Passage: Mark 11:1-10
Main idea: Jesus’ ministry is about
to end and He is making His final entry into Jerusalem. The passage is about
Jesus’ fulfillment of the prophecies that were declared long ago in the Old
Testament as He rides into Jerusalem on a colt as the people praise Him saying,
“Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One! The coming
kingdom of our father David is blessed! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
(11:9b-10).
Outline:
I. Jesus and His disciples were
approaching Jerusalem near the Mount of Olives (11:1).
A.
Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead of Him to find a colt and bring it back for
Him to ride on (11:2a).
B.
Jesus says that a colt that no one has ever sat on before will be there
(11:2b).
C.
The two disciples will answer anyone who questions them with “The Lord needs it
and will send it back here right
away” (11:3).
II. The two disciples went ahead as
Jesus had told them to find the colt and bring it back to Him (11:4).
A.
People questioned them saying, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” (11:5).
B.
The disciples answered the people as Jesus had told them and they let them go
(11:6).
C.
They brought the colt to Jesus and put their robes on it and Jesus sat on it
(11:7).
III. Jesus rode the donkey into
Jerusalem for fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
A.
Many people put their robes and branches on the road ahead of Jesus (11:8).
B.
The people kept shouting, “Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the
blessed One! The coming kingdom of
our father David is blessed! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (11:9b-10).
Jesus
had been performing miracles and miraculous signs for over three years and His
time had come to enter Jerusalem and give up His life for mankind. Mark does
not seem to record this account as triumphantly as the other Gospels do, but
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is of upmost importance. Jesus was the Messiah and
He came to Jerusalem in order to show that He was the Messiah and Israel’s
king. Jesus had to enter the way He did because that is how the Old Testament
prophets had predicted it and Jesus was careful to do everything according to
the prophecies. The book of Mark does not record Zechariah 9:9, but Matthew 21:5
does announce the fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah. Mark was simpler
and wrote the account like Jesus was entering Jerusalem on a colt as normal and
the entry “can hardly be called ‘the triumphal entry.’”[1]
Mark did not have details on how this entrance was significant like the other
Gospels recorded, but he did not fail to leave out that people worshipped Jesus
as He entered. The true Messiah and king of Israel had come and He was ready to
begin the last stage of His life and become a Savior.
The
Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, a contemporary of Peter who was one of
Jesus’ disciples. He recorded what Peter had witnessed first hand making his
writings accurate and authoritative. Mark was not a disciple and he is not
mentioned until Acts, after Jesus’ death. He did not witness Jesus’ life or
miracles and relied on the preaching of Peter to write his book. The Gospel was
written first according to most scholars and the rest of the Gospels took from
it and added to their own. Mark was written to the Romans, which is evidenced
by the theme of action in the Gospel. The Romans learned from action and the
best way to get a message to them would have been to write about action. “If
Mark is indeed the first Gospel, it merits the most careful consideration. Its
author introduced to the Roman world a type of popular literature previously
unknown.”[2]
The Gospel of Mark “is intended to be neither a formal historical treatise nor
a biography of Jesus, but proclamation.”[3]
Mark
11:1-10, “according to the geographical organization of Mark, the present account
records the first and only time Jesus enters Jerusalem.”[4]
The other Gospels record different instances where Jesus had entered Jerusalem
before this time. The date of when this event happened is not certain, but many
say “this event fits better the autumn feast of Tabernacles due to the presence
of pilgrims, branches (11:8), and the shouts of ‘Hosanna’”.[5]
The most accurate association of this account is that it is with the Passover
Festival. Mark had just written the account of Jesus predicting His death for a
third time (10:32-34) and He left Jericho after healing the blind man
Bartimaeus (10:46-52). Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem
from Jericho near the Mount of Olives (11:1). This entry into Jerusalem would
lead to Jesus’ cleansing of the temple and the final stage of Jesus’ life on
earth. Those who opposed Jesus hated that He entered on a colt and that He was
worshipped. They began to plot against Jesus and find a way to destroy Him
(11:18).
