Mark 11:1

We have here the story of the public entry Christ made into Jerusalem, four or five days before his death. And he came into town thus remarkably, 1. To show that he was not afraid of the power and malice of his enemies in Jerusalem. He did not steal into the city incognito, as one that durst not show his face; no, they needed not send spies to search for him, he comes in with observation. This would be an encouragement to his disciples that were timorous, and cowed at the thought of their enemies' power and rage; let them see how bravely their Master sets them all at defiance. 2. To show that he was not cast down or disquieted at the thoughts of his approaching sufferings. He came, not only publicly, but cheerfully, and with acclamations of joy. Though he was now but taking the field, and girding on the harness, yet, being fully assured of a complete victory, he thus triumphs as though he had put it off.

I. The outside of this triumph was very mean; he rode upon an ass's colt, which being an ass, looked contemptible, and made no figure; and, being but a colt, whereon never man sat, we may suppose, was rough and untrimmed, and not only so, but rude and ungovernable, and would disturb and disgrace the solemnity. This colt was borrowed too. Christ went upon the water in a borrowed boat, ate the passover in a borrowed chamber, was buried in a borrowed sepulchre, and here rode on a borrowed ass. Let not Christians scorn to be beholden one to another, and, when need is, to go a borrowing, for our Master did not. He had no rich trappings; they threw their clothes upon the colt, and so he sat upon him, Mar 11:7. The persons that attended, were mean people; and all the show they could make, was, by spreading their garments in the way (Mar 11:8), as they used to do at the feast of tabernacles. All these were marks of his humiliation; even when he would be taken notice of, he would be taken notice of for his meanness; and they are instructions to us, not to mind high things, but to condescend to them of low estate. How ill doth it become Christians to take state, when Christ was so far from affecting it!

II. The inside of this triumph was very great; not only as it was the fulfilling of the scripture (which is not taken notice of here, as it as in Matthew), but as there were several rays of Christ's glory shining forth in the midst of all this meanness. 1. Christ showed his knowledge of things distant, and his power over the wills of men, when he sent his disciples for the colt, Mar 11:1-3. By this it appears that he can do every thing, and no thought can be withholden from him. 2. He showed his dominion over the creatures in riding on a colt that was never backed. The subjection of the inferior part of the creation to man is spoken of with application to Christ (Psa 8:5, Psa 8:6, compared with Heb 2:8); for to him it is owing, and to his mediation, that we have any remaining benefit by the grant God made to man, of a sovereignty in this lower world, Gen 1:28. And perhaps Christ, in riding the ass's colt, would give a shadow of his power over the spirit of man, who is born as the wild ass's colt, Job 11:12. 3. The colt was brought from a place where two ways met (Mar 11:4), as if Christ would show that he came to direct those into the right way, who had two ways before them, and were in danger of taking the wrong. 4. Christ received the joyful hosannas of the people; that is, both the welcome they gave him and their good wishes to the prosperity of his kingdom, Mar 11:9. It was God that put it into the hearts of these people to cry Hosanna, who were not by art and management brought to it, as those were who afterward cried, Crucify, crucify. Christ reckons himself honoured by the faith and praises of the multitude, and it is God that brings people to do him this honour beyond their own intentions.

(1.) They welcomed his person (Mar 11:9); Blessed is he that cometh, the ho erchomenos, he that should come, so often promised, so long expected; he comes in the name of the Lord, as God's Ambassador to the world; Blessed be he: let him have our applauses, and best affections; he is a blessed Saviour, and brings blessings to us, and blessed be he that sent him. Let him be blessed in the name of the Lord, and let all nations and ages call him Blessed, and think and speak highly and honourably of him.

(2.) They wished well to his intent, Mar 11:10. They believed that, mean a figure as he made, he had a kingdom, which should shortly be set up in the world, that it was the kingdom of their father David (that father of his country), the kingdom promised to him and his seed for ever; a kingdom that came in the name of the Lord, supported by a divine authority. Blessed be this kingdom; let it take place, let it get ground, let it come in the power of it, and let all opposing rule, principality, and power, be put down; let it go on conquering, and to conquer. Hosanna to this kingdom; prosperity be to it; all happiness attend it. The proper signification of hosanna is that which we find, Rev 7:10. Salvation to our God, that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb; success to religion, both natural and revealed, Hosanna in the highest. Praises be to our God, who is in the highest heavens over all, God blessed for ever; or, Let him be praised by his angels, that are in the highest heavens, let our hosannas be an echo to theirs.

Christ, thus attended, thus applauded, came into the city, and went directly to the temple. Here was no banquet of wine prepared for his entertainment, nor the least refreshment; but he immediately applied himself to his work, for that was his meat and drink. He went to the temple, that the scripture might be fulfilled; "The Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, without sending any immediate notice before him; he shall surprise you with a day of visitation, for he shall be like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap," Mal 3:1-3. He came to the temple, and took a view of the present state of it, Mar 11:11. He looked round about upon all things, but as yet said nothing. He saw many disorders there, but kept silence, Psa 50:21. Though he intended to suppress them, he would not go about the doing of it all on a sudden, lest he should seem to have done it rashly; he let things be as they were for this night, intending the next morning to apply himself to the necessary reformation, and to take the day before him. We may be confident that God sees all the wickedness that is in the world, though he do not presently reckon for it, nor cast it out. Christ, having make his remarks upon what he saw in the temple, retired in the evening to a friend's house at Bethany, because there he would be more out of the noise of the town, and out of the way of being suspected, a designing to head a faction.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ch. Mar_11:1-11. The Triumphal Entry

1. And when] The order of events at this point needs explanation. (1) The Saviour apparently reached Bethany on the evening of Friday, Nisan 8. There (2) in quiet retirement He spent His last earthly Sabbath; and (3) in the evening, sat down to a festal meal provided by the sisters of Lazarus at the house of one Simon, who had been a leper (Mat_26:6; Joh_12:1). (4) At this feast He was anointed by Mary (Joh_12:3); and (5) during the night a council of the Jews was convened to consider the propriety of putting not Him only but Lazarus also to death (Joh_12:10).

they came] Rather, when they draw near. The Evangelist, passing over for the present the peaceful scene at the festal meal (Mar_14:3-11), translates us at once to Palm Sunday, as to time; and, as to place, to the region between Bethany and the mount of Olives. Observe how he writes in the present tense.

unto Bethphage] On the first day of the Holy Week the Saviour left Bethany and proceeded towards Bethphage = the house of unripe figs, a little hamlet on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem. As in a journey towards Jerusalem it is always mentioned before Bethany, it seems to have been to the east of that village.

he sendeth] Note again the present tense.

two of his disciples] The minuteness of the description that follows suggests that St Peter may have been one of these. If so, he was not improbably accompanied by St John.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matthew saith nothing of Bethany, mentioned by Mark and Luke. It was the town of Lazarus, Joh 11:1. Some think that Bethany was rather a tract of the Mount of Olives than a town, and that Bethphage was a kind of suburbs to Jerusalem, at the remotest part of which Bethany began, but the town itself called Bethany was fifteen furlongs, near two miles, from Jerusalem. It was the place from which Christ ascended to heaven, Luk 24:50, a sabbath day’s journey from Jerusalem, Act 1:12, at some distance from the town called Bethany. From this place, called still Bethany, upon the borders of Bethphage, he sent out two of his disciples.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Mar_11:1-11

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives.

The triumphal entry

I. The occasion of this homage.

II. The scene of this homage. Scene of-

1. His ministry.

2. His martyrdom.

III. The offerers of this homage.

IV. By what actions this homage was expressed.

V. The language in which this homage was uttered. (J. R. Thomson.)

Christ entering Jerusalem

I. The story presents to view Christs sovereignty over all men.

II. This story also exhibits Christs foreknowledge of all ordinary events. He tells the disciples, as they set forth to do this errand, just what will happen.

III. Then again, this story discloses Christs power over all the brute creation (Luk_19:35). No other instance of Jesus riding upon an animal of any sort has been recorded in His history; and of all, this must have been a beast most difficult to employ in a confused pageant.

IV. Once more: this story illustrates Christs majesty as the Messiah of God. Two of the evangelists quote at this point the Old Testament prophecy concerning this triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zec_9:8-9). (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

Christ entering Jerusalem

What is the meaning of the day? What was the purpose of the demonstration? The suggestions that Jesus lost control of either Himself or of the people, so as to be carried away by their enthusiasm, are unworthy of His former history and of His subsequent teachings.

I. The day is memorable for its surprises and reversals of judgment. Jesus only judged rightly; next to Him the children in the temple. The hopes and visions of the people and disciples were wide of the mark and doomed to disappointment. This day to them promised a throne, but hastened the cross and a tomb. The fears and hates of the Pharisees and rulers were surprised and reversed. Jesus made no attempt at temporal power and offered no resistance.

II. This day emphasizes spirituality as the only key to a right understanding of persons and providences. Christ was revealed as a king, but not of this world. After the gift of the Spirit the apostles clearly perceived the prediction of prophecy, the prediction of providence, in the songs of praise.

III. What the day teaches of the child-like spirit should not escape.

IV. We shall not be too bold in pronouncing this day memorable as a prophecy. The meaning of it was projected into the future. It is prophetic of the entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem, when, indeed, souls shall give Him homage. That triumphal entry into the city of David was followed by crucifixion. This triumphal entry into the city of God shall be consummated in coronation. (J. R. Danford.)

Who is this?

I. Let us investigate the different feelings which gave birth to this inquiry.

1. With many it was a feeling of thoughtless wonder.

2. Angry jealousy prompted the question in some.

3. There was yet another class of questioners, whose state of mind may properly be described as that of irresolute doubt.

II. The true answer to the question.

1. Go to the multitude by whom Jesus is surrounded, and ask, Who is this?

2. Go to the ancient prophets and ask, Who is this? (Zec_9:9).

3. Go to the apostles after they were enlightened by the Holy Spirit.

4. Go to the experienced believer. (J. Jowett, M. A.)

Honouring Christ

I. Consider the meaning of the incident itself, the spirit and truth which it expresses. It was, in fact, an expressive illustration of His claims as the Messiah. It was a spontaneous heart offering. It indicates Christs influence on His own age. The truth does get honoured at times, even in its own time. The prophet is not without his reward. A noble life will touch the hearts of the people.

II. Consider some of the lessons which are to be drawn from the conduct of the multitude. The reputation of Christ was great. The multitude was lashed into enthusiasm. But then came disappointment. He assumed no royal dignity. Crucify Him! It was the fickle element that helps to constitute public opinion. We should, therefore, consider the grounds and motives from which we honour Christ. He demands more than our fickle, transient homage. He is not truly honoured by mere emotions. Men get glimpses of Christs beauty and power. His sacrifice in its incidents moves to tears; but the real spirit and significance of it all are missed. Christ needs more than good resolutions under the influence of emotional excitement. We have to honour Him by our perfect self-surrender and trust; and by our actions amid the mire, and toil, and dust of daily traffic. Real honour must be faithful and persistent, like that of the loving women who, when Peter meanly shrank, stood at the last hour by His cross, and were, on the first dawn of Easter Day, at His sepulchre. There will necessarily be variations in religious moods. But uplifting moments should leave us higher when they pass. Christ asks more than public honours. Professional respectabilities not enough. He wants individual honour and homage. The true hearts sacrifice more than the hosannas of the thoughtless hollow crowd.

III. Consider the significance of this transaction in its relations to Christ Himself. It reveals His true glory. He despised the earthly crown. Outward glory was not His object. He manifested the internal, spiritual, eternal. The kind of triumph here symbolized. That was one to be reached through sorrow, agony, death; a triumph of self-sacrificing love. It was not the coronation of sorrow, but victory through death. There is no real victory which does not partake of the qualities of the Lords. Obedient, submissive, self-sacrificing love is in our appointed path to the upward heights of glory. You may share Christs victory. Then honour Him in a kindred spirit of sympathy and self-renunciation. My Lord and my God! Let every heart honour Him! (E. H. Chaplin, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 11:1-3. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem — See on Mat 21:1-3; unto Bethphage and Bethany — The limits of Bethany reached to the mount of Olives: and joined to those of Bethphage, which was part of the suburbs of Jerusalem, and reached from the mount of Olives to the walls of the city. Our Lord was now come to the place where the boundaries of Bethphage and Bethany met. Ye shall find a colt tied — In Matthew we read, an ass tied, and a colt with her, but Mark and Luke only mention the colt, because, it seems, our Lord rode on him only.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

§ 111. — TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM, Mar_11:1-11.

(See notes on Mat_21:1-17.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES

It may be well to trace out, approximately, the order of events here. Leaving Jericho on the Friday morning, after a fatiguing journey of six or seven hours, they reach Bethany, where they spend the Sabbath. On Saturday evening Christ sups in the house of Simon the leper, His disciples and Lazarus and his sisters being present; and at this feast He is anointed by Mary. During that night the chief priests—irritated on hearing that many of the Jews have been to see Jesus and Lazarus—hold a meeting to consult as to the advisability of putting them both to death. Next morning—Palm Sunday—the triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place.

Mar_11:1. Bethphage and Bethany.—Bethphage (“House-of-unripe-figs”) being mentioned first both here and in Luk_19:29, would seem to indicate that it lay on the road from Jericho to the east of Bethany (“House-of-dates”); but the traditional site is to the west. Porter surmises that the two names may have been applied to different quarters of the one straggling village, the one part called Bethphage from the fig orchards adjoining it, and the other Bethany from its palm trees. See his Syria and Palestine, p. 180. At the mount of Olives.—Looking towards—πρός.

Mar_11:3. And straightway he will send him hither.—The insertion of πάλιν before ὧδε in א, B, C, D, L, Δ, has led many to regard this clause as a part of the answer which the disciples were to give if any difficulty arose as to the borrowing of the colt. But Dr. F. Field urges in defence of the generally received interpretation:

(1) that εὐθέως is far more properly said of the promptness of the owners in giving up the colt than of the expedition of the borrower in returning, which could only take place after a certain interval of time; and

(2) that the effect of the authoritative requisition, “The Lord hath need of him,” upon the mind of the owners would be weakened rather than strengthened by the addition, “and will be sure to return him.”

Mar_11:4. A very circumstantial account, such as none but an eyewitness would have thought of giving—a strong indication that Peter was one of the two disciples. They found the colt tied beside the door, outside (the yard or court), on the roundabout road (i.e. the road that went round the house).

Mar_11:8. Branches … the way.—See R. V.

Mar_11:9-10. See R. V.

MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Mar_11:1-11

(PARALLELS: Mat_21:1-11; Mat_21:14-17; Luk_19:29-44; Joh_12:12-19.)

The final entry into Jerusalem.—

I. Here was a token which Jesus gave to these two disciples, and to the twelve by them.—It was an example of His superhuman knowledge. A similar case occurred in the preparation for the Paschal Supper (Luk_22:10). These manifestations of supernatural knowledge, though less illustrious than His publicly wrought miracles, were of the same general order. And they were of great interest as tokens given by our Lord to individual disciples. In the present instance we are not told who these two disciples were. Our Lord appointed at His pleasure when He was on earth, and He does so now that He is in heaven, those of His servants who shall do special work and receive special manifestations from Himself in the discharge of it. Multitudes saw the greater, or at least the more conspicuous, miracles; but these two disciples had this at first all to themselves. And thus it often is still in the Christian life. In addition to all the more patent evidences of the Divine reality of the Gospel, there will be manifestations, arising out of personal transactions with God and the Redeemer, which are gloriously confirming to faith and hope; bright beamings of truth from the Word on the mind; a realised nearness of access into the Divine presence; marked answers to prayer of Providence; spiritual results following upon efforts for others and endeavours for the Divine glory; and suchlike experimental evidences, things full of emphasis to the soul which meets with them—still quiet voices, which those who are near the Master sometimes hear!

II. An interesting case of the fulfilment of prophecy is presented to us here.—Nearly five hundred years before it had been written by Zechariah the prophet (Zec_9:9). The disciples of our Lord themselves, we are informed by St. John (Joh_12:16), did not at the time think of this prediction, or view what was occurring as the fulfilling of it; but “when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of Him, and that they had done such things unto Him.” And thus it is that events best explain the prophetic Word. We have, like the disciples, to “company with” Christ, and stand by the interests of His kingdom, whatever measure of development they may have attained, working, watching, and praying, and that measure will assuredly go on to increase till the world shall be bright with Messiah’s glory. The fulfilment of prophecy in the case before us strikingly confirms our believing expectations of the future. For this prediction, as it stands in Zechariah, is directly connected with references to the ultimate triumphs of the Saviour. And certainly as the former part of the prediction was accomplished, so certainly “His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the earth.”

III. An illustration is here furnished of the control of Christ over minds and events, and of the manner in which, when the time for the execution of the Divine purposes is come, the means and agencies at once appear.—Jesus was to make a public entry into Jerusalem. It must needs be so, that Scripture might be fulfilled. And see how all things conspire for this end. Our Lord sends into the village over against Him and near the city, knowing precisely where the animal He was to ride on would be found; and there it was at the very hour at which it was needed, as though waiting for the honour now to be put upon it, after having been spoken of in prophecy five hundred years before! But will it be given up for the purpose? Yes. The owners have only to be told that the Great Teacher had need of it, and it was at once placed at His disposal. Have we not here a specimen of what may be looked for in the future unfolding of the purposes of Heaven? As the periods come for the successive fulfilment of God’s designs in connexion with the kingdom of His Son, the fitting means and instrumentalities will not be wanting. Who can foresee, moreover, what events in Providence may arise to impress men’s minds, as the raising of Lazarus did at this time, both to facilitate the diffusion of the gospel, and to awaken, by the accompanying power of the Spirit of God, a sense of the need of the blessings it offers? One may well be awed in viewing the progress of events, even in our own day,—in the consolidation, to a great extent, of religious liberty in our own land, and in many of those of the Continent; in the opening of India and China to the preaching of Christ; in the triumphs of the gospel in Madagascar, long the scene of bloody persecution; in the advance of evangelisation in Burmah, Polynesia, Africa, and other parts of the field of missions; in the unbarring of Italy, in which the Reformation was once crushed by persecution, and to which till lately there was no access through its length and breadth to free Christian exertion. Everywhere a multitude of obstacles have yet to be overcome; but all things are pointing onward to great and grand issues in the not very distant future.

