Mark 11:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But shall we say, ‘From man’?" — they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

NIV: But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …" (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

NASB: But should we say, ‘From men’?'—they were afraid of the people, for they all considered John to have been a real prophet.

CSB: But if we say, ‘Of human origin’"—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was truly a prophet.

NLT: But do we dare say it was merely human?' For they were afraid of what the people would do, because everyone believed that John was a prophet.

KJV: But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.

NKJV: But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

The tragedy of the chief priests, scribes, and elders is that they think their choice is between losing their power and authority to Jesus or losing it to ignominy. If they affirm John the Baptist's message of repentance, they must affirm John's message that Jesus is the Messiah. If they deny that Jesus is the Messiah, they'll have to deny John's message of repentance, risking the disapproval of the people. Either way, they would diminish in political clout. From a purely spiritual perspective, the choice should be obvious: to stand on the truth. Their reaction, of course, proves that truth is far from their highest priority.

Jesus already commented on this attitude. He condemned the elders' habit of publicizing their giving and orating grand prayers in synagogues and street corners. Jesus said if you "worship" God to impress men, your reward will likewise come on earth and not heaven (Matthew 6:2–6). God is more interested in sincere humility and softened hearts than prideful legalism (Luke 18:9–14).

It is truly freeing to reach the point where we don't care about what others think or what influence we hold and instead commit ourselves to God's approval and living as if we are citizens of His kingdom (Philippians 3:20). Rarely will this involve wearing camel hair or living on honey and locusts, as John the Baptist did (Matthew 3:4). Such a life usually doesn't even involve giving away all our possessions (Mark 10:17–31). It means loving God and others (Matthew 22:37–40) and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us so that we want the same things God wants (Philippians 2:13).

If the chief priests, scribes, and elders had understood and accepted this, they would have deserved their titles and their positions. They would not have been in danger of "losing face" by standing for what they truly believed.

Mark 11:27–33 is the first of four stories of religious leaders challenging Jesus. The others are found through verse 27 of chapter 12. First is a confrontation with the chief priests, scribes, and elders. Next, Jesus' parable about farmland tenants solidifies the authorities' desire to kill Him (Mark 12:1–12). The Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus with a question about taxes (Mark 12:13–17). And, finally, the Sadducees challenge Jesus with a question about the resurrection (Mark 12:18–27). Eventually, Jesus can have a friendly conversation about the greatest commandment with a scribe (Mark 12:28–34). This first story is also in Matthew 21:23–27 and Luke 20:1–8.

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.