Sermon Notes

4 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this: ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said, and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NRSVue)
4 As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. 2 He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. 3 Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ If so, say, ‘The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.’ ” 4 So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it. 5 Some people standing there asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go. 7 They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those in front and those in back shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard. He looked around at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples. (The Message, MSG)

The “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem appears in all four gospels (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), emphasizing the importance of this occasion for Jesus’ ministry, message, and passion. However, in Mark’s gospel, Palm Sunday depicts Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem not as a human triumph—as was the custom within the Roman Empire during the 1st Century CE—but as a spiritual one. While the “triumphal” processions of political, military, and royal male leaders often included extravagant displays of wealth, military power in the form of mounted cavalries, and the celebratory salutations of elaborately costumed elites waving provided palm branches, Jesus’ entry is more of an anti-procession.
According to Mark, there are no horses, chariots, or politically well-connected sycophants. Instead, Jesus rides into the city alone, on the back of a donkey, greeted by everyday working folk who spread branches they had themselves cut in the fields. On their lips is Hebrew scripture—“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” Alluding to Zechariah 9, Mark makes it plain that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is not an arrogant attempt to elevate himself for fortune, fame, or imperial power. Jesus comes as a humble emissary of the Lord, enfleshing the reign of God over the reign of corrupt worldly empires.
Contemporary Christians should look to Mark 11 as a reminder that God has not forgotten about God’s people. Amid the noise, distraction, and political theater of worldly “pomp and circumstance,” Jesus challenges the political, religious, and social systems that seek to thwart Divine rule and reign. According to Mark’s gospel, Palm Sunday is the triumphant procession of God’s plan, God’s purpose, and God’s salvation in Jesus of Nazareth—the promised Messiah.

As the earliest gospel, Mark is the closet literary witness to the Jewish wars against Rome that occurred between 66CE and 72CE. While tradition asserts that John Mark authored the Gospel of Mark, we don’t actually know who wrote this narrative. Because Mark 13 references the Roman Empire’s destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, scholars believe this writing was penned in Rome, Galilee, or Syria after 70 CE in response to this devastating event. In 71 CE, after crushing the Jewish rebellion, Rome hosted a victory parade that displayed their military might, political prowess and religious supremacy. On Roman coinage, known as Judean Capta coins, Judean prisoners of war were depicted as being dominated by Roman soldiers. The message Rome was sending throughout the empire was clear: defy Rome at your own peril! It is within this highly charged political context—and the context of Roman processional victory parades—that Mark writes to help his Christian community navigate life in the midst of this totalitarian assertion of Roman power and ideology.
Mark 11:1-11 is a portion of a literary unit that runs from Mark 11:1 - 15:47 and centers on Jesus’ conflicts, betrayal, and passion in Jerusalem. Because his teaching and preaching centered on the inauguration of the kingdom/kindom of God, Jesus consistently found himself at odds with religious and political leaders who despised his popularity with the populace. Further, Jesus denounced the teaching, motives, and practices of the Jewish religious leaders. Therefore, they sought to silence him. The term “kingdom of God” is a politically charged phrase that prophetically calls out the dominant empire of that time—Rome. In 1st century Palestine, any discussion of kingdoms would immediately invoke the scrutiny and military might of the Roman Empire. When Mark’s Jesus declares that, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news,” (Mark 1:15), he is making a counter-imperial proclamation that challenges Roman sovereignty. Any preaching, teaching, and actions that arise after that crucial verse contextualizes God’s reign—and the movement that Jesus founds—as a political affront to human kings and kingdoms.

