Mar 11:1-11 | KingComments | STEP | It is Sunday, the first day of the last week of the Lord’s life on earth before the cross. At the end of this week will happen what He spoke to His disciples about three times: His deliverance, rejection, suffering and death. In one breath He also spoke about His resurrection. It will take place on the first day of the next, the new, week. Before He surrenders Himself into the hands of men for this abuse, God makes sure that a wonderful testimony of Him is given. This happens as they approach Jerusalem and are near Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Both villages are connected to the Mount of Olives, the high mountain that is connected to some of the great events of His life. The names of the villages give us in their meaning the characteristics of the faithful remnant. Bethphage means ‘house of immature figs’ and Bethany means ‘house of misery’. These characteristics contrast with the apostate Jerusalem. From the vicinity of these two villages, the Lord sends two of His disciples with a commission. He is always the Commander, Who knows what has to be done. The disciples are given a precisely described command concerning the place and what they will find and what they will have to do there. We see here that Christ as God has perfect knowledge of the event, as He has of everything that is going to happen. To Him the future is present, and He is omnipresent in every place with perfect knowledge of circumstances. At the same time we see in this Gospel a Servant Who fulfills His commission with conviction and in obedience. We can say that His Father, His heavenly Commissioner, has told Him what He must do and He is doing it. He needs a colt on which no man has ever sat. He will be the first to ride it. It is the picture of the new He brings that no other human being has ever shown: a spirit of complete obedience to death. Nor can He use anything that has already been in the service of sinful man, for that means shows the traces of sin. The colt is ready for Him. It is tied up for Him. The disciples must untie it and bring it with them. We are by nature colts that had to be untied and then are meant to carry the Lord Jesus around. The Lord knows that there is someone who will ask why they are doing this. He also gives the disciples the answer in their mouths. They must answer that “the Lord” has need of it. “The Lord” can refer to both the Lord Jesus and Yahweh . Faith knows it is one and the same Person. As soon as they give this answer, the owner will not only let the colt go, but will ‘send’ it. In this we see the reigning hand of God. He controls the feelings of the owner, just as He controls the feelings of the crowds. It has sometimes been said that the Lord needs nothing or no one for His work. Therefore, it is all the more remarkable that the only time it is mentioned that He needs something, it concerns a colt. If He wants to use us for His work, as He used this colt, the equation is clear that we don’t need to imagine anything regarding the work we are allowed to do for Him. What matters is that He can use us for His glorification, as the colt carried Him, through which people applauded Him. The colt was not given any honor. It only did what it was born to do. The disciples go obediently on their way. And just as the Lord told them, they find the colt. It’s easy to take it with them, they don’t have to catch it. It’s ready for service. They just have to untie it from the old environment to serve in a new service. In this way we are all chosen by God to serve the Lord and He takes us from where we are at the moment He wants to use us. We have a good example of this in Saul, later Paul. There are several people who see what is happening. Normally this would cause a stir because a colt was stolen. But it’s as if people only want to know what the disciples are doing. God has worked in their hearts the conviction that this is not theft, but the taking of an order. The only thing they need to know is that these are the right people coming to pick up the colt. The disciples speak as the Lord has told them. That works resignation to the company that asks questions. We see that there are more than one – and not just the owner – who are satisfied with the answer and no longer make any objections.

‏ Mark 11:1-11

The Lord Needs a Colt

It is Sunday, the first day of the last week of the Lord’s life on earth before the cross. At the end of this week will happen what He spoke to His disciples about three times: His deliverance, rejection, suffering and death. In one breath He also spoke about His resurrection. It will take place on the first day of the next, the new, week.

Before He surrenders Himself into the hands of men for this abuse, God makes sure that a wonderful testimony of Him is given. This happens as they approach Jerusalem and are near Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. Both villages are connected to the Mount of Olives, the high mountain that is connected to some of the great events of His life.

The names of the villages give us in their meaning the characteristics of the faithful remnant. Bethphage means ‘house of immature figs’ and Bethany means ‘house of misery’. These characteristics contrast with the apostate Jerusalem. From the vicinity of these two villages, the Lord sends two of His disciples with a commission. He is always the Commander, Who knows what has to be done.

The disciples are given a precisely described command concerning the place and what they will find and what they will have to do there. We see here that Christ as God has perfect knowledge of the event, as He has of everything that is going to happen. To Him the future is present, and He is omnipresent in every place with perfect knowledge of circumstances. At the same time we see in this Gospel a Servant Who fulfills His commission with conviction and in obedience. We can say that His Father, His heavenly Commissioner, has told Him what He must do and He is doing it.

