The first half of the gospel of Mark describes Jesus spending all his time in Galilee and other northern towns. After Peter's confession in Caesarea Philippi (8.27-30) Jesus heads for Jerusalem. This section of Mark (chapter 8-11) contains a sub theme about being on the way. Eventually Jesus arrives in Jerusalem (11.11) and immediately goes to the temple. Chapters 11-12 are concerned with Jesus' activity in and around the temple - at least during the day - at night he returns to Bethany. Although Jerusalem has been the goal of his journey it is the temple which is his focus in Jerusalem.
His first action the next day is to close down the temple (11.15-18). Although it is usually referred to as a cleansing or clearing of the temple it is in effect a one man blockade. He drives out the buyers and sellers, overthrows the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He doesn't let anyone carry anything through the temple courts. Although there appears to have been exploitation such that it looked like a den of robbers, the buying and selling were assisting people to offer sacrifices. Jesus' actions appear to have prevented people that day from offering their usual offerings.
We can understand this better when we see that Mark has sandwiched this event between the story of the cursed fig tree. His action is calculated. He knows there will be no fruit on it. He curses it in the presence of his disciples. It is an acted prophecy similar to those we see in Ezekiel and Jeremiah. What it means becomes clearer in the next paragraph.
Peter reminds Jesus about his curse when they see the withered tree the next day (11.20-21). This prompts Jesus to direct the disciples to trust in God. It is possible that the statement about the mountain is not a general example about faith but an explanation about Jesus and the temple. Jesus refers to "this" mountain. Presumably he means Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the place where the temple stands. What would happen if the temple mount were thrown into the sea? There would be no temple to pray towards (2 Chron 6.28ff) or to offer sacrifices in. No place to go for forgiveness. It is possible also that when Jesus talks about anyone saying to this mountain... he may not mean just anyone, but he himself. In other words Jesus is the one who believes that what he says will happen, that he has no doubts about it, that he is the one who will remove the mountain - not literally and physically - but as a source and focus of salvation and prayer. That he is also the one who knows how he will do this. That within the week the temple mount will be superseded as the place where people can meet with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In other words verse 23 is referring to Jesus and the temple mount. That is why he urges the disciples to have faith in God (11.22), not in a temple that is represented by the withered fig tree. They are to pray believing that God hears them irrespective of a temple and its system and leaders (11.24). As for forgiveness they can trust God to forgive them, provided not that they are offering the right sacrifices, but that they are living according to forgiveness by forgiving others (11.25).
In this way God's house will be a house of prayer for all nations since anyone can pray to him in faith anywhere any time because the nature of the temple will change. It will become a living temple, the old having been thrown into the sea, or withered so that it no longer serves its original purpose. The tearing of the veil (15.38) is another symbol of this.
My suggestion is that the blockade of the temple, the cursing of the fig tree, the enigmatic reference to throwing this mountain into the sea, and the exhortation to pray with faith in God all point to the demise of the temple as the place where people can meet with God and find forgiveness. In its stead the son of David who has just entered Jerusalem as king (11.10) will build a house for the Lord as a result of his death and resurrection. It is in Christ that all nations will be able to meet with God and find forgiveness - as Isaiah 56 anticipated.
Commentaries by Bas van Iersel (T&T Clark) and David Garland in the NIV Application Commentary Series (Zondervan) shed helpful light on this passage.
Dale Appleby
April 3, 2000