The Word Made Fresh
1As they were approaching Jerusalem through Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead. 2He told them, “Go into the village just ahead and as soon as you get there you will see a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. 3If anyone asks you why you are taking it, tell them, ‘The LORD has need of it, and he’ll send it back as soon as possible.’”
4They went, and found the colt tied outside on the street near a doorway. They began to untie it, 5and some people standing nearby asked them what they were doing. 6The disciples told them what Jesus had said, and they let them take the colt.
7They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on it, and he mounted it. 8A lot of people covered the road with their cloaks, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. 9Then those who walked ahead and behind him shouted, “Hallelujah! Welcome to the one who comes in the LORD’s name! 10The kingdom of David is coming! Hallelujah!”
11When he entered the city he went into the temple. He surveyed all that was going on there, then he went with the twelve out to Bethany as it was already getting late.
12They came from Bethany the next day, and Jesus was hungry. 13He saw a leafy fig tree ahead, so he went to see if it had figs. But it was not the season for figs and there was nothing on the tree but leaves. 14His disciples overheard Jesus say to the tree, “No one will ever eat your figs again.”
15They entered Jerusalem, and Jesus went to the temple. He began to drive out those who were buying and selling inside, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those who were selling doves. 16He refused to let anyone carry anything through the temple. 17He began to preach, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be a house of prayer for all the people’? But you have turned it into a gathering place for thieves!”
18When the chief priests and scribes heard about it they began looking for a way to have him killed. But they were afraid of him because the crowds were hanging on his every word.
19At evening Jesus and his disciples left the city, 20and the next morning they saw that the fig tree was completely withered. 21Peter remembered that Jesus had cursed the tree and said, “Rabbi, look! The tree you cursed has withered!”
22“Have faith in God,” Jesus said, 23“and I tell you that you can say to this mountain, ‘Get up and be thrown into the sea,’ and if you have no doubts whatsoever but believe that it will happen, it will happen. 24So I say to you that whatever you ask in prayer, believe that your prayers will be answered, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you pray, forgive anything you may have against anyone, and your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. 26But if you won’t forgive the sins of others, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your sins.”
27They entered Jerusalem again, and as he was walking in the temple some of the chief priests and scribes approached him. 28“By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked him. “And who gave you that authority?”
29Jesus said, “If you can answer my question, I’ll answer yours. 30The baptism of John – was it from heaven, or was it merely a human gesture? What do you say?”
31They discussed it together. Some of them said, “If we say it is from heaven, he’ll ask why we don’t believe him.” 32Others said, “But if we say it’s merely human …” They were all afraid of the crowds because all the people believed that John was indeed a prophet. 33So they replied to Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you who gave me the authority to do what I’m doing.”
Commentary
1-11: Jesus has done some advance planning for his entry into Jerusalem. Especially in Mark’s gospel this is surprising, since he has been at such pains to tell people not to spread speculation about him. Now, however, he is going to make a big splash by entering Jerusalem as noisily as possible in a parade that is certain to catch the attention of the authorities. He is entering the city as a conquering hero, although the colt is hardly the mount a conqueror would ride. Notice that Mark makes no mention of the Old Testament prophesy about the king riding on a donkey. In fact, Mark doesn’t mention a mature donkey; Jesus is riding a colt. He is deliberately setting up a confrontation with the Pharisees and the Herodians and the Romans, whereas before he avoided such.
12-14: Another out-of-character incident is reported as Jesus curses a fig tree for not producing figs out of season.
15-19: And yet another incident that just doesn’t sound like the Jesus we’ve been reading about. We cannot escape the conclusion that he is deliberately provoking the powers that be, and successfully. However, the powers that be realize they cannot act rashly because of his popularity, but they add this incident to their growing list of complaints about Jesus.
20-24: The poor fig tree has apparently died, and Jesus uses that fact as an object lesson on the power of prayer.
25-26: Mark does not include the prayer Jesus taught his disciples which we know as “the Lord’s Prayer,” but some of the sentiments of that prayer are expressed here.
27-33: The next day, which would have been a Tuesday, Jesus finally gets the confrontation he has been seeking. The chief priests, scribes (experts in the law of Moses) and elders gang up on him and demand to know what authority he claims. In response he brings up John the baptizer, and asks where they think his authority had come from. They are stopped, for they cannot publicly admit their real opinion of John. Jesus responds by saying that he won’t answer their question, either, but of course the answer has been implied; his authority comes from heaven, just like John’s.
Takeaway
When your faith was beginning to take shape in your life, how did Christ enter your world? Humbly, as in Jerusalem at the beginning of this chapter? Or with great fanfare, as the crowds celebrated his arrival?