And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
What does Mark 11:25 mean?
The disciples could not think why that fig-tree should so soon wither away; but all wither who reject Christ; it represented the state of the Jewish church.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Mark 11:25-26 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Mark 11:25
And when ye stand praying - When ye pray. It seems that the posture in prayer was sometimes standing and sometimes kneeling. God looks upon "the heart" rather than upon our position in worship; and if the heart be right, any posture may be proper. It cannot be doubted, however, that in private, in the family, and wherever it can be conveniently done, the kneeling posture is more proper, as expressing more humility and reverence, and more in accordance with Scripture examples. Compare Psalm 95:6 ; 2 Chronicles 6:13 ; Daniel 6:10 ; Luke 22:41 ; Acts 7:60 ; Acts 9:40 .
Key words
- stand
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And when ye stand praying,.
- praying
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And when ye stand praying,.
- forgive
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Are about to engage in that work, or are engaged in it, performing it in such a posture; for standing was an usual posture in praying; See Gill on Matthew 6:5 ; forgive, if ye have ought against any, that your Father also in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Context in Mark 11
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Mark 11 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the way of the cross. Mark is the swiftest and starkest Gospel, presenting Jesus as the mighty Son of God whose mission reaches its center in suffering, abandonment, and resurrection. Read this chapter with the wider themes of discipleship, the cross, and secrecy in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.
Bible verses about forgiveness
A reading list on divine pardon, repentance, reconciliation, and the demand to forgive others because God has first forgiven.
Passages on peace with God, peace in the heart, peace in community, and the biblical difference between true peace and false reassurance.