The Mark of a Disciple-Consecrated
Notes
Transcript
Mark 11:1-8
And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
There are a few insights that we should examine.
What was the animal.
The word colt can refer to the young of many animals. Traditionally, this is viewed as a donkey due to Matt and John quoting Zach 9.9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
2. Why did Jesus tell the disciples to say say that the Lord has need of him?
To understand this question we must determine who is spoken of when the word Lord is used? The word Lord means owner or master. Thus, the man who owned the colt was the lord of it. Was Jesus saying to tell any one who asks that its owner needed it? If this is the case then we would have to assume that its owner was with Jesus. However, there is no evidence to support this thought.
Was Jesus telling the disciples to say that it was their Lord who had need of it? If so, what would hinder the disciples from being accused of thievery and being arrested?
Interesting light on the background for this story comes from the proposal of J. D. M. Derrett 7 that Jesus was here exercising the right of a king (or even sometimes of a rabbi) to requisition an animal
7 J. D. M. Derrett, NovT 13 (1971) 241–58.
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 431.
3. That brings us to the third question. Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem?
History tells us that it was customary, and expected, for any pilgrim to walk into Jerusalem. Thus, for Jesus to ride would have been extremely unorthodox and would have drawn attention to himself. Yet, we know from Scripture that it was unusual for Christ to seek attention.
Mark 1. The Entry into Jerusalem (11:1–11)
Although Mark did not quote Zech 9:9 as does Matt 21:5, he likely had it in mind, and it influenced his account. Even without that passage the messianic nature of the entry is still seen in the references to the Mount of Olives in v. 1 (Zech 14:4), the colt that previously had not been ridden in vv. 2–7 (Zech 9:9; cf. Num 19:2; Deut 21:3; 1 Sam 6:7), and the kingdom of David in v. 10 (2 Sam 7). Whether Jesus intended to present himself as the Messiah remains a question. He probably did but in such a way as to indicate that he was a serving and suffering Messiah rather than a conquering one. The first point was made by riding rather than walking into the city, as pilgrims ordinarily did. The second was made by riding upon a donkey rather than a horse. What Jesus did should probably be looked upon as a symbolic action after the fashion of the Old Testament prophets.1
Through riding a donkey into Jerusalem, Jesus established that He was the Messiah. Yet, his unorthodox method signified that He was not going to do things the way they anticipated.
For the text this morning I would like to examine the colt in verse two.
Besides being a donkey the primary takeaway is that it was an animal on which no one had ever sat.
The Gospel of Mark The Royal Procession (11:1–10)
the special value placed in the OT on a hitherto unused animal for religious purposes (Nu. 19:2; Dt. 21:3; 1 Sa. 6:7), and perhaps, too, the convention that no one else may ride the king’s mount (m. Sanh. 2:5). The specific mention that the donkey was tied up (repeated in v. 4) might trigger in the mind of a well-informed reader an echo of the messianic text Gn. 49:10–11, where the coming ruler is described as tying his donkey’s colt to a vine.10
Gen. 49:10,11 Jacobs blessing on Judah.
Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
I. The colt had to be available.
I. The colt had to be available.
God worked in the like of the owner of the colt to have it prepared for this day.
The owner had no doubt reserved this colt for a purpose. Perhaps it was young and had just reached the age of usability? Young people, do not let age convince you that you are of little value. God is able to take your life and use you if you are available.
However, this colts availability had nothing to do with the colt and everything to do with its owner. The colt did not tie itself up where it could be found fr the masters service. No, its owner had it in the right place at the right time.
Parents, you better be cautious of what you teach your children to focus on. If you want God to work in and through their life then you must have them where God can find them. Don’t send them to church, bring them to church. Don’t allow relationships, hobbies, friends, family, school, or sports to take priority in their lives. Point them to Jesus. Reinforce in their hearts that its okay to stand out and be different.
Young people and adults alike, I want you to know that is okay to go against the grain. In fact, if you live a life for Christ you will stand out. You will be different. Your life will not mirror that of the world but instead it will mirror that of Christs.
II. The colt had to be pure.
II. The colt had to be pure.
It had to meet the qualifications for a pure animal.
I know that purity is considered old fashioned. I understand that society says to go and live it up. However, the Bible still says that adultery and fornication is sin. It does not matter if you are 13 or 70 fornication is sin and displeasing to God. Do not sell you self to the lowest bidder. Save yourself for the best that God has for you. Yes, their is satisfaction for the flesh, but that gratification is short lived and will leave you empty inside when you go against God’s desires for your life.
Parents, I know that I don’t have to say this but never encourage your children to partake of that which God has forbidden. You will do irreversible damage to their hearts and minds.
Furthermore, that purity is more than in matters of the flesh.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
This purity is for our minds as well as our flesh.
Guard your flesh but also guard your mind. Do not give place to the devil in your heart. Be sober, sound, of mind. This means that you do not consume that which takes you away from God. This may be through physical substances but it may also be in the form social media and the internet.
It should be the desire of every believer to maintain a pure heart before the Lord.
III. The colt must be easily broken.
III. The colt must be easily broken.
This colt had never been ridden and therefore never broken. Often donkeys are considered stubborn because, unlike horses, often they do not run off when startled but rather stand still. However, Jesus needed an animal that would immediately get up and go. This young colt, went from being tied up to service with no delay. This characteristic though not impossible is not the normal temperament for a donkey. It was animal who’s will was easily manipulated to the masters.