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Lesson 9: Triumphal Entry and Questions Answered, Mark 11:1-12:37
Lesson 9: Triumphal Entry and Questions
Answered, Mark 11:1-12:37 by Brad Anderson
At this point a new section in the Gospel of Mark
begins. Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, and the rest of his ministry
takes place within the confines of the city. Traditionally this
period, beginning with the Triumphal Entry on Sunday and ending
with the Crucifixion and Resurrection seven days later, has been
designated the Passion Week.
The section 11:1-13:37 is essentially made up of three parts: (1)
the initial events of the entrance into the city and the cleansing
of the temple (11:1-19); (2) instructions to his disciples (11:20-25;
12:35-44; 13:1-37); and (3) conflict with the religious leaders
(11:27-33; 12:1-12, 13-17, 18-27, 28-34). The time sequence is difficult
to sort out because Mark often does not follow a strict chronological
sequence. Remember that Mark’s gospel is not a history or
a biography; it’s preaching material.
The Triumphal Entry 11:1-11
Find Bethany and the Mount of Olives on a Bible map. Bethany, located
on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, was about two miles
from Jerusalem (cf. John 11:18). The Mount of Olives is directly
east of the city, rising to an elevation of about twenty-six hundred
feet. Its summit commands a magnificent view of Jerusalem and especially
of the temple mount.
Read Zechariah 9:9. The Jews expected the Messiah to ride into Jerusalem
on a donkey. Jesus specified that the colt must be an unused one
(“which no one has ever ridden”). Such animals were
regarded as especially suitable for sacred purposes (cf. Num 19:2;
Deut 21:3; 1Sam 6:7). Matthew says both the colt and his mother
were brought (21:7).
Why do you think the owners of the colt didn’t object to the
disciples’ using it? They apparently they knew Jesus and recognized
His authority.
It didn’t take long for the crowds to recognize what was happening.
They were already buzzing about the raising of Lazarus from the
dead. A spontaneous celebration arose in which the people cried
out “Hosanna,” which literally means “save now,”
but it had become simply an exclamation of praise. “Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is an accurate quotation
of Psalm 118:26, one of the psalms which were used liturgically
at the feasts of Tabernacles and Passover. This quotation was a
customary religious greeting or blessing pronounced on pilgrims
who had come to Jerusalem for the feast. The kingdom blessed is
the “kingdom of our father David,” clearly the messianic
kingdom promised to David's son. The triumphal entry is a deliberate,
clear messianic claim on the part of Jesus.
We’re leaving out some info here about the cleansing of the
temple.
The Question About Jesus' Authority
(11:27-33)
Jesus and his disciples entered the temple area, the focal point
of his ministry while in the city (.27). On this occasion the opposition
came from three elements of the Jewish religious establishment:
chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders. These groups made
up the Sanhedrin, the high court of the Jews. They could have arrested
Jesus on the spot, but his popularity among the people prevented
that—at least for the time being. Instead they directed a
question to him (.28) about the source of his authority “for
doing these things” (a reference to his Triumphal Entry and
his cleansing the temple).
Why did they seek to trip Jesus up through sneaky questions? They
weren’t looking for any new information—they knew very
well by what authority Jesus did these things. Their hope was that
by his answer, Jesus would be brought into disfavor with the people,
and thereby clear the way for their arresting him.
Why didn’t the authorities want to answer Jesus’ question?
Either answer would look bad.
Note: In answering Jesus’ question about John, the leaders
of the Jews would be answering their question about Jesus. The two
ministries came from the same source—God. The source of authority
for both John and Jesus was identical.
The Question About Paying Taxes to Caesar (12:13-17)
The Herodians opposed the Pharisees on political grounds as the
Sadducees did on theological grounds. Yet the three groups united
in their opposition against Jesus. Their purpose was to trip Jesus
up in his words so that he would lose the support of the people,
leaving the way open for them to destroy him.
Why do you think the Jews prefaced their question with a flattering
compliment? To throw him off guard, to make him think they were
his friends. Note that Jesus sees right through their hypocrisy
and deceit.
Why is this question so “loaded”? Any way he would have
answered would have gotten him in trouble. To deny the tax would
get him in trouble with the Romans and their supporters, and to
support the tax would get him in trouble with most of the Jews.
For many years, Jews had been required by the Romans to pay taxes
into the fiscus, the emperor's treasury. Some Jews (e.g., the Zealots)
flatly refused to pay it, because it was for them an admission of
the Roman right to rule. The Pharisees disliked paying it but did
not actively oppose it, whereas the Herodians had no objections
to it. The intent of this question was to force Jesus to a direct
answer (.15a), identifying himself either with the Zealots or with
the Herodians.
How did Jesus respond to their question? (.15-17) Jesus knew their
hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked.
“Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought
the coin, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And
whose inscription?” “Caesar's,” they replied.
Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's
and to God what is God's.”
“Intending to dig a pit for Jesus, they tumble into it themselves.”
(Lenski)
What did Jesus mean by his answer? Caesar (i.e., the government)
has a legitimate claim and so does God. Give to each his rightful
claim. One should obey both God and Caesar (the government). God
and government are not two opposites. One’s obligation to
one necessarily covers one’s obligation to the other. We are
to be good citizens of both the world’s kingdom and God’s
kingdom.
