Read Mark 11:12-14; Mark 11:20-25 and John 14:13-15.

Introduction⤒🔗

In the Gospel of Mark there is recorded the account of Jesus cursing the fig tree:

The next day, when they came from Bethany, [Jesus] was hungry. ¹³Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he came to it, hoping that he might find some fruit on it. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴Then he said to it, May no man eat any fruit from you ever again. Now his disciples heard this.Mk. 11:12-14

The next morning, passing along that same way, Peter calls Jesus’ attention to the tree that He had cursed the day before: “Rabbi, look, the fig tree you cursed has withered away” (Mk. 11:21).

Jesus then proceeds to use this as an occasion to teach His disciples about faith and about prayer. He exhorts them to have unlimited faith in God who has unlimited power (vs. 22-23). He exhorts them to engage in bold and confident prayer (vs. 24).

It should be noted that this teaching contained in Mark chapter eleven occurred at about the same time as the teaching recorded in John chapter fourteen, and it seems that they relate to each other as follows: Our Lord’s remarks recorded in Mark 11:22-24 were an initial and vivid introduction to His teaching on prayer, designed to arouse the disciples’ interest and capture their attention. John 14:13­-15 provides a further elaboration and clarification of our Lord’s teaching on prayer.

In John 14:13 the Lord Jesus gives to His disciples a great promise: “Whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do.” But we must appreciate the fact that He also provides some specific guidelines to govern our prayer life, guidelines to be followed if the promise is to be realized. If we would have an effective prayer life, we must abide by the guidelines Jesus provides.

The First Guideline: We Must Approach the Father in Jesus’ Name←⤒🔗

The great qualification the Lord Jesus repeats throughout His teaching on prayer is this: for prayer to be effective, we must approach the Father in Jesus’ name.

For one thing, to pray in Jesus’ name means to approach the throne of God on the basis of Jesus’ authority as the eternal Son of God and on the basis of Jesus’ merit as the ever-obedient Son of God. This is especially evident in such a passage as John 16:23-24, “I tell you the truth, if you shall ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴Up to now you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you shall receive, so that your joy may be complete.”

Jesus alone possesses access to the Father, and He alone can provide us with such access. We must bear in mind Jesus’ testimony concerning this access to the Father, and the exclusive right to grant that access to whom He wills: “Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except by me” (Jn. 14:6).

The Lord Jesus alone possesses such access to God the Father because of His identity as the one and only Son of God. Jesus testifies to His disciples: “I came out from the Father, and have come into the world; again, I leave the world, and go unto the Father” (Jn. 16:28). When Jesus says that He “came out from the Father,” He is referring to the fact that He has come forth from the very bosom of the Father. The Apostle John, speaking of the Lord Jesus, explains that “the only begotten Son,” [a reference to His absolute uniqueness], “is in the bosom of the Father” (Jn. 1:18). Thus, Jesus informs us that He has come forth from a position of the most intimate fellowship with the Father; a relationship with the Father occupied by none other than the divine Son, and granted to all who are united to the Son by faith.

Furthermore, Jesus alone has the approval of the Father. After Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism, there came the Father’s voice out of heaven, announcing, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Consider the testimony of Martha, as she approached the Lord Jesus at the time of her brother’s death, she said to Him, “I know that, whatever you shall ask of God, God will give you” (Jn. 11:22). Consider, too, Jesus’ own testimony as He stood at the tomb of His friend Lazarus: “Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you heard me; ⁴²and I knew that you always hear me’” (Jn. 11:41b-42a).

Jesus enjoys this access to the Father and has the Father’s approval, (He enjoys this authority with the Father), not only because of His unique identity, but also because of His perfect righteousness. Compare the words of the blind beggar, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will” (Jn. 9:31), with the testimony of Jesus, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (Jn. 8:29).

