⚡WEB · Mark 11:26
What does Mark 11:26 mean?
"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”"
— Mark 11:26 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says.
Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.
Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions.”
They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders came to him,
and they began saying to him, “By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?”
Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Explanation
Mark 11:26 records Jesus teaching that God's forgiveness of us is connected to our willingness to forgive others. In plain terms, the verse says that if a person refuses to forgive those who have wronged them, God the Father will not forgive that person's own sins. It is a direct, sobering statement that ties two things together: the mercy we extend to others and the mercy we receive from God.
This verse comes at the end of a passage in Mark 11 where Jesus and his disciples encounter the withered fig tree, and Jesus uses the occasion to teach about faith and prayer. In verse 25, just before this statement, Jesus tells his disciples that when they stand praying, they should forgive anyone against whom they hold a grievance, "so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your transgressions." Verse 26 then restates that principle in the negative, driving the point home with force. It's worth noting that many ancient manuscripts of Mark do not contain verse 26, and most modern textual scholars believe it was added later by a copyist who brought
Compare translations
Go deeper with ScriptureCompanion AI
Ask questions about any verse, follow reading plans, write personal prayers, and track your daily habit — all grounded in verified scripture text.