but found "nothing but leaves." This hunger was not only physical but also spiritual; He sought a return from Israel for all the goodness God had bestowed upon the nation over the centuries. Like the fig tree that bore leaves but no fruit, the nation displayed a great profession of piety before men, yet lacked genuine spiritual substance in their private lives.

The outcome is solemn: those who fail to live rightly before God, regardless of their religious appearance, will be set aside as a testimony before others. Consequently, the Lord declared, "No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever." This principle applies broadly; later, the Lord admonished the church at Ephesus, which made a strong show of piety through their works but had strayed from their true affections for Him. He warned them that He would remove their candlestick because their hearts were not right with Christ, indicating that they would lose their testimony before men. This serves as a solemn reminder to us all: the true measure of spirituality is not our outward profession of faith but our private, authentic relationship with Christ.

(Vv. 15-19). Upon entering the city, Jesus went into the temple and discovered the extent of the corruption that had overtaken the House of God, a result of human greed. The temple, meant to be a place where God meets man and man meets God, had become a means for religious leaders to indulge their avarice. What happened with the leaders in Israel can also occur within the Christian assembly without the grace of God. Later, the Apostle Paul warned us about the intrusion of people with corrupt minds into the Christian community, who "suppose gain to be the end of piety" (1 Tim. 6:5). The Apostle Peter, recognizing the Church as the House of God, urged leaders to refrain from trying to profit from serving God's flock for "filthy lucre" (1 Peter 5:2). He also cautioned in his second epistle that a time would come when individuals would rise within the Christian community who would, "through covetousness," "make merchandise" of believers. This suggests that human nature remains constant. The greed that corrupted the House of God in Jerusalem has similarly infiltrated the spiritual House of God today. Consequently, "judgment must begin at the House of God" (1 Peter 4:7).

In straightforward terms, the Lord condemns this corruption. The House, which was intended by Scripture to be a house of prayer for all nations, had turned into a den of thieves (Isa.. 56:7; Jer. 7:11). The only result of the Lord's denunciation of this wickedness was to provoke extreme opposition against Him. "The scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him." Similarly, in our time, in the face of corruption within Christendom, those who strive to follow the Lord and stand for the truth will encounter opposition. "Truth fails; and he that departs from evil makes himself a prey" (Isa. 59:15).

(Vv. 20-26). The Lord teaches His disciples a fundamental principle that empowers even the weakest saint to overcome the greatest challenges and most cunning adversaries. Outwardly, all the power and authority of the established order rested with those opposing the Lord and His teachings. How could a few poor fishermen stand against the wisdom and power of influential people? The Lord's response is clear: "Have faith in God." All the strength of those represented by the barren fig tree would diminish in the face of God's power, invoked through faith. Although the Jewish nation, symbolizing the entire system of the law, appeared monumental and enduring to the disciples—much like an age-old mountain—faith allowed them to see that it was about to be cast into the sea of nations. While the mountain may be removed, God will remain the unfailing source for faith.

Furthermore, faith is expressed through prayer to God. Believing in God requires making our requests known while also expecting an answer. As the Spirit of God, through the Apostle Paul, encourages us to pray "at all seasons with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance" (Eph. 6:18), we are cautioned against the mechanical repetition of vague requests.

Additionally, in prayer, the Lord advises against harboring vengeful thoughts toward those who may have offended or opposed us. Nothing can hinder our prayers more than a lack of belief in God—the very One to Whom we pray—or an unforgiving spirit toward those about whom we may be praying. One insightful observer remarked that the Lord "joins with believing prayer the need for a tender spirit of forgiveness towards anyone against whom we might hold a grievance, lest the Father's governance should be made to remember our own offenses" (F.W.G.).

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