Read: Mark 11:15-19 Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations”? But you have made it a den of robbers. (v. 17) Charles Wesley’s hymn “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild” speaks of our Lord’s tenderness, kindness, and love. For the most part, that is the way the Gospels portray Jesus. But not these verses! Here we see an angry Jesus, overturning tables and driving out those who were buying and selling …

Read: Mark 11:12-14, 20-21 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves. (v. 13) Of all the stories in the Gospel of Mark, this seems to be one of the strangest. Jesus is hungry and sees a fig tree. He goes over to see if there is any fruit, but there isn’t any—only leaves. This seems to …

Read: Mark 11:7-11 “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! . . . Hosanna in the highest!” (vv. 9-10) I’ve seen it done many, many times—children and adults marching into the sanctuary on Palm Sunday morning as the service begins, waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” It’s always done with great gusto and enthusiasm. Everyone is full of joy. Jesus comes into Jerusalem in triumph! When we shout the word “Hosanna!” we say it almost …

Read: Mark 11:1-6 Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey. (Matt. 21:50) Jesus was a great teacher. The Gospels are jam-packed with his teachings. One of his favorite methods was through word pictures. One time he was outside teaching about how we ought not to worry. Perhaps some birds flew by prompting Jesus to say, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your …

Read: Mark 10:46-52 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (v. 47) We often used to sing a song in church called “People Need the Lord.” I happen to like that song simply because it’s so true. Again and again I have witnessed how much people, myself included, need the Lord. Bartimaeus certainly needed the Lord. Unable to work because of his …