What type of saving?
I mentioned we had skipped over the typical Palm Sunday passage a few weeks back. Today, we look at this passage (Mark 11:1-11) because Palm Sunday is just a few days away. The scene we read is both very fitting for a king and also a little off, all at the same time. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey that he has had his disciples go and take for this very purpose. The donkey hasn’t been ridden, typical of royalty entering such a procession. What is off is that Jesus isn’t riding in on a horse or animal with more power. As he enters, people are laying down branches and cloaks again, another indicator of royalty. People wouldn’t allow their garments to get dirty for just anyone. As Jesus entered, they shouted, and their words echoed their scriptures. Honestly, Zechariah shares the whole scene (Zechariah 9:9-13). The words they shout come from Psalm 118:25-26. They are shouting that Jesus save them and that He comes in the name of the Lord.
I don’t know about you, but after reading everything Jesus is about to do, I’m not sure they understand the saving Jesus is about to accomplish. I think they still have in their minds a war leader who will destroy the nations around them and make them the single great ruling nation. Instead, Jesus comes to fight the nation of sin and evil that continues to pull his people and the nations around away from the one true king, God the Father and Creator of everything. Over the last few weeks, we have seen Jesus teaching that the most important thing to grasp is that life wholly depends on our reliance and obedience to the Father. The trappings of this life are secondary and an outpouring of living as God created/designed us. They shout to Jesus, asking Him to save them. What are their expectations of Jesus saving power? Is the saving they are looking for based on their creator or based on the desires of the world? This scene isn’t on film, and we really can’t climb into their minds to know what they are thinking, but based on the events following this entry, we know that some got it and others didn’t.
So, I leave today’s scripture with similar questions. When we call out to Jesus for help, are we asking for things of this world, or are we calling out for the healing work that Jesus completed on the cross? Are we looking for the type of leader we want or the leader that Christ already was, is, and will be?
To help you encounter and reflect on Jesus final week before His death and resurrection I encourage you to download and enable the notifications on the EasterNow app.