Mark 11:1-10 Jesus' "Triumphal" Entry

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

The writer of the Book of Mark does a spectacular job of paring down the details of this story and giving us the essentials. Jesus is coming to town. He sends two disciples to fetch a colt. Jesus predicts that the disciples will be questioned about taking the colt so Jesus provides them with precise instructions regarding what to say in the event he is correct. They are, in fact, questioned about getting the colt and respond with Jesus' words. They take the colt to Jesus, put their cloaks on the colt, and Jesus rides the colt into the city. People gather around Jesus placing their cloaks on the road along with leafy branches. And they sing and cheer Jesus on.

We learn a number of things from this passage.

1. Jesus wanted to make a big entrance into the city. This was not his first time in the city. He had come many times with his family, especially for the Feast of Passover and other religious holidays. So it seems odd that on this particular trip to the city he decided to make a spectacle of himself.

2. Jesus chose to enter on the back of a colt (in other texts it calls the beast a donkey, or an ass; either way, a beast of burden). This was not the animal fit for a king, a prince, or even a Roman soldier. Jesus didn't care because he was making a statement about one's station in life; that station mattered little in God's kingdom.

3. The people responded to Jesus' entrance. They laid their cloaks in the streets along with leafy branches. Cloaks and branches signify an elevation in status as though the people were acknowledging his kingship.

4. The people sang as Jesus entered the city. They recognized him as a descendant of David and they hoped he was the one who had come to liberate them from their oppressors, the Roman Empire.

What this passage does not tell us.

1. Jesus entered the Gate of Nicodemus, a back gate into the city of Jerusalem built by Nicodemus, a member of the religious elite. The entrance opened right into the living quarters of the people; the people to whom Jesus' message would be most liberating.

2. Jesus knew that going to Jerusalem was dangerous. He told his disciples ahead of time that he was going to die. He knew he was going to risk everything by standing up to the religious leaders of his day, reflective in the passages that follow Jesus' entrance into the city.

3. Pilate, the Roman ruler over Jerusalem, was riding in through the front gate at the same time Jesus was riding in the back gate. Pilate did not receive any fanfare, no songs, no cloaks, no leafy branches.

4. The writers of the Book of Mark do not give us much insight into Jesus' thinking, we simply see Jesus act. We see Jesus riding into the city and in the very next passage going to the temple and throwing over the tables of the moneychangers.

This passage barely gives us a glimpse into what the people were thinking. They clearly saw Jesus as someone special, someone to be elevated to a higher status, but at the same time, were startled or taken aback when Jesus was arrested. We do not know how many of those who welcomed Jesus at the beginning of the week also shouted "Crucify Him" at the end of the week. I imagine, though, that there were quite a few. No doubt, they were disappointed. It is in how they describe Jesus that we get our greatest clue of all, "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!"

They weren't necessarily shouting for Jesus, the man, but rather shouting and singing in hopes that Jesus was the descendant of David who would usher in a new kingdom, one that was free of Roman occupation and oppression. When Jesus didn't bring an army, swords, or even sharp words, there was some concern. And, after making a scene at the temple, ultimately getting arrested, the people who hailed his coming cursed his presence. I imagine they felt betrayed. The hope that they had held onto for so long was once again dashed. It must have been terrifying for the people to think they risked their own lives to elevate Jesus when he failed to deliver what they believed is the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.

Strangely enough, Jesus never promised to be that kind of king. Jesus spent every day of his ministry trying to reorient the people toward a different kind of kingdom, a different way of living in community. Roman Empire or not, Jesus believed that the people could still live free because freedom begins in the heart. Freedom is about how we treat one another; how we love and live in community. Freedom is trusting that God is big enough to handle everything happening in this world and throughout the cosmos.

The bigger question is, "Are we willing to risk following Jesus into Jerusalem and going to jail with him?"

Mark 14:3-9 - Will You Let Me be Your Servant

Mark 14:3-9 – Will You Let Me be Your Servant?

3 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. 4 But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Mark tackled huge sociological issues of his day, issues that we still face in our own communities. Jesus addressed the issue of the poor with a call to servanthood.

While Jesus visited the house of Simon the leper in the city of Bethany, he was approached by an unidentified woman who possessed an alabaster jar filled with nard, a costly perfume procured from the Himalayan Mountains in India. The unnamed woman could be Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus as noted in the Book of Matthew recounting the same story. Regardless, the use of the expensive perfume disturbed several of the guests who rebuked the woman.

The argument of the guests included selling the nard, worth approximately 300 days wages, to provide for the poor. Jesus reminded the guests that the poor would always be with them, which is difficult to read. For all the energy devoted to solving the poverty issue, we have failed to eliminate the devastating effects of growing up poor. Jesus deliberately connected the issue of servanthood with poverty in this passage, which challenged their thinking about poverty, and should challenge ours.