In Psalm 24:3, the Psalmist asks the question, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?” He goes on to answer that question by declaring, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (Psl. 24:4). Compare the words of the Psalmist (Psl. 24:3-4) with the testimony of Jesus spoken to Mary as He stood before her at the empty tomb: “Jesus said to her, ‘Do not touch me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God’” (Jn. 20:17).

The Apostle James declares, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16b); the Lord Jesus is the one truly righteous man. The writer of Hebrews, alluding to Isaiah 61:1,3, informs us that that passage of Old Testament Scripture is referring to Jesus: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions” (Heb. 1:9).

Our Lord Jesus Christ is graciously inviting us to participate in His wonderful access to the Father when He invites us to pray in His name; access to the Father that is profound, intimate, and eternal.

In John 16:23-24 the Lord Jesus is not speaking of a general, “generic,” access to God the Creator, which is graciously granted to all men by virtue of their being created in the image of their Creator. That access, which sinful men have to God as their Creator, is but a faint and transitory shadow of the access that the holy Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has to God His Father, and which He shares with all who are His disciples. By way of illustration, the owner of a baseball team might say to the public at large, “As an act of generosity, I will allow you access to the stadium bleachers on certain days of the regular season.” But to his son and his son’s friends, he says, “I will give you access to my personal skybox at any time, including the World Series!”

If we desire to have an effective prayer life, we must approach the Father in Jesus’ name: approaching the throne of God on the basis of Jesus’ authority as the eternal Son of God and on the basis of Jesus’ merit as the ever-obedient Son of God.

The Second Guideline: We Must Pray in Harmony with Jesus’ Will←⤒🔗

The great qualification, praying in Jesus’ name, also has a second meaning; namely, it means to offer up prayer that is in harmony with Jesus’ own mind and will. This meaning is dominant in such passages as John 14:13-14 and John 15:7,

And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified by the Son. ¹⁴If you shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.Jn. 14:13-14

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. Jn. 15:7

In John 14:13 it is implied that prayer offered in Jesus’ name will be answered because such prayer will cause the Father to be glorified. The Father is glorified by means of that which is in accordance with His will and that which reflects His holy character. In John 15:7 the promise of effective prayer is closely attached to the requirement that we abide in Christ and that His word abide in us. As we adhere to this requirement our prayers will inevitably be shaped by the mind and will of Christ.

This second nuance of the phrase, “in my name,” is the same as is found in Matthew 10:41b, where the Lord Jesus declares, “...he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” As the New Testament commentator, E.H. Plumtre,¹ remarks, in the name of a righteous man has the meaning, “for the sake of what the name connotes.” In this case, “in the name of a righteous man” means, “for the sake of the righteousness of which the righteous man is the living embodiment.” Likewise, to pray “in the name of Jesus,” is to offer prayer that is in accord with the Person of Jesus, who is none other than the Son of God who is ever in complete harmony with the Father’s will: “The Son can do nothing by himself, but [only] what he sees the Father doing; for whatever [the Father] does, the Son also does in the same way” (Jn. 5:19). Jesus is testifying that it would be impossible for Him to do anything contrary to the Father’s will, for to do so would be contrary to the Son’s very nature as the Second Person of the Trinity who is ever in perfect fellowship and harmony with the Father.

We should also take note of Psalm 37:4, “Delight in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart.” As the famous nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon commented, “Men who delight in God desire or ask for nothing but what will please God...their will is subdued to God’s will, and now they may have what they will.”

In the same vein, we read Psalm 145:18-19, “The LORD is near to all those who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth. ¹⁹He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him; he also will hear their cry and will save them.” Note: To fear the LORD is to live in a relationship with Him that is characterized by reverence and righteousness.

To be effective, our prayers must be in accordance with the mind and the will of Christ. The major themes of Christ’s will and Christ’s heart are revealed to us in the model prayer He has provided for us, the Lord’s Prayer. Our Lord instructed His disciples:

This, then, is how you ought to pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.Matt. 6:9-13

Do our prayers exhibit a holy reverence and worship of God, and is such worship the pre-eminent aspect of our prayer life? Do we pray that God’s name be recognized and honored as sacred and holy in our lives? in our family? in His church? in the world?

