Mark 11
The Triumphal Entry of Jesus occurs on a borrowed donkey. Two disciples are sent by Jesus to the village up ahead to secure the transportation that is a colt for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on.
Having attended "Easter Service" on Saturday evening this year (a first & somewhat strange occurrence), my wife & I found ourselves around the house on a Sunday morning for the first time in quite awhile. Not to mention the fact that it was an Easter Sunday morning around the house. Even back in my college days of drunken disorderly, I was at church on Easter morning. Needless to say, being around the house on Easter was odd, so in an attempt to normalize things as best we could, we read the resurrection story from Matthew & prayed awhile.
After that I got on Mars Hill's website looking for a sermon on mp3. We listened to Rob Bell's "Palm Sunday" message, and learned a few new things about Jesus' Triumphal Entry. One item of note is that Pilate, the Governor in charge of keeping the Jews at bay among other things, would have also entered Jerusalem around the time Jesus did. Pilate lived in Caesarea, a wealthy area on the Mediterranean Sea. He would have entered on a horse, which is synonymous with chariots or a symbol of war. Jesus on the other hand enters on a donkey. Bell goes on to describe two methods of entering a city. The Romans were a warring people intent on proclaiming their dominance as a means to remaining in power. Jesus was the opposite. He brought a different approach. The people welcomed Him by spreading "their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields." (Mark 11:8). The people were responding to Jesus' way with gratefulness & rejoicing. Jesus was welcomed for the love He showed to those He came into contact with, while Pilate was respected for the might he & his empire represented.
Another episode we read about in Mark 11 is Jesus angrily expelling the merchants from the temple. He appeals to them with scripture when He asks, "Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?" (verse 17). Regardless of Jesus' anger, we read that "the crowd was amazed at his teaching", however, the chief priests & teachers of the law "began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him." (verse 18). Given the background of the way the Romans commanded respect & the way in which Jesus gained it, I find it ironic that the people viewed Jesus' outburst against the money changers in the temple as "teaching", and the chief priests' reaction was one of fear.
Having attended "Easter Service" on Saturday evening this year (a first & somewhat strange occurrence), my wife & I found ourselves around the house on a Sunday morning for the first time in quite awhile. Not to mention the fact that it was an Easter Sunday morning around the house. Even back in my college days of drunken disorderly, I was at church on Easter morning. Needless to say, being around the house on Easter was odd, so in an attempt to normalize things as best we could, we read the resurrection story from Matthew & prayed awhile.
After that I got on Mars Hill's website looking for a sermon on mp3. We listened to Rob Bell's "Palm Sunday" message, and learned a few new things about Jesus' Triumphal Entry. One item of note is that Pilate, the Governor in charge of keeping the Jews at bay among other things, would have also entered Jerusalem around the time Jesus did. Pilate lived in Caesarea, a wealthy area on the Mediterranean Sea. He would have entered on a horse, which is synonymous with chariots or a symbol of war. Jesus on the other hand enters on a donkey. Bell goes on to describe two methods of entering a city. The Romans were a warring people intent on proclaiming their dominance as a means to remaining in power. Jesus was the opposite. He brought a different approach. The people welcomed Him by spreading "their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields." (Mark 11:8). The people were responding to Jesus' way with gratefulness & rejoicing. Jesus was welcomed for the love He showed to those He came into contact with, while Pilate was respected for the might he & his empire represented.
Another episode we read about in Mark 11 is Jesus angrily expelling the merchants from the temple. He appeals to them with scripture when He asks, "Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?" (verse 17). Regardless of Jesus' anger, we read that "the crowd was amazed at his teaching", however, the chief priests & teachers of the law "began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him." (verse 18). Given the background of the way the Romans commanded respect & the way in which Jesus gained it, I find it ironic that the people viewed Jesus' outburst against the money changers in the temple as "teaching", and the chief priests' reaction was one of fear.
posted by CT40207 | 9:11 AM
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