IV. The joyous acclamations of the disciples as they attended their Master into Jerusalem may well remind us of what should be the attitude and feeling of the Church of Christ with reference to the triumphs of its Lord.—No doubt there were many voices raised that day under the influence of mere passing excitement. But it was not so with the real disciples with whom the demonstration probably originated. Even they had then no enlarged acquaintance with the truth of Christ; but they had that which is the rudiment of all preparation for Christian service, sacrifice, and suffering—a loving devotedness to their Lord. And He approved and encouraged their ardour. Amid all the occupations of earth, and all the distractions of time, what a psalm of praise to the exalted Saviour should the Christian life of a redeemed sinner be!—E. T. Prust.

An Advent Sunday discourse.—The history of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem is selected as the Holy Gospel for Advent Sunday, because it is typical of the manner in which He makes His Advent throughout the centuries to the Church at large.

I. It is the same Person who comes, and in the same character—Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.—His very name should ensure Him a welcome in every heart. He is “Jesus”—our Saviour; and “Christ”—the Anointed of God: anointed as Prophet, to teach the way of God in truth; anointed as Priest, to make atonement for our sins, and by one offering to perfect for ever them that are sanctified; anointed as King, to set up His throne in our hearts, and reduce every thought and affection to the obedience of faith. Thus has He ever presented Himself to the reception of every individual who is acquainted with what is written in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Him, whether Jews then or Christians since. Any difference there may be is clearly in our favour. Those who hailed Him as the Son of David, and rent the air with hosannas to Him that came in the name of the Lord, had after all very low, imperfect, and even false ideas of His character and mission. Their thoughts all ran upon carnal enemies and temporal deliverances. We know better than that; we have learnt that the most cruel tyrants are Satan and Sin, and that a man’s worst foes are of his own household, even within his own breast. Knowing our danger and weakness, we are the better able to appreciate the greatness of our deliverance, and to hail with joy and gratitude Him who comes to “heal the broken-hearted,” etc.

II. As it is the same Great Person who comes, so He comes in a spiritual sense to the same. Of His First Advent in general it is said, “He came unto His own.” But especially when, as now, He visited Jerusalem, the city of David who was His father according to the flesh, and the Temple of God which was His Heavenly Father’s house, might He be said in a more particular manner to be coming unto His own. And is not this the case with the Saviour of mankind, whensoever and to whomsoever He comes? Are we not doubly His—His by creation and His by redemption? But we know by experience that the most unquestionable title does not ensure peaceful possession. Thus in the days of His flesh (Joh_1:10-11). And still, when He asserts His claim to universal empire, or knocks at the door of the heart of individual sinners, the greater number, like the inhabitants of Jerusalem, are moved only with wonder and surprise at the demand made upon them (Mat_21:10). They ask, “Who is this?”—some, indeed, with an honest desire for information and enlightenment (Joh_9:36); but too many in the bad, bold spirit of the Jewish rulers (Mat_21:23).

III. We may see another point of resemblance in the manner of our Lord’s Advent. How did He approach Jerusalem? As a mighty conqueror, at the head of an army, to destroy His enemies and burn up their city? Far different. See Mat_21:5. His attendants a few simple men and feeble women, who had followed Him from His native place. What could be more typical of the Saviour’s Mission to this earth? See Joh_3:17; Mat_12:20. What an irresistible appeal is that of St. Paul! (2Co_10:1). Force is met by force. He who assails with violence is by violence repelled. Against the crash of thunder we stop our ears. But to gentleness we yield. To him who entreats we show ourselves easy to be entreated. The still, small voice is the most certain to gain our attention. Be it so now. Receive with meekness Him who comes in the spirit of meekness. Wait not till He comes in another fashion (Mat_24:30; Rev_1:7).

IV. Another point of comparison that we may draw relates to the reception of Christ. The inhabitants of Jerusalem, not content to await His arrival, went out to meet Him on the road (Joh_12:13). Even so the Church, in Advent goes forth to meet her Lord. His Incarnation, or actual coming in the flesh, she celebrates at Christmas; but long before that time we may imagine her to be standing on the watch-tower, eagerly looking for the signs of His approach. At last, as on this day, she espies Him afar off, and gives notice to all her children—“Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.” But in another sense the coming of the Son of Man is “not with observation,” and not at any particular season. To the heart of the sinner Christ often comes “on a day that he looks not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware”; and so, finding nobody come out to meet Him, He turns round and departs as silently as He came. We must meet Him on the road. We must be in attendance where He is likely to be found. We must wait for Him in the way of His judgments, providences, ordinances. Prayer especially is like a place where roads from all directions meet. Whenever and however He comes, He must pass that way; and if we are there, waiting for Him, it is impossible for us to miss Him.

V. Those who went to meet Him on His approach to Jerusalem received Him with the most significant tokens of honour and respect (Mar_11:8).—So let us welcome “Him that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Let us put off the old man with his deeds of darkness, lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and so make a way for the Redeemer to enter and take possession of our souls.

OUTLINES AND COMMENTS ON THE VERSES

Mar_11:1-11. The significance of Christ’s royal entry into Jerusalem.—It is surely a strange mistake, as Dr. Edersheim remarks, to regard this entry as implying that, fired by enthusiasm, Christ for the moment expected the people would receive Him as the Messiah. Nor is it much better to describe it as a concession to the fevered expectations of His disciples and the multitude. It was, on the contrary, an integral part of Christ’s Mission, which would not be complete without it. “It behoved Him so to enter Jerusalem, because He was a King; and as King to enter it in such manner, because He was such a King: and both the one and the other were in accordance with the prophecy of old.”

Mar_11:2-6. Humble service.—

1. We should always attempt that for which we have Christ’s warrant.

2. We should not attempt that for which we have not Christ’s warrant.

3. In looking for that for which we have Christ’s warrant, we must expect opposition. From—

(1) The weakness of the flesh.

(2) The unbelieving amongst men.

(3) The spiritual hosts of wickedness.

(4) If we attempt that for which we have Christ’s warrant, in the manner He directs, we shall accomplish it.—J. S. Swan.

Particularity in giving directions.—The closer the personal oversight given to one’s business the better. But after all is said and done a great part of the work of life depends on delegated labour. Men cannot do everything at first-hand. Neither does God. He has His angels or messengers. They do His bidding. The Holy Spirit is sent to “convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment.” But now the fulfilment of the work entrusted to an agent, in harmony with the desire of the sender, will not only depend, under God, on the intelligence and faithfulness of the one sent, but also on the nature of the instructions given by the sender. The less we take for granted in this respect the better. And this the more so in proportion to the deficiencies of the sent. In giving orders Jesus left no room for mistake. His directions were very specific: they were no doubt given clearly; they could be heard distinctly. Because He Himself was perfectly familiar with the requisites of any work, He did not therefore think, or act as if He thought, that a few hurried hints would be sufficient for others. It was said of Christ that He “shall not fail.” He was pre-eminently successful in all He undertook. One of the characteristics that prevented failure was His thoroughness. He did not despise details. Confusion, vexation, failure, were thus avoided. Note His care in telling His disciples where to find the colt, what kind of a colt, in what condition it would be, whether tied or loose, how to answer objections to their bringing him, etc. Then again in regard to the preparation for the Passover the same particularity is observed. The result was that all moved on smoothly. All was in harmony with the injunction, “Let everything be done decently and in order.”—Wm. M. Campbell.

Mar_11:3. “The Lord hath need of him.”—This is the only time in the Bible where the Lord is said to have need of any creature; and here it is said of a despised creature—of an ass, as if to rebuke the pride of creature superiority, and at the same time to exalt the dignity of creature instrumentality. These words are spoken of an ass, to prevent the possibility of any one saying, “I am too mean to be of any service to so glorious a Master; my abilities are too small, my position is too obscure.” Perhaps at the moment of such a temptation there may be some blessed service for such a one, which, instrumentally speaking, could only be performed by that one. Yes, it may be to bear Jesus in His members to His triumph or His Cross.—J. T. Baylee, D.D.

Mar_11:5-6. The power of Christ’s Word.—Nothing resists the Word of the God-man, nor the faith and obedience of a faithful disciple. Let us learn to avoid all arguing and disputing whenever God commands us something above our strength, and to put our whole confidence in the power of His will, which can do all things. He accustoms His apostles to see that the wills of men are less in their own power than in that of God, and that His Word is almighty even in the mouth of His ministers, to the end that men may believe them.—P. Quesnel.

Mar_11:8-10. How Christ must be entertained.—

1. We must believe Him to be that Great Prophet who is the Messiah and Saviour of the world.

2. We must profess and confess this faith, having “Hosanna” in our mouths, and crying, “Blessed,” etc.

3. We must spread our garments in the way, etc., i. e. forsake all and follow Christ, proffering and offering ourselves wholly to His service.—Dean Boys.

The nature of Christ’s kingdom.—A King, not of this world, though over it; ruling, not in external pomp and state, but by secret providence and power; not so much over the bodies and temporal estates, as in the hearts and consciences of men; not chiefly by outward compulsion and violence, but by inward allurement and persuasion (Rev_5:13; Rev_19:16).—Dr. Isaac Barrow.

Mar_11:11. The evening can become the sweetest and most sacred portion of the day. It is profound, it is serene; tender as solemn, tranquil as pensive; full of permission fraught with privilege; free and fresh and fragrant with repose. Evening completes the day, as its coronation and benediction. The morrow is at hand; evening awaits the morrow, as its herald and its pledge. The west horizon claims its kindred with the east, looking so like it that you know them to be twins. The sundown on the west glows like the sunrise on the east. Both alike tip the hilltops with gold. Pause now and lay down the tool, the spade; there is something else than toil—there is reverie, rest. Glad evenings guarantee and glorify the days, replenish wear and tear, stanch wounds. But when shadows wrap you, when curtains close, birds to their nests, cattle to their stalls, man to his home—soul, whither thou? Whither else but to thy God? Oh, house thee in His peace! Life’s eventide evinces much in the soft declensions of late lingering years. The old man’s heart sees shadows lengthen and dusk deepen, until familiar spots wear a weird beauty, as the places that knew him begin to know him no more for ever, and the fellowships that used to greet and cheer him seem in their dimness to forget that he was ever young like them or still has his share on the earth. The eventide of life is death, and the evening and the morning make the first day. Nigher now the morning, and death is only eventide at last. Life begins like the light—it comes out of the dark of an oblivion that seems to itself a nonentity, full of pangs to the mother and as full of pain to the infant, if the infant were alike sensitive and sentient. But playful infancy, sportive childhood, take slight notice of the struggle, the transition, and the change. When at length it has reached its close, it settles back to the same fostering conditions. Death hides it in the oblivion and the shadow once again. And what conclusion can there be but that, as its morning had an evening, its evening is to have a morning too, a fresher, fuller, freer morning next, because as tenderly the Infinite disrobes the life slumber, lulling it for night hours and cradling it for infantile and ineffable repose. These are inklings of the understanding, but they become the intuitions of the soul. The promise becomes the prospect; the, prospect becomes the possession.—H. S. Carpenter.

ILLUSTRATIONS TO CHAPTER 11

Mar_11:3. God’s need of all.—In a strange place, where few travellers ever go, there is a wonderful bridge, underneath which the trains stop for the collection of passenger-tickets. There may be nothing remarkable in this; but as the traveller looks up he sees that which strikes him as indeed a peculiarity, if nothing more; it is that the granite stones of which this long and massive bridge is built have each one of them been numbered. The large blocks that lay at the bottom supporting the whole structure have their number. The medium-sized ones that hold the great work together have theirs, and the very smallest have theirs—all to fill their parts in the great structure which so truly completes the perfect work. There was need for all of them. So we are taught by this earthly monument of man’s genius the spiritual lessons of life. God, the Great Architect of the universe, the Master Builder of all things, and the Creator of all life, has need of every creature here below, that it may have its use for God’s glory. All creatures how before God as He comes to them to draw them to their use for His purposes in the world, and, in their willingness to be so dealt with, teach us the very first lesson of life—submission to His holy will in all things.

Mar_11:8. A triumphal procession.—At the conclusion of the Franco-German War, in the course of which Napoleon III. became a captive and was dethroned, the victorious German troops made their triumphal entry into Berlin on June 16th, 1871, which is thus described in a newspaper of the time: “On each side of the way were placed gilt pedestals, and between each pedestal hung a festoon of laurel and fir. After the flags come the Guards. They are covered with laurel and fir. The altars and cannons are covered with leaves and with branches of fir trees.”

Mar_11:9-10. A deliverer hailed.—Perhaps there is no episode recorded in history more interesting than that of Charles V. when he landed at Tunis. Ten thousand men and women who were slaves within the city, when they heard the approach of their deliverer, rose and broke their chains, and rushed towards the gate as the emperor was entering the town; and this mighty procession knelt down, hailed him as their deliverer, and prayed God to bless him.

Slight value of popular demonstrations.—When Napoleon was returning from his successful wars in Austria and Italy, amid the huzzas of the people, Bourrienne remarked to him that “it must be delightful to be greeted with such demonstrations of enthusiastic admiration.” “Bah!” replied Napoleon, “this same unthinking crowd, under a slight change of circumstances, would follow me just as eagerly to the scaffold.”

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. The Triumphal Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Mar_11:1-11.

(Parallels: Mat_21:1-17; Luk_19:29-46; Joh_12:12-29.)

1     And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never1 man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straight-way he will send2 him hither. 4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by 5 the door without, in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain 6 of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even3 as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7And they brought4 the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8And many spread their garments in the way; and others cut down branches off the trees,5 and strewed them in the way. 9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying,6 Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord:7 11 Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus8 entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the even-tide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

See on the parallels in Matthew and Luke.—The Evangelist translates us at once into Palm-Sunday, as to time; and, as to place, into the region between Bethany and the Mount of Olives. The departure from Jericho took place on the Friday before the Passion-Week: it was the custom to spend the night in the district of the Mount of Olives, and to keep the Sabbath there. In Bethany, on the evening of Saturday, the meal took place in the house of Simon the Leper. On Sunday morning the journey from Bethany was continued. Now, in the accounts of the Synoptists, the beginning and the continuation of the festal journey are combined in one, because it is their object to describe the important palm-procession at once as a whole. Luke, indeed, informs us of the delay of the journey on Friday in Jericho, that is, through the Lord’s entrance into the house of Zacchæus; and he adds the delivery of a parable which is connected with that entrance, and with the expectation of the people that He would at once found the Messianic kingdom in Jerusalem. But it is John alone who tells us that the tarrying in Bethany occupied an interval; and to him also we owe the most particular explanation of the procession, in the passage, Mar_12:12-29. What is peculiar to Mark is this, that he places us by his minute specialities in the very midst of the scene. He writes in the present tense: “They come nigh; He sendeth.” The sending of the two he relates somewhat more circumstantially; while, with Luke, he omits the mention of the older ass, and does not join Matthew and John in their allusion to Zec_9:9. He alone marks the fact, that the colt stood tied by the door of a house in a place where two ways met; and he also gives most vividly the particulars connected with the loosing of the ass. Then he again gives his record in the present tense: They bring the foal; they lay their garments thereon. In his description of the strewing of branches and garments in the way, as well as of the Hosanna, he agrees now with Matthew and now with Luke; yet he alone has the στοιβάδες, and the greeting to the kingdom of the Messiah, as well as to the King. Several traits which are found in Matthew, Luke, and John, he omits. Earnest and powerful is the final narrative. Jesus comes into the city, into the temple; takes all into His eye with silent, searching glance, and returns back to Bethany in the evening with the Twelve. For this distinction between the day of the entrance and the day of the cleansing of the temple, we are indebted to Mark alone.

Mar_11:1. Unto Bethphage and Bethany.—They are approaching Jerusalem; and the approach is so ordered, that they arrive at Bethphage and Bethany. The intermediate stations are measured from Jerusalem, the goal; consequently, Bethphage comes first, and then Bethany, for they proceed from Bethany over Bethphage to the city. But how is it we read towards Bethany, when the departure was from that place? First, we must bear in mind that the Sunday procession from Bethany is blended into unity with the Friday procession from Jericho. Thus the passage means, that Jesus sent His disciples forth at once from Bethany. Moreover, it may be assumed that the Bethany of that time stretched wide into the country around, and that Jesus had found a lodgment in its eastern outskirts. The district of Bethany reached as far as to join the district of Bethphage. But Bethany they had not yet arrived at: the colt was sent for from thence. Concerning Jerusalem, Bethany, Bethphage, see on Matthew. Concerning the Mount of Olives, comp. Winer and the travellers.

Mar_11:2. Whereon never man sat.—So also Luke. This circumstance is wanting in Matthew, but perfectly agrees with his account of the mother-ass. The foal had up to this time run with its mother. Meyer discerns in this notice “an appendage of reflective tradition, based on the sacred characteristic of the animal (for unused animals were put to sacred purposes, Num_19:2; Deu_21:3;1Sa_6:7).”—Matthew did not note the circumstance, because it was self-understood that the foal was not yet used, so long as it was a foal running with the mother. See the notes on Matthew.

Mar_11:3. And if any man say unto you.—That this significant interchange of sayings implies previous acquaintance and private watchwords, is proved by the use of the εἰπεῖν in Mark, and in Luke of the emphatic οὕτως ἐρεῖτε. So is it with the ordering of the Passover-feast by such a particular one: εἱπατε αὐτῷ. Luke has the equivalent ἐρεῖτε, with the addition, λέγει σοι ὁ διδάσκαλος.

Mar_11:4. Without, in a place where two ways met.—The ἄμφοδον means primarily a way encompassing a block of houses; then the street, and even a quarter of the town. The animal being fastened to the door points to the open space before the house.

Mar_11:8. Branches.—The word στοιβάδες is an error of the transcriber; the Codd. B. D., and others, read στιβάδες. The στιβάς is a scattering of straw, reed, branches, or twigs. The plural and the cutting down point to branches of trees. According to Joh_12:13, palm-leaves were strewed (as the symbol of peace).

Mar_11:10. The kingdom of our father David.—That is, the kingdom of the Messiah as the spiritual restoration of the kingdom of David, which had become, for the Jew, a type of the Messianic kingdom, as David was a type of the Messiah. “The Messiah Himself was also called David, among the Rabbis (Schöttgen, Hor. ii).” (Meyer.)

