Mar 11:27-33 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 11:27-33: 11:27-33 Following the cleansing of the Temple (11:15-17 ; Matt 21:12-22 ; Luke 19:45-46 ), Jesus’ opponents question his authority to do so (see also Matt 21:23-27 ; Luke 20:1-8 ; cp. John 2:18-22 ). 11:27 Upon returning again to Jerusalem (see 11:1 , 11 , 15 ), Jesus and the disciples entered the Temple. The frequent repetition of Jerusalem reminds readers of what would soon take place there (10:32-34 ; see 8:31 ; 9:31 ; 14:1–16:8 ). • In the Temple, Jesus encountered the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders . These three groups made up the seventy-one–member high council (the ruling body of the nation). From earlier encounters with them (8:31 ; see also 14:43 , 53 ; 15:1 ), we expect them to oppose Jesus.

Summary for Mark 11:27-33: 11:27-33 ^a Following the cleansing of the Temple (11:15-17 ^b; Matt 21:12-22 ^c; Luke 19:45-46 ^d), Jesus’ opponents question his authority to do so (see also Matt 21:23-27 ^e; Luke 20:1-8 ^f; cp. John 2:18-22 ^g). 11:27 ^h Upon returning again to Jerusalem (see 11:1 ⁱ, 11 ^j, 15 ^k), Jesus and the disciples entered the Temple. The frequent repetition of Jerusalem reminds readers of what would soon take place there (10:32-34 ^l; see 8:31 ^m; 9:31 ⁿ; 14:1–16:8 ^o).

• In the Temple, Jesus encountered the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders. These three groups made up the seventy-one–member high council (the ruling body of the nation). From earlier encounters with them (8:31 ^p; see also 14:43 ^q, 53 ^r; 15:1 ^s), we expect them to oppose Jesus.
11:28 ^t Jesus’ authority includes his divine authority to cast out demons (1:22 ^u, 27 ^v; 5:1-13 ^w), heal (1:29–2:12 ^x; 5:21-43 ^y), forgive sins (2:10 ^z), and now cleanse the Temple. Jesus’ authority clearly was from God, but the religious leaders were unwilling to accept it.
Summary for Mark 11:29-30: 11:29-30 ^aa Jesus often replied to his opponents with counter-questions (e.g., 2:8-9 ^ab, 19 ^ac, 25-26 ^ad; 3:4 ^ae, 23 ^af; 10:3 ^ag, 38 ^ah; see also 12:16 ^ai), which is an effective way both to teach and to refute.
Summary for Mark 11:31-32: 11:31-32 ^aj Jesus clearly placed his opponents in a bind, for either a “yes” or a “no” would damage their reputation and authority in the eyes of the people. Denying John’s prophetic authority would probably anger the people. Affirming it would mean that they should have accepted what John said, including what he said about Jesus. This answer would also answer their own question (11:28 ^ak).
11:33 ^al In answering, “We don’t know,” the religious leaders of the nation admitted that they could not answer a simple question that the people had no difficulty in answering: John was sent from God. They thus forfeited the religious leadership of the nation on this question. Their hardness of heart (3:5 ^am; 7:6 ^an), their unwillingness to see (4:12 ^ao), and their deliberate refusal to accept the truth made further discussion fruitless. Their blindness and hostility toward God’s servants John the Baptist and Jesus, their desecration of the Temple, and their plot to kill Jesus all revealed why God’s judgment would come within that very generation (13:30 ^ap).