Mark 11:22-33
Introduction
In this passage, we cover three subjects. They are praying in faith, forgiveness and authority.
Bear this in mind as we examine the passage.
Verses 22 to 24
After Peter pointed out that the fig tree had withered in Verse 21, Jesus responds by teaching the disciples about praying in faith. He starts with a very important commandment in Verse 22. He tells them to have faith in God. This commandment applies to us today.
Having faith in God is not an optional extra. It is an obligation. It is an insult to God not to have faith in Him. He is entirely trustworthy. To have faith in Him means to trust Him.
After making His command to have faith in Him, Jesus then applies it to prayer. In Verse 23 Jesus describes the relationship between faith and power. He tells us that if we have faith in God, we can move mountains.
Before we go any further, I would like to point out the false teachings that have arisen from a wrong understanding of what Jesus is saying in these verses. The false teachings I have in mind are the word of faith teaching, the name it and claim it teaching and certain forms of faith healing. The idea behind all of these false teachings is the claim that all you have to do to change the external world around you is to believe it and claim it and it will be so. This idea originates in the occult.
These false teachings arise from these verses because the false teachers take them in isolation from the rest of scripture. To understand what Jesus is saying in these verses we must take into account all of the other teachings on prayer in the Bible. These verses have to be understood in the light of all of the teaching on prayer in the New Testament and all the New Testament teaching about what God listens to in our prayers.
The first thing to take into account is that in other passages we are told to pray according to the will of God. See John 14:13-14. To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray according to the will of God.
The second thing to take into account is that our request should give glory to God. See John 14:13. We are not to pray for unethical gain. Our prayer requests should not be about selfish gain but about fulfilling God’s will and giving Him glory.
Bearing in mind what the rest of scripture tells us about prayer, what is Jesus really saying in Verses 22 to 24 of today’s passage?
He is saying that He hears our prayer. See 1 John 5:14-15. He answers our prayer.
Sometimes the answer is no. See Matthew 26:36-44. Jesus asked the Father not to let Him suffer but the Father said no and Jesus accepted it.
We must trust Him when we pray. That’s what the prayer of faith is; it is trusting God.
The scriptures give us many promises. This means that when we pray these promises, He we will provide what He promised. See 1 John 1:9.
All we have to do is trust Him.
Verses 25 to 26
In these verses Jesus is still talking about prayer but now He relates it to forgiveness. Notice how Jesus talks about standing in prayer at the beginning of Verse 25. Standing is a position of readiness. Jesus is emphasising that we should always be ready to forgive.
When Jesus says, “if you have anything against anyone,” He is talking about the situation in which someone has done something that has upset or harmed you. If, when this happens, you hold anything against them, you must forgive them for what they have done to you.
As Christians, we should never hate someone or be angry with them. Having such feelings in our heart is harmful to us. Forgiveness enables broken relationships to be healed. Unforgiveness in our heart harms our relationship with God and can put us out of fellowship with Him.
Fundamentally, we should forgive others because we have been forgiven by God. We should always forgive them. See Matthew 18:21-22.
In Verses 25 and 26, it appears that receiving forgiveness from the Father is conditional on us forgiving others. This is all about our relationship or fellowship with the Father. Jesus is saying that when we ask the Father to forgive us, we will be forgiven in the same way that we forgive others. He is saying that it is hypocritical for us to ask God to forgive us when we won’t forgive others.
We can’t have true fellowship with the Father if we have unforgiveness in our heart. Unforgiveness is a serious matter that must be addressed.
Verses 27 to 33
In these verses the authority of Jesus comes into question once again. Authority is an important subject for all of us to understand.
The chief priests are out to discredit Jesus. In Verse 28 they question Jesus’ authority to do the things that He was doing.
The authority of Jesus comes from obeying the Father. Our authority as Christians come from obeying Jesus and the word of God through the Holy Spirit. It does not come from men no matter who they are.
In Verses 30 to 32 Jesus forces the chief priests to answer His question before He will answer theirs. In Verse 33 the chief priests say that they do not know. Their answer tells us that the chief priests were lying. They knew that John’s authority came from the Father. But they couldn’t admit it because they would have had to accept what John said about Jesus. So, Jesus refuses to answer their question.