Mar_11:11. He went out unto Bethany.—Meyer insists on it that there is here a discrepancy with Matthew. It is a discrepancy when the definite is opposed to the definite; but not when the definite is opposed to the indefinite. This well-founded canon of hermeneutics would demolish many of the discrepancies pointed out by school criticism. Matthew and Luke wrote no diaries. There is no difference here, any more than the blending of the parts of the palm-procession into the journey of one day makes the Synoptists and John disagree. Matthew and Luke connect the cleansing of the temple with the import of the palm entry; but this Mark does not. Christ, according to his account, takes a general survey, which in its silent observation betokened the cleansing which would take place on the morrow.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. See on Matthew and Luke.

2. The expectation of the Messiah was the expectation of His kingdom; hence the salutation of the Messiah was the salutation of His kingdom. Christ and His kingdom are not to be separated; but the kingdom of His cross and the kingdom of His glory are to be distinguished, even as the glorified Christ is distinguished from the Christ in the form of a servant. Of this gulf between the kingdom here and the kingdom there, most of the jubilants had no idea; many rose not beyond it, but plunged below.

3. The Mount of Olives a symbol.

4. The palm-procession in Mark is brief, earnest, sublime. A swift progress to the city, and to the temple; ending in a wide and silent inspection of the temple until evening.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

See on Matthew, and the preceding reflections.—Christ’s goal in His royal procession: to the temple.—The significance of Christ’s coming to the temple: 1. The types and promises, Exo_40:34; 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Isaiah 2; Isa 46:20; Ezekiel 43; Hag_2:3; Hag_2:9; Zec_14:20; Mal_3:1. 2. The historical visits paid to it: the child Jesus in the temple, the visit when twelve years old, the feasts, Jesus as the public Messiah in the temple, the Pentecost, the burning of the temple in a. d. 70. 3. The spiritual visitations of the temple.—The history of the temple the history of the world; the history of the temple the history of the kingdom of God.—The palm-entry into the temple, according to its external and its internal form: 1. The great procession to the great cathedral; 2. Christ the judged, and Christ the Judge, conducted by a wretched people to the deserted house of God.—Christ comes to the temple, 1. from Galilee with the ecclesiastical devout, 2. from Jericho with the enthusiasts, 3. from Bethany with His friends and servants, 4. from the Mount of Olives alone with His Holy Spirit.—Christ in the temple as the Jesus of twelve years, and as the openly-proclaimed Messiah.—Christ in the beautiful new-built temple; or, the difference between an æsthetic and a spiritual inspection of the temple.—The fearfully silent glance of Christ in the temple until evening.—The Lord’s visitation of His churches: 1. He knows and sees all; 2. He sees and looks through all; 3. He looks through all, and keeps silence; 4. He keeps silence, thinking upon judgment and mercy.—Christ’s entrance and exit at His temple visitation: 1. The entrance: through the city straight to the temple; 2. the exit: from the temple to Bethany.—The procession of the people with Christ to the temple.

Starke:—Thus Jesus comes as the Lamb of God, and places Himself on the altar of sacrifice. Certainly this was not the act of a mere man, thus joyfully to come, to give Himself up to His enemies, and go to confront His death.—Comp. the foal, 1Sa_6:7.—Canstein:—The Lord needs not that we should give Him anything, for all is always His; yet He may require it for certain purposes.—Quesnel:—All things must be cast under the feet of Jesus.—Nova Bibl. Tub.:—Where Jesus is, there is life, movement, praise, and joy.—How necessary is the visitation of the churches!—Hedinger:—The eye and the heart may well take pleasure, as in nature, so also in art, her copy. (But all in its measure and in its time.)—Gerlach:—(The foal never yet used.) This trait points to the fact that Jesus made His entrance as Priest-King.—Braune:—Believers gladly place their substance at the feet and disposal of Jesus, their Master.—In the way of obedience (which the disciples followed), light always arises upon light.—The Lord now came upon the animal of peace, not as one day upon the great white horse to judgment.—Thus they received with peaceful joy the Prince of peace.—Every festal pilgrim was received with the “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord;” but the greeting befitted Him in a peculiar and, higher sense.

Schleiermacher:—We must confess that, though they may not have been the same men (who first cried Hosannah! then Crucify Him), yet that it was the same people.—The oneness and interdependence of the people makes the difference of the individuals disappear.—We cannot help regarding this gross fickleness and instability as the proper characteristic of the great mass.—(Christ keeping silence in the temple till even-tide.) The boundary between the old and the new covenant came nearer and nearer: the one was to find its end, and the other was to be erected on the ruins of the former.—What thoughts touching the past must have arisen, and how deep must His emotions have been, in the consciousness of what He came to do, when He compared the magnificence and glory of the old covenant with the spiritual life of the new covenant, which, far removed from all outward demonstration, unseen and unpretending, was creating for itself its own form in sweet and gentle silence; when He compared the magnificence and glory of the external temple with the spiritual temple built of living stones, in which His spirit should dwell, and where should be established for ever the worship of His heavenly Father in spirit and in truth!

Brieger:—The devotion of the garments to His service intimates something extraordinary. When Jehu in the camp was to be proclaimed as king, a throne of garments was erected for him. This, with the sound of trumpets, and the cry, “Jehu is king,” made up the homage (2Ki_9:13). Here we have something similar, whereby homage is done to Jesus.—As a light before its final extinction blazes up once more, so Israel before their final fall lifted themselves up to Jehovah once more. But as at Sinai they were put to shame after professing obedience (Exo_20:19), through making the golden calf, so here they are put to more wretched shame, by so soon crying, Crucify Him! crucify Him!—Now does the Father set His Son as a King upon His holy hill of Zion, Psa_2:6.—Christ was a King from this hour. In all the parables from this point, His own Person is the centre. He speaks and acts as a king. (But we must distinguish between the time when the people heralded Him as king, and when God lifted Him up to His throne: between Palm Sunday and the Resurrection and Ascension.)

Footnotes:

[1]Mar_11:2.—Lachmann reads οὐδεὶς οὔπω, after B., Origen, and others. [A. reads οὐδεὶς πώποτε.] Tischendorf and Meyer, after B., C., L., Δ. read λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ φέρετε.

[2]Mar_11:3.—In several Codd., B., C.*, D., L., Δ., &c., stands πάλιν. Thus the clause is made part of the answer of the disciples: The Lord will use the colt and send it back again.—Probably this was designed to soften the seeming violence of the transaction. [Elzevir and Fritzsche read ἀποστελεῖ.]

[3]Mar_11:6.—Καθὼς εἶπεν corresponding to the preceding εἶπον, according to B., C., L., Δ., Lachmann, Tischendorf, [Meyer].

[4]Mar_11:7.—B., L., Δ., Origen, Tischendorf, Meyer, read φέρουσιν instead of ἤγαγον. Ἐπιβάλλουσιν, emphatic Present, [B., C., D., L., Δ., Vulgate, Griesbach, Fritzsche, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer].

[5]Mar_11:8.—Tischendorf’s reading (recommended by Meyer), ἄλλοι δὲ στιβάδας, κόψαντες ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν, is not sufficiently supported. [Ἀγρῶν is found in B., C., L., Δ., Syriac (margin); Fritzsche, Lachmann, Tischendorf, and Meyer regard στιβάδας as the correct form.]

[6]Mar_11:9.—The λέγοντες is wanting in B., C., L., Δ., [Tischendorf; bracketed by Griesbach, Lachmann].

[7]Mar_11:10.—The reading, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, has some important Codd. against it, but A. and others sustain it. It was probably corrected as being difficult: but the difficulty is obviated if we regard the expression “kingdom” (poetically brief, without the Article) as repeated in thought. [Meyer rejects it.]

[8]Mar_11:11.—‘O’ Ἰησοῦς is an explanatory addition. [Rejected by Griesbach, Fritzsche, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer.]

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

PART III. THE SERVANT IN JERUSALEM PRESENTED

AS KING AND REJECTED -- Chapters 11-13

Chapter 11

1. The Servant enters into Jerusalem. (Mar 11:1-11. Mat 21:1-11; Luk 19:28-40; Joh 12:12-16)

2. The fig tree cursed. (Mar 11:12-14. Compare with Mat 21:19-21)

3. The Cleansing of the Temple. (Mar 11:15-18. Mat 21:12-19; Luk 19:45-48)

4. The Withered Fig tree. (Mar 11:19-26. Mat 21:20-22)

5. Again in the City. His Authority Questioned. (Mar 11:27-33. Mat 21:23-27; Luk 20:1-8.)

1. The Servant enters Jerusalem. Mar 11:1-11

He presents Himself as the promised Son of David to the nation as written in the prophecy of Zechariah (Zec 9:9). As King the multitudes welcome Him. Hosanna (save now); Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord. “Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David, that cometh in the Name of the Lord: Hosanna in the Highest.” They expected the promised Kingdom and they welcomed Him as Son of David with power to save. But He knew what it all meant. He is silent, according to Mark, but enters into the temple and looked around upon all things without uttering a word. There is nothing for Him there. He then left the city and returned to Bethany (meaning: house of affliction). When He comes the second time with Glory, He will be greeted by a remnant of His people and set up the Kingdom of David.

2. The Fig Tree Cursed. Mar 11:12-14

He was hungry. In all the enthusiasm no one had thought of His need. The rejection of the Servant-Son is evident in this. The fig tree is the emblem of the Jewish nation. He came looking for fruit and found none. “The fig tree was punished not for being without fruit, but for proclaiming by the voice of those leaves that it had fruit; not for being barren, but for being false; and this was the guilt of Israel, so much deeper than the guilt of the nations” (Trench).

3. The Cleansing of the Temple. Mar 11:15-19

Twice He cleansed the temple, in the beginning of His ministry (Joh 2:13-16) and at the close. Most likely the desecration of the house was worse at the end than in the beginning. The greed for money is the prominent feature in the defilement of the temple. The actions of the Lord brings out the Satanic hatred of the scribes and chief priests. He was hated as the Servant without a cause and hated unto death. Again He went out of the city.

4. The Withered Fig Tree and Instructions. Mar 11:20-26

The dried up fig tree is made the occasion to teach the disciples the power of faith in God. The fig tree typifies the religious condition of the people. The mountain, the nation as such, thinking themselves firmly established. But soon that mountain was to be removed and cast into the sea (the sea of nations). Faith was exercised by the Servant and He calls upon His own to have faith in God. Faith can remove every obstacle. For the disciples it meant the obstacle of that mountain, the nation. Mar 11:24 is precious and has the same meaning today as it had when the words were spoken. God ever answers faith. But that faith must be paired with forgiveness.

5. Again in Jerusalem. The Authority of the Servant Questioned and His Answer. Mar 11:27-33

Visiting the temple again He met His enemies, who questioned Him concerning His authority. His authority was completely established by the mighty works He had done. The omniscient One knew their hatred and asked them a question, which they did not dare to answer. He, the perfect Servant had zeal for God and for His house; they, the religious leaders, had only zeal for their own authority, This is still the mark of all ritualism.

Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

Joh 12:12-19; Mat 21:1-11; Mat 21:14-17; Luk 19:29-44; Mar 11:1-11. John: “On the morrow a great multitude, having come to the feast, hearing that Jesus comes into Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm-trees, and came out to meet Him, and continued to cry out, Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” Having arrived at Bethany Sunday evening, and lodged at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, on Monday morning Jesus goes to Jerusalem, over Mount Olivet, as the road then led. Now it goes around it, south of the summit.

Mark: “When they draw near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, near to the Mount of Olives, He sends forth two of His disciples, and says to them, Go ye into the village which is opposite you, and going into it, you will immediately find a colt tied, on which no one of men has sat. And if any one may say to you, Why do you do this? say that the Lord has need of him, and immediately he will send him hither. They departed, and found the colt tied at the door without, on the crossing of two roads, and they are loosing him; and certain ones of those standing there began to say to them, What are you doing, loosing the colt? And they said to them as Jesus commanded. And they led the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him, and He sat on him.” I made a specialty of pursuing this old road over the mountain which Jesus traveled on this notable occasion. Bethphage is about half-way from Bethany to the summit, on the mountain slope. From this place, in the journey, Jesus sent the two disciples, whose names are not given, with orders to go into a village on the mountain in full view, and bring to Him the young donkey, which had never been mounted. Matthew says they brought the mother along with the colt. Those donkeys have wonderful strength, utterly out of proportion to their size, which is quite diminutive. They are much used in the Holy Land, really more than any other domestic animal, the camel ranking next, and being used for all heavy burdens. Some get confused in the statement of Matthew that “He sat on them,” thinking that He rode both of the donkeys, which is untrue, as “them” does not refer to the animals, but to the clothes which they laid on the young animal, and on which Jesus sat. Why did Jesus ride the donkey? Why not a horse? The reason is very obvious. The horse is the symbol of war, being always used in battle; while the donkey, too slow for war, is the universal symbol of peace, and consequently the appropriate animal for the Prince of Peace to ride. Again, the donkey symbolizes humility, as he is the poor man’s animal, eating about as much as a sheep, hardy enough to live in the desert, and so small and tough that he can climb a mountain like a goat. Jesus came, the first time, in His humiliation, homeless and friendless, riding into Jerusalem on the donkey. He will come the second time in His glory, riding on a white cloud.

John: “Jesus, having found the young donkey, sat on him, as has been written, Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting upon the colt of the donkey.” (Zec 9:9) That is certainly a very beautiful prophecy. As Jerusalem occupies the summit of Mount Zion, the application is clear and unmistakable.

Mark: “And many strew their garments in the way; and others cut down the branches from the trees, and continued to strew them in the way. Those going before and those following alter continued to shout, saying, Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom coming in the name of our father David I Hosanna in the highest!” Luke says: “He, drawing nigh to the descension of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of His disciples, rejoicing, began to praise God with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen.” After the gushing, Oriental style of saluting kings and conquerors, they threw down their garments for Him to ride over them, demonstrative of their perfect submission to His authority, and at the same time they strew His way with palm-leaves, which are so majestic and beautiful in Oriental climates, and vividly symbolic of royalty, conquest, and victory. They had waited three years for that wonderful hour, and now feel sure that the desideratum for which they had prayed, sighed, and cried to God so long is fast culminating into a glorious reality; and when they reach Jerusalem, they are very sanguine that He will be crowned King of the Jews. At that time there were no factories, and clothing was so scarce and costly, comparatively with our day, that we can hardly estimate the sacrifice which they so cheerfully and gladly made in throwing down the best apparel they had, in the dusty road, for the donkey to tread upon. O they are so glad to hail Him King of the Jews, little dreaming that this grand ovation was but a scintillation of the oncoming glory of the triumphant entry of King Jesus into Jerusalem on the white cloud, symbolized by the white donkey, when the mighty host of angels and glorified saints will accompany Him. Thus they witnessed an exultant prelibation of the grandest triumph in the history of redemption, when our Lord shall descend from heaven on the throne of His glory, accompanied by the celestial millions. The perfect submission they manifested by casting their garments beneath the tread of the donkey, and the royal triumphs emblemized by the palm-leaves strewn in the Conqueror’s path, and the joyous shout of the appreciative disciples, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord! Glory in the highest!” O what a grand adumbration of our Lord’s triumphant return on the throne of His millennial glory, to girdle the globe with peace, righteousness, holiness, and victory! Satan will be chained and imprisoned; the six-thousand-year weekdays of toil, temptation, conflict, and suffering under the dark reign of Satan will be fled and gone, and the bright Sabbath of Eden return in millennial glories,

“Undimmed by sorrow, unhurt by time;”

the earth, exultant from the long winter of sin and oppression, will again leap into the life of perpetual springtime; and sterility, wintry storms, wasting tempests, will retreat forever before the glorious Sun of righteousness, rising on all the world, with healing in His wings, dissipating forever the long, dismal night of sin, and girdling the globe witch God’s hallowed millennial day. As the happy years roll on, the people will forget the awful suffering, conflict, and desolation of bygone ages. This shouting multitude caught a glimpse of the oncoming victory, and thought the long-prayed-for triumph had actually come. But it receded away, leaving bright memories which have inspired the saints in all subsequent ages. While we contemplate this symbolic adumbration of our Lord’s coming glory, let us all thank God and take courage, remembering that we are eighteen hundred and sixty-seven years nearer that glorious hour when the triumphant coming of our King shall not only verify the prophecies, but triumphantly fulfill the thrilling symbolism of this memorable occasion.

Joh 12:16. “And His disciples did not at first understand these things; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written in reference to Him, and they did them to Him.” When the Holy Ghost descended on them at Pentecost, sanctifying and flooding them with light on the precious Word, then they were able to tightly divide the Word of Truth, and separate the prophecies — some appertaining to His first coming, in humiliation; and others to His glorious coming in triumph. At the time of this public entry into Jerusalem, they were awfully disappointed, because He rendered Himself invisible and passed out of their hands when they came to crown Him King; but the Pentecostal baptism, which followed the glorification of Jesus, gave light on all these mysteries and filled them with joy.

“Then the multitude, being with Him, continued to testify that He called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him up from the dead.” Lazarus was then with Him, one of His loving disciples, and also a host of people who had actually witnessed that wonderful miracle, regarded as the greatest of our Savior’s ministry. Therefore the multitude came to Him because they heard that He had performed this miracle.

“Then the Pharisees said to one another, You see that you profit nothing. Behold, the world has gone after Him.” This grand ovation which Jesus received, along with the popular excitement over the resurrection of Lazarus, stirred the gall of the Pharisees and the higher clergy to the very bottom.

Luk 19:39 “And certain ones of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Thy disciples.” Dead religion can’t stand hallelujah meetings. They are literal torture to dead professors and dry-bone preachers. “Responding, He said to them, I say unto you, that if they must keep silent, the rocks will shout.” We see that the Lord believes in shouting meetings. This was a more noisy time than you ever witnessed at a holiness camp, and yet the Lord rebuked no one for fanaticism, but commended the whole affair. The Lord is going to be praised with “a loud voice.” If the Churches will not do it, He will convert the drunkards and harlots, though their hearts be hard as stone, till they will shout His praises. The rocks did cry out the next Friday, when He hung on the cross, and they were rent with the earthquake shock.

