Prepare – Mark 11:1-11 (Sunday)
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 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. 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!” Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
Devotional
Welcome to Passion Week! Let’s take a journey this week and revisit Palm Sunday through Resurrection Sunday. As you read each day, try and imagine what Jesus experienced the last few days of His life. On the first day Jesus entered Jerusalem.
If all we had was the gospel of Mark, we might think this is Jesus’ first journey to Jerusalem. But the gospel of John tells us Jesus, like any devout Jewish man, made several trips to Jerusalem for major feasts.
Jesus gave two of His disciples specific instructions. Then He deliberately chose a young horse (a colt), not a stallion or donkey to enter the city although many expected his entrance to be on a mighty war-horse. This showed the waiting crowd the He was coming as a servant and a man of peace, not as a conquering general.
On this day, the shouts of Hosanna rang out! The people believed that Jesus was there to rescue them from their circumstances, when in fact, Jesus was there to rescue them from their sin. It didn’t take long to change their tune from “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” to “Crucify Him!”
Have you ever had a change of mind about Jesus when He didn’t do what you thought he ought to? What did you learn?
~ Pastor Andy Veith
Praise
Watch and listen to “Hosanna (Praise Is Rising)” by Paul Baloche and “Hosanna” by Hillsong Worship.
