The King Comes! - Mark 11:1-10
The King Comes! - Mark 11:1-10
By Pastor Lee Hemen
October 3, 2010 AM
Is it Passover time again? It seems as if we had just celebrated it! Last year, it was marked by the same dusty dirty pilgrims on the same dusty dirty road. Nothing much usually happens here in Nob. Being a suburb of Jerusalem people usually pass us by and leave us alone. Sure, some of the priests live here when they are in attendance in the temple, but nothing more than that. But then there was that year Yeshua of Nazareth came. How could I have forgotten! Let me tell you it was quite a spectacle. But he could not have done it without my old donkey Judith. She had given birth to a small little foal we named… but of course, I am getting ahead of myself!
We were just standing around, gawking at the pilgrims, and telling stories about passed events and arguing about the taxes, when these men come up and begin to untie my new foal! I began to protest that they had no right to take my donkey, when I remembered a young man who had visited me just that morning. I had been half dreaming; preparing my meal for the day and humming to myself, when out of the early sunlight this young man enters my shop. He tells me he is a herald for the Most High God. Incredulous, I stammer and ask what he meant. He tells me that I need not fear but that God is going to use my donkey’s foal for his glory. He will be used to carry the Lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace, into the holy city of David. The Messiah would send his disciples. They would come and untie her. I was to ask them, “Why are you doing this?” and they would respond, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” And here they were, untying him! I immediately ask the would-be thieves, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” I was concerned because he had never been ridden. And right on cue they respond just as the messenger had said they would. I let them take him. My friends were shocked, but I knew what God had asked me to do. Can you imagine, my little foal, being used to carry the Messiah? Wouldn’t that be something? But of course, that could not be because I heard he was betrayed by his own disciples, crucified by the Romans, and yet… there are those who say something else occurred. What was it? Oh yes, he supposedly rose from the dead to prove his Messiahship! Old wives tales, probably, don’t you think? Yeshua of Nazareth, a king? I do not think so… but one never knows.
After all, I have raised donkeys for years to carry my trade goods, but I have never sold one nor lent one out. Wait, there was that one time many years ago. I sold Judith’s old jack to a young couple. The wife was pregnant and they needed to go to Jerusalem so he could register for the census. I also lived in Nazareth at the time. I let them have him for a very fair price, I was younger and since he was so old, nearly blind, and they were so young as well, I practically gave him away. I wonder whatever happened to that old donkey. Hmmm… Yeshua was from Nazareth too… I wonder if Yeshua was the Messiah, some say he was the coming king… Now wouldn’t that be something!
----
Yeshua has asked us to do many things in the past, but this really has me uneasy. He actually wants us to go into the little town ahead and steal a donkey. Well, not really steal it because the owner will supposedly know we are coming. He has done this before with several of the other disciples. Sending them on ahead to get food, lodging or to make the necessary arraignments. He has never asked one of us to go and untie someone else’s donkey before. I mean that donkey is someone’s transportation, and donkeys are not cheap! We could be seen as thieves! Caught! Judged! And CRUCIFIED! My mother warned me there would be days like this if I decided to follow Yeshua. She said, “Thomas, you should always ask the tough questions and never ever believe anything as fact until you can touch it for yourself!” I wonder what the old gal would say about this particular predicament.
Okay, Thomas, you can do this. (Takes some deep breaths.) Remember, Yeshua himself has asked you to do this. He usually asks Peter, John, or James, the “insiders,” to do this kind of stuff, but why me and why now? Well of course, Bartholomew is with me. Bartholomew who never says, “Boo to a Babylonian!” has to go and volunteer us both! I know it is probably because I wondered out loud about all those children crawling all over Yeshua in that little town across the Jordan River that he picked me to go and do this for him! Stupid, stupid, Thomas! (Slaps his forehead.) Then there was the time when I was vocally incredulous about the rich young man Yeshua turned away. I just had to blurt out, “Who then can be saved?” ARGH! Thomas, you are so dumb! All your questions will eventually lead to your destruction! That’s why I am here now getting ready to steal another man’s donkey! I wonder if there is a special place in Yeshua’s kingdom for martyred thieves. I certainly hope so!
Oh, and it can’t be just any old donkey… like that old nag over there. It has to be one I find as I enter into the village. It has to be one tied in front of the owner’s house, standing right smack dab in his DOORWAY! It has to be one that has never been ridden! Why didn’t he just ask for one with exactly one hundred spots as the legend states the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on? Noooo, Yeshua has to ask for a specific donkey’s foal, standing in a distinct doorway of a particular house, guarded by really big men… oh great… now what are we going to do?
Okay, Thomas, you can do this. It is for Yeshua. (Breathes deeply.) Just go over there and untie that little rope connected to the foal there… and run like crazy. No, that won’t work because they have already noticed me. Ummm, (gulps) excuse me sirs, but we need your donkey… (Great, they are just staring at me.) Why am I doing this? Well, the Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly. Oh? Really? It is okay with you if we to take the beast? You are certain it is okay? GREAT! Thanks! Come on Bartholomew!