“And when He drew nigh, seeing the city, He wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even in this thy day, the things appertaining to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thine eyes. Because the days shall come upon thee, and thine enemies will throw a blockade around thee, and encompass thee in a circle, and they will press thee on all sides; they will slay thee and thy children in thee, and will not leave in thee stone upon stone, because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.” On the very spot, descending Mount Olivet, here referred to, where Jesus poured forth gushing tears, weeping over the city, we have a most conspicuous view of all Jerusalem. Christian money has built a beautiful, snowy-white stone church-edifice on that very spot. It is called “The Church of Jesus Weeping.” His omniscient eye saw the great and formidable Roman armies coiled round the city, like a huge boa-constrictor, cutting off all ingress and egress, dooming the inmates to famine, which, along with the sword, slew them so rapidly that interment was impossible. Consequently the pestilential exhalations, from the putrefying corpses, produced an awful pestilence, which swept its withering epidemic through the air, actually competing with the sword and famine by heaping the city with mountains of the dead. Josephus says the horrors of the siege actually beggared all possible description, Jesus, with immortal eyes, seeing the future like the present, gazes on these awful and shocking tragedies, while His pure, tender, unfallen human heart gives way to profoundest pity and lacerating sympathy, till His eyes flood with gushing tears. Only four days intervening till the bloody scene of Calvary is to seal the doom of that devoted city, and expedite the righteous judgments of the Almighty, the Holy Spirit, as we here see from the words of Jesus, having already been grieved away, while hell, with its black legions, has come to the front.

Mar 11:11. “Jesus came into Jerusalem, and into the temple; and looking round upon all things, the hour already being late, went out to Bethany with the twelve.” You must not forget that “temple,” in these Scriptures, simply means the Holy Campus, which is said now to contain thirty-five acres, with many valuable buildings on it, and more then than now; for none but the priests were admitted into the temple proper. Jesus, with His apostles, had lodged in Bethany the preceding night, and now goes back and lodges there Monday night. If He had lodged in the city, there is no doubt but His enemies would have attacked Him. Having lodged Sunday and Monday nights in Bethany, Tuesday and Wednesday nights in some of the villages on Mount Olivet, He remained in the city Thursday night, being arrested by His enemies at midnight.

Mat 21:10. “Jesus having come into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred, saying, Who is this?” We do not wonder at the excitement and the inquiry which had been produced by an entrance so exceedingly demonstrative. Besides the native population, multitudes have already arrived in the city, that they may prepare for the oncoming Passover. As the children of Abraham, the most enterprising people in the world in all ages, had gone away into all the cities of the known world, there to sojourn and accumulate wealth, therefore to the great annual Passover they came from the ends of the earth. “And the multitudes continued to say, This is Jesus, the Prophet, from Nazareth of Galilee. The blind and the lame were coming to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” Many of them are there now. O how they thronged me, last November and December. begging for contributions, which I was only delighted to give, of course, in small value! Jerusalem this day is a practical Bible looking-glass. O what a glory when the blind and the lame all crowded around Him there in the great Temple Campus, and on their sightless eyeballs He poured the light of day, and made the lame to leap for joy!

“And the high priests and scribes, seeing the wonderful things which He did, and the children in the temple, crying, Hosanna to the Son of David, got mad, and said to Him, Do you hear what they are saying? And Jesus says to them, Yes; have you not read that out of the mouth of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?” (Psa 8:3.) We still see that Jesus believes in noisy meetings — none too young and none too old to shout aloud the praises of God. It made these big preachers and Church officers very mad; and they still get mad when you get up a sweeping holiness revival, and they hear the people praising the Lord with a loud voice, with no exception of age, sex, race, sect, or color.

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11:1-11 (Mar_11:1-11)

THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

"And when they draw nigh unto Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sendeth two of His disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way into the village that is over against you: and straightway as ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him back hither. And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door without in the open street; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had said: and they let them go. And they bring the colt unto Jesus, and cast on him their garments; and others, branches, which they had cut from the fields. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, Hosanna: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David: Hosanna in the highest. And He entered into Jerusalem, into the temple; and when He had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, He went out unto Bethany with the twelve." Mar_11:1-11 (R.V.)

JESUS had now come near to Jerusalem, into what was possibly the sacred district of Bethphage, of which, in that case, Bethany was the border village. Not without pausing here (as we learn from the fourth Gospel), yet as the next step forward, He sent two of His disciples to untie and bring back an ass, which was fastened with her colt at a spot which He minutely described. Unless they were challenged they should simply bring the animals away; but if any one remonstrated, they should answer, "The Lord hath need of them," and thereupon the owner would not only acquiesce, but send them. In fact they are to make a requisition, such as the State often institutes for horses and cattle during a campaign, when private rights must give way to a national exigency. And this masterful demand, this abrupt and decisive rejoinder to a natural objection, not arguing nor requesting, but demanding, this title which they are bidden to give to Jesus, by which, standing thus alone, He is rarely described in Scripture (chiefly in the later Epistles, when the remembrance of His earthly style gave place to the influence of habitual adoration), all this preliminary arrangement makes us conscious of a change of tone, of royalty issuing its mandates, and claiming its rights. But what a claim, what a requisition, when He takes the title of Jehovah, and yet announces His need of the colt of an ass. It is indeed the lowliest of all memorable processions which He plans, and yet, in its very humility, it appeals to ancient prophecy, and says unto Zion that her King cometh unto her. The monarchs of the East and the captains of the West might ride upon horses as for war, but the King of Sion would come unto her meek, and sitting upon an ass, upon a colt, the foal of an ass. Yet there is fitness and dignity in the use of "a colt whereon never man sat," and it reminds us of other facts, such as that He was the firstborn of a virgin mother, and rested in a tomb which corruption had never soiled.

Thus He comes forth, the gentlest of the mighty, with no swords gleaming around to guard Him, or to smite the foreigner who tramples Israel, or the worse foes of her own household. Men who will follow such a King must lay aside their vain and earthly ambitions, and awake to the truth that spiritual powers are grander than any which violence ever grasped. But men who will not follow Him shall some day learn the same lesson, perhaps in the crash of their reeling commonwealth, perhaps not until the armies of heaven follow Him, as He goes forth, riding now upon a white horse, crowned with many diadems, smiting the nations with a sharp sword, and ruling them with an iron rod.

Lowly though His procession was, yet it was palpably a royal one. When Jehu was proclaimed king at Ramoth-Gilead, the captains hastened to make him sit upon the garments of every one of them, expressing by this national symbol their subjection. Somewhat the same feeling is in the famous anecdote of Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth. And thus the disciples who brought the ass cast on him their garments, and Jesus sat thereon, and many spread their garments in the way. Others strewed the road with branches; and as they went they cried aloud certain verses of that great song of triumph, which told how the nations, swarming like bees, were quenched like the light fire of thorns, how the right hand of the Lord did valiantly, how the gates of righteousness should be thrown open for the righteous, and, more significant still, how the stone which the builders rejected should become the headstone of the corner. Often had Jesus quoted this saying when reproached by the unbelief of the rulers, and now the people rejoiced and were glad in it, as they sang of His salvation, saying, "Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the Kingdom of our father David, Hosanna in the highest."

Such is the narrative as it impressed St. Mark. For his purpose it mattered nothing that Jerusalem took no part in the rejoicings, but was perplexed, and said, Who is this? or that, when confronted by this somewhat scornful and affected ignorance of the capital, the voice of Galilee grew weak, and proclaimed no longer the advent of the kingdom of David, but only Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth; or that the Pharisees in the temple avowed their disapproval, while contemptuously ignoring the Galilean multitude, by inviting Him to reprove some children. What concerned St. Mark was that now, at last, Jesus openly and practically assumed rank as a monarch, allowed men to proclaim the advent of His kingdom, and proceeded to exercise its rights by calling for the surrender of property, and by cleansing the temple with a scourge. The same avowal of kingship is almost all that he has cared to record of the remarkable scene before His Roman judge.

After this heroic fashion did Jesus present Himself to die. Without a misleading hope, conscious of the hollowness of His seeming popularity, weeping for the impending ruin of the glorious city whose walls were ringing with His praise, and predicting the murderous triumph of the crafty faction which appears so helpless, He not only refuses to recede or compromise, but does not hesitate to advance His claims in a manner entirely new, and to defy the utmost animosity of those who still rejected Him.

After such a scene there could be no middle course between crushing Him, and bowing to Him. He was no longer a Teacher of doctrines, however revolutionary, but a Aspirant to practical authority, Who must be dealt with practically.

There was evidence also of His intention to proceed upon this new line, when He entered into the temple, investigated its glaring abuses, and only left it for the moment because it was now eventide. Tomorrow would show more of His designs.

Jesus is still, and in this world, King. And it will hereafter avail us nothing to have received His doctrine, unless we have taken His yoke.

William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.

11:1–13:37 This section centers on Jesus’ relationship to the Jerusalem Temple. Mark’s geographical arrangement places in 11:1–16:8 all his accounts of Jesus’ teachings and events associated with Jerusalem. • The section concludes (13:1-37) with Jesus’ second extended teaching discourse (see 4:1-34), 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 concerning the divine judgment about to fall on Jerusalem and the Temple (see especially 11:12-25 and 12:1-12).

11:1 Jerusalem was Jesus’ goal. During the week before his crucifixion, Jesus apparently stayed in Bethany with his disciples (11:11-12; 14:3-9). • The Mount of Olives is frequently associated with the site of the final judgment (Zech 14:4) and the place where the Messiah will manifest himself (Ezek 11:23; 43:1-5; see also Josephus, Antiquities 20.8.6). • As he did at other times, Jesus sent two of them (see Mark 6:7).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 11:1. Εἰς Βηθφαγὴ καὶ Βηθανίαν, unto Bethphage and Bethany) See App. Crit. Ed. ii. on this passage.[23] Bethany was already, by the time that the Lord commenced these things [His directions as to preparing for His triumphal entry], in His rear: Bethphage was before His eyes; therefore the latter is placed first, not according to the geographical order, but as being of superior consideration; and at Jerusalem, as it appears, they were wont thus to name the two places, which were most closely joined, Bethphage and Bethany.

[23] Lachm. reads καὶ εἰς Βηθανίαν, omitting Βηθφαγὴ, with D abc Vulg., Origen 3,743a expressly (ἴδωμεν δὲ περὶ τῆς Βηθφαγὴ μὲν κατὰ Ματθαῖον, Βηθανίας δὲ κατὰ τὸν Μάρκον, Βηθφαγὴ δὲ καὶ Βηθανίας κατὰ τὸν Λουκᾶν), making it likely the Βηθφαγὴ was interpolated in Mark from Luke by Harmonists of the Ev. But Tisch. reads Βηθφαγὴ, on the weighty authority of AB Orig. 4,181d.—ED. and TRANSL. In the Vers. Germ. Beng. altogether omits Bethphage, in accordance with his Appar. on this passage.—E. B.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar_11:1-11. See on Mat_21:1-11. Comp. Luk_19:29-44. Mark narrates with greater freshness and particularity than Matthew, who partly abridges, but partly also already comments (Mar_11:4-5) and completes (Mar_11:10 f.).

εἰς Βηθφ. κ. Βηθ.] a more precise local definition to εἰς Ἱεροσ.: when they come into the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, (namely) into the neighbourhood of Bethphage and Bethany, which places are situated on the Mount of Olives. Comp. the double εἰς, Mar_11:11.

Mar_11:2. εἰς τὴν κώμην κ.τ.λ.] Bethphage, which was first named as the nearest to them. See also Mat_21:1 f., where Bethany as explanatory is omitted.

πῶλον] without more precise definition, but, as is obvious of itself, the foal of an ass. Jdg_10:4; Jdg_12:14; Zec_9:9; Gen_49:11.

ἐφʼ ὃν οὐδεὶς κ.τ.λ.] This notice, which in Matthew is not adopted[141] into the narrative, is an addition supplied by reflective tradition, arising out of the sacred destination of the animal (for to a sacred purpose creatures as yet unused were applied, Num_19:2; Deu_21:3; 1Sa_6:7; Wetstein in loc.). Comp. Strauss, II. p. 276 f.

On φέρετε (see the critical remarks), comp. Gen_47:16 : ΦΈΡΕΤΕ ΤᾺ ΚΤΉΝΗ ὙΜῶΝ, Hom. Od. iii. 117. Therefore it is not unsuitable (Fritzsche); even the change of the tenses (λύσατε … φέρετε) has nothing objectionable in it. See Kühner, II. p. 80.

Mar_11:3. ΤΊ] wherefore; to this corresponds the subsequent ὅτι, because.

καὶ εὐθέως κ.τ.λ.] this Jesus says; it is not the disciples who are to say it (Origen; comp. the critical remarks), whereby a paltry trait would be introduced into the commission.

ὧδε, hither, Plato, Prot. p. 328 D; Soph. Trach. 496; O. T. 7; El. 1149. Not yet so used in Homer.

Mar_11:4. εὗρον … ἀμφόδου] a description characteristic of Mark; ΤῸ ἌΜΦΟΔΟΝ and Ἡ ἌΜΦΟΔΟς (comp. ἈΜΦΌΔΙΟΝ in Lucian, Rhet. praec. 24, 25) is not simply the way, but the way that leads round (winding way). Jer_17:27; Jer_47:2; Jer_47:7; Aristot. de part. ani. III. 2, p. 663, 36 (codd., see Lobeck, Paralip. p. 248), and the examples in Wetstein, also Koenig and Schaefer, ad Gregor. Cor. p. 505.

Mar_11:5. τί ποιεῖτε κ.τ.λ.] Comp. Act_21:13.

Mar_11:8. On the only correct form ΣΤΙΒΆς, not ΣΤΟΙΒΆς, see Fritzsche. The meaning is: litter, ἀπὸ ῥάβδων καὶ χλωρῶν χόρτων στρῶσις καὶ φύλλων, Hesychius. Very frequent in the classical writers. Litter (branches and leaves) was cut from the fields that were near (ἈΓΡῶΝ, see the critical remarks).

Mar_11:10. Ἡ ἘΡΧΟΜΈΝΗ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΊΑ ΤΟῦ ΠΑΤΡ. ἩΜ. Δ.] i.e. the coming kingdom of the Messiah. Its approaching manifestation, on the eve of occurring with the entry of the Messiah, was seen in the riding of Jesus into Jerusalem. And it is called the kingdom of David, so far as it is the fulfilment of the type given in the kingdom of David, as David himself is a type of the Messiah, who is even called David among the Rabbins (Schoettgen, Hor. II. p. 10 f.). Mark did not avoid mention of the Son of David (in opposition to Hilgenfeld; comp. Mar_10:47, Mar_12:35), but Matthew added it; in both cases without special aim. The personal expression, however (comp. Luke: βασιλεύς, which Weizsäcker regards as the most original), easily came into the tradition.

Mar_11:11. ΕἸς ἹΕΡΟΣ. ΕἸς ΤῸ ἹΕΡΌΝ] After the rejection of ΚΑΊ (see the critical remarks) the second ΕἸς is to be understood as a more precise specification, similar to that in Mar_11:1.

ὀψίας ἤδη οὔσης τῆς ὥρας] as the hour was already late. ὀψίας is here an adjective. Taken as a substantive, τῆς ὥρας (evening of the day-time) would not be applicable to it; expressions with ὈΨΈ (as Dem. 541, ult. ὈΨῈ Τῆς ὭΡΑς ἘΓΊΓΝΕΤΟ, Xen. Hell. ii. 1. 14, al.) are different. On the adjective ὄψιος, see Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 51. It was already the time of day, which in the classical writers is called ὀψία δειλη (Herod. viii. 6; Thuc. viii. 26; Polyb. vii. 16. 4; Ruhnken, Tim. p. 75). According to Matthew and Luke, it was immediately after His entry, and not on the next day (Mark, Mar_11:12; Mar_11:15 ff.) that Jesus purified the temple. A real difference; Matthew has not only narrated the cleansing of the temple as occurring at once along with the entry, but assumed it so (in opposition to Ebrard, Lange, and many others); Mark, however, is original; the days work is completed with the Messianic entry itself, and only a visit to the temple and the significant look round about it forms the close. What the Messiah has still further to do, follows on the morrow. This at the same time in opposition to Baur (Markusevang. p. 89), who sees in the narrative of Mark only the later work of sober reflection adjusting the course of events; and in opposition to Hilgenfeld, who accuses Mark of an essential impropriety.

περιβλεψάμ. πάντα is a preparatory significant statement in view of the measure of cleansing purposed on the morrow. The look around was itself deeply serious, sorrowful, judicial (comp. Mar_3:5; Mar_3:34), not as though He Himself had now for the first time beheld the temple and thus had never previously come to the feast (Schenkel).

[141] By no means obvious of itself, moreover, in the case of the asss colt in the narrative of Matthew, since it was already large enough for riding,in opposition to Lange and others.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Chap.

11:1-11.] Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Mat 21:1-17. Luk 19:29-44.Joh 12:12-36Joh 12:12-36. On the general sequence of events of this and the following day, see note on Matt. ver. 1.

1,

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

JESUS’ ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

11:1-11. Jesus comes to Bethany, where he procures a colt, on which he rides into Jerusalem. The multitude strew their garments and layers of leaves in the road, and shout Hosanna, invoking blessings on the coming kingdom. Jesus goes immediately to the temple, and satisfying himself for the present with a look at things, goes out to Bethany for the night.

Jesus has told his disciples that he is going to Jerusalem only to meet his fate, and be put to death by the authorities, and yet he enters it amidst the acclaims of the multitude, who hail him as the coming King. This acknowledgment, repelled before, he now accepts. But, the claim once made, he proceeds as before, with his merely spiritual work. The key to these apparent inconsistencies is to be found in the splendid self-consistency of Jesus’ procedure, and in its absolute inconsistency with worldly ideas and policies. Jesus knew that the Messianic claim in Jerusalem meant death, and that death meant the ultimate establishment of the claim, not defeat. Every part of his life, but especially its end, means that he aimed to establish the ideal as the law of human life, and that he would use only absolutely spiritual means in the accomplishment of his end.

Meantime, everything points to the fact that Jesus deliberately used the enthusiasm of the multitude for the purposes of his entry into Jerusalem, intending to make it the means of a public proclamation of his Messianic claim. That proclamation was necessary, because men must understand definitely the issue that he made. The acceptance of him as King, and not merely as Prophet, was what he demanded. And in the events which followed, it immediately became apparent that the question thus raised was not only a question of his personal claim, but of the nature of his kingdom. The multitude who followed him thought that, with the announcement of the claim, the programme would change. But the unchanged programme meant that Jesus, just as he was, claimed kingship, and would be king only by spiritual enforcements.

1. Καὶ ὅτε ἐγγίζουσιν εἰς Ἱερουσόλυμα, καὶ εἰς Βηθανίαν—And when they draw near to Jerusalem, and to Bethany.

