Mark 11:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

NIV: "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

NASB: Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted to him.

CSB: Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

NLT: I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

KJV: For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

NKJV: For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

If the withered fig tree is an illustration of the coming destruction of the temple, then Jesus' side-track into faith seems random. But it's not. The temple has been the focal point of communion with God, and atonement for sin, for hundreds of years. This changes with the resurrection, resulting in faith in Christ bringing complete forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 2:8–9).

The mountain Jesus is indicating is probably the Mount of Olives which sits east of the Temple Mount, across the Kidron Valley. This peak is nearly 300 feet, or 91 meters, higher than the temple. The "sea" is less identifiable. Jesus most likely means the Dead Sea, visible fifteen miles south of the Mount of Olives. Of course, any of these choices would be miraculous. Jesus may be referring to the prophecy in Zechariah 14:1–5 that says at the end of the tribulation, the Mount of Olives will split from east to west, and the people will flee Jerusalem through the newly-made valley.

Jesus promises that the disciples' demands will be met if they have suitable faith. "Doubt" is from the Greek root word diakrino. It is the same word James uses when he talks about being like "a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).

This is not a promise devoid of context, however: there are conditions and expectations attached. We must ask for what is in God's will to give (1 John 5:14–15), and we must abide in Christ in order to know what God's will is (John 15:7). If we do so, our desires will match what Jesus wants, making it easy for God to answer our prayers. We must also ask with the right motives (James 4:1–3). If we ask God to provide us with things that will give us worldly pleasures, we are headed toward conflict with Him and others, not answered prayer.

Mark 11:20–26 is the conclusion of the story started in Mark 11:12–14. The fig tree Jesus cursed is found to be withered to its roots, truly dead, the next morning. The fig tree represents Jerusalem and, to an extent, Judaism, which has ceased to worship God and bless the people. In a few days, at the Last Supper, Jesus teaches the disciples that they cannot bear fruit unless they are dependent on Him, just as a vine is useless unless it is connected to the branch. Fruitless vines will wither, then be tossed into the fire, and burned (John 15:1–11). This half of the story of the fig tree is also found in Matthew 21:20–22. Verse 26 is not found in most modern translations.

Jesus and the disciples arrive in Jerusalem a week before the crucifixion, and Jesus begins the last days of His public ministry. They spend their nights on the Mount of Olives and their days in Jerusalem (Luke 21:37). Jesus accepts the accolades designed for a king (Mark 11:1–11), attacks materialistic tradition that keeps people from worshiping God (Mark 11:15–19), gives an object lesson about the fate of fruitless Jerusalem (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25), and reveals the Jewish religious leaders' hypocrisy (Mark 11:27–33). Despite the support of the crowd, Jesus is pushing the leaders toward the crucifixion.

The preceding passages included several miracles and lessons from Jesus. These set the stage for the last, dramatic days of His earthly ministry. In this chapter, Jesus enters Jerusalem to great fanfare and openly confronts local religious leaders for their hypocrisy. Over the next few chapters, Mark will continue to record controversial teachings, leading up to Jesus' arrest and early sham trials, recorded in chapter 14.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.