Thank you for the question on Mark 11:24, “Is Mark 11:24 the most sound teaching as far as pragmatism is concerned in day to day living? This question is open to every one, including atheists.”
Quoting Mark 11:24 must be taken into context and with other teachings of Jesus. The citation of Mark 11:24 is NOT the most sound teaching as far as pragmatism. It may lead to disillusionment of the Scriptures and even of one’s faith. It is NOT name it and claim it.
Mark 11 says this, “20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” 22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” [26] (NIV).
Here are thoughts on the passage:
A. The text states that Jesus is teaching his disciples.
The pronoun, you, is referring to the the disciples of Jesus. It is those who believe in God and have a relationship with God.
B. The text states that Jesus is teaching about faith.
Faith is not one’s wish list. Faith aligns itself in what one believes or perceives as the will of God. It is based on the revealed will of God in the Scriptures. The text is not giving the followers of Jesus a blank check that they can ask for anything and that God will do it.
Prayer is seeking to understanding God’s will and praying in accordance to it. It is not “my will, but your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If it is not the Father’s will in heaven, then it will be unlikely be granted to that person.
As one reads the account of Jesus in the Olive Garden. Jesus prayed or ask that the cup be passed from him in Mark 14. “35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (NIV). Jesus prayer was in alignment with the Father’s will, not what he wanted nor did he imposed his will on the Father.
C. The text is teaching that faith looks beyond the circumstances.
The disciples couldn’t believe their own eyes that the tree that was alive the day before is now withering. Jesus was teaching his disciples that he came looking for fruit in Israel but found none. It looked good but it was fruitless. The cursing of the tree was to illustrate to them that point that it will not survive.
Didn’t the Apostles went out in the name of Jesus and healed the sick and the lame for Jesus gave them that authority? They believe it was possible because they saw Jesus performed those healings, but what about something that Jesus haven’t done.
Jesus stated to his disciples that they will do greater works than he did because he is with the Father. John 14 says this, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (NIV).
D. The text gives two conditions: without doubt in one’s heart and with faith.
Thus the petitioner before God must have a clean, clear conscience and a clear motive for God sees the heart of the person. If one has any doubt about one’s heart due to inappropriate motive, then one knows that his/her own motive or reason for asking is skewed or tainted. It is not pure.
As previous mentioned, that person must believe in what he is asking. Does s/he truly believes that what he is asking of God further the glory of God or further his own name? Does that person believes that he is praying in accordance with the will of God?
Many people have prayed to will the Lottery or healing of a sick one, but what is the motive of our asking? Is it really about our losses or our winnings? Will it be truly used for God’s glory or only a portion of it? We wish our prayers to be answer.
My daughter in law has stage four colon cancer that has severely affected her liver. It’s five times larger than the normal size. Is my prayer just for healing so that my son and their children will have a wife and mom? Am I willing to commit her into the hand of God and find peace and rest in His will? Surely, I pray that God will be gracious to extend her life. I leave the timeframe to God for he loves her more than I do and his will has yet to be worked out for my son and their family. Do I believe that God will healed her? To be honest , No. I do believe that God will grant her up three years even though with her kind of cancer the patients have 4 to 7 months to live. That is what I can pray for with faith.
E. In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches that one must abide in him and his Word must abide in that person for answer prayer.
John 15 says this, “7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (NIV).
The prayer of the person can’t contradict the revealed will of God. The word, abide, is more than knowing or memorizing the Word of God. It is living within the realm of the Word. It is walking in the light as God is light.
Using logic is more pragmatic. Prayer takes a believer beyond logic to aligning oneself with the Word of God and finding that God is faithful to His Word. Pragmatists doesn’t need prayer. That is seen as foolishness to that person.
SUMMARY: Believers are called to live by faith, not by sight. A pragmatist lives by sight, not be faith. Thus Mark 11:24 would not apply to a non-believer.