In verse 1, Mark writes that Jesus “began to speak to them in parables.” He knew they were trying to trap Him, but through this parable, Jesus was able to criticize their actions, let them know He knew what they were planning, yet at the same time give them no ammunition to use against Him, which frustrated them even further. In the end, they concocted lies and false witnesses in the mockery of a trial against Him.
There is coming a shaking in this world, and everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but if we build our house of faith on the firm foundation, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone, then when the shaking stops and the wind and waves cease, we will still be standing. However, if we have built our hope on what the world has to offer, it will not stand. Kingdoms are going to fall, and there is no guarantee that America will survive, but if we have put our hope in nothing less than Jesus and His righteousness, we will survive.
What happened next has been interpreted in various ways, and viewing this through my emotional lens, I might be tempted to say that Jesus was “hangry” (angry for what He saw in the temple and hungry in the morning). Then, because He was hangry, Jesus simply cursed the tree. However, that is not likely the case here. Instead, Jesus saw the opportunity to use this moment to provide a powerful illustration. The fact that what happened with the fig tree frames the account of Jesus cleansing the temple is significant.
In the case of our text, what Jesus has to say about prayer and faith must be never be isolated from the larger story and used to justify some kind of hyper-faith doctrine, which argues that any of us can have anything we want, any time we want it if we just have enough faith and are willing to speak our miracle into existence. That is not what the Bible teaches, therefore, that cannot be what this passage teaches. With all that, said, look again at our passage.
Do you know a donkey like the one Jesus is describing here? Maybe it’s a son or a daughter, maybe a sister, brother, father, or mother. They’re on the margins, they’re bound by habits and addictions, they rebel against the church, against spiritual leadership, and their parents. Some people have already given up on them, but Jesus is telling you to untie them and bring them to Him. After they meet Jesus, they will never be the same.
Mark said that Bartimaeus “began to cry out,” meaning he said it repeatedly. There are times when we have to knock and keep knocking, ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking, because when we persist in faith, doors open, and prayers are answered. Sometimes we are embarrassed to keep asking, but this beggar wasn’t ashamed. He kept calling, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
As Jesus was heading toward Jerusalem, knowing the suffering and death that was waiting for Him, the full impact of His mission was heavy on His heart, and He tried to share that with His disciples, but they weren’t hearing it. It was go-time for Jesus and the disciples, and now again in our time, I’d say it is again go-time for the disciples of Jesus. Are we ready? Will we answer the call?
Notice that Jesus loved this man. Jesus wasn’t trying to punish him, Jesus was offering him “treasure in heaven,” and nothing is worth more than that. The question now is whether this man’s wealth was a blessing or a curse. Everyone else would say, “This man is blessed, look at how much he has!” But as Jesus had already asked back in Mark 8:36, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Jesus was greatly displeased that His disciples were blocking the blessing of these children, so He addressed their attitudes, and then, "He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them" (v. 16). Jesus refused to allow His disciples to stop the parents and their children from getting their blessing. Instead, Jesus did four things: He picked them up, He held them in His arms, He touched them, and then He blessed them.
A few things to consider here: First, marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman, yet people have been fired from their jobs for holding this biblical position. Second, it is between one man and one woman, meaning polygamy was never the plan of God. Third, while still honoring father and mother, the husband must make his marriage family his primary family and obligation. Last, the man and woman are now one flesh, each dependent upon the other as helpmates, or equal halves of one whole marriage.
