Dave Parrish
on April 13, 2022
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As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received[a] it, and it will be yours.
--- Mark 11:20-24 ESV
V 22-23 - The kind of prayer that moves mountains is prayer for the fruitfulness of God’s Kingdom. It would seem impossible to move a mountain into the sea, so Jesus used that illustration to show that God can do the impossible. God will answer your prayers but not as a result of your positive mental attitude. Other conditions must be met: (1) You must be a believer; (2) you must not hold a grudge against another person; (3) you must not pray with selfish motives; (4) your request must be for the good of God’s Kingdom. To pray effectively, you need faith in God, not faith in the object of your request. If you focus only on your request, you will be left with nothing if your request is refused.
--- Life Application Study Bible notes
Verse 23 - “This mountain…into the sea’ - This expression was related to a common metaphor of that day, “rooter up of mountains.” which was used in Jewish literature of great rabbis and spiritual leaders who could solve difficult problems and seemingly do the impossible. Obviously, Jesus did not literally uproot mountains; in fact, He refused to do such spectacular miracles for the unbelieving Jewish leaders. Jesus’ point is that if believers sincerely trust in God and truly realize the unlimited power that is available through such faith in Him. they will see His mighty powers at work (cf. John 14:13-14_
--- NASB MacArthur Study Bible notes
Verse 24 - ‘Whatever you ask’- God delights to “give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11) and is capable of granting any prayer, though we must ask with godly motives (James 4:3)
‘Believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ - Those who trust God for the right things in the right way can have confidence that God will “supply every need…according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus'' (Philippians 4:19), knowing that he will work “all things together for good: and will Graciously give us all things” (Romans 8:28,32). Some have misused this verse by telling people that if they pray for physical healing (or for some other specific request) and if they just have enough faith, then they can have confidence that God has already done (or will do) whatever they ask. But we must always have the same perspective that Jesus had---that is, confidence in God’s power but also submission to his will: “Father, all things are possible for you….Yet not what I will, but what you will: (Mark 14:36)
--- Crossway ESV Study Bible notes
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