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Scripture Reading: Mark 11:1-26
At the end of chapter ten we have the conclusion of the Slave-Savior’s ministry of the gospel. Mark 4:35—10:52 is a long section covering the move of the Slave-Savior’s gospel service. In this section twenty-nine matters are covered: silencing the wind and stilling the sea (Mark 4:35-41); casting out a legion of demons (Mark 5:1-20); healing a woman with a flow of blood and raising up a dead girl (Mark 5:21-43); being despised by the Nazarenes (Mark 6:1-6); sending the twelve to preach (Mark 6:7-13); the martyrdom of the forerunner of the gospel (Mark 6:14-29); feeding the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44); walking on the sea (Mark 6:45-52); healing everywhere (Mark 6:53-56); teaching concerning the defiling things from within (Mark 7:1-23); casting a demon out of a Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (Mark 7:24-30); healing a deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:31-37); feeding four thousand (Mark 8:1-9); not giving a sign to the Pharisees (Mark 8:10-13); warning concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod (Mark 8:14-21); healing a blind man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26); being recognized as Christ and unveiling His death and resurrection the first time (Mark 8:27—9:1); being transfigured on the mount (Mark 9:2-13); casting a dumb spirit out of a man’s son (Mark 9:14-29); unveiling His death and resurrection the second time (Mark 9:30-32); teaching concerning humility (Mark 9:33-37); teaching concerning tolerance for unity (Mark 9:38-50); coming to Judea (Mark 10:1); teaching against divorce (Mark 10:2-12); blessing young children (Mark 10:13-16); teaching concerning the rich and the kingdom of God (Mark 10:17-31); going up to Jerusalem and unveiling His death and resurrection the third time (Mark 10:32-34); teaching concerning the way to the throne of the kingdom of God (Mark 10:35-45); coming to Jericho and healing blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). By means of these twenty-nine matters, the Lord Jesus prepared His disciples to be brought into His death and resurrection.
Why was it necessary for a number of the Lord’s disciples to be brought into His death and resurrection? The answer to this question is that the disciples could not participate in the enjoyment of the Lord otherwise. Furthermore, if they did not enjoy the Lord by being brought into His death and resurrection, they would not be able to enter into the kingdom of God or have anything to do with the kingdom.
We enter into the kingdom through the enjoyment of the Lord, through the enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ as the universal replacement. In order to enjoy Him in this way, we need to pass through His death and resurrection. Therefore, the Lord worked on the disciples to make them ready to be brought into the process of His death and resurrection.
We have seen that the Lord was proceeding onward to Jerusalem in order to die there. But we also need to realize that the Lord was not going to Jerusalem alone. Rather, He was bringing with Him a number of His faithful followers. These followers were not clear about what was happening. They may have felt only that the Lord was very lovable and that they wanted to go wherever He went. Actually, the Lord’s purpose was to bring all of them into His death and resurrection. Once the Lord’s followers were brought into His death and resurrection, they could participate in the enjoyment of Him in an actual and practical way. It is through death and resurrection that the Lord becomes our portion and our replacement.
In the Gospel of Mark we see Peter, John, James, and other faithful ones following the Lord Jesus. From their point of view, they were following the Lord. But from the Lord’s point of view, He was preparing them to be brought into His death and resurrection. By the time they came to Jericho, they were fully prepared for this.
By entering into the Lord’s death and resurrection, the disciples could have the enjoyment of the Lord and experience Him as their replacement. As a result, on the day of Pentecost the one hundred twenty were those who had been replaced by the Lord and who were enjoying Him. They all had been brought into the Lord’s death and resurrection. Through His death and resurrection they were participating in Him, a living, all-inclusive Person, as their replacement.
Through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the disciples also had a rich entrance into the kingdom of God. Hence, on the day of Pentecost we see a picture of the kingdom of God. With Peter and the one hundred twenty on the day of Pentecost, we have a manifestation of the kingdom of God. This manifestation includes the full enjoyment of Christ as the universal, all-inclusive replacement through His death and resurrection. How was it possible for the one hundred twenty to be in the kingdom of God on the day of Pentecost? This was possible only through their entering into the death and resurrection of Christ.
According to chapter one of Acts, the one hundred twenty were Galileans. Although they were from Galilee, the Lord Jesus brought them through many things to Jerusalem, where they entered into His death and resurrection. When the Lord was crucified, these Galileans were there and witnessed His death. Actually, they passed through crucifixion with Him. Eventually, they were brought into the Lord’s resurrection and saw His ascension. Then on the day of Pentecost the Lord as the Spirit was poured upon them. All that they had seen and passed through became a reality to them. They had seen the Lord’s death, they had entered into His resurrection, and they had witnessed His ascension. But when the Lord as the Spirit was poured upon them, all these matters became a reality to them. This means that they were in the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension. They were participating in the full enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ as the universal replacement.
We all need to have such a vision when we read the Gospel of Mark. If we do not have this vision, we shall not be able to get into the depths of this book.
