MARK 11:1-11
PUBLIC PARADE PROVOKES PUNISHMENT
I. POTENTATES:
A. Powerful.
B. Pawn.
C. Perfect.
II. PROCESSION:
A. Public.
B. Popular.
C. Peaceful.
III. POSSIBILITIES:
A. Plebeian.
B. Provocation.
C. Punishment.
The Triumphal Entry was the final death knell for our Lord. Jesus had been in the Jerusalem area ever since He raised Lazarus from the grave and He had been the center of everyone’s talk and wonderment. Staying outside of the Holy City, He waited for the right time to make His entry.
Within the City, people were congregating from all over Israel for the Passover which they would be celebrating that week. While the many flowed into the City, the word was asked by everyone, “Will He be coming to the Passover?” The people knew that Jesus had now gained the attention of the religious hierarchy and the Roman Government and the question burned with excitement over His plans and the exact nature of His next move.
According to John 12:12, people heard rumors that indeed He was coming and soon He appeared walking towards the gates of the City. Without any prompting from the disciples, the Bible says that the multitude began to line the streets, taking off their outer garments and laying them on the cobblestone road while displaying palm branches, proclaiming Him as their King. Following the spontaneous actions of the people, He mounted a donkey and rode into the city as a conquering Hero.
Suddenly the Roman government officials along with the religious leaders of that day, were thrown into a complete quandary as to what to do with this “Prophet” who was accepting the reverence from the Jewish people in the most holiest week of the Jewish calendar-Passover.
The tension mounted to the boiling point as the possibility of something happening which could spiral out of control very quickly. News spread across the entire City that Jesus had entered, riding a donkey, accepting the platitudes of the people, while ignoring Rome and the Jewish religious leaders. Outside on the streets, the crowd grew and grew. Amidst the approbation of the common people there swelled a giant chorus of praise and worship. On the inside of the Antonia Fortress where Pilate was residing, he watched with nervous tension. Herod, was close by in his humongous palace and was hushed as he saw a potential threat to Rome and to himself unfolding before his very eyes. Inside the Temple, the High Priest anxiously waited to see what this “rabbi” would be doing next.
The parade ended at the Temple and Jesus dismounted the donkey, walked inside the Temple, looked around and left-broken hearted. The crowd dispersed, the tensions abated across the city, but this event would not go unchallenged by Rome or the Jewish leaders. This was too close for comfort and both Rome and the High Priest decided that some type of action had to take place and very quickly lest He bring all the might of Rome and the weighty religious legal system crashing down on their heads. Within the week of this glorious outpouring of acceptance by the common people, Jesus would die. This Public Parade Provoked Punishment for Jesus.
As I study the events of Palm Sunday from the Bible, I see three areas of importance. The first one being the POTENTATES who were gathered together in Jerusalem during this Passover Week. Next, I notice the PROCESSION of this parade. Then, I study the POSSIBILITIES of what could have happened and what actually happened during Jesus’ Triumphal Entry.
I. POTENTATES: Rarely were there three very important leaders in Jerusalem at one time. But on this special week there were three very important leaders of men who came together at one spot on this Earth and these three forever changed history.
The first ruler I mention is Herod, the Powerful one. He was made King of Palestine by the Romans and he made sure that he was going to stay king for as long as he lived. Herod had built for himself and his family a palatial palace in old Jerusalem but preferred not to stay there too often. He also built the Second Temple for the Jewish nation-not that he was religious-but to placate the Jews.
His preferred place to live was not in Jerusalem but on top of what later came to be called, Massada. This place was located near the Salt Sea or what is now the Dead Sea, south of Jerusalem, and it is a barren and windswept land. It is located about a two hour drive from Jerusalem and it is extremely isolated. The hill was nothing until Herod defied all engineers and builders of his time and had a palace erected on the slope of this huge mountain which is 400 meters above sea level. There was where he stayed most of the time lest there be a revolt in Israel and he had to flee for his life. He could live on top of this impregnable mountain for years and never have to be taken by force. Yet for Passover Week, Herod arrived in the Holy City and stayed at his palace so he could take charge of any unrest which might develop during this week of great importance to the Jews.