See, Bartholomew, that wasn’t so hard after all! That’s probably why Yeshua picked us in the first place, because he knew he could depend on us right? Well, sure, you asked him… but I said we could go… now that, (points back at the little donkey) Bartholomew, is a foal fit for the coming king!
---
This is my first time in Jerusalem during the Passover. Papa says I can get some sweet bread or figs if I am good and do not wander off in the crowd. There are sure a lot of people going to Jerusalem today. It is one of the most wonderful times of the year. We celebrate God protecting his chosen people by having them place the blood of a lamb over their doorposts, while the Angel of Death killed all of the firstborn in Egypt, and passed over his people. What a miracle of God! Can you imagine the blood of a lamb saving people if they just trusted God’s promise?
I can hardly wait to see the Temple. They say you can see it for miles before you cross the valley as we journey on the road from Bethany. It is supposed to be white and gleams in the sunlight. The doors are overlaid with gold and the smoke from sacrifices and incense rises from its interior all during the day. What a wonderful thing to behold! I bet even the buildings in Rome or Herod’s palace in Caesarea are not as beautiful as the House of God in the holy city of Jerusalem!
Hey! Don’t shove! What do you mean get out of the way? For whom? Why should we get off the road right now? The king of Israel is coming! The Son of David… Yeshua of Nazareth? (Excitedly.) Papa! Did you hear that? Yeshua, the Rabbi whom everyone thinks is the Messiah is headed our way. They say he is going to Jerusalem to proclaim himself king! Well, I heard some of the people in the crowd say so that’s how I know. Can we stay and see him? Papa, what if he really is the coming king? Wouldn’t that be grand, papa, to see our Messiah who will rescue us from the Romans! Please papa, can we stay and see Yeshua? (Jumps up and down.) We can stay! Look, there, he is coming now!
Oh, papa, let’s go and get some branches with everyone else. (Places his hands on his hips.) No, I would not jump off the corner of the Temple if everyone else did, but I think we should join in the festivities. What could it hurt? Look, here he is! Why, he is riding on a small donkey. (Proudly.) Look how straight he sits, just as if he were a king. How can such a poor man be our king, papa? (In wonder.) Papa, why are you crying? Papa! That is your best cloak! You just threw it in the middle of the road so Yeshua’s donkey could walk on it… papa, is Yeshua truly our coming king? Oh papa, I truly hope so too! Look papa, the king comes! Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey! (Zechariah 9:9) Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! The king comes!
—
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2010 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
October 3, 2010 AM
Is it Passover time again? It seems as if we had just celebrated it! Last year, it was marked by the same dusty dirty pilgrims on the same dusty dirty road. Nothing much usually happens here in Nob. Being a suburb of Jerusalem people usually pass us by and leave us alone. Sure, some of the priests live here when they are in attendance in the temple, but nothing more than that. But then there was that year Yeshua of Nazareth came. How could I have forgotten! Let me tell you it was quite a spectacle. But he could not have done it without my old donkey Judith. She had given birth to a small little foal we named… but of course, I am getting ahead of myself!
We were just standing around, gawking at the pilgrims, and telling stories about passed events and arguing about the taxes, when these men come up and begin to untie my new foal! I began to protest that they had no right to take my donkey, when I remembered a young man who had visited me just that morning. I had been half dreaming; preparing my meal for the day and humming to myself, when out of the early sunlight this young man enters my shop. He tells me he is a herald for the Most High God. Incredulous, I stammer and ask what he meant. He tells me that I need not fear but that God is going to use my donkey’s foal for his glory. He will be used to carry the Lion of Judah, the Prince of Peace, into the holy city of David. The Messiah would send his disciples. They would come and untie her. I was to ask them, “Why are you doing this?” and they would respond, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” And here they were, untying him! I immediately ask the would-be thieves, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” I was concerned because he had never been ridden. And right on cue they respond just as the messenger had said they would. I let them take him. My friends were shocked, but I knew what God had asked me to do. Can you imagine, my little foal, being used to carry the Messiah? Wouldn’t that be something? But of course, that could not be because I heard he was betrayed by his own disciples, crucified by the Romans, and yet… there are those who say something else occurred. What was it? Oh yes, he supposedly rose from the dead to prove his Messiahship! Old wives tales, probably, don’t you think? Yeshua of Nazareth, a king? I do not think so… but one never knows.
After all, I have raised donkeys for years to carry my trade goods, but I have never sold one nor lent one out. Wait, there was that one time many years ago. I sold Judith’s old jack to a young couple. The wife was pregnant and they needed to go to Jerusalem so he could register for the census. I also lived in Nazareth at the time. I let them have him for a very fair price, I was younger and since he was so old, nearly blind, and they were so young as well, I practically gave him away. I wonder whatever happened to that old donkey. Hmmm… Yeshua was from Nazareth too… I wonder if Yeshua was the Messiah, some say he was the coming king… Now wouldn’t that be something!
