Does The Lord Need Anything

Does the Lord Need Anything?

Mark 11:1-14

The Gospel of Mark dedicated only ten chapters to the life and ministry of Jesus, but there are six chapters written about the events leading to Jesus’ Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.

The King of the Kingdom solidified His Kingdom on the Cross at Mount Calvary, but leading up to His Passion, several things happened that made the conflict with the Pharisees inevitable.

As John's Gospel tells us, just before the Passion, Jesus raised Lazarus (who had been dead for four days) back to life.

John 12:9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.

John 12:10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also,

John 12:11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. NKJV

Passover was very important to the Jewish community during this time. Josephus said the population of Jerusalem during Passover went from a normal population of 500,000 to 3 million.

During the Feast of Passover, the people always had the hope of the arrival of the Messiah to liberate them from the power of Rome, like Moses delivered the Israelites from Egypt.

Please open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark 11 as we continue in a verse-by-verse study of that Gospel.

Last week in Mark, Jesus predicted His death and Resurrection for the third time, as Jesus asked a question to some different men; and the answers from the different men, were very telling.

After Jesus said He was going to be crucified, James and John ask, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

Jesus asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

We said this is the question Jesus asks everyone. Some will answer and ask Jesus to rescue them, while other people will say, “We want nothing to do with You”.

As expected, the other ten Disciples get irritated with James and John’s request for the top two positions in the Kingdom.

Soon, we read about Blind Bartimaeus. Jesus passed by this blind beggar, who basically said, “I can’t see You with my physical eyes, but I recognize who You are!”

Jesus asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” His request was simple, but impossible, “that I may receive my sight.”

Today, we will study a familiar passage which is often referred to as Palm Sunday, as Jesus was presented to Israel as their king. Today, we answer the question, “Does the Lord need anything?”

I. The Lord is Sovereign.

Read Mark 11:1-6

Jesus left Jericho and headed toward Jerusalem, 18 miles away. As they approached the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of the Disciples to go and retrieve a foal of a donkey.

We do not know for sure whether this was prearranged or not with the owner of this donkey, or even if the owner knew the Lord; but God is Sovereign and knew this was going to happen.

Sovereign means to possess supreme or ultimate power.

In vs. 3 “The Lord has need of it”, the word “Lord”, is Kyrios (GK), which means, boss, master, owner, controller of a thing.

Barry Raeburn said about, “Why are you doing this?”

“The owner relinquished his rights and ownership of the colt and recognized something or someone more powerful than him was exercising their rights to the use of that animal. (Raeburn)

When we respond to the Gospel and choose to accept Christ’s offer of salvation, we are responding to His choice of us as well.

At the moment of Salvation, all prior ownership over our lives is broken, we are transferred to a new Kingdom, born again, and all the rights of ownership the enemy had over us, are broken.

The enemy has no legal right to influence any area of our lives once we are in Christ, but we need to be reminded of that!

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. NKJV

Notice the paradox here. Jesus is the Sovereign Lord who is in control, but He uses earthly things to fulfill His sovereign plan.

Jesus used the two disciples to go and retrieve this donkey.

R. Alan Cole said, “Jesus always seems to have sent his disciples out in fellowship, as here, even if it was only ‘two by two’ (Mark 6:7).” Lone ranger Christianity is not healthy.