Apparently, Mark is a book of stories. Actually, it is not a book of stories but a book containing a wonderful vision. As we read the chapters of this Gospel, it is as if we are watching a heavenly television, and scene after scene is “telecast” into our spirit. Praise the Lord for such a vision!
We thank the Lord for showing us how His intimate followers are qualified, perfected, equipped, and made ready to enter into His death and resurrection. The lengthy section from 4:35 through 10:52 presents a clear picture of how Galileans who once were very natural could be prepared to enter into the death and resurrection of Christ. At the end of chapter ten, they are fully made ready to come to Jerusalem, that is, to enter into the death and resurrection of Christ.
Next to Christ Himself, the death and resurrection of Christ are the two greatest matters in the universe. Only the Person of Christ Himself is greater than these. Apart from Christ Himself, nothing is as great as His death and resurrection.
We have seen that actually the Lord Jesus in going toward Jerusalem was proceeding toward His death. Then through His death He entered into His resurrection. The Lord Jesus walked boldly from Capernaum to Jerusalem in order to enter into death. God and the entire creation were waiting for this. Jesus knew that He was going to Jerusalem to carry out a great, all-inclusive death. Knowing the appointed time, the date of His death, He walked boldly to Jerusalem.
We may say that the greatest miracle in the universe was the Lord’s entering into and accomplishing His all-inclusive death. According to Hebrews 12, the Lord was happy with what lay before Him (v. 2). He knew that there was a joy set before Him. Therefore, He went up to Jerusalem that He might accomplish God’s purpose through His death. What a great step that was in God’s economy!
It is a very significant matter that in carrying out His all-inclusive death, the Lord brought all of us into death with Him. If we see this, we shall not regard the Gospel of Mark merely as a book of stories. Instead, we shall see that this book conveys a great revelation.
By the end of chapter ten, the Slave-Savior’s gospel ministry had been completed. We have seen that the ministry of the Slave-Savior included five matters as the contents of the gospel service: preaching the gospel, teaching the truth, casting out demons, healing the sick, and cleansing the leper. All these matters were completed by the end of chapter ten. Therefore, chapters eleven through sixteen are different in nature from the preceding chapters of the Gospel of Mark. In the last six chapters of this Gospel we no longer have such things as the casting out of demons or the healing of the sick. Instead, in 11:1—14:42 we have the preparation of the Slave-Savior for His redemptive service. Before the Lord could perform His redemptive work, a certain preparation was necessary.
Not many readers of the Gospel of Mark realize that chapter eleven is concerned with the Lord’s preparation for His redemptive service. In this chapter the Lord prepared the environment, He prepared those who were to crucify Him, and He also prepared His disciples. The Lord went to Jerusalem for the purpose of accomplishing His redemptive death. But this death required a great preparation. Therefore, the Lord went to Jerusalem ahead of time in order to carry out this preparation, as recorded in 11:1 through 14:42. All that is recorded in these chapters is not accidental. Rather, all the matters recorded here are related to the Slave-Savior’s preparation for the accomplishment of His redemptive service.
The first aspect of the preparation of the Slave-Savior for His redemptive service was to enter into Jerusalem and lodge in Bethany. Mark 11:1 and 2 say, “And when they came near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sends two of His disciples, and says to them, Go to the village opposite you, and immediately, entering into it, you will find a colt tied, on which no man has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it.” Here we see the Slave-Savior’s omniscience, which spoke forth His deity.
Verses 7 and 8 say, “And they bring the colt to Jesus and throw their garments on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their garments in the road, and others spread layers of leaves, cutting them out of the fields.” “Garments” signify the human virtues of people’s conduct. The disciples honored the Slave-Savior by putting their garments on the colt for Him to ride on, and the crowd honored Him by spreading their garments in the road for Him to pass through.
The leaves (v. 8) came from branches of palm trees (John 12:13). Palm branches signify the victorious life (Rev. 7:9) and the satisfaction of enjoying the rich produce of this life, as typified by the feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15). The crowd used both their garments and the palm tree branches to celebrate the coming of the Slave-Savior.
The Slave-Savior made a glorious entrance and received a warm welcome. This took place according to the Lord’s wisdom. As a preparation for His redemptive service, the first thing He arranged was this welcome. By means of this welcome, He received the approval of the people. It was as if He received their vote. The people were in favor of Him and recognized Him as the Messiah.
Mark 11:9 and 10 say, “And those going before and those following cried out, 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!” The words shouted by the people were quoted from Psalm 118:26, a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. Such a declaration will be repeated at the Lord’s second coming. At that time, Psalm 118 will be fulfilled in a complete way. When He comes the second time, He will be riding on a cloud, not on a colt, and He will be coming from the heavens, not from Jericho. Then the converted Jews will exclaim, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” What we have in Mark 11:9 and 10 is a foretaste or a prefigure of the welcome the Lord will receive in that day. But in either case the principle is the same in that God’s chosen people recognize and acknowledge their Messiah.
The Lord knew that in Jerusalem He would confront many opposers. But before He confronted them, He first received the approval of the people. This was the first step in His preparation for His redemptive service.