The Question of Marriage at the Resurrection
(12:18-27)
This is the first mention of the Sadducees by Mark. The word “Sadducee”
probably comes from the name Zadok (Saddouk in Gr.) and is usually
traced to the high priest of that name during the time of David.
In the time of Jesus, the Sadducees were small numerically but exerted
great influence politically and religiously. They were not, however,
popular among the masses. The Sadducees represented the urban, wealthy,
sophisticated class and were centered in Jerusalem. When Jerusalem
was destroyed in A.D. 70, they disappeared from history. The Sadducees
did not believe in the resurrection.
Explain the question the Sadducees raise. The case cited arose out
of a provision in the Mosaic Law (Deut 25:5-6), which required that
if a man died without children, his brother had to marry his widow.
The purpose of the levirate law (from the Lat. lesir, “brother-in-law”),
as it was called, was to protect the widow and guarantee the continuance
of the family line. With this law in mind, the Sadducees now presented
a hypothetical case in which one woman married seven brothers in
turn, all of whom died childless (vv. 20-22). In the Resurrection
whose wife of the seven would she be (v. 23)? The case is so ludicrous
it may have been a well-known Sadducean joke used for poking fun
at the Pharisees' doctrine of the Resurrection
What did Jesus blame for the stupidity of this question? They knew
neither the Scripture nor the power of God (.24).
In the eternal state, marriage will not exist as it does now, but
all life will be like that of the angels. This evidently means that
the basic characteristics of resurrection life will be service for
and fellowship with God. Since in heaven there will be no more death,
the need for marriage and the propagation of the race will not exist.
The Question Concerning the Great Commandment (12:28-34)
The rabbis counted 613 individual statutes in the law, 365 which
were negative and 248 positive. Attempts were made to differentiate
between the “heavy,” or “great,” and the
“light,” or “little,” commandments. The
rabbis also made attempts to formulate great principles from which
the rest of the law could be deduced.
In answer to the question, Jesus quoted two passages from the OT
(Deut 6:4-5; Lev 19:18). Deuteronomy 6:4 is central to the Shema,
named after the first word of the verse, which means “Hear”
(v. 29). This passage is a confession of faith that is recited by
pious Jews every morning and evening. It basically affirms two things:
(1) the unity of God (“the Lord is one”) and (2) the
covenant relationship of God to the Jewish people (“the Lord
our God”).
Jesus brought Leviticus 19:18 together with Deuteronomy 6:5 to show
that love of neighbor is a natural and logical outgrowth of love
of God. These two commandments belong together; they cannot be separated.
Thus although the teacher of the law had asked for the one most
important commandment, Jesus gave him two—love God and love
your neighbor.
The Question About David's Son (12:35-37)
Jesus was still in the temple courts, surrounded by the people.
Up to this point, others were asking him questions. Now he takes
the initiative and asks a question himself. The Messiah, the Anointed
One, the King appointed by God, was expected to be from the family
of David—everyone knew this (cf. Isa 9:2-7; 11:1-9). The Triumphal
Entry clearly shows that the restored kingdom was a popular expectation.
Jesus’ question is, “In what sense is the Messiah the
son of David?” That is, how can he at the same time be David's
son and David's Lord (.37)?
Jesus does not wait for an answer from his listeners. He provides
it himself. The quotation is from Psalm 110:1.
David calls the Messiah “my Lord.” The
answer Jesus was looking for was “The Messiah is indeed to
be descended from David, but he has a more exalted role than that
of a successor of David; he is the Son of God.” Jesus here
exposes the Pharisees’ error in thinking that the Messiah
was a merely human son of David.
Mark says that the crowd was delighted to listen to Jesus. Apparently
they enjoyed seeing the so-called experts stumped! The remark also
serves to show that, though the religious leaders opposed Jesus,
the common people were for him.
Conclusion: Mark’s goal in this
section is to continue to show his readers that Jesus truly is the
Christ. At the Triumphal Entry, Jesus makes an unmistakable messianic
claim, and in his answers to difficult questions, Jesus again displays
his unique abilities as the Son of God.
Applications:
1. What do we learn about a believer’s responsibility to government?
Caesar (i.e., the government) has a legitimate claim and so does
God. Give to each his rightful claim. One should obey both God and
the government.
2. What do we learn regarding the source of bad theology? People
are ignorant of the Scripture, and thus do not understand the power
and nature of God. If we want to know God better, we’ve got
to know the Bible better.
3. What do we learn about life’s highest priorities? Loving
God is first, and loving others is second. These are the two things
one ought to center his life around. There are no greater aims in
life. Note that there is a priority—loving God is first; loving
others is second. Don’t rearrange them.
Discussion:
1. Many Christians get involved protests, marches, and various forms
of civil disobedience. Is this biblical? The Bible does not condone
or command civil disobedience. When the laws of the land prohibit
true religion, then we have to obey God rather than men. But most
of the time, we can obey both. One’s obligation to one necessarily
includes one’s obligation to the other. We are to be good
citizens of both the world’s kingdom and God’s kingdom.
2. We understand about “rendering unto Caesar the things that
are Caesar’s,” but what about “rendering unto
God the things that are Gods”? What are the things we should
give to God? Honor, worship, sacrifice, love, obedience, submission