Besides Herod coming to the City for this week, there was Pontius Pilate, the Pawn of both Herod and the Roman government. His residence was in the holy City and he served as a governor of the area. His job was a hands-on-type of a manager to keep the peace in the area and to not let anything untoward Rome develop. His job was to report to Herod and then Herod to Rome. This was a convenient way for Herod to keep his hands clean and to be seen as not interfering with the Jews in their daily lives.
Pilate owed everything he had concerning his job and to his mere existence in Jerusalem to his Roman superiors; he was a mere lackey in the eyes of his superiors and he knew it. During this week when Herod the King was in town, Pilate spent his time-not in the King’s palace but in the fortress Antonia with the Roman soldiers. These two Roman government officials were made very much aware of the events of that fateful ride into the City by Jesus.
Besides the Powerful Herod and the Pawn, Pilate, there was also the third POTENTATE to be in the City this week and that was the Perfect One-Jesus. Jesus never stayed in the Holy City, but would visit it and then retire for the night to some place other than this scared place. It was during this week He was staying with Martha, Mary and Lazarus in Bethany just a few miles beyond the city wall of Jerusalem. Yet when He rode into the City, sitting on the back of a donkey and listening to the cheers of the people, he became the third Leader of men in that City for the Passover Week and these three would come together-not all three at once-but He would see the other two who gave Him over to die.
II. PROCESSION: I have looked at the leaders who were present for this Holy Week of Passover for the Jewish nation. Noting these three, one can see that all of them observed that the Triumphal Entry had a serious impact upon these three leaders, the people then and the people of all time since that memorial parade.
The first thing one sees is that this PROCESSION had a direct bearing upon the Public at large. Jesus’ reputation had proceeded Him in many ways and the talk of the City that week was whether or not He would come to the Passover. Many had not seen Him but almost all had heard of Him and they were ready to greet Him in a Public manner. Note, everything was done in the open. Jesus entered the City for all to see Him; the people gathered and honored Him out in the open; everything was done in the eyes of the entire Jewish religious leaders as well as the Roman government leaders. Nothing was done in secret.
Not only was this event done in full view of every one and no attempts were made to hide anything, this PROCESSION was very Popular to say the least. No doubt, full of envy and jealousy, Herod, Pilate and the High Priest looked on with glaring eyes and disturbed hearts. Nothing like this was recorded for us to read concerning the acceptance of these respective leaders in Jerusalem and they probably never had the joy which came from such an outpouring of gratitude by the common people. If these three mentioned leaders ever did receive a welcome as Jesus received, it probably was a mandated affair and not spontaneous as the Triumphal Entry was.
Besides this event being Public and Popular, every one who knew anything about military conquests knew the symbolism behind Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem with such an outpouring of good feeling evidenced by the common people. In the days when this event happened, such an entry was given to one who was a conquering hero who had banished his opponent and returned home as a victorious leader. Everyone read between the lines during and after this Triumphal Entry, that Jesus was the Conquering Hero of the hearts and lives of the masses. He was the Man who was now victorious and He never waged a battle-yet He succeeded in capturing the hearts of the multitude where Herod, Pilate and the High Priest failed. Jesus was the true Leader that day and the powers that were, would not let Him succeed-He had to be killed.
Besides this victorious entry into the Holy City by Jesus being both Public and Popular, this ride into the City by Jesus was Peaceful. It is worth of note to remind ourselves that Jesus never causes harm or destruction. He entered the City, made His way to the Temple amidst the greetings and cheers of the common people and He never did any damage to any one. Certainly Herod, Pilate and even the High Priest had to note this. Jesus could have caused a riot by merely giving the word to His followers and to the masses that day that now was the time to throw the Romans out of the area. If He would have said these words, a riot filled full of destructive power would have been unleashed on all. The years of being held in captivity by the heavy hand of Rome would have spewed forth with such vengeance and hate that once quelled, there would have been many dead and much destruction would have been done to the City. None of the aforementioned things were done and certainly the Romans knew that they had to give the praise to Jesus for handling the situation with great skill. Yet, in stead of giving Him thanks, they gave Him a cross. Why? Why did not Jesus receive thanks for His manners and His restraint upon the populous? The answers might be found in the following section of this sermon.
