Mark 11:1-11
Summary for Mark 11:1-25: 11:1–13:37 a This section centers on Jesus’ relationship to the Jerusalem Temple. Mark’s geographical arrangement places in 11:1–16:8 b all his accounts of Jesus’ teachings and events associated with Jerusalem.• The section concludes (13:1-37 c) with Jesus’ second extended teaching discourse (see 4:1-34 d), now focusing on the destruction of the Temple and the coming of the Son of Man. It is the climax for numerous statements within 11:1–13:37 e concerning the divine judgment about to fall on Jerusalem and the Temple (see especially 11:12-25 f and 12:1-12 g). 11:1 h Jerusalem was Jesus’ goal. During the week before his crucifixion, Jesus apparently stayed in Bethany with his disciples (11:11-12 i; 14:3-9 j).
• The Mount of Olives is frequently associated with the site of the final judgment (Zech 14:4 k) and the place where the Messiah will manifest himself (Ezek 11:23 l; 43:1-5 m; see also Josephus, Antiquities 20.8.6).
• As he did at other times, Jesus sent two of them (see Mark 6:7 n).
Summary for Mark 11:2-3: 11:2-3 o There have already been numerous examples of Jesus’ supernatural knowledge (2:8 p; 3:5 q; 5:30 r, 32 s; 8:17 t, 31 u), but the people’s acceptance of the reply that the Lord needs it (11:3 v, 6 w) suggests that Jesus had prearranged it (cp. 14:13-16 x). Jesus had intentionally planned to enter Jerusalem in fulfillment of Zech 9:9 y.
11:3 z The Lord needs it and will return it soon: Mark’s readers have already seen the word Lord used to refer to Jesus (1:3 aa; 2:28 ab; 5:19 ac; see also 12:36-37 ad; 13:35 ae), so they would understand it as referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, who needed the colt (see also Rom 10:9 af; Phil 2:11 ag).
Summary for Mark 11:4-6: 11:4-6 ah The disciples carried out Jesus’ instructions and found things as he had said.
Summary for Mark 11:7-8: 11:7-8 ai the colt ... he sat on it: Cp. Zech 9:9 aj; some of the people undoubtedly understood that they were witnessing the arrival of the Messiah.
• The disciples made a seat for Jesus with their outer garments and others spread garments and branches from nearby trees into an honorary pathway for Jesus to ride upon to Jerusalem (see 1 Kgs 1:38-48 ak; 2 Kgs 9:13 al).
Summary for Mark 11:9-10: 11:9-10 am Praise God! (Greek Hosanna): By the first century AD, Hosanna was no longer used literally as a cry for rescue from enemies but had become an idiomatic expression of joy and jubilation (cp. “Praise the Lord!” as used today). For the people, it was the exuberant welcome (Luke 19:38-40 an) of a famous pilgrim, the prophet from Galilee (Matt 21:11 ao). The miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead might have contributed to the excitement of the day (John 12:9-11 ap), but even the disciples did not truly understand this event until later (John 12:16 aq). For Jesus, though, it was a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus prepared for the occasion carefully and offered himself to the people of Israel as God’s Anointed, the Messiah.
11:11 ar The account ends surprisingly: The exuberant crowd disappears and Jesus’ actual entrance into the Temple is anticlimactic in comparison to his approach. Apparently, in the minds of the people, nothing important had taken place. Jesus’ looking around prepares the reader for God’s judgment on the Temple (11:15-17 as).
Copyright information for
TNotes