The Entrance of the King - Mark 11:1-11
Notes
Transcript
Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” And 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.
From this text there are three things I want us to know as a result of studying this text.
The things in this text are not things that we do not already know. The things in this text are not
First, we see the preparation for Christ that reinforces our conviction that Christ is Sovereign.
Know that Jesus is Sovereign
Know that Jesus is Sovereign
There are several things about this text that make it clear for us that Christ is the one in control over his arrival to Jerusalem.
Jesus was not someone who happened to stumble upon dumb luck as he entered Jerusalem.
He was not someone who happened to be in the right place at the right time.
He was not someone who was thrust into this position by a crowd who sought to impose their will on him.
No. He has arranged this. He has overseen it all in His sovereign design.
Look at what he says to his disciples in verse 2.
and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ”
Jesus has clearly made plans here, and his gives his disciples instructions on how to carry it out.
Now, there have been discussion about this about whether the owners of the colt in question were in on Jesus’ plan. Had Jesus made prearrangements with the owners of this through means not communicated in the text? Or is this a what we might consider a minor miracle that these disciples are able to just take the colt and the own is going to say, alight.
The answer to that question is largely insignificant for understanding what is going on here.
Surely the minor miracle would demonstrate Christ’s sovereignty over his ministry and introduction to Jerusalem as Messiah-King, but even if Jesus had somehow made other arrangements through natural means, that does not diminish his sovereignty at all. He is still in control over his presentation as Messiah-King.
All throughout His ministry, Jesus has been the one in control. There great “messianic secret” as it is often called, has been His way of revealing Himself according to His plan, and conducting ministry according to His agenda.
But here doors on the messianic secret are about to be blown off....and Jesus is the one who has set the stage for it. Jesus is the one who made the arrangements, both naturally and super naturally, so bring this together at this moment.
And so the disciples go. they find the colt. they start to take it. Verse 5, the are asked “what are you doing, untying the colt?” and they say what was instructed and off they go. All according to the plan the Jesus Christ.
The preparation of Christ help us know that Christ in in control. He is sovereign over the events that are to unfold in Jerusalem. He is sovereign over his triumphal entry, as this event is often called, and he is sovereign over the the steps that will lead him to his death.
He has predicted what is to come. He has prepared his disciples for what is to come.
This ought to give us great comfort. Though there are many pathways we must walk, we are never outside of the sovereign control of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you ever heard someone talk about some unique or special that happened in their life and said “yeah, it’s such a God thing”? What is often meant by that is that the events that have unfolded did so in such a way that it could have only been by the arrangement of our sovereign Lord!
That phrase isn’t my favorite, as it feels so trite, but there is significant truth being communicated there. Our problem is that we often fail to see the “God thing” moments when we are affected by negative circumstances. My car battery dies. “Such a god thing”.
I just got fired from my Job. Yea, it’s a God a thing.
We don’t often say that, do we. If God’s sovereignty is acknowledged in those moments, it’s by saying things like “I just need to remind myself that God is in control”
And He is.
Brethren do no be surprised at the fiery trial that comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you....
1 Peter 4:12.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you entounter various trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produced endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17.
It is good and right for us to look upward unto the Lord and recognize his sovereign providence over the affairs of men. It is good and right for us to rest and trust in our sovereign creator, because he knows what he is doing in our lives. It is good and right for us to worship him because he alone deserves the praise, the honor, and the glory both now and forever because of who he is, what he has done, and what he will accomplish in the days ahead.
The preparation of our Lord helps us to know that Christ is Sovereign.
Second, the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem helps us know Jesus is the Messiah-King.
Know that Jesus is the Messiah-King
Know that Jesus is the Messiah-King
Jesus is the Messiah-king.
Several details of the text help us see that what Jesus is doing here is more than just a little parade. This more than the recognition of a prophet. This is nothing else that Jesus Christ presenting himself to his people as their messiah-king....if they would have him.
Several points help us see the kingship of Christ here.
First, Jesus’ instructions have the disciples fetching a colt which has never been sat on by anyone else.
Calling for such an animal was a sign of kingship. According to the mishnah, the King’s stead is reserved for the King and the king alone. No one else is to ever ride the king’s horse, only the king is allowed to sit upon him.
This is a clear sign that Jesus intended to present himself as Israel’s King.
It would be as though someone wanted to pull up in the presidential limo guarded by the secret service and wearing a nice suit. It would be very clear what you are trying to communicate. I am the president.
Think of the presidential limos.
Impressment.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Know that Jesus Sees All
Know that Jesus Sees All
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.