Originally posted on April 5th 2020
Up until chapter 8 of Mark´s Gospel, Jesus´ministry has been with the crowds and in the villages surrounding the sea of Galilee.
In chapter 7 he travels with his disciples to the region of Tyre and Sidon (outside of Israel to the north), and in chapter 8, they end up in Caesarea Philippi.
On the way, Jesus asks his disciples this question:
Who do people say that I am? (Mk. 8.27)
It is Peter who confesses: “You are the Christ!” (Mk. 8,29)
Peter’s confession of the Messiah, is a turning point in Mark. It is the first such recognition in the gospel (but see Mk. 1,34 and 5,7).
Henceforth Jesus will address his teaching to the disciples rather than to the crowds.
Peter’s confession is followed by Jesus saying:
“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again”
Peter is unable to take this in!
Jesus continues:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel´s will save it” (Mk. 8,34)
From now on, Jesus will be travelling alone with his disciples – and they are headed for Jerusalem: For it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem (Lk. 13,33)
On the way, Jesus will be teaching them what it will mean in practice to be his disciples. Jesus´ teaching on discipleship in Mk. 8,27-10,52, is great to revise for any Christian!
Twice, he will repeat what he said in Caesarea Philippi, that he must suffer and die. This the disciples cannot take in. They do not understand what is coming down the road!
He will also tell his disciples:
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mk. 10,45)
THE PROPHETIC MEANING OF JESUS´ ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM
So now, he who is King of the Jews and Son of David, rides into Jerusalem (Mk. 11,1ff) – not on a big white steed, as a great general or king might have done – but on a donkey, a colt – a young donkey, upon which no one has ever sat; riding through the eastern gate, the Golden Gate.
This is certainly on Jesus part, a conscious fulfilling of a prophecy of Zechariah:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zech. 9,9)
Of prophetic significance is also:
And they spread their garments on the road (Mk. 11,8 – see 2 Kings 9,13)
And those who went before, and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna; Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mk. 11,9 – see Psalm 118,26)
The crowds are chanting the last of the Hallel psalms (113-118), Psalm 118, from which may be cited:
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
The crowds have followed Jesus, and have seen his miracles. His fame has preceded him from Galilee; and there will be Galileans amongst the crowd. The Feast of Passover, the Jews’ most important feast is soon to be celebrated in Jerusalem. Much religious enthusiasm is being generated. But many, who today are shouting their praises for the rabbi from Galilee, will be shouting, “Crucify him!” in a few days (Mk. 15,23). One thing is to be enthusiastic about miracles; quite another to have formed an allegiance!
It will, however, not have been obvious to the crowds or to the disciples that Jesus was fulfilling prophecy. Had it been obvious to everyone, the Romans would have been there to stop it. Afterwards, the disciples understood. (Jn. 12,16)
CONFLICT AND JUDGEMENT
The day after, Jesus again enters Jerusalem, and he curses a fig tree (Mk. 11,12-14), which subsequently withers – a prophetic sign that the Old Covenant and that old religious institution, the temple is doomed. The fig tree is repeatedly in the prophets a reference to Israel´s status before God (Jer. 8,13; 29,17; Hos. 9,10,16; Joel 1,7; Ezek. 4, 1-15).
Jesus is not only the Son of Man, he is also the Son of God; he is the Lord and he is coming to his temple!
In Malachi 3,1-5:
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord…..5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment….
The cleansing of the temple (Mk. 11,15-19) and the 5 conflict stories that follow in Mk. 11,27-12,44, are a comment on why judgement is imminent.
A STORM IS BREWING, AND JESUS WILL BEAR THE FULL BRUNT OF IT!
Jerusalem, and the temple, fall to the Romans in AD 70.
We now leave this reflection on the meaning of Palm Sunday in Mark!
A WORD FOR TODAY!
I want to share with you a verse of Scripture, from the prophet Micah. It has always meant a lot to me, and is no less important now, in this current crisis. I give it to you without comment:
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6,8