Main news for 8 February 2022

King James Version (en)

Mark, Chapter 11, verses 7-8

¹ Christ rideth with triumph into Jerusalem

⁷And they brought 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, and strawed them in the way.

NOTES

Jesus' disciples knew well that the Teacher was under close watch by the Pharisees and elders. What He preached did not fit in any way...

Today's passage is one of those that, at first glance, do not deserve special attention; it tells in detail about only one event, and not at all the most important event in the Gospel. Of course, the story of the donkey on which the Savior would very soon ride through the streets of Jerusalem amid cries of "hosanna" is interesting at least because here before us is an action reminiscent of those characteristic of the great prophets of the Old Testament. And yet, when reading the text carefully, one involuntarily begins to think about something else.

Indeed, the young donkey, although by local standards it was not expensive, was still a fairly costly possession for a Jerusalemite of modest means in Gospel times. And Jesus' disciples simply take it, saying only that it "is needed by the Lord." No details, no further explanations. And the people around them nevertheless believe them. In essence, they presented no obvious proof to anyone. Of course, the inhabitants of Jerusalem were mostly believers and trusted God, and they also paid attention to prophetic speech, since many among the people considered Jesus a prophet. But the story does not even mention that those around them understood for whom the apostles were taking the young donkey. It is possible, of course, that by that time the apostles themselves were already no less known in the city than their Teacher; in that case their actions would have had to be treated the same way prophetic actions in general were treated, and a prophet could often allow himself what an ordinary person was not allowed.

But even in this case, the readiness to part with one's property at the first demand of someone who wants to take it in God's name says a great deal. In essence, the matter is a sacrifice to God, and not a required one such as, for example, the Temple tithe, but an entirely voluntary one. And no doubt each of us can easily imagine how hard it can sometimes be to decide on a serious donation that noticeably affects our family budget or property situation. But here there are no questions, doubts, or hesitations. The matter is settled by a simple "the Lord needs it."

Jesus enters Jerusalem not as a king, but rather as a prophet: He rides into it on a donkey. A king would most likely have entered the city in a chariot or on horseback; a horse, and especially a horse-drawn...

Jesus enters Jerusalem not as a king, but rather as a prophet: He rides into it on a donkey. A king would most likely have entered the city in a chariot or on horseback; in antiquity a horse, and especially a horse-drawn chariot, was the royal means of transportation par excellence.

Prophets, however, either walked or used donkeys, more precisely mules, and in the same way, according to traditional popular messianic ideas, the Messiah was to appear in the city at the very beginning, before He became the King of His messianic Kingdom. Here Jesus meets these traditional ideas, clearly making it clear to the people that He truly is the very Messiah they are waiting for.

This behavior of His plainly contrasts with the desire to hide His messiahship that had characterized Him before. This is understandable: He was not going to start or lead any mass messianic movement, and therefore publicity and wide renown were, in essence, of no use to Him. He became known because of the miracles and healings He performed, but this renown did not help Him at all, and sometimes even hindered Him. His spiritual work required not mass scale but depth, and it was connected not with crowds but with specific people.

The crowds of people who constantly pursued Him, alas, did not at all testify to a large number of people ready for serious spiritual work; they only demonstrated how susceptible a crowd is to miracles. In fact, the Jerusalem crowd that met Jesus as He entered the city was no different in this respect from any other. Now, however, the time had come to call things by their proper names: Jesus finally bears open witness to His messiahship, whatever the people around Him may think.

Now this was possible: too little time remained before His death and resurrection for anyone to try to draw Him into another "messianic" adventure, of which a very great many were being launched in Judea at that time. Such witness was absolutely necessary: the people of God had to know that the Messiah they awaited had come. Each person decided for himself how to respond to this witness, but it was given, and no one in Jerusalem could in good conscience say that he had seen nothing and known nothing.

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