Jerusalem was jumping. Always was at Passover. Those from the region and from far away, journeyed to the city on a hill. It was time to observe the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This year, however, was unordinary. That was due to Jesus of Nazareth. This man spoke like no one else. He did things no one else could do. And He was on His way.

 

Recently, Jesus had been nearby in Bethany. There He called Lazarus, a man who had been dead for four days, back to life. More recently, in Jericho, He had given sight to blind Bartimaeus. But the people of Jericho did not know what was more amazing: blind Bartimaeus seeing or tax collector Zacchaeus repaying four-fold all the people whom he had cheated, and also giving half his goods to the poor. The air in Jerusalem was also electric because people were aware that the chief priests and Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus. All of this conspired together to create a sensation as people watched the road, wondered to themselves and asked one another: “Do you think He will show?” (John 11:55-57).

 

The Lord Jesus did show, and His public arrival not only frustrated the chief priests and Pharisees who wanted to stealthily swipe Jesus off the street so as to destroy Him after the feast, but it also fulfilled Messianic prophecies (Jeremiah 9:9; Psalm 113-118). While nothing was transpiring according to their plan, all of it was according to God’s plan. Everything about Jesus, from His birth to His death to His resurrection and all points in between, all happened according to the divine timetable. Obviously, that includes everything from His coming on the colt, to His cursing the fig tree, and to His cleansing the temple.

 

Mark 11:1-11 is this morning’s text. Come be with us!