καὶ εἰς Βηθανίαν, instead of εἰς Βηθφαγὴ καὶ Βηθανίαν, Tisch. Treg. marg. WH. marg. D Latt. The shorter reading seems probable, the longer reading having crept into the text from Lk.

καὶ εἰς Βηθανίαν—We have here a case of abbreviated expression, which obstructs clearness. The exact statement is, that they approached Jerusalem, and had come on the way as far as Bethany on the other side of the Mount of Olives. Bethany is mentioned here for the first time in Mk. In fact, according to this account, Jesus is now approaching Jerusalem for the first time. And hence places enter into the account which have not appeared before. Bethany was a small village on the other side of the Mount of Olives, about fifteen furlongs from Jerusalem. In approaching it, therefore, they would be on the way towards the Mount, πρὸς τὸ ὄρος.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A lively image of the spiritual kingdom of Christ on earth.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

CHAPTER XI.

Christ rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, 1-11.

The barren fig tree cursed, 12-14.

He cleanses the temple, 15-17.

The scribes and chief priests are enraged, 18.

Reflections on the withered fig tree, 19-23.

Directions concerning prayer and forgiveness, 24-26.

The chief priests, &c., question him by what authority he did

his works, 27, 28.

He answers, and confounds them, 29-33.

NOTES ON CHAP. XI.

Verse 1. He sendeth - two of his disciples] This was done but a few days before the passover. See our Lord's entry into Jerusalem illustrated, on Mt 21:1-17.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

XI.

(1-10) And when they came nigh.—See Notes on Mat_21:1-11.

Unto Bethphage and Bethany.—The better MSS. give “Bethany” only.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,

Ver. 1. {See Trapp on "Mat 21:1"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Mat. 21:1-16.

Mar 11:4

Two ways met - A crossroads. A public place, probably near the center of the village.

Mar 11:5

What do ye, loosing the colt? - Or, why do ye do this? What authority have you for doing it?

See this passage illustrated in the notes at Mat. 21:1-16.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This place, doubtless, had its name from the great number of olive-trees that grow upon it. It lay a little out of Jerusalem, on the east side, about five furlongs from the city, according to Josephus; but he must be understood of the nearest part of it, since St. Luke makes the distance to be a sabbath-day’s journey, i.e. eight furlongs, or a mile; unless we suppose he meant the summit of the hill, from which our Saviour ascended. (Acts i. 12.) Mr. Maundrell says: I and my companions going out of Jerusalem, at St. Stephen’s gate and crossing the valley of Josaphat, began immediately to ascend the mountain; and being about two-thirds of the way up, we came to certain grottos, cut with intricate windings and caverns, under ground, which were called, the sepulchres of the prophets; that a little higher up, were twelve arched vaults under ground, standing side by side, and built in memory of the apostles, who are said to have compiled their creed in this spot. Sixty paces higher, we came to the place where Christ is said to have uttered his prophecy, concerning the final destruction of Jerusalem; and a little on the right hand, to another, where he is said to have dictated (a second time) the Lord’s prayer to his disciples. A little higher, is a came of a saint called Pelagia; a little lower, a pillar denoting the place where an angel gave the blessed Virgin three day’s warning of her death; and, at the top of all, we saw the place of our blessed Lord’s ascension. See Maundrell’s Journey to Jerusalem. --- In the Greek, being between Bethphage and Bethania. Bethania, which they had just left, was about one mile and a half from Jerusalem: Bethphage was between the two. (Bible de Vence)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Jesus rides into Jerusalem. The Fig Tree. Cleansing the Temple; Christ's Authority Challenged

1-11. The entry into Jerusalem (Mat_21:1; Luk_19:29; Joh_12:12). See on Mt and Jn.

10. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David] These words, peculiar to Mk, show that the people expected Him to set up an earthly kingdom like David's, and that immediately.

12-14. Cursing of the fig tree (Mat_21:18). See on Mt.

15-19. Cleansing of the temple (Mat_21:12; Luk_19:45). See on Mt and on Joh_2:13.

16. Any vessel] This prohibition is peculiar to Mk. The people make a thoroughfare through the Temple, carrying with them baskets, household utensils, etc.

17. Of all nations] These words, though found in Isa_56:7, are recorded only by Mk. They show that our Lord distinctly contemplated the call of the Gentiles.

20-26. The withering of the fig tree. The power of faith (Mat_21:20). See on Mt.

25. This v. does not occur in the parallel passage in Mt, but there is something similar in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat_6:14).

Stand] The customary attitude of prayer: see on Mat_6:5.

26. This v. is omitted by many modern critics; but there is considerable evidence for its retention: cp. Mat_6:15; Mat_18:35.

27-33. Christ's authority to teach (Mat_21:23; Luk_20:1). See on Mt.

J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives. St. Matthew (Mat_21:1) says, "When they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage." St. Mark mentions the three places together, because Bethphage and Bethany, being near together, were also both of them close to Jerusalem. The distance from Jericho to Jerusalem (about seventeen miles) would involve a journey of about seven hours. The country between Jerusalem and Jericho is hilly, rugged, and desolate. It is from the height overhanging Bethany that the finest view of Jerusalem is gained. It appears from St. John (Joh_12:1) that our Lord on the preceding sabbath had supped, and probably passed the night, at Bethany; and that on the following day (answering to our Palm Sunday) he had come still nearer to Jerusalem, namely, to Bethphage; and from thence he sent two of his disciples for the ass and the colt. So his way to Jerusalem was from Bethany by Bethphage, the Mount of Olives, and the Valley of Jehoshaphat. The Valley of Jehoshaphat, through which flows the brook Kedron, lies close to Jerusalem. Bethphage literally means "the house of green figs," as Bethany, lying a short distance west of it, means "the house of dates." The date palm growing in the neighborhood would furnish the branches with which the multitude strewed the way on the occasion of our Lord"s triumphal entry. He sendeth two of his disciples. Who were they? Bede thinks that they were Peter and Philip. Jansonius, with greater probability, thinks that they were Peter and John, because a little after this Christ sent these two to prepare for the Passover. But we know nothing certain on this point.

Vers. 1-11. The triumphal entry.

Christ was a King, but his royalty was misunderstood during his ministry upon earth. The devil had offered him the kingdoms of this world, and he had refused them. The people would have taken him by force and have made him a king, but he had hidden himself from them. Yet it was right and meet that he should in some way assume a kingly state and accept royal honors. The triumphal entry interests us, because it was the acknowledgment and reception of Jesus with the joyful homage due to him as King of Israel and King of men.

I THE OCCASION OF THIS HOMAGE. Our Lord Jesus knew well what was to be the issue of this his last visit to the metropolis. He foresaw, and he had foretold in the hearing of his disciples, that he was about to be put to a violent death. Notwithstanding his clear perception of this his approaching sacrifice, he had come cheerfully to the city where he was to share the fate of the prophets. It is absurd to draw from this narrative the inference that Jesus was now looking for popular and national acceptance; he was not so misled. But it is remarkable that he should choose to receive the homage of the multitude almost upon the eve of his betrayal and condemnation. In his apprehension, the Priesthood and the Kingship of the Messiah were most closely connected. And to our minds there is no discordance between the sorrows Jesus was about to endure and the honors he now consented to accept. The occasion was well chosen, and brings before us our Lord"s independence of all human standards and preconceptions. Ours was a King whose royalty suffered no tarnishing of its splendor when he rode in majesty, although he rode to death.

II THE SCENE OF THIS HOMAGE.

1. It was the scene of his ministry. In and near Jerusalem many of Christ"s mighty works had been wrought, many of his discourses had been delivered, many of his disciples had been made. It was becoming that for once, in this scene of his labors, his claims should be publicly recognized and his honor publicly displayed.

2. It was to be the scene of his martyrdom and sacrifice. It has often been noted, as a witness to human fickleness, that the same roads and public places should within a few days resound with the incongruous shouts, "Hosanna!" and "Crucify him!" How true was the language of Pilate they crucified their King! On the one hand, it could not be that a prophet should perish out of Jerusalem; on the other hand, it was fitting that the city of David should openly welcome and acknowledge David"s Son and David"s Lord, and the establishment of the predicted kingdom.

III THE OFFERERS OF THE HOMAGE. There were, amongst those who welcomed Jesus, his own attendants and disciples, the villagers from Bethany, the citizens of Jerusalem, and the Galilean pilgrims who had come up to the feast. The multitude was a very varied and representative crowd; including Israelites of many classes, and doubtless differing from one another in the measure of their knowledge of Jesus and their appreciation of his character and his Claims. As is often the case when Christ is extolled and praised, some were drawn into the general enthusiasm and rejoicing by the force of example and under the inspiration of feeling. The general welcome was an anticipation of the honor which shall be rendered to Jesus, when "every tongue shall acknowledge him to be Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

IV BY WHAT ACTIONS THIS HOMAGE WAS EXPRESSED. The simple circumstances of this entry, so natural and almost childlike, are all significant of our Savior"s dignity and majesty. In the bringing of the ass"s colt for him to ride, there was a fulfillment of an ancient prediction; and the act itself, according to the usage of the East, was becoming to royalty. In the spreading of their garments upon the foal"s back, the strewing the road with their clothes and with the branches of trees, there was a picturesque, if very simple, expression of their admiring reverence and loyalty.

V THE LANGUAGE IN WHICH THIS HOMAGE WAS UTTERED. The unpremeditated shouts and exclamations with which Jesus was greeted were an expression of fervid, popular sentiment. Yet they were also to some extent a confession of Jesus" Messiah-ship and an acknowledgment of his royalty.

1. Notice the character in which they hailed him: he came "in the Name of the Lord;" he brought in" the kingdom of David." Drawn from Hebrew prophecy, these appellations could not be used without a very special significance.

2. Notice the joyous language in which they hailed him. They called him Blessed! they greeted him with the cry, Hosanna in the highest! It was enthusiastic and lofty language; but meaner terms would have been inappropriate, unworthy, and unjust.

HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR Vers. 1-11. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

"To Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany," the order of mention being determined by reckoning from the place whither the movement was being made. They began, therefore, with Bethany. It was familiar ground, fragrant with tender associations with both the human and the Divine.

I PREPARATIONS. The triumph was foreseen by Christ, and he made arrangements for its being celebrated with becoming order and dignity.

1. The unforeseen and unexpected was foreseen and prepared for by Christ. If Divine advents are delayed, or Divine celebrations fail of their loftiest end, it is not because of failure or unreadiness in him. He was willing to have made this triumph a real, permanent, and universal one. He is ever in advance of the event, whether it be a triumph or a crucifixion. Above all, he was ready in himself.

2. It was to his own disciples he looked for a supply of what was required for his triumph. He appealed to their recognition of his authority the Lord." The claim was allowed by the stranger who owned the colt. It was freely given when asked. Christians are to make ready for their Lord"s triumph. They have all that he needs, if it be but freely rendered. He will throne himself amidst their gifts if they have him enthroned in their hearts. Nothing but what is freely rendered is acceptable to him or desired by him. It should be enough for a disciple to know what the Lord will have him do and of what the Lord has need.

II THE TRIUMPH. It was a simple procession, gradually increasing in volume and excitement as it approached the city.

1. The movement was natural and spontaneous. No signs of getting it up. The enthusiasm it expressed already existed. Direction and order were imparted, but the motive was self-developed.

2. It was of a predominantly spiritual character. The attraction did not lie in the accessories, but in the central Figure. Never had the native glory of the Messiah been so manifest. The Jews, had they only known, were on the verge of an apocalypse, which only depended upon their spiritual preparedness. "Meekness is nobler and mightier than force, goodness than grandeur" (Godwin).

3. It was a manifest fulfillment of prophecy. The people were conscious of it as they shouted. Their words are a quotation from Ps 118. "(1) "Hosanna!" The word was a Hebrew imperative, "Save us, we beseech thee," and had come into liturgical use from Ps 118. That psalm belonged specially to the Feast of Tabernacles, and as such was naturally associated with the palm branches; the verses from it now chanted by the people are said to have been those with which the inhabitants of Jerusalem were wont to welcome the pilgrims who came up to keep the feast. The addition of "Hosanna to the Son of David" made it a direct recognition of the claims of Jesus to be the Christ; that of "Hosanna in the highest" (comp. Luk_2:14) claimed heaven as in accord with earth in this recognition.

(2) "Blessed be "the King," in St. Luke he that cometh in the Name of the Lord." These words, too, received a special, personal application. The welcome was now given, not to the crowd of pilgrims, but to the King.

(3) As in St. Luke, one of the cries was an echo of the angels" hymn at the Nativity, "Peace on earth, and glory in the highest". (Luk_2:14)

(4) As in St. Mark, "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David." We have to think of these shouts as filling the air as he rides slowly on in silence. He will not check them at the bidding of the Pharisees, (Luk_19:39) but his own spirit is filled with quite other thoughts than theirs" (Plumptre). Yet, because of the unpreparedness of the people, the fulfillment was only provisional, not ultimate; typical, not actual. In its spiritual idea, its universal influence ("all the city was moved"), its spontaneous acclaim, it spoke of that which is to come; in its outwardness, its question, "Who is this?" and answer, "This is Jesus, the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee," its readiness to pass from praise to execration, it showed how distant the people were from the true realization.

III CULMINATING SOVEREIGNITY.

1. Seen in the destination to which he came. He entered the temple. " He is Priest as well as King. "Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion". (Psa_2:6) It is from the holy place that his rule extends; and there it begins, and is most intensely and specially exercised. He is Key to all the mysteries there; Centre of all the symbols and rites. This suggests that his reign is primarily and essentially a spiritual one. As King of saints he reigns in the earth.

2. Expressed and exercised in a "look." H e looked round about upon all things. " Not simply as one might gaze who had never been there before: an arbitrary and wanton idea; but as one who had a right to inspect the condition of the place, and who was determined to assert and exercise that fight" (Morison). So is he Lord of that temple not made with hands the body in which he dwelt, and the spirit in which he offered the eternal sacrifice; and so will he take account of the secrets of human nature in the great day, for is he not "the Son of man"? M.

HOMILIES BY A. ROWLAND Vers. 1-3. Jesus the King.

On the occasion described in these verses Jesus assumed kingly authority. Loved as a Friend, revered as a Teacher, and followed as a Worker of miracles, he now declared his kingliness, and demanded obedience and homage. Therein he taught us, his subjects, some lessons.

I AS A KING, JESUS REQUIRES ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE. To the two disciples this command must have appeared strange. After finding the animal denoted, they were not to ask for it, but to take it; and if their action was questioned they were merely to say, "The Lord hath need of him." If it belonged to a foe, some might arrest or assail them for robbery. It was not the first occasion, however, on which they simply obeyed. Christ had a right to their absolute obedience, and their faith was tested by this demand upon it. Unquestioning obedience to truth and to duty is far too rare. We want to see the reasons for a command, the probable issues of it, and when we see neither too often we withhold obedience. Peril from this is now more frequent, because authority as such is weakened on all sides. Children in the home, which is the true sphere for the cultivation of obedience, are too often allowed to question when they ought to be told to obey. If we are sure of duty as followers of Jesus Christ, we must be regardless of consequences. He anticipates our difficulties, as he foresaw the question of the owner of the colt. He asks us to take one step, and to take it boldly, although we do not see what the next will be, nor whither it may lead us. If we go on to the Red Sea, it will afford us a path of safety and cut off our foes from following us. If an angel rouses us from sleep, and we arise and follow him, the great iron gate we cannot stir will open to us of its own accord.

II AS A KING, JESUS CLAIMS THE USE OF ALL THAT HE REQUIRES, We forget that we are not the absolute owners of anything. All we have is held in trust; but our seeming possession tests our disposition, and helps to develop character. If we wish to prove the honesty of a servant, and let his skill in management grow, we do not give him a small sum each day, and check and watch him till the evening, and then expect a strict account. No; we put a large sum at his disposal, and "after a long time " reckon with him, with the result, that if he has been faithful he has increased his capital and his fitness. So God puts at our disposal wealth, talents, etc., in the hope that for our own sake we will use all loyally for him. Christ Jesus, during his ministry, was as one "having nothing, and yet possessing all things." No colt was his, but one was there, and when its owner heard "The Lord hath need of him," it was ready for the Lord"s use. The message sent to that man, when it comes home to our hearts, should silence all objections to the making of effort or sacrifice. If we have to give up some luxury so as to help the poor, if we have to sacrifice leisure that is hardly earned to teach the ignorant, if we have to part with one who is dear to us, our anger and defiance will be quieted when we say to ourselves, "The Lord hath need of them." The owner was perhaps a secret disciple. The Lord knew him, although the apostles did not. Now, after loving Jesus quietly, the opportunity for showing his love was suddenly proffered, and he gladly gave what he could. Christ asks of us, as he asked of him, what is possible and reasonable; and instead of waiting to do something great, let us do what we can, and that which is mean in itself will be hallowed and glorified when used by our Lord.

III AS A KING, JESUS EXERCISES A SPIRITUAL RULE. Until now his kingliness had been concealed except from the nearest and dearest disciples. On this occasion it was declared. Yet the spiritual nature of that kingliness was so evident in his dress, in the animal he bestrode, and in his attendants, that when a few days afterwards he was charged with calling himself a King, no reference was made to this incident before Herod or Pilate. Such is the nature of his kingdom still. His sovereignty is not advanced by material force or by worldly cunning. To him, as a spiritual Ruler, gifts do not take the place of earnest prayer; nor is attendance on the means of grace a substitute for fellowship of soul with God. His kingdom was inaugurated by death; it was founded on a grave; it was built up by the Spirit, "that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." Hence he approached Jerusalem, not on the war-horse of the conqueror, but on an ass, on which rode messengers of peace; as if he were determined that he would not come in judgment till to the last love had been tried. Thus he comes to us, in quiet suggestions, in holy desires, in tears, and prayers; but hereafter he will come in power and great glory, fulfilling the vision St. John saw of One upon the white horse, going forth conquering, and to conquer. A.R.

HOMILIES BY R. GREEN Vers. 1-10. The royal entry into the royal city.

Simple indeed are the preparations for the entry of Zion"s King into his own city. "Go your way into the village that is over against you: and straightway as ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man ever yet sat; loose him, and bring him." The long-waiting prophecy is now to be fulfilled"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass. And the daughter of Zion did rejoice greatly. What a scene of gladness! What a shout of triumph! They bring the colt covered with their garments, while the way is prepared by the soft branches of palms scattered and loose robes cast upon the ground. And the lowly, mighty King enters, and the cries rend the still air. "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh In the Name of the Lord: Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, The kingdom of our father David: Hosanna in the highest.