Jesus
and His disciples were near the Mount of Olives heading towards Jerusalem at
the start of chapter 11. The text says that they were near Bethphage and
Bethany by the Mount of Olives. The reasoning behind Mark’s words is “due less
to Mark’s supposed geographical confusion than to his desire to list the
ultimate goal of Jesus (Jerusalem) first (10:32), and since Bethphage was
nearest Jerusalem, it is mentioned second.”[6]
The Mount of Olives was across the Kidron Valley and east of Jerusalem.[7]
According to Brooks, the reason Mark used the order of the cities he did was
because he was not a native of Palestine. In fact, the exact location of
Bethphage is not known. Jerusalem is first because it is “the goal of the
journey” and the rest is in relation to “their relationship to Jerusalem”.[8]
After approaching Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead of Him to
find a colt that no one has sat on before and bring it back to Him (11:2). The
significance of the colt (donkey or ass as it is more commonly known as) is,
according to the Mercer Bible Dictionary, “while the horse was often associated
with war, the ass was considered a peaceful animal.”[9]
This passage seems odd because of the fact that Jesus already knows that the
colt is there before hand. The New International Commentary suggests “its
availability (the colt) suggests prearrangement with the owner (Mark 14:12-16),
who may have been with Jesus at the time.”[10]
The Interpreter’s Bible Commentary says that this verse correlates with the
story of the unknown man who helped prepare the Last Supper. The Commentary
also says that this “indicates that Jesus had an ‘underground’ working in
Jerusalem.” An underground being a “network of people, a dependable force,
‘alerted’ to his purposes, acquainted with his mind, ready to act for his
cause.”[11]
That being said it is suggested that it is not a mere coincidence that these
people helped Him miraculously, but were part of a group chosen to help Jesus.
However, this does take away from Jesus’ miraculous nature saying that He could
not possibly know that the colt was tied up in the next town unless He talked
to the owner beforehand. It is possible that Jesus did know because He is the
Messiah, but also in order to make arrangements to take the colt He must have
talked to the owner as well. The next verse indicates the response the
disciples are supposed to have if anyone asks why they are taking the colt.
Going back to the New International Commentary, Lane suggests, “While this
point is not made explicit in the text (the prearrangement with the owner of
the colt), it tends to be confirmed by the fact that the message concerning the
colt is not directed to the owner but to anyone who might question the
disciple’s action.”[12]
The disciples were told to answer anyone questioning them with “The Lord needs
it.” (11:3). The Greek word for Lord means “owner or master, and it is
difficult to believe that bystanders would have understood the word as
referring to deity or even to Jesus.”[13]
The disciples were supposed to tell the people that the owner of the colt was
requesting it and they would bring it back. This would have allowed them to
take the colt and if Jesus had talked to the owner beforehand as stated above
than there would have been no problem with taking it. Nothing is certain
whether Mark used Lord to state Jesus as the Messiah, as the owner of the colt,
or as knowing the owner of the colt. One thing is certain,
“Nowhere
else in Mark did Jesus refer to himself as ‘Lord’, but that does not mean he could have done so in the present instance…
Mark likely saw in the event an example of the
supernatural knowledge and power of Jesus – the latter in influencing the
bystanders to permit the disciples to
take the colt (v. 6).”[14]
Mark
11:4 indicates the acting out of verses 2 and 3. The two disciples went and
found the colt and untied it in order to bring it back to Jesus. Jesus did not
guess that the colt would be there or say, “if there is a colt in the village
bring it”, but everything He had told them was exactly as He said it. Mark
likes to repeat himself in his Gospel, but this time he adds a detail saying,
“they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway” (11:4). The
disciples untied it and revealed a messianic sign. Genesis 49:11 says, “He ties
his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine;.” “The allusion
to Gen. 49:11 confirms the messianic character which the animal bears in Ch.
