Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
A Walk with the Master Series
Lessons for the Disciples
Mark 11:1-10
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: Mar 11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. Mar 11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. Mar 11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; Mar 11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. Mar 11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. Mar 11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. Mar 11:19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
The Triumphal Entry took place on Sunday. The week following is known as the Passion Week as it leads up the crucifixion on Friday followed by His burial and then His resurrection on Sunday. This is where we begin today with the events of Monday. The lessons we can learn from those days are also some of the same lessons for the disciples that Jesus was teaching them.
The first lesson is that of the fig tree which had leaves but no fruit. This might seem like a problem since fig trees usually did not bear fruit at Passover, but sometimes fruit remained from the previous year. One great Bible teacher had the following to add about this portion.
At first sight, this is a puzzling miracle. Passover was not the season for figs, yet the Son of God had hoped to find fruit on the tree. When He did not find any, He used His divine power to destroy the tree instead of helping it to become fruitful. Actually, the whole episode was a sermon in action. The tree represents the nation of Israel (Hos_9:10, Hos_9:16; Nah_3:12), which was producing no fruit to the glory of God. Its spiritual roots were dead (Mar_11:20; Mat_3:10), and it could not produce fruit. But Jesus also used the miracle to teach His disciples some practical lessons about faith and prayer. Mountains represent great difficulties that must be removed (Zec_4:7), and it is our faith in God that enables us to overcome the daily problems we face.
The second lesson we find is from the cleansing of the temple. When Jesus entered and saw the merchandise that was being sold, He became indignant. The Lord’s house was meant to be a place to worship the Lord, but the religious leaders had turned it into a place for making money for themselves. By doing this, they defiled the place where prayer was to be made. And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. The same teacher above wrote about the temple lesson also.
In His indictment against the leaders (Mar_11:17), Jesus quoted Isaiah (Isa_56:7) and Jeremiah (Jer_7:11), both of whom had condemned the nation for its sins in the temple (Isa_1:1-31; Jer_7:1-34). A “den of thieves” is the place thieves go to hide when they have committed a crime. The religious leaders were using the worship of God as a cover for their sins!
The Lord’s lesson was that God is holy, and we must always reverence Him and seek to honor Him in all we do.
Let’s learn from these lessons for the disciples what Jesus has for us also.
Bible Reading for the Year
May 5th, 1 Kings 14-15; John 1:1-28
Prayer Needs
Praise the Lord! Dr. Joe Jordan is still in the hospital, but his blood pressure is better today, he is making progress in other areas too. Thank you for your prayers.
Please pray for Shirley and Kenny Deans. Shirley saw the ear, throat, and nose doctor Monday about her throat cancer. She will have a PET scan on May 17th, then see her cancer doctor on the 27th.
Kenny will NOT need a heart catherization. He will see a doctor on May 4th for a sore on his right leg that will not heal.
Please pray for Carolyn Tyson’s niece and her husband Pam and Joe Wobbleton. Joe is home after having open heart surgery. Pam will need surgery at Chapel Hill for ministrokes she has had.
Praise the Lord! Thank you for praying for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She had a CT scan on Friday, April 17th. All of the tumors had shrunk except for 2 that remained stable. Please continue to pray for complete healing. She is having stomach issues caused by the medication.
Please pray for Robbie Harvey, who has MAC lung disease. He fell and broke several ribs. He is now home from the hospital but in a lot of pain. He has started a new medication for his lung disease.
Sarah Crandall asks prayer for her neighbor Rosa, who is having tachycardia. They have run 2 CT’s and are planning on running another today. Please include her mother Angela as well as she is very worried about her daughter.
Please pray for Peggy Warren. She is in a lot of pain from a partially crushed disc in her lower back. However, surgery is not recommended.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia