Ep.415. Mark 11. Parade and Publicity
Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
Even though Jesus predicted his death three times, the disciples still didn’t believe he would die. But Mark 11 is a turning point for everyone as Jesus begins his journey to Calvary.
Until now, Jesus has avoided publicity. Remember? He told the blind and mute man he’d healed to keep his story quiet (Mark 7:36). He told the parents of a girl he raised from the dead not to tell anyone (Mark 5:43). When Peter confessed, “You are the Messiah, the Christ”, Jesus warned the disciples not to publish the news (Mark 9:30).
But now Jesus has removed the publicity ban, and news about him goes, well, viral.
Jesus started with a parade that the Old Testament’s Zechariah predicted.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and I will break the battle bow.
See, your king comes to you,
lowly and riding on a donkey.
Zech 9:9-10
Chariots and warhorses and weapons for battle? That’s what we want in a king, an imposing master on a mighty horse, leading an eye-boggling parade of soldiers.
But Jesus declared himself on a donkey. No soldiers on parade–only fishermen turned disciples. The crowd scattered branches and coats on the road, shouting, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David” and “Hosanna in the highest heaven” (Mark 11:9-10).
How odd. So far in Mark, the only kings are Herod who beheaded John the Baptist and Caesar back in Rome. But now the people are calling Jesus king.
Will this parade and applause convince Jesus to act like a king? What will he do to establish his credentials? Perform a new miracle?
No, none of the above.
Here’s what he did. The next day, Jesus was hungry, so he went to a fig tree, looking for a snack. No figs. So Jesus cursed the tree saying, “May no one ever get fruit from you again” (Mark 11:14). Within a day, the tree withered and died.
Wow. King Jesus goes public, but we see him on a donkey, not a war horse. And his first pronouncement? Cursing a tree! Really? Doesn’t sound like an amazing king to me.
Let’s pray.
Jesus, we want a king to fix our broken world. Someone with military shock and awe like Putin, or popular acclaim like Trump.
But you are our king, though distant and invisible. No headlines, no military parades, no bombs, missiles, tariffs, and threats.
What kind of king are you? In our age of jets and space shuttles . . . do you still ride a donkey? In our age of internet and smart phones, do you still speak quietly to small bands of followers?
O Jesus, help us not to be awed by presidents and popes. It is you we worship, you we follow, you whose kingdom we believe in, you whose coming we wait for.
Amen.
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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