This commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
8And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
11And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
12And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
15And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
18And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23For 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.
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
There are a few ways to view verses 25 and 26 regarding our forgiveness from the Father being reliant on how we forgive others. Under the New Covenant, there is a clear reversal in order, we now forgive because God has already forgiven us:
Colossians 3:13 “forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
A lack of forgiveness reveals the condition of the heart, whether it is soft or hard.
A Christian may struggle with forgiveness and need to work through it. But when we believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gives us His love. This same love that forgave us of all our sins now lives within us.
With this in mind, it becomes easier to forgive those who sin against us. More importantly, we now have the power to forgive because God’s love is in us:
God’s love is in us
Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
See also John 7:38; Galatians 5:22; Matthew 7:17–18
Love produces forgiveness, consistent with the biblical definition of love (cf. 1 Cor. 13)
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
As 1 Corinthians 13 defines love in terms of action, kindness, bearing all things, enduring all, genuine love necessarily expresses itself in forgiveness. A heart transformed by God’s love will be inclined to forgive others.
See also 1 John 3:14–15
The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23–35) illustrates the consequences of failing to forgive.
If the servant is interpreted as a believer who has first received God’s full forgiveness, then his refusal to forgive others demonstrates a heart that has not fully internalized God’s mercy. As a result, Jesus warns that he is “delivered to the tormentors” (v. 34), indicating a form of disciplinary chastisement rather than loss of salvation.
This parallels Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 5:5, where the sinning believer is said to have his “spirit saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” while his body is “delivered unto Satan” for the destruction of the flesh. Both passages emphasize that forgiven believers who persist in hardness or unforgiveness are subject to corrective consequences, even though their eternal standing remains secure.
27And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
28And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
32But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
33And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
11
Mark 11 — Forever Word commentary
King James VersionThis commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
8And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
11And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
12And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
15And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
18And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23For 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.
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
There are a few ways to view verses 25 and 26 regarding our forgiveness from the Father being reliant on how we forgive others. Under the New Covenant, there is a clear reversal in order, we now forgive because God has already forgiven us:
Colossians 3:13 “forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”
A lack of forgiveness reveals the condition of the heart, whether it is soft or hard.
A Christian may struggle with forgiveness and need to work through it. But when we believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gives us His love. This same love that forgave us of all our sins now lives within us.
With this in mind, it becomes easier to forgive those who sin against us. More importantly, we now have the power to forgive because God’s love is in us:
God’s love is in us
Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
See also John 7:38; Galatians 5:22; Matthew 7:17–18
Love produces forgiveness, consistent with the biblical definition of love (cf. 1 Cor. 13)
1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
As 1 Corinthians 13 defines love in terms of action, kindness, bearing all things, enduring all, genuine love necessarily expresses itself in forgiveness. A heart transformed by God’s love will be inclined to forgive others.
See also 1 John 3:14–15
The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23–35) illustrates the consequences of failing to forgive.
If the servant is interpreted as a believer who has first received God’s full forgiveness, then his refusal to forgive others demonstrates a heart that has not fully internalized God’s mercy. As a result, Jesus warns that he is “delivered to the tormentors” (v. 34), indicating a form of disciplinary chastisement rather than loss of salvation.
This parallels Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 5:5, where the sinning believer is said to have his “spirit saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” while his body is “delivered unto Satan” for the destruction of the flesh. Both passages emphasize that forgiven believers who persist in hardness or unforgiveness are subject to corrective consequences, even though their eternal standing remains secure.
27And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
28And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
31And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
32But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
33And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.