Preparing an Entrance July 2
Mark 11:1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”
Jesus sends two of His disciples ahead to secure a young ass, a colt, for Him. This is the season of Passover, the celebration of Israel being led out of bondage. Jerusalem is a tinder box that can be set aflame with incendiary language. He will let the imagery of His entrance speak the words that He dare not say.
Rather than provoke an insurrection, Jesus will allow the words of Zech. 9:9 to make a peaceful proclamation of the coming of the Messiah:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Only in peace is it possible to bring peace. Violence begets violence, and at best the victor rules over a place of simmering hostility.
“Simmering hostility” describes the nature of Israel (or any subdued people) under the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans. A military victory overthrowing the Romans would lead to the same divisions that had plagued the Maccabean rulers during the brief independence between Greek and Roman rule.
The Prince of Peace chose a more excellent path to freedom, riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.
The Lord Has Need July 3
Mark 11:4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”
6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.
This is the first day of Jesus’ last week. Before this moment, Jesus has discouraged all messianic hope in the sense of political ambition. He has taught and healed, and His emphasis has been on the spiritual rather than secular, on oneness rather than division, and on peace rather than conflict.
Those who oppose Him have made the opposite choices: secular, division, conflict. And by these choices they have separated themselves from the foundational truths established from the beginning. Without the foundation, anything they have built is vulnerable to destruction. Indeed, their edifices are destruction. Those who inhabit them, who depend upon them, are shaking reeds in the winds of misplaced faith.
The person who has the colt that Jesus has requested has been waiting for His request, and the request is granted willingly. This likely was prearranged, or possibly the wording of the request is too compelling to be denied.
“The Lord has need of it.” The Lord, Who commands all, “has need of it,” a confession of lack. He does not demand the symbol of kingship, but asks that it be given willingly.
Zechariah’s words, “lowly and riding on a donkey,” speak to the humility of the king who has had need of everything and everyone on His journey. Yet He has taken only what was necessary and those things freely given. A very brief parable….
Regal Leadership July 4
Mark 11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The colt had never been ridden before, but apparently did not object, did not feel a burden when Jesus mounted.
Jesus receives a king’s welcome from the common folk present. John the Baptist had quoted Isaiah 40:3-5 in Mark 1:3, “‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” Now the people place a carpet of palm fronds in His path.
Jesus often speaks figuratively. He now acts figuratively, the humble Son of God arriving in the capital as a king.
Kings claim their power by divine right from the god of their choosing. But they often acquire and maintain this authority through the force of law or arms.
Jesus stands in stark contrast to the kings of earth. He claims the throne by divine right from above, but He accepts it only when freely given from below.
Through the ages, self-professed followers of Christ have claimed that if He had possessed an army, He would have used it. And they have used their armies in His name. In so doing, they denied Jesus as the King of Peace and the Servant of Mankind.
Jesus leads by drawing followers to Him rather than by compelling slaves to obey.
Hosanna! July 5
Mark 11:9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes [c]in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
The people’s cry echoes Psalm 118:25-26:
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord; (Hosanna, O Lord)
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
Hosanna is a compound Hebrew word meaning, “save us, we pray.” This H3467 in the Old Testament is translated variously as save, defend, help, and preserve.
This psalm was part of the Passover celebration, a praise of God for His active presence in the past in Israel, and a Hosanna for the present, as well. The reference to David is a reminder of when Israel was independent as a geographical nation and dependent on God as a people.
This is a remembrance of a past that marked Israel’s peak. The era of David and his son Solomon was a thousand years old at the time of Christ, and the people longed for a return to a better life.
But they did not know how to return, and hence the “Hosanna!”
Jesus was there to show them (and us) how to return, or as it is translated, to repent.
Judging the Time July 6
Mark 11:11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus has arrived at the heart of Israel, Jerusalem, and He goes to the core of the heart, the Temple. It is late on Sunday, the first day of the week.
The Court of the Gentiles is open to all people. He may have passed through the Beautiful Gate into the Court of the Women, a place where both Jewish men and women were allowed. Beyond this was the Altar of Sacrifice, where women were not allowed.
During the busy times of the holy days requiring Jews to come to the Temple, the fierce competition of money lenders and sellers of sacrificial animals seeped from the streets into the Court of the Gentiles.
Jesus would have noted the flagrant violation of the sanctity of God’s house and courts. Undoubtedly He was stirred with righteous indignation.
