Mark: The Triumphal Entry [Mark 11:1-11]

Brian Larkin

The gospel of mark • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Mark: The Triumphal Entry []

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

A few years ago while on vacation with my family, we went to a store strictly about Christmas. They had Christmas decor, ornaments, trees, lights, etc. There was Christmas music playing in the background…and it’s the middle of the summer. Hardly the time to be thinking about Christmas, yet there we were in the midst of Christmas spirit while it’s 95 degrees outside. You might say, what does that have to do with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem??? Nothing at all other than here we are looking at the Palm Sunday message on Father’s day? It’s just a little out of place. Yet here we are starting Passion week all over again, But that’s what happens when you go through a book of the bible verse by verse, it doesn’t always match up seasonally.

So, as I studied this passage, I didn’t want to have just another Palm Sunday message, since we just had one a couple of months ago. So I dove into this text this week like I knew nothing about it at all. Sometimes that’s the trouble with familiar parts of the bible, we’ve heard it so much we don’t get anything out of it anymore…I don’t want us to do that. In fact, as I was recalling some of what I studied to my wife the other day, there were several things from this passage that stood out to me that I guess I’d never really paid attention to because I was focused on Palm Sunday and everything that surrounds it and missed some of the plain things from this text.

I say all that just to encourage you to study your bible! I don’t care if you think you know a passage front way and back…study your bible carefully and thoroughly, you might be surprised what God may reveal to you. I pray God will reveal to you things from this familiar passage that maybe you didn’t see before. We are going to approach our text today in three ways or in three sections…first the actions of Jesus, then the reaction of the crowd, and finally application for our lives.

Let us start with ...

The actions of Jesus []

From this point on in Mark’s gospel the focus is on the final week of our Lord’s earthly life. Mark devotes one-third of his gospel to passion week. This final week of Jesus life begins with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. During this time Jews from all over are gathering at Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, during the Passover Jerusalem would often swell to three times it’s normal size…but this Passover would be unlike an other Passover before or since. This time the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world [] would be slain in time and space. This time as Paul would write in , “Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.”

Mark begins chapter 11 with very descriptive coordinates, which is not like Mark, he’s usually very general in description. Notice where they are in verse one…near Jerusalem , close to Bethany and Bethphage at the Mount of Olives. This is actually very important for at least two reasons, one…they are not in Jerusalem yet. The praise of Jesus came before he entered the city of Jerusalem, I know we call it the triumphal entry and we think he’s riding into the city when all this goes on, but the reality is…he’s outside the city…i believe you have two different crowds one here anticipating what Jesus will do and in a few days you have a quite different crowd crying, crucify him.

Another reason these coordinates are important is fulfillment of prophecy, let me point it out that this event is full of OT allusions and prophecies.

Associated with the triumphal entry is , “behold you king is coming, humble and lowly riding on a donkey, a colt, the fowl of a donkey.” But also it speaks of the coming of the Lord and specifically points out his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies east of Jerusalem. While is a reference to the second coming Mark still makes that connection in his gospel pointing out another example of the Messianic coming of Jesus.

Jesus sends two of his disciples into a village to get a donkey for him to ride into Jerusalem. [read verses 2-3, the words of Jesus]. We notice the actions of Jesus are planned. Some have suggested this speaks to the Omniscience of Jesus, while others say Jesus just made provision ahead of time with the owner of the donkey. Either way is fine, and both are right. In either way Jesus actions are planned and preordained, both are sufficient, neither add or take away from the text. i.e. this isn’t just some spurt of the moment thing where Jesus says, “hey you know what would be nice??? If I had a donkey to ride.” No this has been the plan of God, as the prophet Zech. wrote in 9:9, behold you king coming riding on a donkey.

So this is very well planned, notice Jesus says, “as soon as you enter” “you’ll find an unbroken colt” and He told them what the people would say and what they were to say when asked. “The Lord has need of it.”

This passage teaches us great lessons on the foreknowledge and sovereignty and authority of the Lord, it also speaks to how one should respond to the Lord Jesus…like the two disciples, obey him in detail. As detailed as the instructions are to the disciples the disciples obey in detail [v.6] the did just as he commanded. If they hadn’t used the right password when they were untying the colt what do you think would have happened? Jesus knows what we will encounter and can give guidance for every situation we face with detail.