11:1-10. It also indicates that the untying of the colt was itself a messianic
sign.”[15]
Genesis 49:10 says, “Until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of
the peoples.” “This interpretation is reflected in the designation, ‘the Coming
one’ or ‘He who comes.’”[16]
The people standing around began to question them for untying the donkey, just
like Jesus said would happen. Mark liked to repeat himself in his Gospel and
here he repeats himself in order to confirm Jesus’ insight and show that the
disciples did exactly what they were told to do by Jesus. The disciples had the
colt and the people let them take it; now they just had to bring it back to
Jesus. Verse 7 indicates that the disciples came back with the colt and before
letting Jesus ride it they put their robes on it. It was a colt that never had
been ridden on before and it did not have a saddle. The disciples placing their
robes on the donkey shows their indignation for Jesus as the Messiah and as
royalty. This homage is in reference to 2 Kings 9:13 where royal homage was
given to Jehu.[17]
Everything was ready for Jesus to make His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and
proclaim Himself as King.
The
book of Zechariah was written between 520 and 489 B.C. The prophet proclaimed
an event that was more than 500 years away and claimed the Messiah will come, “Behold,
your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and
mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
This is the first instance in Mark of Jesus wanting to draw a crowd.
“His
magnetic power and miracles made his desire to keep a low profeile next to impossible. Nevertheless, he consistently
tried to elude the starstruck crowds, whose excitement
threatened to turn his mission into a carnival… What occurs now (11:8) is a complete reversal: Jesus encourages public
rejoicing by his provocative entrance… His actions
encourage the crowd to blazon his name jubilantly from street corners and rooftops.”[18]
Mark 11:8 relates back to 1 Kings
1:38-48 and also again 2 Kings 9:13. The crowds recognized Jesus as king and
wanted to anoint Him. The second half of verse 8 speaks of leafy branches. The
leafy branches mentioned are called palm branches in John 12:12. This marks the
day known as Palm Sunday. According to Harper’s Bible Dictionary, Palm Sunday
was “the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.”[19]
Palms were
“A
tall, slender tree whose leaves fan out at the top like a plume… Many parts of
the tree were used… The leaves
were used as roofing for houses and for weaving mats and baskets. According to tradition, the
leaves were also gathered and displayed as a symbol of joy and celebration on the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem.”[20]
Verses 9 and 10 show the verbal
response of the crowds in Jerusalem. While others laid leafy branches at the
feet of Jesus’ colt, others ran ahead and shouted, “Hosanna! He who comes in
the name of the Lord is the blessed One! The coming kingdom of our father David
is blessed! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (11:9b-10). Verse 9b is taken from
Psalm 118:26a. “‘Hosanna’ is Hebrew for ‘Save now!’ By the first century,
however, its use in Ps. 118 was no longer understood literally as a cry by
those shouting it for God to now save the people of Israel from their enemies…
it had become more idiomatic in nature and was by then an expression of joy and
jubilation.”[21]
The crowd was crying out in joy because the Messiah had come. According to
Brooks, “The statement ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ was
originally directed to pilgrims as they approached the temple, but Mark no
doubt wanted his readers/hearers to apply it to Jesus and to see him as the
coming Messiah.”[22]
Verse 10 is the end of the triumphant shout the people of Jerusalem were
chanting ahead of Jesus, “The coming kingdom of our father David is blessed!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (11:10). This, according to Brooks, says,
“Jesus is not explicitly designated as the coming Davidic king. The kingdom and
not the king is acclaimed. The implication that Jesus will establish the
kingdom is, however, quite apparent.”[23]
The crowds are rejoicing that the true king has come! However, according to
Garland,
“They
are right that Jesus comes as king, but they expect a typical monarch, who will
establish a temporal empire. Their
mistaken presumption that he is entering Jerusalem to purge the nation of foreign domination and to resuscitate
the ancient glories of Israel leads
to the premature festivity. These false hopes are dashed as he surrenders
tamely to those who come to arrest him,
but a new and greater hope will be resurrected.”[24]
The people of Jerusalem are
celebrating for the chance of earthly redemption of Israel, but they would be
sadly mistaken. The entry was not triumphant in the way they hoped, but instead
it was more triumphant than anyone, including the disciples, could have ever
known.
