From a purely human perspective, Jesus appears to be a man of contradictions. He consistently acts and speaks in ways that puzzle His hearers, followers, and critics. But Jesus is no ordinary man. He is the God-Man, God’s beloved Son, sent to free people from sin and death. Is it any wonder that Jesus mystifies the people around Him?
God rarely meets people’s expectations. He commits to people who are unable to keep their word. He says suffering can be for a person’s good. He allows injustice to bring about justice. God loves the least and the worst, inviting them into His upside-down kingdom, where it is more blessed to be hungry, poor, and persecuted for choosing God’s righteous path (Matthew 5:1–12).
1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:1–10)
For the Jewish people, Jesus riding on a colt would have reminded them of King Solomon. He rode his father’s mule on the day he was crowned king (1 Kings 1:32–37). How might this knowledge have shaped the crowd’s hopes or expectations?
In the Bible, mountains are where heaven and earth meet. People build temples and altars on them so that they can meet with God, and God can meet with them. Mountains also tend to be sites of testing. Will a person depend on God rather than himself? Will that person surrender and sacrifice what they love as an act of worship to God?
In Mark 11, Jesus comes from the Mount of Olives and goes to the holy mountain in Jerusalem, where God dwells. In between, He encounters the crowd, which welcomes Him as their promised King.
Jesus has entered a test: Will He submit to God’s plans, knowing what they will require, or will He submit to the people’s hopes, dreams, and expectations? Jesus chooses God. He resists the people’s calls and goes to the temple. He worships the Lord God, His Father. He chooses—not for the first or last time—to love and serve the Lord God only.
Lord Jesus, You came to earth to set me free from myself and my sinful desires. I so often want the wrong things, or I want the right things but go about getting them in the wrong way. Forgive me for trying to find goodness and wisdom apart from You. Teach me to rely on You, my King. Help me to follow Your example in submitting to God’s plan rather than people’s expectations. Amen.