In our prayers do we give first priority to the coming of God’s kingdom and the doing of God’s will, even though that may mean the putting to death of our own will? It should be noted that the only other place in the gospels where the phrase, “your will be done,” occurs is in Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Facing the prospect of the cross, our Lord prays, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matt. 26:42).

With regard to material things, do we limit our prayers to requesting the necessities of life? Do we recognize the wisdom in such a prayer and its relationship to the honor and glory of God? The wise man of Proverbs makes a very similar petition to the LORD as that found in the Lord’s Prayer:

...give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. ⁹Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, Who is the LORD? Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. Prov. 30:8b-9

With regard to our moral life, are we honest with God, acknowledging our sins and requesting forgiveness based upon Christ’s atoning sacrifice at Calvary? Do we personally acknowledge the truth of the Apostle John’s teaching, when he writes, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8-9).

With regard to our personal welfare, do we give priority to the spiritual dimension of our life, requesting deliverance from the snares and the clutches of the devil? Do we live with the awareness of the spiritual conflict of which the Apostle Peter speaks? “Be [spiritually] sober. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is prowling around, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Do we faithfully seek to put into practice the admonition of the Apostle James? “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God and he will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:7-8a).

If we desire to have an effective prayer life, we must pray in harmony with the mind and the heart of the Lord Jesus.

The Third Guideline: We Must Seek to Live in Compliance with Jesus’ Commandments←⤒🔗

Take careful note of the close proximity of John 14:13-14, “And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified by the Son. ¹⁴If you shall ask anything in my name, that will I do,” to John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Effective prayer can only be practiced by those who love Christ and seek to keep His commandments. For our prayer life to be effective, not only must we seek to bring our prayers into accordance with our Lord’s model prayer, we must also seek to bring our lives into accordance with our Lord’s righteous life.

In reliance upon the Holy Spirit and the grace He imparts, we must seek to imitate the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. The endeavor of the Apostle Paul must also be our personal endeavor: “I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man” (Acts 24:16).

Are there specific known sins in our lives that are hindering our prayers and preventing us from having an effective prayer life? The Psalmist acknowledges, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened” (Psl. 66:18). Therefore, he requests the LORD to search his heart, so that he might be purged of any such sin: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psl. 139:23-24).

Do we harbor an unforgiving spirit against anyone, if so, this will not only hinder our prayer life, it will jeopardize our whole relationship with God. Let us take very seriously the words of our Lord Jesus as recorded in Mark 11:25, “whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against any one, forgive them; so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.”

Following the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus predicates our own forgiveness on our willingness to forgive others: “if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matt. 6:14-15). If we have been the recipients of God’s grace, we must also be the dispensers of that grace. A failure to dispense such grace to others may well be the indication that we have never been the recipients of that grace ourselves, for there is no evidence that such grace is present in our lives and overflowing from a spiritually transformed heart.

From our Lord’s parable about the Unforgiving Servant (Matt. 18:21-35), we learn that forgiveness cannot be earned, (it is graciously extended to us by God on the basis of Christ’s payment for sin upon the cross of Calvary). However, forgiveness can be withdrawn. It can, and will, be withdrawn from those who have been the recipients of God’s forgiveness, but who refuse to extend forgiveness to those who have sinned against them.

With regard to effective prayer and the role played by obedience, and especially a gracious spirit, the Apostle Peter speaks a special word to husbands: “may the husbands live with their wives in an understanding way: showing respect to the wife as a weaker partner and as a co-heir of the grace of life. [Conduct yourselves in this way] so that your prayers are not hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7). Husband, are you honoring your wife, are you seeking to attend to her needs? This is essential if you are to have an effective prayer life.

