Mark 11:20–33 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?” Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’….” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.) So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Two days before He would be betrayed, Jesus made His way back into Jerusalem from Bethany. The day before, He had cursed a tree for not bearing fruit, and today that tree was completely withered! It was a simple display of the awesome power He had at His disposal, a power He would willingly lay aside so that He could be crucified to pay for the sin of the world.

The leaders of the Jews were trying to question the authority of Jesus, but He would not fall for their feeble attempts to trap Him. It was not quite time, but it would come soon enough.

He used this day to tell many parables, including some about the end times, when He would return as judge of all people (See Matthew 22-25).

Before that, there was still the business at hand. In three days He would make that payment for sin that all the Jewish sacrifices had been pointing to.

Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace Or was away the stain.

 But Christ, the heav’nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they.

My faith would lay her hand On that dear head of Thine
While like a penitent I stand And there confess my sin.

My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree And knows her guilt was there.

Believing, we rejoice To see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice And sing His bleeding love.

 The Lutheran Hymnal #156