He needs a colt on which no man has ever sat. He will be the first to ride it. It is the picture of the new He brings that no other human being has ever shown: a spirit of complete obedience to death. Nor can He use anything that has already been in the service of sinful man, for that means shows the traces of sin. The colt is ready for Him. It is tied up for Him. The disciples must untie it and bring it with them. We are by nature colts that had to be untied and then are meant to carry the Lord Jesus around.

The Lord knows that there is someone who will ask why they are doing this. He also gives the disciples the answer in their mouths. They must answer that “the Lord” has need of it. “The Lord” can refer to both the Lord Jesus and Yahweh. Faith knows it is one and the same Person. As soon as they give this answer, the owner will not only let the colt go, but will ‘send’ it. In this we see the reigning hand of God. He controls the feelings of the owner, just as He controls the feelings of the crowds.

It has sometimes been said that the Lord needs nothing or no one for His work. Therefore, it is all the more remarkable that the only time it is mentioned that He needs something, it concerns a colt. If He wants to use us for His work, as He used this colt, the equation is clear that we don’t need to imagine anything regarding the work we are allowed to do for Him. What matters is that He can use us for His glorification, as the colt carried Him, through which people applauded Him. The colt was not given any honor. It only did what it was born to do.

The disciples go obediently on their way. And just as the Lord told them, they find the colt. It’s easy to take it with them, they don’t have to catch it. It’s ready for service. They just have to untie it from the old environment to serve in a new service. In this way we are all chosen by God to serve the Lord and He takes us from where we are at the moment He wants to use us. We have a good example of this in Saul, later Paul.

There are several people who see what is happening. Normally this would cause a stir because a colt was stolen. But it’s as if people only want to know what the disciples are doing. God has worked in their hearts the conviction that this is not theft, but the taking of an order. The only thing they need to know is that these are the right people coming to pick up the colt.

The disciples speak as the Lord has told them. That works resignation to the company that asks questions. We see that there are more than one – and not just the owner – who are satisfied with the answer and no longer make any objections.

The Lord Is Hailed

The colt is brought to the Lord. Now God’s Spirit seizes the disciples and also the crowds. The disciples throw their coats on the colt. Everything that gave them dignity, they give to Him to sit on. They make it available to Him so that He may be carried around by it.

Many follow the example of the disciples and spread their coats on the road as a tribute, so that He may go over it. Also leafy branches are spread on the road as a picture of victory. In the procession that follows, one crowd goes out in front of Him, while another crowd follows Him. He is in the midst of two crowds, as once the tabernacle was advanced by six tribes and was followed by six tribes (Num 2:17).

Under the working of God’s Spirit, the people call out to Him “Hosanna”. Hosanna means ‘Save, please’ or ‘Give salvation, please’. They utter words that can only be addressed to the Messiah (Psa 118:26). They acknowledge Him as the One Who comes in the Name of Yahweh to establish the kingdom as the righteous Son of David.

In riding the colt, He fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah (Zec 9:9). As the peace-loving King, He comes to His people in humility. The colt is the appropriate picture for this (cf. 1Kgs 1:33). A horse gives the picture of battle and war (Rev 19:11).

No matter how little the crowds understand what they are calling, what they are calling is entirely appropriate. They also connect the coming kingdom with the highest heavens. Salvation is the salvation that is with God in the highest heavens and must come from Him.

The Lord does not respond to the manifestations of tribute of the people. He does not reject it, for it is God’s testimony concerning Him. He does not accept it either, for it is not a testimony that comes from the heart of a converted people. He enters the temple, where the true service to God should take place. But He finds no fruit there, as the following history makes clear. There is nothing for Him and nothing for God, everything is empty.

With great dignity He, as the Judge of all things, takes knowledge of all that is done in the temple. The temple is the religious center of the people. There He can best gauge the spiritual state. Just as He looks at everything in the churches with eyes like a flame of fire (Rev 1:12-15), He looks at everything in the temple. When He has looked around – this is only written in this Gospel – He leaves the temple without saying anything. He, Yahweh, God, has visited His temple.

Because it is already late and He does not want to spend the night in Jerusalem that rejected Him, He goes to Bethany. He knows He is welcome there.