1 As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. 2 He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. 3 Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ If so, say, ‘The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.’ ” 4 So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it. 5 Some people standing there asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go.
In the opening verses of the lesson, Jesus reveals a precise sense of timing for setting into motion the events that will culminate with his passion. As he stated in Marck 1:15, his ministry signaled to the people of Palestine that God’s kingdom had finally arrived. Now, with the “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem, Jesus’ time to fully reveal himself as the Messiah has come. From the Mount of Olives in Bethany, Jesus sends two of his disciples ahead to procure a colt. It was not that Jesus needed a ride; it wasn’t a long walk into Jerusalem. However, the Markan writer wants to make sure that his hearers and readers know that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a never-ridden colt as an allusion to prophetic prophecy about the Messiah (Zechariah 9:9).
Mark gives detailed instructions about procuring this donkey. First, the writer wants to reveal this act was an important fulfillment of prophecy. This action connects Jesus to the Hebrew scriptures which foretold of the character of the Messiah. Second, the writer wants to portray Jesus’ miraculous prophetic insight. His exact knowledge of the whereabouts of the animals, and of the response of the owners, indicates that he is completely aware of and in control of his environment. Third, the writer wants to display Jesus’ power and sovereignty. The fact that the disciples did not seek permission ask to use the animal, indicates Jesus’ right and authority to make use of anything for his Divine purpose. Once the disciples explained who Jesus was, the people who objected to their taking the donkey ceased their objections.
The title, “Lord” was based on prophetic scripture. It implied the deity of Jesus, and thus His sovereignty over all creation. The term “Lord” conveyed to these owners that Jesus was not only Messiah, but God, and thus He had every right to possess these animals, whether He ever returned them or not. However, note that Jesus did not conscript the animal without an assurance that he would return the donkey to its rightful owner. The Roman military would often conscript animals, land, produce and services from the Judean population without payment or assurance of return. Jesus does not do this. He recognizes and respects personal property.

7 They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those in front and those in back shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” 10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
From other gospel accounts of this entry into Jerusalem, we learn that many people from Galilee were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Many were children. And yet, as they saw Jesus coming, they felt deeply moved to cry out the very words that fulfilled Psalm 118. Mark pulls his hearers/readers into the excitement of the crowds. Some people take off their coats so Jesus can sit on them. Other people cut branches from the surrounding trees to spread along the road leading into the city. They may have even waved them as Jesus passed by. These actions have messianic significance as Jesus is heralded with Hallel Psalms, one of the several psalms that (Psalm 113-118) Jewish pilgrims sung while going up to Jerusalem for Passover and during the Passover meal. Mark makes specific reference to Psalm 118:25.
Hosanna means ‘help’ or ‘save, I pray.’ While on the one hand, this is a cry for help, it is also apparent that the people employ the word as a term of adoration and praise. In the expression “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” we find that Je-sus is hailed as the one who comes as a divine representative of God. In the next statement, “Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David,” Mark reveals the establishment of the kingdom/kin-dom of God which is foremost in the minds of the multitude. ‘Hosanna in the highest’ again reflects the announcement of Jesus’ ministry in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news!”
Clearly, the crowds understood the actions of Jesus as a symbolic statement of his identity as Israel’s Messiah. However, their focus on the kingdom of “our father David,” indicates the people did not understand the significance of Jesus ministry and the nature of God’s kingdom/kin-dom. While they correctly hail Jesus as the coming Messiah, they mistakenly think his kingdom will be political and militarily gained. First, the people fail to grasp the significance of Jesus riding upon the donkey, a symbol of a non-military and humble kingdom. Second, the people failed to grasp the proper priorities for the coming Kingdom. Ultimately, the Messiah would establish a physical, earthly Kingdom, but primarily this Kingdom was based upon a spiritual renewal. The crowds thought only of the material dimensions of the Kingdom to the exclusion of the spiritual. Third, the crowd also did not understand how the Kingdom was to be established. They thought it would be accomplished by military might and revolution, rather than by rejection, suffering, and a humiliating death for the Messiah.
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard. He looked around at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples.
In the final verse of the lesson, the Markan writer links the people who heralded Jesus on the road to Jerusalem with the temple. Mark says after Jesus enters into the city, he goes into the temple courtyard and, “looks around at everything.” Jesus sees the physical structure that holds the religious, social, and political center of Jewish life, and the malformed spiritual structures that revel the corrupted motives and practices of the Jewish religious elites.
The verb that Mark utilizes to characterize Jesus looking around, “periblepo,” indicates close observation, intense evaluation, and judgmental anger at the pitiful condition of the religious/spiritual status quo. As Jesus looks “at everything”, he likely sees the money-changers tables which represent the commercialism, exploitation and injustice that has taken over the system of sacrificial offerings. Jesus also likely sees the religious ceremonies that take place in the temple, but that do not represent God’s concern for living in authentic community with the Divine or each other. As he looks at everything, Jesus—as the Messiah— readies himself for what is to come: conflict, suffering, and death at Calvary. But, until that time comes, he returns to Bethany with his disciples.

i. Warren Carter, “Mark: Volume 42 (Wisdom Commentary Series), 81-82, Liturgical Press. Kindle Edition.
ii. Ibid.