Mark 11 begins with the first 3 days of the passion week of Jesus. On the first day Jesus introduces Himself as the Coming One and allows the people to acknowledge Him as the coming King. As King, He then comes to His temple and inspects it and then goes home quietly. On the next day, Jesus dramatically shows the result of this inspection in the cursing of the fig tree and the symbolic judgment on the temple. The fig tree shows that the temple will "dry up and wither" just as the fig tree was withered from its roots to the top. Jesus symbolically condemns the sacrificial system, the corruption of its leadership, and the perversion of its purpose away from God's design for it. The withering of the fig tree, and the quote from Jeremiah 7) showed that this judgment was a done deal. Jesus does not allow the religious leaders' arguments against his authority on the 3rd day to deter His mission of setting up the new order that God had promised.
Jesus enters the temple to inspect it, and the next day’s events reveal that he comes not to restore it but to pronounce God’s judgment on it. Mark 11.1-11, 429
These sayings, however, are integrally related to context. They reveal the essence of the new order that replaces the old. The new order is based on faith in God (11:22) that overcomes insurmountable odds (11:23), is sustained by grace (11:24), and is characterized by forgiveness (11:25). Mark 11.12-33, 441.
The temple system fostered xenophobia and ethnocentrism. The strain between Jew and Gentile, male and female, would never be settled (Gal. 3:28) as long as the temple stood with its series of holy barriers, each saying to a different group, “No entry!” Jesus calls for an end to the exclusivism that allows prayer and sacrifice for only a select group. Mark 11.12-33, 447
Mark 12 records a dialogue between Jesus and the religious leaders regarding who really spoke with God's authority. Jesus' begins with an allegory that identifies the Jewish leadership with those in the past who killed the prophets and are now about to make the mistake of killing God's Son and rejecting His kingdom. The leaders respond with trick questions and debate. Jesus handles each question in a way that demonstrates his own Divine authority and the corruption of the leadership. They had missed the point that devotion to God and taking care of His people is the most important thing. Thus, they did not see what God was doing in their time and they rejected His Messiah, missed His kingdom and would soon be subject to judgment. We all must keep close account on our devotion to God so we do not miss what He is doing around us now.
This allegory does more than condemn evil leaders who lived some two thousand years ago; it applies to us. The story of God’s relationship with a disobedient and rebellious people has not changed much. The judgment that fell on them can fall on us if we, as leaders, fail in our stewardship. We must therefore analyze in what areas we have failed to yield fruit to God, how we may have rejected and mistreated God’s servants (3 John 9–10), and how we continue to reject God’s Son (Heb. 6:6). Mark 12.1-2, 458
God is Caesar’s Lord. One may owe Caesar what bears his image and name—money. One owes God what bears God’s image and name. Since we are created in the image of God (see Gen. 1:26; Prov. 7:3; Isa. 44:5; Jer. 38:33; cf. Ezek. 18:4) and bear his name as children of God, we owe him our whole selves. Exactly what we owe God becomes clear in Jesus’ answer to a certain teacher of the law: We owe God love from all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (12:30, 33). Mark 12.13-17, 463
Jesus’ response to the Sadducees’ challenge helps us see what to emphasize and what to ignore. He rejects the Sadducees’ mistaken earthly images of resurrection life and seizes on an individual’s relationship to God. We should avoid attempts to describe what heavenly life is like. Instead, we should highlight the necessity of a close tie to the heavenly Father, who keeps his promises. Mark 12.18-27, 472–473
She throws away her living for the sake of the temple. The temple overlords will throw away Jesus’ life to preserve their power base. The new community centered around Jesus places a priority on people rather than cultic rituals and grand edifices that are subject to destruction. What is important is the demonstration of humble faith, sacrificial devotion to God, and care for the poor and needy (1 Tim. 5:16; James 1:27). Mark 12.28-44, 483
Mark 13 records Jesus' response to the disciples' question about the timing of the destruction of the temple and the end of the age. According to Garland, though the disciples expected that these two events were simultaneous, Jesus separates them (5-23 temple, 24-27 end of the age) and does not give a timetable. Instead He urges them to "watch," be ready for persecution and suffering, and accomplish their mission to preach the gospel to all nations. The first part of the speech deals with the destruction of the temple fulfilled in 70AD. Jesus tells them to watch out for false prophets and that the destruction of the temple is coming soon (this generation) and is unavoidable. Garland sees no signs given for the end of the age. It will happen whenever the Father determines. Our job is to make sure we are being faithful to the mission, not to speculate about dates and times. I think Garland is basically right here, although I would see some typological (not one to one) connections between the AD70 event and the 2nd coming. The bottom line is that the best way to be ready for Jesus to come is to be steadfast under persecution and suffering and to fulfill the part we are to play in God's Kingdom mission.
What has been implicit in Jesus’ actions in the temple now becomes explicit. He openly prophecies its complete destruction. The temple belongs to an old order, whose builders will reject the stone that will become central to God’s new temple. This temple has become obsolete, and God will allow it to be utterly destroyed. Mark 13.1-24, 491
Jesus’ predictions about the temple’s destruction will come true. Those things that humans may believe are the center of the universe may disappear from the face of the earth. Only Jesus’ words abide. They are “the firm ground upon which the church can dare to live and to meet courageously all the terrors which are coming before the end.” Mark 13.25-37, 502
When the Son of Man comes, he will not quiz people to see whose predictions on the date were accurate. He will want to know what we were doing. Were we proclaiming the gospel to all the nations? Were we enduring suffering faithfully? Were we fulfilling the assigned tasks? Those who have been asleep on the job or buried in the task of trying to map out the times rather than carrying out the mission will be more than just embarrassed; they will be judged. Mark 13.28-37, 509
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