May 18th, 2024

This Sunday is Pentecost, the start of the Pentecost season. The Gospel reading is John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15. And the writings of this website are going through the Gospel according to Mark, in the way in which the author laid it out. We are currently beginning what is usually called chapter eleven. And the following could be called a somewhat-literal translation of the text [Mark 11:1-26; it may be helpful to look other translations or a study bible to aid in the understanding]:

And when they draw near into Jerusalem, into Bethphage and Bethany, toward the Mount of the Olives, he sends out two of the disciples of him, and he says to them, “Go away into the village, the opposite of you, and immediately entering into it, you will find a colt, having been tied, upon which no one, not yet of men, he sat; loosen it and bring. And if anyone to you he says, 'Why are you doing this?' say: 'The Lord of it, need, he has.' And immediately, it he sends, again here."

And they came away, and they found a colt, having been tied toward a door, outside upon the open street, and they loosen it. And some of the ones there, standing, they were saying to them, “Why are you doing, loosening the colt?” Now the ones said to them as he said, the Jesus; and they allowed them. And they bring the colt toward the Jesus, and they throw upon it the garments of them, and he sat upon it.

And many, the garments of them, they spread into the way, now others, leafy branches, having cut from the fields. And the ones going before and the ones following, they were screaming, “Hosanna; blessed the one coming in name of Lord; having been blessed, the coming kingdom of the father of us, of David; hosanna in the highest.” And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple, and having looked around at everything, late already being the hour, he came out into Bethany with the twelve.

And in the next day, having come out, they, from Bethany, he hungered. And having seen a fig tree from far away, having leaves, he came, if perhaps anything he will find it in it, and having come upon it, nothing he found, if not leaves; for the time, not it was of figs. And having answered, he said to it, “No longer into the age, from you, no one, fruit may eat.” And they were hearing, the disciples of him.

And they come into Jerusalem. And having entered into the temple, he began to throw out the ones selling and the ones buying in the temple, and the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of the ones selling the pigeons, he overturned, and not did he allow that anyone should carry through a vessel through the temple, and he was teaching, and he was saying to them, “It has, has it not been written that the house of the house of me, a house of prayer, it will be called for all the nations? Now you, yourselves, have made it a cave of robbers.”

And they heard, the archpriests and the scribes, and they were seeking how, him, they might destroy; for they were fearing him, for all the crowd was struck out upon the teaching of him. And when, late, it became, they were going out, out of the city.

And going by, early, they saw the fig tree, having withered up from roots. And having remembered, the Peter, he says to him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you cursed has withered up.”

And having answered, the Jesus, he says to them, “Have faith of God. Amen, I am saying to you that whoever says to the mountain, this, ‘Be lifted and be thrown into the sea,’ and not doubts in the heart of him, but on the contrary, he believes that what he says happens, it will be to him. On account of this I am saying to you, all things which you pray and you ask, believe that you received, and it will be to you. And when you stand praying, forgive if anything you have against anyone, that also the Father of you, the one in the heavens, may forgive you, the trespasses of you.”​

The text was a bit longer than usual, to be able to get the two parts of the event surrounding the fig tree. In much the same way, the coming of Jesus the first time is connected to his coming the second time. Both events are extremely far away in our terms, but they are extremely close from God’s perspective.