CHAPTER 11
CRUNCHTIME IN JERUSALEM!
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” Mark 11:1-10
Everything Jesus did had meaning and purpose. Zechariah, the prophet, predicted this event some 400+ years before. Way back in the time of Israel’s weakness and oppression, he visualised Israel’s Messiah riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Now it was happening. What was this? In the eyes of Rome, it was an act of treason. The people were excited. At last their king had come and they looked forward to a new life of freedom from the hated Romans.
The religious leaders were appalled. They had no desire to turn Jerusalem into a war zone against the Romans. What could one man and a motley group of 12 men do against the might of Rome? This man had to be silenced before things really got out of hand. Their past experience reminded them that, if they got rid of the ring leaders the followers would easily be disbanded. This was crunch time for them. Passover was coming up when Jerusalem would be filled with visitors from all over Israel – a good time to trigger a coup.
Despite conflicting agendas between Jesus and His disciples, Jesus was confident. He seemed to know what He was doing. Was He going to head for Pilate’s residence, the Roman Praetorium, or Herod’s palace (Herod happened to be in Jerusalem – convenient for a coup!)? No, the temple was His destination.
The crowd was excited. Everyone hailed Him as the son of David, paying homage by paving the road with their cloaks and palm branches. This was a blatant bid for kingship. Finally, their hopes and dreams for deliverance from Rome were about to be realised. They waited expectantly for the showdown, egging Jesus on by their show of support.
The disciples were bewildered and afraid. Would they have to tackle Rome by themselves? Where was the army? Jesus had never indicated something like this as part of His plan. He had taught them non-violence, humility, gentleness and submission. They could not figure out what was going on. They only thing He kept repeating was that He was going to die in Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews. How would that win their freedom from Rome? They were very apprehensive and reluctant followers as they made their way into Jerusalem.