“As it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Confrontation of wrong requires strength of character. So also does choosing the time and manner of the encounter.
Foliage of the Fig Tree July 7
Mark 11:12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
And His disciples heard it.
The fig tree was symbolic of plenty, of living in a good land, as in 1 Kings 4:25: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”
Jesus uses the fig tree for a parable. His source is Jeremiah 8, in which the prophet speaks of God’s great disappointment in His people for their “sliding back:”
“They hold fast to deceit (false teaching), they refuse to return.” (Jer. 8:5)
“I will surely consume them,” says the Lord.
“No grapes shall be on the vine,
Nor figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf shall fade;
And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ”Jer 8:13
Jesus’ time is Passover, too soon for the fig to have borne fruit. The plant has the spring foliage, and it appears on the outside to be healthy.
Such is Jerusalem, Jesus says. It gives the appearance of obedience to God, but in reality Jerusalem is all show, all foliage and no fruit.
Jesus curses the fig tree, saying, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
The deceit of the teaching of the Pharisees produced no fruit, and Jesus cursed it so that no one would be deceived by it again.
A House of Prayer July 8
Mark 11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
The parable of the fig tree is a good precursor to the cleansing of the Temple. The fig tree bore no figs, and the spiritual root of Jerusalem bore no Spirit.
We look at the living parable of Jesus cleansing the Temple of secular dealings, and we do not consider the justification of the economy that has evolved in and around the Temple.
The Temple is a physical building requiring maintenance and care. The people who service the Temple, and those who attend to the needs (sacrifices and other rituals) of the people are physical beings requiring sustenance and lodging. There is every expectation that money must be brought into the Temple to assure its functions are fulfilled.
Jesus questions whether the Temple and its priests and scribes serve God, or if the primary objective of the Temple and its people is economic income. He quotes Jeremiah 7:11, proclaiming the Temple has become a den of thieves.
Like the fig tree, the foliage of the Temple was beautiful, but the Temple bore no fruit. Serving God was no longer its primary purpose, and if this was not its primary purpose, then it no longer served God at all.
If we do not seek first the kingdom of God, then we do not seek it at all.
Next page
Mark 11:1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. 3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.”
Jesus sends two of His disciples ahead to secure a young ass, a colt, for Him. This is the season of Passover, the celebration of Israel being led out of bondage. Jerusalem is a tinder box that can be set aflame with incendiary language. He will let the imagery of His entrance speak the words that He dare not say.
Rather than provoke an insurrection, Jesus will allow the words of Zech. 9:9 to make a peaceful proclamation of the coming of the Messiah:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Only in peace is it possible to bring peace. Violence begets violence, and at best the victor rules over a place of simmering hostility.
“Simmering hostility” describes the nature of Israel (or any subdued people) under the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans. A military victory overthrowing the Romans would lead to the same divisions that had plagued the Maccabean rulers during the brief independence between Greek and Roman rule.
The Prince of Peace chose a more excellent path to freedom, riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey.
The Lord Has Need July 3
Mark 11:4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?”
6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.
This is the first day of Jesus’ last week. Before this moment, Jesus has discouraged all messianic hope in the sense of political ambition. He has taught and healed, and His emphasis has been on the spiritual rather than secular, on oneness rather than division, and on peace rather than conflict.
Those who oppose Him have made the opposite choices: secular, division, conflict. And by these choices they have separated themselves from the foundational truths established from the beginning. Without the foundation, anything they have built is vulnerable to destruction. Indeed, their edifices are destruction. Those who inhabit them, who depend upon them, are shaking reeds in the winds of misplaced faith.
The person who has the colt that Jesus has requested has been waiting for His request, and the request is granted willingly. This likely was prearranged, or possibly the wording of the request is too compelling to be denied.
“The Lord has need of it.” The Lord, Who commands all, “has need of it,” a confession of lack. He does not demand the symbol of kingship, but asks that it be given willingly.
Zechariah’s words, “lowly and riding on a donkey,” speak to the humility of the king who has had need of everything and everyone on His journey. Yet He has taken only what was necessary and those things freely given. A very brief parable….
Regal Leadership July 4
Mark 11:7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
The colt had never been ridden before, but apparently did not object, did not feel a burden when Jesus mounted.
Jesus receives a king’s welcome from the common folk present. John the Baptist had quoted Isaiah 40:3-5 in Mark 1:3, “‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” Now the people place a carpet of palm fronds in His path.
