Mark 11
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?” And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. Mark 11:1-7 NKJV
God’s plan may not always make sense to us, but we should put our trust in Him, follow where He asks us to go, and obey what He requests of us. Try to imagine what the apostles must have been thinking: Jesus told them to go into town and borrow a colt from a stranger. To them, it must have felt like stealing. What possible reason did Jesus have for asking them to do this? They had no idea that this was to fulfill one of the prophecies about the Messiah: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). As an aside, this was one of 332 Old Testament prophecies that Jesus fulfilled! Is there something in your life that you keep saying “no” to, but you are left with an uneasy feeling once you turn it down? Or is there something that you refused to do, but it keeps coming up again and again? Pay attention to subtle signs such as these – it may be God asking for your help.
And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” Mark 11:8-10 NKJV
We all need to be careful that we do not misinterpret why Jesus came, as did the people in this passage. Here the people are worshiping Jesus and celebrating His coming “kingdom.” They had suffered 90 years of oppression under Roman rule, and are now ecstatic because they think that Jesus is going to establish an earthly kingdom which will free them from Roman persecution. In Luke 4:18, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1 when He said: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” Jesus was referring to spiritual freedom; freedom from “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). Many times we get preoccupied with asking God to help us solve all of our problems. We need to remember that God did not send His Son to fix our earthly troubles. He came to save our souls, free us from the grip of sin, and to give us eternal life. Try not to get trapped into constantly looking for an earthly freedom that may or may not come. Stay focused on the One who was sent to free us from this world, and the One with whom we will be spending eternity.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25 NKJV
Forgiving others is an essential part of the Christian life. Immediately after teaching us how to pray in Matthew 6, Jesus said: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). We all have sinned and are in need of God’s forgiveness. If we take offense to something that someone else has done or said to us, we are essentially trying to take on God’s role in deciding whether or not that person deserves forgiveness. We need to remember that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of ALL sins – past, present and future. If we are holding something in unforgiveness, we are essentially saying that Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough to cover the wrong that was done. Even though it can be an extremely difficult thing to do sometimes, make sure that you truly forgive those that have wronged you. This is expected of you as a believer in Christ. Do it today and enjoy the immense relief that comes from lifting the burden of unforgiveness from your heart!