----
Yeshua has asked us to do many things in the past, but this really has me uneasy. He actually wants us to go into the little town ahead and steal a donkey. Well, not really steal it because the owner will supposedly know we are coming. He has done this before with several of the other disciples. Sending them on ahead to get food, lodging or to make the necessary arraignments. He has never asked one of us to go and untie someone else’s donkey before. I mean that donkey is someone’s transportation, and donkeys are not cheap! We could be seen as thieves! Caught! Judged! And CRUCIFIED! My mother warned me there would be days like this if I decided to follow Yeshua. She said, “Thomas, you should always ask the tough questions and never ever believe anything as fact until you can touch it for yourself!” I wonder what the old gal would say about this particular predicament.
Okay, Thomas, you can do this. (Takes some deep breaths.) Remember, Yeshua himself has asked you to do this. He usually asks Peter, John, or James, the “insiders,” to do this kind of stuff, but why me and why now? Well of course, Bartholomew is with me. Bartholomew who never says, “Boo to a Babylonian!” has to go and volunteer us both! I know it is probably because I wondered out loud about all those children crawling all over Yeshua in that little town across the Jordan River that he picked me to go and do this for him! Stupid, stupid, Thomas! (Slaps his forehead.) Then there was the time when I was vocally incredulous about the rich young man Yeshua turned away. I just had to blurt out, “Who then can be saved?” ARGH! Thomas, you are so dumb! All your questions will eventually lead to your destruction! That’s why I am here now getting ready to steal another man’s donkey! I wonder if there is a special place in Yeshua’s kingdom for martyred thieves. I certainly hope so!
Oh, and it can’t be just any old donkey… like that old nag over there. It has to be one I find as I enter into the village. It has to be one tied in front of the owner’s house, standing right smack dab in his DOORWAY! It has to be one that has never been ridden! Why didn’t he just ask for one with exactly one hundred spots as the legend states the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on? Noooo, Yeshua has to ask for a specific donkey’s foal, standing in a distinct doorway of a particular house, guarded by really big men… oh great… now what are we going to do?
Okay, Thomas, you can do this. It is for Yeshua. (Breathes deeply.) Just go over there and untie that little rope connected to the foal there… and run like crazy. No, that won’t work because they have already noticed me. Ummm, (gulps) excuse me sirs, but we need your donkey… (Great, they are just staring at me.) Why am I doing this? Well, the Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly. Oh? Really? It is okay with you if we to take the beast? You are certain it is okay? GREAT! Thanks! Come on Bartholomew!
See, Bartholomew, that wasn’t so hard after all! That’s probably why Yeshua picked us in the first place, because he knew he could depend on us right? Well, sure, you asked him… but I said we could go… now that, (points back at the little donkey) Bartholomew, is a foal fit for the coming king!
---
This is my first time in Jerusalem during the Passover. Papa says I can get some sweet bread or figs if I am good and do not wander off in the crowd. There are sure a lot of people going to Jerusalem today. It is one of the most wonderful times of the year. We celebrate God protecting his chosen people by having them place the blood of a lamb over their doorposts, while the Angel of Death killed all of the firstborn in Egypt, and passed over his people. What a miracle of God! Can you imagine the blood of a lamb saving people if they just trusted God’s promise?
I can hardly wait to see the Temple. They say you can see it for miles before you cross the valley as we journey on the road from Bethany. It is supposed to be white and gleams in the sunlight. The doors are overlaid with gold and the smoke from sacrifices and incense rises from its interior all during the day. What a wonderful thing to behold! I bet even the buildings in Rome or Herod’s palace in Caesarea are not as beautiful as the House of God in the holy city of Jerusalem!
Hey! Don’t shove! What do you mean get out of the way? For whom? Why should we get off the road right now? The king of Israel is coming! The Son of David… Yeshua of Nazareth? (Excitedly.) Papa! Did you hear that? Yeshua, the Rabbi whom everyone thinks is the Messiah is headed our way. They say he is going to Jerusalem to proclaim himself king! Well, I heard some of the people in the crowd say so that’s how I know. Can we stay and see him? Papa, what if he really is the coming king? Wouldn’t that be grand, papa, to see our Messiah who will rescue us from the Romans! Please papa, can we stay and see Yeshua? (Jumps up and down.) We can stay! Look, there, he is coming now!
Oh, papa, let’s go and get some branches with everyone else. (Places his hands on his hips.) No, I would not jump off the corner of the Temple if everyone else did, but I think we should join in the festivities. What could it hurt? Look, here he is! Why, he is riding on a small donkey. (Proudly.) Look how straight he sits, just as if he were a king. How can such a poor man be our king, papa? (In wonder.) Papa, why are you crying? Papa! That is your best cloak! You just threw it in the middle of the road so Yeshua’s donkey could walk on it… papa, is Yeshua truly our coming king? Oh papa, I truly hope so too! Look papa, the king comes! Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey! (Zechariah 9:9) Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! The king comes!
—
Pastor Lee Hemen has been the outspoken pastor of the same church for 25 years in Vancouver, WA. He writes regularly on spirituality and conservative causes and maintains several web blogs. This article is copyrighted © 2010 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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