Mark 11:1-11

Rachel Workman: 11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” If you can imagine a colt that had never been ridden being ridden by Jesus with all the commotion going on. That alone is an impossible act.
⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna!^[a]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[b]
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” They still weren't 100% sure of who Jesus really was here and what the coming kingdom was.
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

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John Burnett:  1 As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethpage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, ² and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he ^[a]will send it back here.” ⁴ They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. ⁵ Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission.⁷ They *brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it.⁸ And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. ⁹ Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:  We don’t really think this is that big of a deal until we acknowledge verse two where it describes the colt as one that had never had someone sit on it.  Usually animals that are ridden do not just let someone hop on their back and go.  This colt did and it carried Jesus with all of these people throwing coats and branches in front of it.

“Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.  Many of the same people who were singing His praises as he entered Jerusalem, also spit on and mocked him as he walked the Via Dolorosa carrying His cross to Calvary.  Jesus is the only one worthy of the biggest parade ever seen, yet he was carried into Jerusalem on a donkey.

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Monday's reading for Mark 11:12-17

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’^[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[d]”

Mark 10:46-52

Rachel Workman: ⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. Your faith has healed you. It is by our faith in what Christ has already done for us that heals us. I have to believe that God sees suffering differently than we do. Because I know who God is. He is just and he loves us. Maybe we will never see a healing like this man did while on this earth. But there will come a day when we will be healed from sin. That has everything to do with Christ being obedient to the cross and our faith in that.

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John Burnett:  ⁴⁶ Then they *came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹ And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him here.” So they *called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.⁵¹ And answering him, Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the blind man said to Him, “^[a]Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” ⁵² And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has ^[b]made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.  Like the other stories of Jesus healing the blind, this man’s physical blindness represents man’s spiritual blindness.  Our spiritual blindness is healed when we first confess we are wretched sinners and fully need Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Amazing grace says we were blind but now we see.  I don’t like what I see but I am joyfully thankful for what God sees when he looks at me now.  He sees me as having Jesus Christ’s righteousness, his adopted son, and a co-heir with Jesus Christ.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 11:1-11

11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!^[a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[b]

¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Mark 10:41-45

Rachel Workman: ⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We have been ransomed from Satan. That's how much our God loves us.

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John Burnett:  ⁴¹ Hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant with ^[a]James and John.⁴² Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; ⁴⁴ and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His ^[b]life a ransom for many.”  Our recognition in heaven is dependent upon our service here on earth.  Our justification has nothing to do with our service here on earth.  The ransom His life paid for you and me and the trust we put in it and it alone justifies us and insures we will spend eternity

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Allen Michaels:  ⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. Jesus told them that true greatness comes from serving others. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This verse reveals not only the motive for Jesus’ ministry, but also the basis for our salvation. A ransom was the price to be paid to release a slave. Jesus paid a ransom for us because we could not pay it ourselves. His death released all of us from sin. The disciples thought Jesus’ life and power would save them from Rome; Jesus said his death would save them from sin, an even greater slavery than Rome’s.

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^{Shelly Joslin: 41} When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Equality. No one is greater than any other. We are all called to serve Him and/or each other; Jews and Gentiles alike. With that said, I can never expect to go to heaven on a feather bed (though the price has been paid) - if being 'great' is my desire, I must first serve others in order to achieve or even understand what greatness is.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶ Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:35-40

Rachel Workman: ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” In other words can you willingly die on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to pay for all of mankind's sin? No because they were not sinless. There was only one sinless man and that was Jesus. No one can do what Jesus has done because every one of us have sinned. Jesus was the spotless lamb; the spotless sacrifice.

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

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John Burnett:  ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”  After I first read this passage, to me their request came across as the epitome of pride to the highest order but if you read Jesus’s response and tone, he is using this as a teachable moment and He gently rebukes them.  I think Jesus knew they were asking because they loved Him and wanted to be close to Him in Glory.

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”  Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you,” in John 14:2-3 but here he is talking in the past tense and the places to His left and His right have already been prepared for someone because He had not yet gone to prepare ours or their place.

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Allen Michaels:  ³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

³⁶ “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³⁷ They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”? These guys have a lot of cajones to ask Christ to do whatever they want. However, in their defense, they had the wrong idea of the Messiah’s kingdom as predicted by the Old Testament prophets. They were still under the impression that Jesus would establish and earthly kingdom that would free Israel from Rome’s oppression and these two wanted honored places in it. They had no idea what they were really asking Jesus to do for them. They didn’t understand this until after Christ’s resurrection. But today we know that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world; it is not centered in palaces and thrones, but in the hearts and lives of his followers.

³⁸ “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

³⁹ “We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” Jesus was very polite and understanding of James and John, even though he said no. It’s nice to know that we can freely ask God for anything, but our request may be denied. And it’s nice to know that God will not belittle us in the process. God wants to give us what is best for us, not merely what we want. Some requests he denies simply for our own good.

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Tomorrow's reading for Mark 10:41-45

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”