If we desire to have an effective prayer life, we must seek to live in compliance with our Lord Jesus’ commandments.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

So much more could be said on the subject of prayer, for instance, the need for perseverance in prayer, or the role of God’s sovereign timing as He accomplishes His purposes in His set time.

But suffice it to say, based on this present passage of Scripture, the more we become like Jesus, the more we will pray like Jesus, and the more we pray like Jesus, the more we will be able to say, “Father, I thank You that You have heard me, for Jesus’ sake.”

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What is Jesus’ condition when He comes from Bethany? Where does He look for food? When He finds no fruit on the tree, what does He do? See Mk. 11:12-14. What indicates that this act was a “parable” with a spiritual application? Note Mk. 11:13b. What is the spiritual truth the Lord is conveying by this act? What does the Lord expect to find in our lives? See Jn. 15:1-2. Does not a barren, fruitless life indicate that such a person has not been regenerated and has not entered into the resurrection life of Jesus Christ?

The next day, when they came from Bethany, [Jesus] was hungry. ¹³Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he came to it, hoping that he might find some fruit on it. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴Then he said to it, May no man eat any fruit from you ever again. Now his disciples heard this... Mk. 11:12-14

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. ²He removes every branch in me that does not bear fruit. But he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it may bear more fruit. Jn. 15:1-2

2. How do the Scriptures define the “fruit” that the Lord expects to find in our lives? See Phil. 1:9­ 11; Gal. 5:22-23a. How is this fruit produced in our lives? See Jn. 15:4-5,

I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰so that you may distinguish the things that are worthy, in order that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹being filled with the fruit of righteousness, which is through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Phil. 1:9-11

...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, ²³meekness, self-control. Gal. 5:22-23a

Abide in me, and I [will abide] in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, it must abide in the vine; so neither can you [bear fruit], unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me and I in him, he is the one who bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing. Jn. 15:4-5

3. What does Jesus teach His disciples about prayer? See Mk. 11:24. Does Jesus mean this in an absolute, unqualified sense, as something that applies at all times and in all circumstances? Note Jas. 4:3. What are the unmentioned presuppositions to this statement? See Jn. 15:7; Psl. 37:4. Is your prayer life governed by these fundamental, underlying requirements for effective prayer?

Therefore, I say to you, Whatever things you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Mk. 11:24

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Jas. 4:3

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you want, and it shall be done for you. Jn. 15:7

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Psl. 37:4

4. What is another requirement for effective prayer? See Mk. 11:25. What warning does the Lord Jesus give concerning the need to forgive others? See Matt. 6:15. Do you extend forgiveness to those who have wronged you? What does Jesus’ parable about The Unforgiving Servant teach us about forgiveness? See Matt. 18:32-35. Do you realize that forgiveness is graciously bestowed upon us, but forgiveness can be withdrawn if we do not reciprocate by forgiving others?

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against any one, forgive [them]; so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. Mk. 11:25

...if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matt. 6:14­-15

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.³³Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴And his master was angry, and delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all that was due to him. ³⁵So shall my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. Matt. 18:32-35

5. What is one other criterion for effective prayer? See Jn. 14:13-14. Why is it essential that we pray in Jesus’ name? See Jn. 14:6; Eph. 2:18. What does Martha say about Jesus’ prayer life? See Jn. 11:22. What does God the Father say about His Son? See Matt. 3:17. What is there about Jesus, the Son of God, that makes Him and His prayers acceptable to God the Father? See Jn. 8:29,

And whatever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified by the Son. ¹⁴If you shall ask anything in my name, that will I do. Jn. 14:13-14

Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except by me. Jn. 14:6

...through [Christ] we...have access to the Father by one Spirit. Eph. 2:18

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask of him. Jn. 11:22

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' Matt. 3:17

The One who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone; because I always do the things that are pleasing to him. Jn. 8:29