Mark Vol. 2 - Week 15 (11:1-11)
Mark 11:1-11
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Mark 11:1-11
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Mark 11:1-11 〰️ Mark 11:1-11 〰️
As we open up this week's passage, we're entering the Advent season and the close of our Mark Vol. 2 series. This passage is actually an interesting transition point in Mark's Gospel account, as it concludes the second act and begins the third. We've spent the fall reading and discussing a variety of Jesus' teachings, miracles, and experiences, all with the cross in sight. Mark 11 begins with The Triumphal Entry: Jesus approaching Jerusalem to be mocked, tortured, and executed as a criminal. The entire purpose of Jesus' coming was to bear the sins of humanity on the cross. Amazingly, our Savior makes His way toward Jerusalem seemingly without fear or hesitation.
In Mark 11:1-11, as they approach Jerusalem, Jesus instructs His disciples to find a very specific colt (or donkey) on which He can ride into Jerusalem. When we read this now, we might not think much of it, but there's a lot at play here. We talked about it before, but the cultural context here is dramatic and at the forefront of everyone's minds. The people of God anticipated a ruler to come and crush their tyrants: Rome. Everywhere the Jews turned, they were reminded of the oppression, the taxes, and the laws that were lorded over them. And many now believed Jesus to be the Messiah for whom they had waited so long. They expected Him to arrive on a horse, prepared for war, as we eventually read of in Revelation 19:11-16 (although they didn't have Revelation at this point, it was still expected that a conquering king would arrive on a horse, ready for war). But no. Jesus came on a donkey because He had no intention of taking on Rome by force. He came to die. He came to save all people from the bondage of sin. So when we read that the Savior of God's people has arrived on a donkey instead of a horse, our Lord displayed His true intent: to bear the sins of many and bring forth the Kingdom of God.
Verse 9 shows us the people's beliefs and reactions to their Messiah coming to Jerusalem.
"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 heaven!" (v9b-10).
While the word Hosanna only appears in the Gospels in the Greek, this word has its origin in the Hebrew language, stemming from two words: yāšaʿ and nā'. yāšaʿ means "save, deliver, or help us,"¹ and nā' means "we pray, now, please."² The people knew the significance of Jesus' arrival from a cultural and Israel-centric focus: "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" and "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David" (that is, an earthly kingdom. But, as we now know, they were unaware of the greater purpose. They thought the new earthly ruler of Israel was showing up to smite Rome, but instead, He strolled in...on a donkey. Their Savior, their new King, had come to die.
So, as we enter into discussion, closing out Mark Vol. 2, we'll talk a little bit about how our expectations of Jesus can influence our faith. Have you ever been disappointed by God? What did it look like to not have prayer answered in the way you expected, if at all? Just like Jesus wasn't without control during the coming perilous week, He isn't without power in your life now. I've mentioned this before, and it remains relevant in our study this week. A contemporary theologian, A.W. Tozer, said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."³ Personally, I can be so quick to think, "Because God didn't answer my prayer, He must not be good." But I must shift my thinking and ask: do I declare God "good" or "not good" based on how He does or doesn't meet my expectations? If I accuse God of not being good because of His response to my prayers, then I may be placing myself on the throne as god. I am determining what is good and bad, not the Lord. But our Lord, Yahweh, is, and rightfully should be, the foundation and definition of good. Plato also pondered this, called "Euthyphro's Dilemma."⁴ The correct and biblical conclusion is that God is both the definition of "good" and the deemer of good things. God isn't good because He meets our expectations or definition, but rather, it is good because God did it or declares it good.
Discussion Questions:
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
What do you think the disciples were feeling or thinking in this passage?
In what ways does the way Jesus functions differ from our expectations? Have you ever been disappointed, angry, or confused?
Read ahead to Mark 15:12-14. How does this contrast with Mark 11:9-10? What do you think changed? How would you have acted/reacted?
In v9-10, God's people were expecting a glorious savior to save them from earthly oppression and restore their physical place as God's chosen people on earth. In what ways have you responded to God not answering prayers in the way you expected, if at all? How has that impacted your faith?
From an external perspective, did it look like Jesus was in control during Holy Week? What does it mean to knowthat God is in control, even when we're approaching danger?
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
What was Bartimaeus' response after being healed by Jesus?
Verse 48 says, "Many warned him [Bartimaeus] to keep quiet." Why is it easy for us to sometimes overlook individuals while following Jesus?
Why do you think Bartimaeus said, "have mercy on me"?
Read 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and Isaiah 11:1-5. What do you think it meant for Bartimaeus to call Jesus "Son of David"?
How might we approach Jesus with this kind of faith? How do we respond when we receive healing from the Lord?
1. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3467/kjv/wlc/0-1/
2. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h4994/kjv/wlc/0-1/
3. A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York, NY: HarperOne), 1.
4. https://www.gotquestions.org/Euthyphro-Dilemma.html