III. POSSIBILITIES: Why was not Jesus given thanks for helping to stabilize the tense situation in the City so long ago? The full answers can only be wrapped up in the fact that Jesus was to die for man’s sins and the Roman government was the agency to carry out this nefarious deed. Yet, there are some interesting events which could have transpired. These facts helped dictate the actions taken by Rome and indeed by the religious hierarchy of His day.
One of the POSSIBILITIES which could have happened according to the thinking of the Romans was in the fact that Rome saw this Triumphal Entry as a Plebeian demonstration which struck at the heart of Rome’s control over the Jewish Nation. Besides the Romans seeing this as a mass uprising of people who could have challenged Rome’s power, the High Priest saw this Triumphal Entry into the City as a sign that the common people were ready to accept this Rabbi and perhaps change the religious teachings of the Old Testament forever. If this were to occur, the religious leaders would view this “new” interpretation of the Old Testament as not being divinely inspired but wrenched from the heart of common people who should leave the teachings and the interpretations of such to the educated religious leaders. After all, due to their very position, they thought, they must be in God’s favor and they were correct-not Jesus nor the mass of illiterate followers of the Man from Galilee.
Herod, Pilate and the High Priest saw the Triumphal Entry by Jesus as being purely of a Plebeian nature and hence it had to be dealt with before it got out of hand. The quickest way to stop this march of the common people regarding their wishes and wants was to kill Jesus which they proceeded to do.
Besides this Entry of Jesus becoming so popular as the Romans and the High Priest observed, one other possible result from this Triumphal Entry and the rise of the common people, was the fact that this could serve as a direct
Provocation by Jesus, on purpose, to challenge Rome and the religious leaders. This open Provocation by Him to the others-as they reasoned-was to be dealt with as soon as possible. No one of these leaders wanted to see any challenges coming toward Rome and her rule especially at the time of His Public entry into the Holy City. If Jesus was not dealt with in a most hurried manner, the issue would fester and there would be a direct challenge to all the status quo within the week, This was something Rome could not and would not allow to happen. Herod and Pilate were in the City that week with specific guidelines laid down a long time ago, that Rome would not broach any open Provocation to its rule. The POSSIBILITIES were too grave to ignore and Jesus had to be tended to early and as soon as possible before anything exploded in the face of Rome and her representatives in Jerusalem for Passover Week.
The last option for the entire event now laid within the hands of the pagan Romans: the Punishment He was about to receive. Jesus was not a direct threat to Rome nor to the religious leaders, yet he was the One that had to be silenced. Every power block in that whole affair of so many years gone by, knew that the ground swell for Jesus could come from the people who had been oppressed for so long. The common people were ready for His word and they would have taken to the streets, if only he would have given the word to so do. Rome also knew that any such disturbance by the Jewish people would put each Roman representative in that area and indeed all of Rome’s might at risk and this was not going to happen.
When Jesus was finally arrested and brought to Pilate-he could find nothing wrong with Him. When Jesus was sent to Herod-he could find nothing wrong with Him. Even the religious leaders had a hard time trying to drum up any type of legal evidence to put Him to death. All seem to concur that Jesus was not the problem, yet He was killed. Why? Rome did not fear Jesus as much as they feared what He was capable of doing-starting an insurrection. To show the Jews that this would not be allowed-He was hung on a cross.
The POTENTATES were there for that Holy Week. Two of them were minding their government’s business and the Third One was minding His Father’s Business. When these three came into the orbit of each others’ realm of dealings there were consequences unleashed that today still reverberate around the world.
The two Romans had their separate meetings with Jesus due to the Triumphal Entry in which He made. Yet, it was not His will to turn the mass against the Romans, but it was His will to die for mankind’s sin. Rome missed the true impact of Him and His mission and arrested Jesus, then had Him crucified in the hopes that the tension would ease and Rome would be safely in charge as always. Rome misread the “tea leaves” and she is now a footnote in history while He and His Story lives on and shall always live on.