We should respond like the donkey, available for His use. The creator has the right to use us as He wills and we should delight in that. We should respond like the crowd, with praise and magnifying Him, welcoming Him into our lives and submitting to Him as king.

The actions of Jesus are Prophetic [v.8-10] Most of the time in Jesus ministry His movements were keep on a down low, while crowds did amass often, he usually moved as silently as possible, but not this time, this time there is great pomp in this movement. Jesus knew what lie ahead in just a few days and the time has come to make it known.

This is the only time we see Jesus riding on an animal, he did take a boat in a few places but most of the time he walked. But here on this unbroken donkey there is quite the spectacle taking place. First this unbroken colt is significant as it was set apart for sacred use. This finds its roots in the OT. When a king or other royalty needed use of such an animal, kings often road donkey’s in times of peace not war, they would use unbroken animals, these animals were not used for common secular use. i.e. these animals were not just your run of the mill beast of burden…they were set apart for a purpose. For royal use. Set apart for the king. You can find this in , , , ,

So we see a royal picture here, the disciples go get an animal that is set apart, make a saddle with their clothes, and the people go even farther and throw their clothes down on the ground along with palm branches. In the minds of the Jews would be when Jehu was king, this same thing happened. they threw their cloaks down before Jesus and they began to sing the songs of the pilgrims from “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord… Hosanna means save us now.

They also make the proclamation in verse 10, blessed is the kingdom of David…last week that proclamation was made by blind Bartimaeus, Son of David have mercy on me... now the crowds continue that chant. The only problem is…

While the actions of Jesus place Him as king, they are also misunderstood.

The reaction of the crowd []

Notice how passionate the reaction of the crowd is in verses 8-10. We’ve already stated, the disciples make a saddle, the crowds lay down their clothes before him…why are they doing this? They react out of expectation. They clearly saw the assertion of Jesus Messiahship and their reaction is evidence for that. These Jews knew their bibles they recalled and their king would be coming on a donkey, they knew what the prophet Isaiah said that in that day of the Messiah the deaf would hear and the blind would see. Here in Mark, what just happened before this event??? Blind Bartimaeus was healed. I mean just think about it.

If you were a Jew and you were reading your bible you’d be asking the questions when you came upon these Messianic passages… “who is this and when will he come?” All the way back in , when Jacob is blessing his sons, he blesses Judah and this prophetic line comes out about the king riding on a donkey, Zech. makes the same connection, Isaiah speaks of the Messiah’s healing blind…and you see Jesus doing all these things…what are you going to think??? OK here we go, this is it, this is what we’ve been waiting for, the Messiah is here! And they were right! This is the Messiah all those passages spoke of....the only problem is

The crowds passion and expectation is marred by confusion. Jesus is fulfilling all these prophecies so you can easily see why they are so excited and passionate, but the people don’t understand what Jesus is coming to do. We’ve already seen this in the disciples, every time Jesus has told them about the passion they don’t understand. Even after the resurrection they don’t get immediately. they ask Jesus, “will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?” It’s not until the coming of the Holy Spirit that these disciples finally get what the kingdom of God is all about. You see in the mind of the nationalistic Jew of this day is..

Is not personal salvation, when they cry Hosanna [save us], their not thinking about personal salvation, their thinking on national restoration or political revolution. They’re not thinking, now our sins will be wiped clean, their thinking now we can get rid of Roman rule and have our kingdom like we always wanted it to be. But that’s not what Jesus came to do is it? Jesus is not here to purge Israel from foreign domination, He’s here to purge His people from their sin!

They were looking for a temporal, political, military Savior, but Jesus came to save completely body and soul and give life eternally. Jesus is not a political champion of a nation…he’s the savior of the world!That hits close to home for many in America today.

This day in the life of Jesus ends rather uneventfully, notice in verse 11, those crowds that were so passionate and expectant are all now gone as Jesus enters Jerusalem and surveys the situation. is interesting to me…I wonder what Jesus was thinking as he looked around at all things? I wonder if his mind returned to the first time He was in the temple as a boy, when he was in His Father’s house about the Father’s business…now He’s about His Father’s business again but under very different circumstances.

What once was a place of prayer is now a den of thieves. It hit me while I was studying this passage, I recalled being in Jerusalem and at the time I was in awe of everything, but I didn’t make a connection while I was there, the market places…they were so busy and loud, people pressing in on you wanting you to buy this or that…at times you couldn’t here yourself think. I recall going in to the Holy Sepulcher, there were so many people you could hardly move. I imagine very similar to what Jesus experienced as he entered Jerusalem, a place of prayer and worship converted into a common market for commerce…that is not pleasing to Jesus.