Addressing the needs of the poor is still a relevant conversation. However, because Jesus connected the issue of poverty with servanthood, we must rethink our approach to eliminating poverty. Jesus didn’t say, “Don’t take care of the poor,” or “Don’t worry about the plight of the poor.” The fact that Jesus acknowledged the poor in this passage showed his concern about their circumstances. What Jesus lifted up in this moment was the woman’s gift and her willingness to be a servant (a devoted and helpful follower or supporter). She gave Jesus something that no one else in the room had given, the anointing of his body prior to death. She understood the significance of her actions, but the others in the room could only see the waste. Jesus declared that no action, when taken with sincerity, is a waste.

Isn’t this the point of being a servant? We are called to serve God by serving others. Imagine what it would be like if we committed our entire lives to serving others as a devoted helpful follower or supporter. If we performed our work for the benefit of others rather than our own selfish gains, how would that change our attitude at work? Doing for others in this way opens up new possibilities at eliminating poverty. Together we collectively address the issues of poverty from a place of servanthood. Over time, the need diminishes because of the provision provided on an ongoing basis from everyone. This only works, though, if everyone gives.

The unnamed woman reveals the most valuable lesson of all—the costly perfume can do no good as long as it stays in the jar. Whatever resources we possess can only do good if we engage them in actual activity. It is in the using of a thing that the thing derives meaning. The perfume becomes an issue because it is being used, not because it is sitting in a jar. Jesus exalts the woman for bestowing such a gift to Jesus, the one who gives freely to others. It is the relationship and the exchange of gifts that opens space for us to address issues like poverty. It is by becoming a servant that we are able to fill the need.

Mark 12:1-12 - How Entitled Are We?

12 Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so, it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:

‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?”

12 When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So, they left him and went away.

Our passage this week begins a new chapter in Mark’s gospel, but it could easily be a continuation of Jesus’ encounter with the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders in the previous chapter. In Mark 11:27-33, the Temple leaders challenge Jesus’ authority in the Temple. Here in Mark 12:1-12, Jesus uses the story of the wicked tenants as a direct attack on the Chief Priests, scribes, and elders. They have no idea of Jesus’ real role as Messiah.

Jesus makes a direct comparison between the wicked tenants who occupy a property that they do not own and the religious leaders who occupy the Temple that they do not own. Reading this passage carefully shows us that Jesus paints the wicked tenants as the kind of individuals you would never want to meet. The Temple leaders were so corrupt that their actions were the equivalent of assaulting and killing others.

To make our present passage even more salient for the Temple leaders who were already plotting to kill Jesus, Jesus inserts himself as the heir, the son who the landowner sends to interact with the wicked tenants. The heir is killed along with others. Jesus predicts his own death and then asks a critical question, “What then will the owner of the vineyard do?” and goes on to explain that the landowner will destroy the tenants and pass the vineyard on to others. In other words, “Priest, scribes, and elders, do not think you are so special that God won’t remove you from your positions of power and hand the reins to someone else.”

Once the religious leaders realized that Jesus was actually talking about them, they wanted to retaliate immediately by arresting Jesus. But because of their fear of the crowd, a crowd that had recently welcomed Jesus into the city, the crowd that listened to every word that came from Jesus’ mouth, they left Jesus and went away.

The kind of entitlement that we see in this passage is a specific kind of religious entitlement that we rarely talk about. Religious entitlement removes God from the equation and places self at the center. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day allowed their pride to ease God out of the picture. Everything they did was in service to themselves and their occupiers, the Roman Empire. The remedy for such behavior is as follows:

1. Grace and Mercy – When we are compassionate toward others, showing them grace and mercy, we are putting ourselves in the shoes of others and are able to feel with the other.

The leaders did not care for orphans, widows, those in prison, resident aliens, or the most disenfranchised in the city.

2. Gratitude – When we are grateful for what we have, we can receive and accept the gifts of God as precious things to behold. It is our gratitude that allows us to accept life on life’s terms, to be okay with what we have, and to not be focused on what we don’t have.

The leaders weren’t grateful for the “priestly gift of servanthood,” instead they wanted to lay claim to the Temple and all that went with it.

3. Responsibility – When we can accept responsibility for ourselves and fulfill the obligations of our positions, especially our roles in the church, then we become trusted servants of God. We are able to recognize the hard work required to be fully present for others and to do what is necessary to keep people connected and to know they are seen and heard.

The leaders did not fulfill the obligations of their trusted position, but instead were lazy with their efforts while still expecting God to bless them.

God is calling us to be more like Jesus. Our lives are to mimic Jesus’ life, to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Jesus didn’t hesitate to call out the religious leaders of his day. He made a point of showing them their hypocrisy. We must be careful, though, to not use our own religious entitlement as a weapon, especially the kind of entitlement that says I am right, and you are wrong. Jesus calls all of us to check our privilege and entitlement. The more we understand who Jesus was, the more we can understand how we are to live.