Jesus often speaks figuratively. He now acts figuratively, the humble Son of God arriving in the capital as a king.
Kings claim their power by divine right from the god of their choosing. But they often acquire and maintain this authority through the force of law or arms.
Jesus stands in stark contrast to the kings of earth. He claims the throne by divine right from above, but He accepts it only when freely given from below.
Through the ages, self-professed followers of Christ have claimed that if He had possessed an army, He would have used it. And they have used their armies in His name. In so doing, they denied Jesus as the King of Peace and the Servant of Mankind.
Jesus leads by drawing followers to Him rather than by compelling slaves to obey.
Hosanna! July 5
Mark 11:9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David
That comes [c]in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!”
The people’s cry echoes Psalm 118:25-26:
25 Save now, I pray, O Lord; (Hosanna, O Lord)
O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.
Hosanna is a compound Hebrew word meaning, “save us, we pray.” This H3467 in the Old Testament is translated variously as save, defend, help, and preserve.
This psalm was part of the Passover celebration, a praise of God for His active presence in the past in Israel, and a Hosanna for the present, as well. The reference to David is a reminder of when Israel was independent as a geographical nation and dependent on God as a people.
This is a remembrance of a past that marked Israel’s peak. The era of David and his son Solomon was a thousand years old at the time of Christ, and the people longed for a return to a better life.
But they did not know how to return, and hence the “Hosanna!”
Jesus was there to show them (and us) how to return, or as it is translated, to repent.
Judging the Time July 6
Mark 11:11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Jesus has arrived at the heart of Israel, Jerusalem, and He goes to the core of the heart, the Temple. It is late on Sunday, the first day of the week.
The Court of the Gentiles is open to all people. He may have passed through the Beautiful Gate into the Court of the Women, a place where both Jewish men and women were allowed. Beyond this was the Altar of Sacrifice, where women were not allowed.
During the busy times of the holy days requiring Jews to come to the Temple, the fierce competition of money lenders and sellers of sacrificial animals seeped from the streets into the Court of the Gentiles.
Jesus would have noted the flagrant violation of the sanctity of God’s house and courts. Undoubtedly He was stirred with righteous indignation.
“As it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.” Confrontation of wrong requires strength of character. So also does choosing the time and manner of the encounter.
Foliage of the Fig Tree July 7
Mark 11:12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
And His disciples heard it.
The fig tree was symbolic of plenty, of living in a good land, as in 1 Kings 4:25: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”
Jesus uses the fig tree for a parable. His source is Jeremiah 8, in which the prophet speaks of God’s great disappointment in His people for their “sliding back:”
“They hold fast to deceit (false teaching), they refuse to return.” (Jer. 8:5)
“I will surely consume them,” says the Lord.
“No grapes shall be on the vine,
Nor figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf shall fade;
And the things I have given them shall pass away from them.” ’ ”Jer 8:13
Jesus’ time is Passover, too soon for the fig to have borne fruit. The plant has the spring foliage, and it appears on the outside to be healthy.
Such is Jerusalem, Jesus says. It gives the appearance of obedience to God, but in reality Jerusalem is all show, all foliage and no fruit.
Jesus curses the fig tree, saying, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
The deceit of the teaching of the Pharisees produced no fruit, and Jesus cursed it so that no one would be deceived by it again.
A House of Prayer July 8
Mark 11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
The parable of the fig tree is a good precursor to the cleansing of the Temple. The fig tree bore no figs, and the spiritual root of Jerusalem bore no Spirit.
We look at the living parable of Jesus cleansing the Temple of secular dealings, and we do not consider the justification of the economy that has evolved in and around the Temple.
The Temple is a physical building requiring maintenance and care. The people who service the Temple, and those who attend to the needs (sacrifices and other rituals) of the people are physical beings requiring sustenance and lodging. There is every expectation that money must be brought into the Temple to assure its functions are fulfilled.
Jesus questions whether the Temple and its priests and scribes serve God, or if the primary objective of the Temple and its people is economic income. He quotes Jeremiah 7:11, proclaiming the Temple has become a den of thieves.
Like the fig tree, the foliage of the Temple was beautiful, but the Temple bore no fruit. Serving God was no longer its primary purpose, and if this was not its primary purpose, then it no longer served God at all.
If we do not seek first the kingdom of God, then we do not seek it at all.
Next page