I want us to conclude with...

Reflection and application of the text

A couple of points that the Lord revealed to me from this passage this week. I pray they’ll be as beneficial to you as they were to me.

What does the Bible say? You might say, “that’s not really a point or very profound”, I know it’s not but it’s vitally important. Here’s why. We must be careful don’t automatically think that just because someone is passionate and expectant and quote the bible that their right. The crowd praising Jesus was passionate and quoted scripture but they were wrong. There are a lot of people in America that are passionate and expectant and quote the bible but are just flat out wrong! Let’s not mistake passion for biblical correctness. . What’s important is not what this or that person says about the bible, what’s important isn’t my take on the bible, what’s important is what does the bible say!

When you lay out the bible itself, what does it say? This is how I try to approach the bible and my sermons, not my perspective on the bible but what the Word of God says…and that should be all of our approach. If you have a study bible, which are wonderful, but if you pay more attention to the commentator than the word of God, you’re missing it! Billy Graham’s most common says was??? Any body know??? “and the bible says”. You listen to his messages and you’ll hear him say that more than once. Friends America is full of passionate people who quote the bible and are flat out wrong! We should be concerned with what does the bible say.

The second thing I noted for reflection and application is...

The reason the people of Jesus day were confused about what Jesus came to do was They didn’t understand what it meant for Jesus to be Messiah, they didn’t understand the nature of the Messiah and the reason they didn’t understand was because they were selective in their bible reading. When Jesus told of his death they missed it because all they focused on was the triumphant kingship of Messiah but they paid no attention to the suffering servant the prophets told about with the Messiah. i.e. they were selective in the reading of scriptures.

Doesn’t that hit real close to home today? How many today are selective with scripture, only focusing on what they want or like. If you are selective with scripture you can make it say just about whatever you want it to say. One of the big things today is trying to cut and paste the bible to justify peoples alternative lifestyles. Being selective with certain parts of the bible to condone sinfulness…I’m sorry but removing one word here or there doesn’t change the whole of the bible. What Jesus makes clear for us is that the message of the bible is not about your personal satisfaction or fulfilling your fleshly desires…it’s about sacrifice, denying yourself, it’s about putting others before yourself…and selectively using the bible is not doing any of those things…it’s putting yourself first…and Jesus says the first shall be last.

You can’t pick and choose which parts of the bible to keep or like or pay attention to…we need a solid understanding of the whole of the bible…because at the center of the entire bible is the gospel! The gospel runs through the entire pages of the scripture, from beginning to end the story is about the good news of a savior. If we fail to keep the gospel at the center of our thinking, praying, and living we can easily fall into the category of passionate, expectant, confused people just like those in Jesus day.

In American Christianity today there is a feel and a cry of , not asking about the nation of Israel but will you at this time God restore America the way we want? We are on dangerous ground today in America because we are prone to not make the gospel the center of everything but making our national pride the center, just like the Jew of Jesus day. You may not agree with me and I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.

Anytime you ally the gospel to any political expectation or political party you make a new gospel and you carve our a new kingdom that is not the kingdom of Christ. We forge a Christ of our own liking and making and not the Christ of the bible. Because if there is anything we should learn from Christ and His ministry it’s that the gospel is for every political, economic, and social position in the world…the gospel is beyond politics and parties…it’s good news for all.

And all throughout the bible this gospel is at the center of it all! From beginning to end the story of the bible is…man placing himself in the place where God should be, in control and authority [this is rebellion against God and sin]; and it’s about God placing Himself in the place where man deserves to be, in the place of punishment for sin. The story of the bible is, from beginning to end, is the way in which a holy God brings sinners into the perfection of His heaven…and the answer is the gospel.

Because Jesus dies in the place of sinners, the righteous for the unrighteous [] Jesus became a curse for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Friends is the gospel at the center of lives? Let me ask you a question that I’ve wrestled with myself this week and then we’ll conclude...

At the end of our text today [v.11], Jesus came into Jerusalem and looked around at all things…what would Jesus see if he came to our church and looked around at all things? Would he see a people who are passionate and expectant but confused or people who put the gospel at the center of everything? Is the gospel the center of our lives? The King of creation has come…our King is coming again! Are we ready?

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