There are times when truth bursts through all that hides it, and declares itself as the sun through a rent cloud. So is it here. Without restraint the children of Israel proclaim their King as did Pilate when he wrote, "The King of the Jews." True, Pilate did not believe, nor did the shouting crowd at the gates of the city for long together. The same walls soon heard the cry, "Crucify him! crucify him!" But for the time the truth prevails. It is uppermost. As in the Transfiguration, the hidden glory is revealed. Perhaps unconsciously, these voices bear witness to the truth. It is a scene to carry in the eye, to be engraven on the heart. Let us learn

I THAT TRUE ROYALTY NEEDS NOT THE SYMBOLS OF AUTHORITY. It is not statuted or upheld by them; it is not destroyed by their absence. Christianity is independent of external support.

II THAT IMMUTABLE TRUTH WILL SOONER OR LATER ASSERT ITSELF. Yea, though it may be rejected, it will leave its testimony for following ages of faith and unbelief to ponder according to their respective needs.

III THAT THE REAL AND PERMANENT RULER IS HE WHO COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Other kings and other kingdoms will rise in a temporary prevalence of power, and fall into dark oblivion and disgrace. But the true will quietly assume its rightful place, whether men accept or reject, Jesus is a King. "To this end have I been born." Jesus is "King of the Jews," though their priests cry aloud, "We have no king but Caesar." Jesus is the King of kings. But the kingdom is "not of this world," nor will it pass away as the kingdoms of this world. It abideth for ever. And happy is the man who is a true and faithful subject under this heavenly reign. G.

HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON Vers. 1-11. The symbolic triumph.

I THE ASSUMPTION OF AUTHORITY BY CHRIST. He issues his mandate, as having a pre-emption or right to be served before all others. The act was the more impressive because standing out in rare contrast to the ordinary tenor of Christ"s conduct.

II THE MILD POMP OF HIS ENTRY. He is acknowledged with loyal shouts as King and Lord. Hosanna is "Save now!" The words of acclamation are cited from a "Hallelujah" psalm, (Psa_118:25, Psa_118:26) which both celebrates and foretells deliverance. His kingdom prevails by truth, meekness, and love. May "his unsuffering kingdom" come!

III THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE POSITION ASSIGNED HIM IN PROPHECY. He is the predicted King and Savior, the Representative of God upon earth. Thus in this cheerful, humble scene of instructive, popular gladness, and rejoicing, we have an emblem of the progress of Christianity through the world. J.

HOMILIES BY J.J. GIVEN Vers. 1-11. Parallel passages: Mat_21:1-11 14-17 Luk_19:29-44 Joh_12:12-19. Our Lord"s public entry into Jerusalem.

I JOURNEY FROM JERICHO. Jerusalem is at an elevation of three thousand six hundred feet above Jericho in the Jordan valley. The distance between the two cities is upwards of fifteen miles. Travel-stained and weary with this uphill journey, gradually ascending all the way, our Lord stayed over sabbath with the family of Bethany, where he got rested and refreshed. Bethany, which St. John calls "the town of Mary and her sister Martha," is fifteen furlongs, or nearly two miles, from Jerusalem, and gets its name from the fruit of the palm trees that once flourished, there, signifying "house of dates." It is now called Azariyeh, from the name of Lazarus, and in memory of the miracle wrought in raising him from the dead. Next day, being the 10th of Nisan, or 1st of April the day on which the Paschal lamb was set apart was the day chosen by him, who is our true Paschal Lamb, for his public entry into Jerusalem, there to be sacrificed for us. Of the caravan of pilgrims that accompanied our Lord and his disciples in the journey from Jericho, some had proceeded onward direct to the holy city; others had pitched their tents in the wooded vale of Bethany; and others, again, on the western slopes of Olivet, opposite to and in full view of the city. Those who bad advanced to Jerusalem had, it is probable, brought word thither of the approach of the Prophet of Nazareth.

II PUBLIC PROCESSION. The life and ministry of our Lord were fast drawing to a close. The time of his departure was at hand. There is no longer need of enjoining secrecy with regard to his miracles, or of concealment in respect of his office, lest public excitement might ensue, or lest his work might be interfered with or interrupted by the opposition of enemies, before the seed of truth, which he had sown by his discourse"s and parables, should get time to take root in the public mind. Publicity rather than secrecy is now needed. The great Passover Lamb is to be sacrificed, and so the Priest is on his way to the place of sacrifice; the Prophet is going up to the house of God to renew the work of reformation, to rectify abuses, to restore, or at least exhibit, the purity befitting the service of the sanctuary, and to teach daily, as he did, in the temple. Above all, the King is going up to his capital; the daughter of Zion is to receive her King with rejoicing. Hitherto he had indeed gone about continually, doing good, yet with little or no outward show; save by the crowds that followed for healing or hearing, and on some rare occasions and with some signal exceptions, he had been little recognised, being rather "despised and rejected of men." Now the time has come for him to announce his kingdom and claim the honor of a King. The public avowal of his dignity, the official declaration of his Messiahship, and the formal proclamation of his kingdom, now behoved to be made. He was now going to assert his right to reign. Now, for the first and only time, he assumes somewhat of royal state in entering his metropolis. Nor yet was there anything very great or very garish in this exhibition of royalty; the whole was carried out in lowly guise. Christ was indeed a King, but King of the realm of truth; and his entrance into Jerusalem was a royal procession a right royal one, though in a spiritual sense. He was King, but not such a King as the multitude, and even his disciples, expected. He was not a King coming with chariots and horses, with battle-bow or weapons of war, as earthly rulers and worldly conquerors; but "just, and bringing salvation." He was the spiritual King of an unworldly, but universal and unending kingdom.

III OMNISCIENCE APPARENT IN HIS ORDERS. In the directions which our Lord gives his disciples, probably Peter and John, to go to the village over against them perhaps Bethphage, which means "house of figs there are several particulars so precise, minute, and striking, that they imply superhuman knowledge. How else could he tell them beforehand

(1) that immediately on entering the village they would find an ass and her colt;

(2) that they were not loose, but tied, and so ready to be employed by their owner;

(3) that that colt had never been tamed, or broken in, and that no man had ever sat on its back;

(4) the exact position in which the colt would be found not in the courtyard, but outside; at the door, yet not in the public street, but on a road that ran round (amfodou) the rear of the house or village;

(5) that in case of any demur on the part of persons standing by, they should reform them for whose use it was required; and

(6) that the ready consent of the owner would be obtained straightway he will send them"? Another reading of this latter clause has the future, and adds palin , so that the sense is, "He Christ will send it back again.

IV THE HUMBLE YET HEARTY PAGEANT. All was done as had been directed. The colt was brought and led quietly along, its mother by its side, accompanying it. Then the disciples cast their abbas, or outer garments, on them, and set Jesus upon them epanw autwn being either on the garments, or on one of the animals. The former view is that of Theophylact, who refers the pronoun to the garments, saying, "Not the two beasts of burden, but the garments;" so also Euthymius, Beza, and many others. Many explain the pronoun of the beasts of burden, but understand it variously some supposing our Lord to have mounted them alternately; others supplying tinov , as Krebs and Kuinoel; and others, again, having recourse to an enallage of number; while some copyists have ventured to substitute autou or authv . The intention of the disciples was to do their Master royal honor in the true Eastern style of improvising, and just as in Old Testament times, a throne had been extemporised for Jehu, as we read in 2Ki_9:13, "Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him Jehu on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king." Scarcely had the disciples prepared the housing and got their Master mounted on the colt thus caparisoned, when the very great multitude, or rather the most part of the multitude, not to be outdone in devotion and loyalty, strewed some their garments, while others cut down branches off the trees or out of the fields (agrwn , read by Tischen-doff and Tregelles), and spread them in the way. Thus the streaming multitude from Galilee, from Bethany some before, some behind the central figure of the Savior tapestries the line of march with their garments, or strewed it with fronds (stoibadav , a rare word, as if steibadav , from steibw , to tread; and thus, that which is trodden on, a litter of leaves or bed of small leafy branches, then the material of such, viz. young branches). It may perhaps be worthy of note, that in the former case the aorist (estrwsan) is used to denote the throwing down of their garments as a thing done readily and at once; while the cutting of the branches and the spreading of them in the way, as requiring mere time, are expressed in the imperfect; that is, they kept cutting them and continued strewing them as they proceeded. Many similar tokens of honor and respect are on record, and practiced even to the present day. Thus, when Mordecai issued from the palace of Ahasuerus, the streets (Targum on Esther) were strewn with myrtle; like honor was shown to Xerxes by his army before crossing the Hellespont; so also, as we are informed by Robinson, in his "Biblical Researches," the Bethlehemites threw their garments under the feet of the English consul"s horses at Damascus, when they had come to implore his aid. In the "Agamemnon" of Aeschylus, too, we read that the doomed monarch, when entering the palace on his return to Mycenae, was, in imitation of the barbaric pomp of Eastern kings, tempted to walk on costly carpets.

V A PEACEFUL THOUGH TRIUMPHAL PROCESSION. The lowliness of the animal was in keeping with the character of the procession. It was humble, yet right royal. The ass in the East is stately, sprightly, sleek, and shiny; it is highly esteemed, and employed alike for work and riding. Persons of rank used it commonly for the latter purpose. Thus we read of Balsam, of Caleb"s daughter, and of Abigail riding on asses. Moses" wife rode on an ass, as she went down with her husband from Midian into Egypt. At a still earlier period it was the same animal that Abraham rode on that eventual day, when, rising early in the morning, he saddled his ass and went to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice. It was, moreover, the animal on which the judges of Israel rode, as we learn from such passages as the following: ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment;" so also Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel two and twenty years, "had," as we read, "thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities." We have evidence of the same in Jacob"s blessing of his sons, when he says of Issachar that he is "a strong ass, couching down between two burdens." Animals unyoked or unused were employed for sacred purposes; thus, in Num_19:2, it is written, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke;" again, in 1Sa_6:7, "Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke." Thus it was every way suited to the procession, sacred and solemn, peaceful and royal, that advanced on this occasion towards Jerusalem. The horse, on the other hand, would have been unbecoming in such a procession, since the horse was the emblem of war from an early to a late period in Hebrew history; thus, in Exodus 15 we read, "Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea;" and also in Jer_8:6, "Every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

VI THE PROCESSION FROM THE CITY. Another crowd of persons, passing out of the city gates, crossed the Kedron, and advanced in one long continuous line up the opposite side of Olivet till it met the procession that accompanied our Lord. The persons that composed this crowd had been attracted by the miracle of the raising of Lazarus, and they bore their willing testimony to that stupendous fact, as St. John informs us, (Joh_12:17) where we read oti , that, instead ote , when, " The people therefore that was with him bare record that he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead." The people from the city bore in their hands palm branches, the emblems of victory. In the ancient games the crowns were various olive, laurel, pine, or parsley; but in every game the victor bore in his hand the palm branch of victory. Accordingly, with these palm branches in their hands, they welcomed him as victorious over death and the Conqueror of the king of terrors. Soon the crowd from Jerusalem and the multitude from Bethany met and mingled; and now all united formed one grand triumphal procession, the like of which had never climbed or crossed that hill. before.

VII THE ENTHUSIASM. The enthusiasm had reached its height. Hitherto the acknowledgment of the Savior"s kingly power was confined to actions those of himself and his disciples; now the multitudinous voices of the united crowd made the welkin ring with shouts of triumph. The proclamation, no longer limited to action, now found utterance in words words in which the men of Bethany and the people from Jerusalem all took part, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" as we have it in the Gospel by St. Matthew. This term "Hosanna! "was originally a supplication, signifying "Save now!" and thus some understand it here, "Grant salvation to the Son of David!" as the Hebrew verb from which it comes is sometimes followed by a dative. It would in this way be nearly equivalent to "God save the king!" It may, however, be better understood as a joyful acclamation of welcome to the Savior-King long promised, but now present, like the Io triumphe of the Romans or the paean of the Greeks. "Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord!" Here we have one of the designations of Messiah, who was spoken of as the Coming One; ages had passed, but still his arrival was a matter of expectation; centuries had roiled away, but his advent was still future. And now that he has come, it is in the name, invested with the authority and bearing the commission, of the great Jehovah. He came as the Vicegerent of God on earth, and as the Mediator for man with heaven. On the occasion hero referred to, the crowd accorded him a most cordial welcome and received him with truly regal honors. So enthusiastic were they in the reception of their Messiah, that they did not confine themselves, in expressing their gradulation, to the well-known words of the familiar psalm; carried away with the outburst of general joy, they expressed in their own spontaneous utterances their fond anticipation of his Messianic reign, saying, Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David!" for David was the great theocratic king, and eminently typical of Messiah"s kingly power. "Hosanna in the highest!" that is, the highest places or the highest strains. So difficult did they find it to express their exuberant joy, and to vent their feelings of jubilation, that they appealed to Heaven itself to give its sanction, and called as it were on the heavenly hosts to join them and take part in their exultation, heaven and earth being presumed of one accord and in perfect unison on the subject. Another explanation makes the words mean "in the highest degree," in order to convey still greater intensity of feeling; while a third regards it as an address to the Most High, equivalent to "O thou that dwellest in the heavens, save, we pray; for all salvation owns thee as its Source!

VIII FULFILMENT OF OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE. The fulfillment of Zechariah"s prophecy is here noticed by St. Matthew. "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass," is the prediction in Zec_9:9; or the exact rendering of the last clause may rather be, "and sitting upon an ass (chamar), even a colt (air), son of she-asses (athonoth)," the ve being exegetical. The evangelist, in quoting the prophet"s words, informs us that the purpose of what now transpired was their fulfillment. The meaning of ina here, as in other similar passages, is either telic, or final, "in order that;" or ecbatic, that is, eventual or consecutive, "so that." If the word be taken in the former sense, it marks the Divine purpose, and with God purpose and result are coincident; if in the latter sense, it is a consequence, or the evangelist"s reflection on the circumstance of what had been foretold being duly fulfilled. That ina had acquired in later Greek a weakened or modified meaning, so as to stand midway between purpose and result, or even to denote the latter, is pretty generally admitted.

IX PRACTICAL REMARKS.

1. A cause of circumspection. This is one practical effect of Christ"s omniscience. He had perfect knowledge of the state of matters in and round the village whither he sent his two disciples on the errand we here read of. He told them beforehand where the animal he wanted would be found and how it would be found the how and where; the inquiry that would be made of them and the answer they were to return, and the readiness with which the desired permission would be granted them. It is a natural and indeed necessary inference that he is equally acquainted with ourselves our persons, situations, and circumstances. He knows perfectly the great things and the little things of our histories; our condition and conduct in matters the most minute, as well as in those we deem of most importance. From all this we learn the necessity of circumspection. The old Roman wished his house so constructed that all that transpired inside might be seen outside that to the eye of every passer-by the interior of his dwelling and all that was done in it might be visible. The Savior"s eye penetrates not our houses merely, but our hearts. All we think, as well as all we say and all we do, is every moment uncovered to his inspection and open to his cognizance. How circumspect, then, we should be! Who would not shrink from having exposed to the view of neighbor or friend or kinsman every thought that lies deep down in the recesses of his heart? Who would care to have every word he utters in the secret chamber made known to his fellow-man? And who would feel quite at ease if he knew that the eyes of some great man or nobleman or prince rested on all his actions throughout an entire day? How careful we are to have things presented in the best possible light, when we expect the presence of some person of consequence or superior rank for the space of a few hours! Oh, then, how we should feel chastened and subdued by the thought that One greater than even the greatest of the kings of the earth knows all we do, hears all we say, and is cognizant of all we think; and that, not for a few hours of a single day, but every hour of every day! Surely this reflection, if duly realized, would be a powerful help to make us circumspect in thought and word and work, guarding our hearts, "for out of them are the issues of life," "keeping the door of our lips that we offend not with our tongue," and using circumspection in all our works and ways.

2. A source of consolation. The presence of a friend is often most encouraging. The consciousness that a friendly eye is upon us in time of difficulty, or emergency, or at some critical juncture, is a source of strength, inspiring with courage and stimulating to energy. In sorrow or suffering, also, a sympathetic eye goes a long way to give relief, or, where that is out of the question, to sustain us in our sufferings. But to know that from behind the silent blue of the arching heaven a friendly eye is ever on us, a friendly heart ever beats in sympathy with us, a friendly hand is ever stretched forth to wipe away the tear of sorrow, is a source of comfort unfailing as unspeakable. The little things that vex us, the heavy griefs that crush us, our afflictions, whether physical, or mental and more inward, are known alike to that Friend who never changes, and who never fails nor forsakes us.

3. A ground of confidence. The fulfillment of God"s Word in the past and at the present is one of the surest grounds of confidence in time to come. St. Matthew, writing in the first instance for Hebrew Christians who had the prophecies in their hand, and were thus in a position to compare prediction with performance, and having, besides, a special propensity in that direction, is careful to note the fulfillment of prophecy, and to draw the attention of his countrymen to the fact. The prediction referred to in this passage had preceded its fulfillment by five centuries and a half; but it did not fail. God"s words are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times;" not one of them shall ever fail or be falsified. "How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!

4. Human inconstancy. A heathen moralizes on the fickleness of popular favor; it is changeable as the breeze. The psalmist no doubt had experience of it, when he hastily concluded and hurriedly said that all men are liars; but though his generalization was, as subsequent experience taught him, too sweeping, yet he had had sufficient ground for his statement just then. Hence we have the salutary caution in another psalm, "Trust not in princes, nor man"s son." Paul upbraids the Galatians with their changeableness, when he says, "I bear you record, that, if possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" A great and good man, now with God, having had a bitter experience on one occasion of the variableness of human favor, wrote down in his diary the cool but cutting words, "Is it strange that men and the moon should change?" Yet never were the fickleness and consequent worthlessness of human popularity so strikingly exemplified as in the case of the crowd that shouted long and lustily, Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest! but just four days after, and before the week was out, cried long and loudly, "Crucify him! crucify him!" What a lesson is thus taught the follower of Jesus! What a warning to set little store by human favor and popular applause!

X THE TEARS JESUS SHED OVER JERUSALEM.

