We might think of the image of a gentleman spreading out his jacket over a puddle, so that a lady can walk over it. Having said that, have you ever actually seen that happen? When I taught this as part of a Sunday School lesson, the class members didn’t remember having observed this, either. (Having said that, my family was visiting a nearby city a while back, and I parked the van next to a big puddle in one of the parking lots. While it was OK on the side that my wife and middle son were sitting, my youngest son and I had to navigate over the puddle when we were getting out and back in. No jackets were harmed, though.)
When two disciples follow Jesus’ instructions to get a colt for Him, they – and other people around them – make the ride to Jerusalem more comfortable for Him:
When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields.
Mark 11:7-8 NIV
Welcome to the first occurrence of what is often called “Palm Sunday”. It looks to me like the disciples were the ones providing an informal saddle with their cloaks (for Jesus to ride the colt upon), but other people placed their cloaks and branches [palm fronds?] on the path that Jesus – with the colt – was taking.
People were so excited that their Messiah was here, though, that they were willing to put their cloaks on the ground (or perhaps on branches), and let an animal – albeit an animal carrying Jesus – walk on them. How about you: would you lay down your jacket, in Jesus’ name, if someone needed it? Hold that thought and let’s read more from the 11th chapter of the book of Mark.
Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“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!”
Mark 11:9-10 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/mrk.11.9-10.NIV
We may have heard this verse before (or similar proclamations about Jesus), but these shouts by the people start with some terms that we don’t necessarily use a lot today. So, what are they saying?
For one thing, “Hosanna” means “Save”, or “Save us, we pray”, or something like that. The Israelite people had been waiting for the Messiah a long time, and they were looking for Him to save them. In fact, Jesus was about to save them, but in a more significant way than they probably realized. (Remember, most – if not all – of these people were probably looking for a political savior to overthrow the Roman Empire, but Jesus came to save them from the eternal punishment that their – and our – sins deserved.)
And, “Blessed” sounds like the state of people that Jesus described in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). It’s been described as “happy” in that context.
Then, back in Mark 11, in verse 11, Jesus has entered Jerusalem and gone all the way to the temple courts. This is a fitting procession for the Messiah.
His looking around foreshadows something coming up in a few verses. I suspect that Jesus saw the merchants that He would drive out the next day. However, notice that Jesus didn’t instantly react to what He saw. Sometimes, there’s a time to consider an appropriate reaction to a problem, and to prepare a thoughtful response. In other cases, there is a time and a place to address an issue, but responding with an uncontrolled emotional outburst or flying off the handle (neither of which I would expect Jesus to do) isn’t going to help.
So, what does this mean for us? For one thing, Jesus did not “theoretically” enter Jerusalem. The excited crowds did not “theoretically” lay down their cloaks for Him. The people did not “theoretically”, “metaphorically”, or “mentally” give worship and praise to Jesus. These are all actual, factual events that occurred.
Similarly, by the end of the week when the events described in this chapter took place, Jesus literally and completely died for our sins. He endured separation from God the Father, so that we did not have to do so for eternity.
In return, following Jesus should include plenty of real, concrete, legitimate, sincere action on our part. Don’t just “theoretically” follow Jesus, or “mentally assent” to His role as Lord of your life. We must actually be willing to take bold, confident, faithful, and sometimes uncomfortable actions to serve Him, out of gratitude and respect. Then, we must act as He directs us to.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for April 2, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, April 2, 2023, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Mark, by Allen Black. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 