Mark 11:1-14.  A couple of days ago I mentioned that Mark can be divided into five sections an introduction, three main sections, and an epilogue.   The first main section highlighted the “power” of Jesus. Power that he used to support his message and prove his authority.  The second main section, which we just finished, was about the path to Jerusalem and the cross.  But it was also about the path of learning that the disciples (learners, pupils, students) of Jesus were on.  This path was very important because of they didn’t “get it” the message might have died with Jesus (see Romans 10:13-18).  Of course because God’s dedication to us and desire to save, there probably would have been an extension of the plan to save the world just like there was when Israel failed to reach out to the world.  But that is not how it worked out and of course God knew that in advance.  Today we begin the final section “The Passion” or “The Purpose” of Jesus.  The book of Mark covers events from the baptism of Jesus to just past his resurrection, a period of about three years.  This section details events in the final week or two of Jesus’ life yet forms between a third and a half of the book.   I think that shows that this is a major part of Mark’s point to the believers in Rome.

Interestingly when I was doing yesterday’s reading I noticed the word “immediately” in verse 52 and thought that I hadn’t seen the word much in the second section.  I also saw that it is used in verse 2 of today’s reading.  I went back and checked and the Greek word for “immediately” is used 3 times in the introduction,  31 times in the first main section, four times in the second main section, and only five times in this third main section.  Clearly Mark is slowing down and wants us to slow down too, and think about Jesus’ purpose.  The fact that it was used so few times in the second main section encourages me that Jesus’ is willing to take the time to make sure that we understand what he wants us to learn.

This third main section does have some movement to it though and we begin with Jesus outside Jerusalem.  He stops near two villages on the outskirts of Jerusalem and instructs his followers to go into one of the villages and bring back a young donkey that they will find tied there.  When they found the little donkey they were questions by some people outside the house and were given permission to take the donkey to “the master”.  They mest have been followed because as Jesus got onto the donkey to head for Jerusalem people began throwing their coats down in the road for the donkey to walk over, some of them also got branches from the field and spread them out in the same way.  Then they started singing one of their songs from the Book of Psalms, Psalm 118, specifically Mark quotes them as singing Psalm 118:26.  It is interesting that in the verse right before verse 26 that the Psalm says, “O Yahweh, save us we beg.  Oh Yahweh, make us prosperous”.  In fact the word “hosanna” is the Hebrew word used in Psalm 118:25 for “save us we beg”.  In 2 Kings 9:13 we see people spreading their coats n the ground in front of Jehu as he is proclaimed king.  Scholars believe that is the meaning of the actions of the people toward Jesus.  Mark 11:10 sure seems to show that the people are focusing on the kingdom that the Messiah was supposed to rule over.  The problem is that they are missing the teaching of Jesus about suffering and dying.  We just saw in Mark 10:45 that Jesus was going to save people, by giving his life a ransom for many.

The first thing Mark has Jesus do after he enters Jerusalem is go and visit the temple, then he took his twelve closest followers and returned to one of the two near by villages, Bethany.  The next day on his way back to Jerusalem he saw a fig tree in the distance, they had traveled quite a bit and were hungry.  What happens next is kind of interesting, Jesus found no figs on the tree so he cursed it.  What is odd is that Mark tells us that it wasn’t even the season for figs, Jesus shouldn’t have expected figs on the tree, and probably didn’t, he was using the tree as an example.  Tomorrow we will find out what the lesson of the fig tree is.  For today I think we can learn that we need to be careful to see the whole picture, we need to look at all that God tells us and not just at a few facts that we can fit into our own mold.  We need to actually pay attention to the things we say when we are at church.  Are you taking the time to understand the meaning of the songs?  Do you really know what the words about Jesus mean?  Sometimes I am told that these blogs are too long.  The reason I started doing them is because some Jr. High students told me they didn’t read their Bibles because they didn’t understand what they were reading.  I could just read each day and say what the reading meant to me but that wouldn’t necessarily accomplish my goal of helping you all understand.  We have a relationship with God that is a little different for each of us.  God is communicating to each of us personally through the Bible and we need to understand what we are reading so we can see what God is saying to us individually.  I do share what is means to me as an example but I spend the time to explain so you can get what God is saying to you.  Today as I said I think we need to be careful to look for what God is saying and not what we want (like a King to kick the Romans out).  I also like the message that I didn’t include yesterday that God is taking the time to make sure that each one of us “gets it”.  But we need to take the time to we need to study and listen with an open mind and heart.  Then we will hear just what we needed to hear at just the right time.  I’m sure it was comforting to those early Roman believers to know that Jesus had time to teach them.  To know that the original disciples didn’t really understand very well either and that they fumbled around in their faith.  Finally we need to know that no how pretty we are as a human being if we are not fruitful we are in danger of ultimate and total failure.  Tomorrow we will see more about this but today we need to be faithful and listen.

Go help me listen.  Help me be faithful.  Thank you for taking the time with me, hekp me honor you in all I do.  Let me be fruitful and please you.