1. The sight of the city. Of the three roads that led over the Mount of Olives one between the two northern crests, a second right over the summit, the third, or southern, then as now the main road, and the one most frequented from Bethany, was that by which the procession was approaching the city. At a spot where it winds round the southern ridge of the hill, the city, by a turn of the road, is at once brought full in view. At the descent from this shoulder of Olivet, "when he was come near, he beheld the city," looking across the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Its temple, its buildings, its dwellings, rising full before him, were all seen in the clear air of a Judaean sky; at the same time, its guilty inhabitants and their future fate were equally open to his eyes.

2. Jesus weeps. He paused and pondered. The sight of that splendid capital, the knowledge of its crimes, the remembrance of God"s mercies, the thought that it might have been spared if, like Nineveh, it had known the day of its visitation and the things that belonged to its peace, all these considerations awoke the sorrow and called forth the sympathy of the Savior. "Jesus wept over it," as St. Luke informs us. He dropped a tear in silence (edakrusen ) at the grave of Lazarus, a departed friend; but in view of the doomed city of Jerusalem he shed a flood of tears, weeping aloud (eklausen). But while his tears testified his love and showed his tenderness, his lips pronounced the city"s fearful doom.

3. His affecting apostrophe. "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" Jerusalem had its day, and in vain was that day protracted. "If thou hadst known, even thou," O ill-fated city; even thou, with all thy guilt; even thou, who hast so long abused the forbearance of a long-suffering God; even thou, who hast been so often reproved, and yet ever hardened thyself against reproof; even thou, who hast had so many warnings from the prophets of God and apostolic men; even thou, whose children I would have gathered as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; if thou, oven thou, after so many days of mercy and of privilege have been misspent, after so many days of grace have been lost and for ever; if thou, even thou, hadst known, at least in this thy day, in this thy last day of privilege and of promise, in this thy last day of heavenly ministration, in this day of merciful visitation still thine, though the eleventh hour of thy existence and the eve of thy destruction! Never was apostrophe to place or person so tender, and never was aposiopesis so terrible; for the sentence is suddenly broken off and left unfinished; the clause which should state the consequence is omitted. After this omission the Savior pauses, and then adds, "But now they are hid from thine eyes." The sentence might be taken as the expression of a wish: "Oh that thou hadst known the things that belong to thy peace!" and the sense would have remained the same and the sentiment equally solemn.

4. Application to ourselves. Our Lord"s address on this occasion is as practical as it is pathetic. Personally applied, what an appeal it makes to each one of us! Jerusalem had its day, patriarchs and prophets had their day, evangelists and apostles had their day, ancient Jews and early Christians had their day, the apostolic and other Church Fathers had their day, the schoolmen and the reformers had their day, our forefathers and the men of preceding generations had their day; but "our fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" Now, the present is our day. God says to each of us This, the present, is thy day! Let conscience reecho the solemn truth, for the past is gone, and gone for ever; the future is to come, and may never come to us; the present is all we can call our own. This, then, is our day; for "now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation.

5. The purpose for which it is vouchsafed. Day is not merely a measure of time, or portion of duration, or period of light, or a unit of a month or of a year, or a fragment of existence, made up of so many hours; it is that season for getting good and doing good which God has given us, and which he has assigned us for accomplishing the work for which he sent us into the world. It is thy day, reader; for God has given it to thee for a great purpose, and that purpose is the securing of thine own eternal well-being and the welfare of thy fellow-creature, and in both the glory of the great Creator. It is thy day; for it is thy property as long as Heaven is pleased to continue the boon. It is thy day; but not thine to waste or misspend; it is not thine to while away, or trifle away, or sin away, at thy option. It is thine; for it is a talent lent, a treasure given you by God, and for which thou shalt have to render an account. It is thy day for imitating the Savior in working the work of him that sent thee: and "This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom he hath sent;" "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ;" this is thy day for attending to the conditions of peace, the things that tend to and make for peace, such as the righteousness of Christ received by faith, repentance of sin, and reformation of life. It is thy day for cultivating personal and practical religion in thine own soul; thy day, moreover, for the discharge of the duties of relative religion, because, in a certain sense, every man should be his brother"s keeper, and no man is to live wholly to himself, or to seek entirely and selfishly, and therefore sinfully, his own things only, but to look also upon the things of others. It is thy day to do something for God, something for the Church, something for the world, endeavoring to leave it better than you found it something useful in thy day and generation. J.J.G.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives - The limits of Bethany reached to the Mount of Olives, and joined to those of Bethphage. Bethphage was part of the suburbs of Jerusalem, and reached from the Mount of Olives to the walls of the city. Our Lord was now come to the place where the boundaries of Bethany and Bethphage met. Matt. xxi, 1; Luke xix, 29; John xii, 12.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Bethphage

Meaning, house of unripe figs, see Mar 11:12; Mar 11:20. probably so called after the fig tree was cursed.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem.

Preparing for the entry:

v. 1. And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sendeth forth two of His disciples,

v. 2. and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you; and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.

v. 3. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.

Jesus had probably reached Bethany, on the Jericho road, on Friday evening or Saturday morning. It was a small town located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and about a mile and a quarter from Jerusalem. Beyond the town, on its east side, the road descends quite abruptly into the Jordan Valley. Next to it, on the road to Jerusalem, was a small hamlet or group of farm-buildings, called Bethphage. Jesus left the home of His friends in Bethany early on Sunday morning. As He reached the outskirts of the town, He called two of His disciples to Him and commissioned them for a peculiar service. They were to go to the hamlet which was just before them, which Christ’s entire company was about to enter. Without delay, without trouble or difficulty, they would there find a colt tied in a certain place, upon which no person had ever sat. It was a solemn, important mission, foretold even by the prophets. For sacred purposes only unused animals could be employed, Num 19:2; 1Sa 6:7. This colt they should untie from tile post and then lead it to Jesus. The directions are very exact and circumstantial, that no mistake is possible. It may, of course, happen that the owner of the animal would object to this proceeding. In that event they were to tell the owner: The Lord has need of him. When He, the great Creator and Master of heaven and earth, is in need of any tiling, it must be forthcoming; any and every creature can be pressed into His service. But, incidentally, tile Lord did not abuse His power. He knew that the owner would send tile animal, but he also promised, by His messengers, that the foal would be returned without delay, after He had had His use of it. This feature serves to enhance tile lowliness of Jesus at His entry: on a borrowed colt, which He has promised to return at once, He rides into the capital city of His nation.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 11:11

The Silent Looks of Christ.

I. The Lord is always looking. He looketh from heaven and beholdeth the children of men. The Lord looked to see if there were any that feared Him and that honoured His name. There is no protection from His eye. This is a terrible statement to be delivered to the bad man! You are never alone. When you think you are alone, your solitude is but relative. "Whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" The question is unanswered and unanswerable. God fills the universe, overflows infinitude, and thou canst not escape His eye. The eyes of the Lord are very terrible, flames of fire are the only symbols by which they can be likened among us; but they are also gentle, melting with dewy tenderness, yearning with unutterable pity; looking out for us; watching our homecoming, looking over the hills and along the curving valleys, if haply they may see somewhat of the shadow of the returning child.

II. If such be the looks of the Father and the Son, how should we return looks that are so full of significance and purpose? Hear the word of the Lord: "Look unto Me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth." How? Look not with the eyes of the body, not with curiosity; but with reverence, with eagerness of heart, with determination of love, with all the urgency and importunity of conscious need. He asks us to look; to look at Himself; not on the throne of judgment, but in His capacity as Redeemer and Saviour of the world. We shall have to look; the only question is, How? Are we prepared for His coming? How are we prepared for His fan? By going to His cross. He proposed that we should meet Him in His weakness. He appoints the place. He says, "Meet Me where I am weakest; where My right hand is maimed, and my left; where My feet are pierced with iron, and My side is gashed with steel, and My temples are crushed with cruel thorns—meet Me there!" Then, having met Him there, when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all His holy angels with Him, He will be the same Saviour, as gentle and as pitiful as ever. And now the Lord’s hands are His again, He will use them for the opening of the door of His kingdom, and the lifting up of all who put their trust in Him.

Parker, The Ark of God, p. 180.

Mar 11:12-14

The Barren Fig-tree.

Consider:—

I. What is "fruit." The fruit of a tree is that which the sap formed in the branch; the sap, springing out of the root, passes through the stem, circulating through every little spray and tendril, deposits there the germ of fruit; and that fed by the same sap, warmed by the sun that shines on it, and strengthened by the wind, gets stronger and grows larger, till ripe and fit for the gathering. This is the operation in the kingdom of nature. Now look at that in the kingdom of grace. The Spirit of God is always flowing from the roots of the everlasting covenant of the Father’s love, and it all flows through the Lord Jesus Christ. With those who are grafted into Christ there is a passage by which the Spirit may come to them. The sunshine of mercy and the wind of trial come, and these, operating together, soften and strengthen, and the individual takes the savour of the Spirit that flows into it; it sweetens, it grows, it fructifies. It is like that from which it comes; it is fit for the Father’s use, and this is "fruit." Therefore, you see how much is required to make the action really pleasing to God. (1) First, you must be a member of the Lord Jesus Christ, or else you are cut off from any interest in the love of God. In Christ alone is life—you must be a branch. (2) The action must take its existence, its strength, its colour, its character, from God’s own Spirit. (3) The action, which is single, must have in it the flame of God’s love.

II. As it is the intention of nature that everything shall be subservient to the production of fruit, the leaves are only to minister to the fruit. The plant produces fruit, first that it may bear fruit, and then the leaves protect the fruit after it is formed. So in grace, a thousand things a man may make ends which were never intended to be ends. And one is holiness of life. It is a beautiful leaf, like the longing of the soul; but the fruit is when you carry away a mind more humble under the truth, a mind more active for the service of God. Or perhaps your familiarity with Divine subjects increases, so that you are able to grasp the Word; understanding more its meaning, its mysteries being more unfolded to your view. It is well! These things feed the soul; but it is only a leaf, unless the heart thereby has taken a firmer hold upon Christ, and been watered in Divine things.

J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 2nd series, p. 36.

The Barren Fig-tree.

I. When our Lord pronounced His curse upon the barren fig-tree, He taught men a great lesson by an acted parable. It was was not about fig-trees that He really spake. Doth the Lord take care for fig-trees? or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written; and the lesson that it teaches is that what He requires of His people is reality, not profession; truth in the inward heart, not outward appearance of goodness; not a fair show which man can see, while God sees that the inside is very different from that show; fruit—the real fruit of true holiness and inward devotion to God—not leaves; not the semblance and reputation and outward character only, without any corresponding clinging of the heart in faith and good works to God.

II. There can be no doubt that the first application of this very significant act of our Lord was to the Jewish nation. It was like a fair-looking fig-tree, full of leaves. The hill of Sion was a fair place and the joy of the whole nation. But there came One who, seeing afar this fine-looking tree having such a profusion of leaves, came nearer, if haply He might find the fruit thereon which those leaves should have indicated. Alas for the nation! The temple was doomed; not one stone, ere fifty years had passed, should be left standing on another. Under all the thick, fine, flourishing leaves not a single fruit was to be found; no faith, no love, no Divine knowledge, no real understanding of the Scriptures, nor of the prophets, read in their synagogues every Sabbath day.

III. The case of the barren fig-tree applies also to individuals. We too each one of us, have to look to it very seriously, as in the sight of God, that our religion be not fair-seeming leaves only, but fruit too; not only outward show, but true earnest, inward reality. God forbid that we should be satisfied with ourselves. God forbid that we should rest in the consciousness that, in the sight of man or in our own overweening thoughts, we put out fair leaves and a good show; when in fact and as God sees us, there is no fruit of holy, humble, self-distrusting love; no good fruit of that sacred fear of God which alone keeps the heart of man watchful and sober and faithful in Christ until the end.

G. Moberly, Parochial Sermons, p. 169.

References: Mar 11:12-14.—G. Macdonald, Miracles of our Lord, p. 252; J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 2nd series, p. 36; H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man, p. 240; A. Lloyd, Church of England Pulpit, vol. x., p. 493. Mar 11:12-19.—W. Hanna, Our Lord’s Life on Earth, p. 377. Mar 11:12-23.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 119.

Mar 11:13

The words "for the time of figs was not yet" are not given as a reason why Christ found nothing but leaves. He went to this one tree which had leaves on it; and that, therefore, was one of those trees which naturalists describe as never shedding their leaves. On this species of fig-tree the fruit of the last year commonly hung to the spring of the next; and the foliage might thus well induce an expectation, which barrenness afterwards disappointed. As man, Christ perceived from the appearance of the tree that fruit might fairly be expected; and therefore, as God, He might justly condemn the plant.

I. The narrative of the curse of the barren fig-tree must be considered as designed in the first place, to represent to us the state and the doom of the Jewish people; without doubt the fig-tree itself is a figure of the nation of Israel. God had planted His vineyard, He had sent a succession of prophets and priests who, as dressers of that vineyard, might attend to its culture. But though everything had been done for it, yet the fig-tree yielded no fruit. Amid all the emblems of moral painting there could not be found a more accurate delineation, both of national privilege and of national character, than that of the barren fig-tree.

II. The uniform tendency of ancient prophecy may require that we erase the words "for ever from this curse when transferred to the Jewish nation, but we dare not blot out this awful conclusion when we apply it to the case of hypocritical professors in general. There are many ways of losing the soul; there is only one of saving it—even the receiving of Jesus Christ in simplicity and faith; and then glorifying Christ Jesus in the sanctity of practice. The former is the true and vital sap: the latter is the consequence—the production of fruits that glow and blossom with the bloom of the morning.

H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2,191.

References: Mar 11:13.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. x., No. 555; Homilist, 3rd series, vol. v., p. 152. Mar 11:13, Mar 11:14.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 92.

Mar 11:15-16

Look:

I. At the place where the market was held. It is called a temple. But you are not to think that it was actually a temple, properly so called; this would be to do the Jews great injustice. They were wonderfully scrupulous about their temple, and would never have actually held a market in any place which they themselves accounted sacred. It was in the outer court—the court of the Gentiles—that the sheep and oxen and doves were sold, and the money-changers had their tables. As the Jews did not regard this court as having any legal sanctity, they permitted it to be used as a market, the temple of those who came thither to worship.

II. There is too much reason for supposing that it was on purpose to show their contempt for the Gentiles, that the Jews allowed the traffic which Christ interrupted. And here, as we believe, you may find the true cause of our Redeemer’s interference. It was not as a simple man, acting under the passions and upon the principles of men, but it was exclusively as a prophet and a teacher sent from God to inculcate great truths, that Jesus drove out the buyers and sellers. When Christ entered the court of the Gentiles, and found, in place of the solemnity which should have pervaded a scene dedicated to worship, all the noise and tumult of a market, He had before Him the most striking exhibition of that vain resolve on the part of His countrymen, and which His Apostles strove in vain to counteract, the resolve of considering themselves as God’s peculiar people, to the exclusion of all besides; and the refusing to unite themselves with converts from heathenism in the formation of one visible Church. Christ declared, as emphatically as He could have done in words, that the place where the strangers worshipped was to be accounted as sacred as that in which the Israelites assembled, and that what would have been held as a profanation of the one, was to be held a profanation of the other. To ourselves, at all events, this is manifestly the import of the symbolical action; it is prophetic of God’s gracious purposes towards the Gentiles. It was our church, if we may so express it, for it was the church of the Gentiles, within whose confines the oxen were stabled, and the money-changers plied their traffic. They were our rights which the Redeemer vindicated, our privileges which He asserted when He made a scourge of small cords and said, "Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations a house of prayer? but ye have made the court of the Gentiles a den of thieves."

H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 1,589.

References: Mar 11:15-17.—C. C. Bartholomew, Sermons Chiefly Practical, p. 387; Homiletic Quarterly, vol. iv., p. 181. Mar 11:20.—H. Griffith, Christian World Pulpit, vol. vii., pp. 264, 281, 299. Mar 11:20-26.—H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man, p. 240. Mar 11:20-33.—W. Hanna, Our Lord’s Life on Earth, p. 382. Mar 11:22.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiv., No. 1444; vol. vi., No. 328; J. Aldis, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xvi., p. 312; W. F. Hook, Sermons on the Miracles, vol. ii., p. 211; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. viii., p. 98; Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, p. 67. Mar 11:22-24.—A. Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, p. 86. Mar 11:22-24.—Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. iii., p. 281. Mar 11:24.—A. Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, p. 78; T. G. Bonney, Church of England Pulpit, vol. v., p. 257. Mar 11:25.—A. Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, p. 102; J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 10th series, p. 149.

Mar 11:27-28

I. There is something just and legitimate in the words of Christ’s enemies. The idea of a Divine revelation is inseparable from the idea of authority. Jesus to the scribes is a person without authority. For them authority is wholly in the priestly institution. Now Jesus did not belong to the tribe of Levi and to the descent of Aaron. He had not received the official consecration, He had not demanded the investiture of the synagogue. He was without authority. Christ lived in their sight; they had been able, day after day, to look on His conduct and to scrutinise His acts. The whole of His life had been holiness and mercy. The scribes saw that, and it did not move them. It was not a question with them to know of Christ’s accomplished works of holiness, but in virtue of what authority He did them. Holiness, justice and mercy may burn with a superhuman brilliancy, may inspire a sublime teaching, may bring forth magnificent works, all will be nothing; rather than that they will prefer a parchment of the synagogue conferring on its possessor all the rights of authority.

II. A grand teaching comes out of this scene. Let us never put questions of hierarchy and of the Church above the truth. That is a miserable narrowness which we must hold in abhorrence. The sectarian spirit is not peculiar to small sects, as is too readily believed. Perhaps nowhere does it grow and develop with more intensity and in a more unconscious manner than in the shelter of great institutions and ancient traditions. There is a moment when it becomes a crime; it is when it shuts its eyes to the light, it is when it judges with disdainful pride all that is done outside of its regulations, it is when it attributes to Beelzebub the most manifest works of the Spirit of God. We must choose between the Pharisaical spirit that says to Christ, "By what authority doest Thou these things?" and the spirit of truth which, when it sees the light, comes to the light, and says, God is here.