Mark
11:1-10 is known as the triumphant entry, but also is known by simply Jesus’
entry into Jerusalem, as well as Palm Sunday. This event is celebrated now as
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before His trial and crucifixion. The most typical
application to this text is that verse 9 and 10 should be shouted with upmost
praise because the Messiah came and died and has risen! The significance of
this small piece of text affirmed the perfect human that was Jesus. He
fulfilled every prophecy that was laid before Him in the Old Testament. He did
everything He was supposed to do in order to save mankind. Mark may not write
in much glory and splendor of Jesus’ “triumphant entry” like the other Gospels,
but the significance is still there. The people recognized the Messiah and what
they thought was going to happen may not have happened in the earthly sense,
but it did happen. Jesus is to be recognized as the Messiah and that He came to
serve man, but also that the kingdom would come. Contemporary audiences who
read this text need to realize that Jesus was not accustomed to wanting people
to realize He was around so that crowds would not gather. However, this time He
wanted the world to know that He was there and accepted all praise. The meaning
of this is simply that Jesus no longer wants people to not realize He is there,
but He wants everyone to realize He is there! He wants the world to know that
He has come and that He is going (has already) to save everyone who believes in
His holy name. Realize that He is the Messiah and praise His name for He came
to Jerusalem that day and only a few days later was He tried, tortured,
crucified, and three days later resurrected! That is the story that Mark ends
his book on because that is the greatest story ever to be recorded. Jesus
triumphantly entered Jerusalem just as He triumphantly defeated the grave and
rose again.
Bibliography
Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper’s Bible Dictionary. San
Francisco, California: Harper & Row Publishers,
1985.
Clifton J. Allen, The Broadman Bible Commentary – General
Articles Matthew – Mark. Nashville,
Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1969.
James A. Brooks, The New American Commentary Vol. 23 – Mark.
Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing
Group, 1991.
George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible Volume VII – Matthew
and Mark. New York, New York:
Abingdon Press, 1951.
David E. Garland, The NIV Application Commentary – Mark.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1996.
William L. Lane, The Gospel According To Mark. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1975.
Watson E. Mills, Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Macon,
Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1990.
Robert H. Stein, Mark. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic
Publishing Group, 2008.
[1]
James A. Brooks, The New American
Commentary Vol. 23 – Mark. (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing
Company, 1991), 177.
[2]
William L. Lane, The Gospel According To
Mark. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975),
1.
[3]
Ibid.
[4]
Robert H. Stein, Mark. (Grand Rapids,
Michigan: Baker Academic Publishing Group, 2008), 501.
[5]
Ibid.
[6]
Ibid., 503.
[7]
Brooks, 178.
[8]
Ibid.
[9]
Watson E. Mills, Mercer Dictionary of the
Bible. (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1990), 70.
[10]
Lane, 395.
[11]
George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s
Bible Volume VII – Matthew and Mark. (New York, New York: Abingdon Press,
1951), 825.
[12]
Lane, 395.
[13]
Clifton J. Allen, The Broadman Bible
Commentary – General Articles Matthew – Mark. (Nashville, Tennessee:
Broadman Press, 1969), 355.
[14]
Brooks, 179.
[15]
Lane, 395.
[16]
Ibid.
[17]
Allen, 355.
[18]
David E. Garland, The NIV Application
Commentary – Mark. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House,
1996), 428.
[19]
Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper’s Bible
Dictionary. (San Francisco, California: Harper & Row Publishers, 1985),
746.
[20]
Ibid.
[21]
Stein, 505.
[22]
Brooks, 179.
[23]
Ibid., 179-180
[24]
Garland, 429.
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