E. Bersier, Sermons, 2nd series, p. 61.

References: Mar 11:27, Mar 11:28.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 98. Mar 11:27-33.—H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man, p. 249. Mar 11:29.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 53. Mar 11:30.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. x., p. 99. Mar 11:27-28.—E. Cooper, Practical Sermons, vol. i., p. 47. Mark 11-13—A. B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve, p. 329. Mar 12:1-9.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. vii., p. 40. Mar 12:1-12.—R. Calderwood, The Parables, p. 317; A. B. Bruce, Parabolic Teaching of Christ, p. 447; H. M. Luckock, Footprints of the Son of Man, p. 254; W. Hanna, Our Lord’s Life on Earth, p. 382. Mar 12:6.—Homiletic Magazine, vol. ix., p. 284. Mar 12:10.—Ibid., vol. xiii., p. 145. Mar 12:10, Mar 12:11.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 108. Mar 12:10-12.—Homiletic Quarterly, vol. v., p. 318. Mar 12:15.—F. O. Morris, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxvii., p. 195.

The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The former part of this chapter acquaints us with our Saviour’s solemn and triumphant riding into the city of Jerusalem: he who in all his journies travelled like a poor man on foot, without noise, and without train; now he goes up to Jerusalem to die for sinners, he rides, to show his great forwardness to lay down his life for us: the beast he rides on is an ass, as the manner of kings and great persons anciently was, and to fulfil that prophecy, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold thy king cometh riding upon an ass Zec 9:9. It was also an ass upon which never man sat before; signifying thereby, that the most unruly and untamed creatures become obsequious to Christ.

Grotius observes, that such animals as had not been employed in the use of man, were wont to be chosen for sacred uses. Even heathens adjudged those things most proper for the service of the gods, which had never been put to profane uses. Thus in 1Sa 6:7. we read that the Philistines returned the ark in a new cart, drawn by heifers never before put into the yoke; they thinking them polluted by being put to profane work. Our Saviour here chooses an ass which had never been backed before; and that the colt should so patiently suffer Christ to ride upon him, was miraculous. And this was a borrowed ass, whereby our Saviour right to all the creatures was manifested; and accordingly he bids his disciples tell the owner that the Lord hath need of him.

Observe lastly, What a clear and full demonstration Christ gave of his divine nature; of his omnisciency in foreseeing and foretelling the event; of his omnipotency, in inclining the heart, and overruling the will, of the owner to let the colt go; and of his sovereignty, as he was Lord of the creatures, to command and call for their service when he needed them.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

J. W. McGarvey's The Fourfold Gospel [CV. Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem].

CV. JESUS' TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM. (From Bethany to Jerusalem and back, Sunday, April 2, A. D. 30.) aMATT. XXI. 1-12, 14-17; bMARK XI. 1-11; cLUKE XIX. 29-44; dJOHN XII. 12-19.

c29 And d12 On the morrow [after the feast in the house of Simon the leper] cit came to pass, when he he drew nigh unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, a1 And when they came nigh unto [572] Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage unto { bat athe mount of Olives [The name, Bethphage, is said to mean house of figs, but the derivation is disputed. Canon Cook and others think that the region on the eastern slope of Olivet was called Bethphage, and that Bethany was located in it. If it was a village, all trace of it has long since vanished, and it is not worth while to give the guesses and surmises of commentators as to its location. But it was evidently near Bethany], then Jesus sent { bsendeth two of his cthe disciples, b2 and saith a2 saying unto them, cGo your way into the village [probably Bethphage, for Jesus started from Bethany] athat is over against you, band straightway as ye enter into it, aye shall find an ass tied, and a colt btied, awith her: bwhereon no man ever sat; loose him, athem, band bring him. athem unto me. [Numerous Scripture references show that the ass was held in high estimation in the East. The sons of the judges used them, and David's mule was used at the coronation of Solomon ( Jdg_10:4, 1Ki_1:33). It is specifically stated that no man had ever sat upon this colt, for if the colt had been used by men it would have been unfit for sacred purposes-- Num_19:2, Deu_21:3, 1Sa_6:7.] 3 And if any one say aught unto you, 31; cAnd if any one ask you, bsay unto you, Why do ye this? cWhy do ye loose him? thus shall ye say, The Lord hath need of him. athem; band straightway he will send him. athem. bback hither. [The owner of the ass was no doubt a disciple or well-wisher of Jesus, and therefore readily consented to respond to the Master's need. Such a well-wisher might readily be found in a multitude ready to lay their garments in the road to honor Christ. The words "send him back" are usually construed to be a promise on the part of Christ that he would return the colt when through with him. But such a promise seems rather out of keeping with the dignity of the occasion. We prefer to construe the words as referring to the movements of Christ's two messengers from the neighborhood of Bethany to Bethphage and back again, or to a backward [573] movement along the caravan's line of march.] a4 Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Zion [the poetical name for the city of Jerusalem], Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass. [The prophecy is a combination of Isa_62:11, Zec_9:9. This is the only instance in which Jesus rode. He entered in meekness, for the ass was a symbol of peace as the horse was of war ( Job_39:19-25), but there was nothing degrading about riding such a beast. The Eastern ass is smaller, but livelier, and better framed than the specimens found in our country. They constituted a chief asset in the property of the wealthy-- Gen_12:16, Gen_30:43, Job_42:12, 1Ch_27:30, 1Ki_1:38.] 6 And the disciples { cthey that were sent away, aand did even as Jesus appointed them, cand found even as he had said unto them ba colt tied at the door without in the open street [the streets being narrow, one would very seldom see an ass tied in one]; and they loose him. c33 And as they were loosing the colt, bcertain of them that stood there cthe owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? bWhat do ye, loosing the colt? 6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had said: and they let them go. 7 And they bring abrought the ass, and the colt, chim bunto Jesus, aand put on them their garments [The garments were the loose cloaks worn over the tunics or shirts. This cloak survives in the abba or hyke of the modern Arab. The unbroken colt would of course have no saddle, and these loyal disciples lent their cloaks to supply the deficiency, and to do Jesus royal honor. Compare the enthronement of Jehu ( 2Ki_9:13). They prepared both beasts, not knowing which he would choose to ride]; cand they threw bcast ctheir garments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon. aand he sat thereon. bupon him. da great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to [574] Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees, and went forth to meet him [Palm-trees were never abundant in Palestine, but there were many around Jericho, through which city these Galilean pilgrims had so recently come. They were date palms, the leaves of which were often ten feet in length. They are now comparatively rare, but are found in the plains of Philistia. The palm branch is emblematic of triumph and victory-- Lev_23:40, Rev_7:9; I. Macc. xiii. 51; II. Macc. x. 7], and cried out, Hosanna: Blessed i is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel [The shouting appears to have been started by those who came out of Jerusalem; it is evident, therefore, that the apostles who were approaching the city with Jesus had nothing to do with inciting this praise.] 14 And Jesus having found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. [The apostles were not conscious that the prophecies were being fulfilled nor did they understand that Jesus was approaching a heavenly rather than an earthly coronation. But after Jesus was glorified, their understandings were spiritually illuminated ( Joh_16:13). They not only remembered the prophecy, but saw in what sense it was that Jesus was king, and how badly mistaken they had been when they expected him to antagonize the Romans. The greatness of her king would have removed all cause for fear if Jerusalem had but accepted him.] 17 The multitude therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb, and raised him from the dead, bare witness. [The two parts of the miracle--the calling and the raising--are both mentioned as alike impressive, sublime, and wonderful.] 18 For this cause also the multitude went and met him, for that they heard that he had done this sign. [It is evident from this that the testimony of those who [575] witnessed the raising of Lazarus had enthused the pilgrims in Jerusalem and had sent a large band of them forth charged with that ardent admiration which produced the shouting of the triumphal entry.] 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Behold how ye prevail nothing: lo, the world is gone after him. [Again, as at Joh_11:47-49, we notice the self-confessed impotency of the Pharisees, but the Sadducees, under the determined and more resolute leadership of Caiaphas, did not participate in this despair. The Pharisees speak of the world as if its acquisition by Jesus was their loss.] c36 And as he went, athe most part of the multitude bmany [Matthew would have us know that the demonstration was no small affair, but was well-nigh universal. Josephus estimates that the number present at one passover was three million, or about one-half the population of Judæa and Galilee. The language of the Pharisees in 1Co_1:26.] c37 And as he was now drawing nigh, even at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen [John has shown us just above that the raising of Lazarus was most prominent in their thoughts]; a9 The multitudes that went before him, and that followed [Jesus approached the city leading a multitude of pilgrims, and we have seen from John's account above that another multitude came out of the city to meet him: Jesus approached the city between two great multitudes.] cried, saying, bHosanna [This is the Greek form or spelling of two Hebrew words, Hoshiah-na, which means, Save now, or, Save, I pray, na being a particle of entreaty added to imperatives. The two words are taken from Psa_118:25, which was recognized as the Messianic Psalm. The shout "Hosanna" was customarily used at the feast of the tabernacles and the other festivals. It was a shout of exaltation about equivalent to "Salvation"]; aHosanna to the Son of David [see Psa_118:26]; cblessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: b10 blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David: cpeace in heaven, and glory in the highest. aHosanna in the highest. [This phrase is taken to mean in the highest degree or highest strains or in the highest heavens. It is likely they were calling upon heaven to participate in glorifying and to ratify their shouts of salvation. The Evangelists give us the various cries of the multitude, for they did not all cry one thing. The cries, if seriously construed, were a fore-recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus, but popular cries are soon caught up and are as fickle as the impulses which beget them. But the public recognition of the Messiahship of Jesus gave [577] weight to the accusation made by Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost that they had slain the Messiah-- Act_2:36. Comp. Act_3:14, Act_3:15.] c39 And some of the Pharisees from the multitude [not a committee sent from Jerusalem for that purpose] said unto him, Teacher, rebuke thy disciples. [It is possible that these may have been moved with an honest fear that the enthusiasm of the people would call down the vengeance of the Romans ( Joh_11:48), but it is more likely that they were prompted solely by envy.] 40 And he answered and said, I tell you that, if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out. [The expression is probably proverbial ( Hab_2:11). The meaning is that the occasion of the great King's visit to his city ( Mat_5:35) was so momentous that, if man withheld his praise, inanimate nature would lend its acclamations.] 41 And when he drew nigh, he saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. [The summit of Olivet is two hundred feet higher than the nearest part of the city of Jerusalem and a hundred feet higher than its farthest part, so that the Lord looked upon the whole of it as one looks upon an open book. As he looked upon it he realized the difference between what his coming might mean to it and what it did mean to it; between the love and gratitude which his coming should have incited and the hatred and violence which it did incite; between the forgiveness, blessing and peace which he desired to bring it and the judgment, wrath and destruction which were coming upon it. The vision of it all excited strong emotion, and the verb used does not indicate silent tears, but audible sobbing and lamentation. The day then passing was among the last before the crucifixion, which would present to the Jews a strong motive for repentance. Had Jerusalem hearkened unto Jesus then, he would have saved her from that self-exaltation which proved her ruin. But bigotry and prejudice blinded her eyes.] 43 For the days shall come upon thee, when thine enemies shall cast up a bank about thee, and compass thee round, [578] and keep thee in on every side. [from where Jesus then stood he could see the houses which were to be thrown down, he could locate the embankments which would be built, and he could trace almost every foot of the line of the wall by which Titus in his anger girdled the city when his embankments were burned--Jos. Wars V. 6. 2, 11. 4-6, 12. 1, 2], 44 and shall dash thee to the ground, and thy children within thee [the city is figuratively spoken of as a mother, and her citizens as her children]; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [The term "visitation" usually refers to a season of judgment, but here, as elsewhere also ( Exo_4:31), it means a season of grace. To not leave one stone upon another is a proverbial expression descriptive of a complete demotion, but in the overthrow of Jerusalem it was well-nigh literally fulfilled. Thus, while the people rejoiced in the present triumph, the prophetic eye and ear of our Lord beheld the judgments which were coming upon the city, heard the bitter cry of the starved defenders during the siege, the screams of the crucified left to perish upon their crosses after its capture, all ending in the final silence of desolation when not one stone was left upon another.] b11 And he entered into Jerusalem [his route led him down the steep face of Olivet, past Gethsemane, across the stone bridge which spans the Kedron, and up the slope of Moriah to the eastern gate of the city], a10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. 12 And Jesus entered into the temple of God [here Matthew tells of the cleansing of the temple, which evidently occurred the next day], 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, 16 and said unto him, Hearest thou what [579] these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; did ye never read [ Psa_8:2 as rendered by the LXX.], Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? [Matthew mingles this scene with events which apparently occurred on Monday, but the enthusiasm and the Hosanna cry evidently belonged to the triumphant Sunday. The presence of our Lord in the temple should, indeed, have been heralded with joy, for as that was the day in which the paschal lamb was presented and set apart, it was fitting that Christ our passover should be presented there amidst rejoicing.] band when he had looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide. [a general expression covering the period both before and after sunset], ahe left them, and went forth out of the city bunto Bethany with the twelve aand lodged there. [Having inspected the temple as his Father's house, Jesus withdrew from it, for in the present state of rancor which fermented within his enemies it was not safe for him to spend the night within Jerusalem.]

[FFG 572-580]

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Mark Chapter 11

In that which follows (chap. 11) Jesus presents Himself to Jerusalem as King. His reception shews the extent to which the testimony He had rendered had acted on the hearts of the simple. God ordained therefore that it should take place. There is little difference between the narrative here and in Matthew. Only the kingdom is more simply presented as such: “The kingdom of our father David.”

With what dignity, as the Judge of all things, Jesus now takes knowledge of all that was being done in the temple, and goes out without saying anything! The Lord had visited His temple, as also He had entered the city riding on the ass’s colt, whereon never man sat. Israel is judged in the condemned fig-tree. [15] The glory of the Lord, of the house of Jehovah, is vindicated with authority-an authority which He claims, and which He exercises in His own Person. The scribes and chief priests draw back before the ascendency that His word had given Him over the people, and He goes out of the city without being molested, notwithstanding their malice. The next day He assures His disciples, who were astonished at seeing the fig-tree withered away, that whatsoever they asked in faith should be accomplished; but that they must act in grace, if they would enjoy this privilege. The scribes and priests and elders are confounded, and demand His authority. He addresses their conscience, but in such a manner as to demonstrate their incompetency to ask Him such a question, exposing at the same time their insincerity. They could not decide with respect to the baptism of John: by what right then could they subject Him to their questions respecting His own claims? They could not decide when the case was before them. On the other hand, they must either sanction His work by their reply, or lose their authority with the people by denying the baptism of John who had borne testimony to Christ. It was no longer a question of winning these men; but what an empty thing is the wisdom of man in the presence of God and His wisdom!

The change of dispensation has a more definite place in Matthew, and the sin which rejected the King. In Mark, it is more the service of Christ as the Prophet. Afterwards, as we have seen, He presents Himself as King. And, in both Gospels, we see that it is Jehovah who fills the office which He has deigned to undertake.

Consequently we find in Matthew more personal accusations, as in the parable of the two sons (Mat 21:28-32), and the detail of the change of dispensation in the parable of the marriage feast (Mat 2:1-14); neither of which is in Mark. In our Gospel, the unchangeable dignity of His Person, and the simple fact that the Prophet and King were rejected (rejection that led to Israel’s judgment) are set before us by the Spirit of God. Otherwise it is the same general testimony we have reviewed in Matthew.

John Nelson Darby — Synopsis of the Books of the Bible: the New Testament (c. 1857–1862) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1–10. When they came nigh to Jerusalem. On the Sunday before the Lord's suffering. He had passed the Sabbath at Bethany. We have four accounts of this entry into Jerusalem: here; Matt. 21:1–11; Luke 19:21–44; John 12:12–19. For notes, see Matt. 21:1–11.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Now as they came to Jerusalem ... Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives

"When Jesus and his disciples came near to Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives" They have come to Bethphage and Bethany in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

Bethphage

This is the name of a village. (See: How to Translate Names)

opposite us

"ahead of us"

a colt

This refers to a young donkey that is large enough to carry a man.

that has never been ridden

This can be written in active form. AT: "that no one has ever ridden" (See: Active or Passive)

Why are you doing this

It can be written clearly what the word "this" refers to. AT: "Why are you untying and taking the colt" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

has need of it

"needs it"

will immediately send it back here

Jesus will send it back promptly when he is finished using it. AT: "will immediately send it back when he no longer needs it" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

Jerusalem

Bethany

Mount of Olives

Jesus

send

disciple

donkey

lord

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

1–11. THE MESSIAH’S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

Mat 21:1-11. Luk 19:29-44. Joh 12:12-19

1. [2448] Latt. omit εἰς βηθφαγή, but the words should probably be retained. τὸ Ἐλαιών ([2449] kr) should probably be preferred to τῶν Ἐλαιῶν.

[2448] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[2449] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mar 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.

1. Βηθφαγή. The locality is uncertain, and it is doubtful whether it was a village near Bethany or a district which contained it. It is not mentioned in O.T., and nowhere in N.T., excepting these narratives. When Mt. wrote, it was apparently better known than Bethany, which he omits. Wellhausen suspects that Bethany is an intrusion here, inserted because among Christians Bethany was so well known. In that case, Mk ought to omit and Mt. to insert it. Renan (Vie, p. 374, ed. 1863) says that passages in the Talmud show that Bethphage was a sort of pomoerium, which reached up to the eastern substructions of the Temple.

πρὸς τὸ ὄρος. Towards the mount rather than “at the mount” (A.V., R.V.); cf. Mar 1:33, Mar 2:2, Mar 4:1.

τὸ Ἐλαιών. See crit. note. Luk 19:29; Luk 21:37 there is doubt between Ἐλαιών and Ἐλαιῶν. Ἐλαιών, Olivetum, is an “olive grove” or “Olivet.” Act 1:12 we have Ἐλαιῶνος, as in Joseph. Ant. VII. ix. 2. W.H. App. p. 158; Deissmann, Bib. St. pp. 208–212; and for description, Stanley, Sin. and Pal. pp. 185, 422. There was a tradition that the Messiah would appear there. The Egyptian pretender did appear there.

This arrival took place 8th Nisan (Joh 12:1); but as the year of the Crucifixion is unknown, it is impossible to say what date that would represent in our Calendar. Either A.D. 29 or 30 or 33 would fit the evidence in the Gospels, and 29 or 30 is generally preferred to 33. The Evangelists do not regard chronology as important, and the small amount which they give us is not always harmonious. Lewin, Fasti Sacri, gives the evidence clearly.

ἀποστέλλει δύο. Even as regards trifling missions, our Lord seems to have adhered to His plan of sending the Apostles out in pairs (Mar 14:13); see on Mar 3:14 and Mar 6:7. Two who had already worked together would perhaps be sent, and Mk’s details point to Peter as one of the two.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.