When you picture the hero coming in to save the day you probably think of a tall guy in a tall hat riding in on tall white horse with a couple of shotguns off of his saddle and two in his hands. Well, our ultimate action hero, Jesus, rides into Jerusalem all right—but on a tall white horse? Not so much. And the weapon He brings is just His own body. There was great excitement among Jesus and His followers as the Lord approached Jerusalem. The annual Passover feast was one of the three great feasts that saw throngs of people gather each year. Those coming with Jesus no doubt hoped that all of His Messianic signs (like healing blind Bartimaeus) meant He was going to declare Himself Messiah and take over right then and there. He would indeed do the former, but latter was not to happen yet.
This date is one of the most important in human history and following a vital prophetic clock, was the one and only day that the Jewish Messiah could be proclaimed.
1
Bethphage (means: “house of unripe figs”) and Bethany are small villages one mile apart and one and two miles respectfully from Jerusalem. Bethany was home to Martha, Mary, and Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead (a story not included in Mark). It sits on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives from which you have a spectacular view of the city of Jerusalem. Most photos of Jerusalem are taken from the Mount of Olives. It holds a vital place in Biblical prophecy as the location where Jesus will return to and judge when He finally comes to take over (Zechariah 14:1-19).
What we are about to see is actually a carefully scripted event laid out in Biblical prophecy, starting with a colt.
2 – 7
The colt was probably in Bethany. Jesus sent two of His men on from Bethphage to pick it up. It had to never have been ridden because an animal used for “ordinary” purposes could not be used for “sacred” (Numbers 19:2). Matthew mentions a donkey and a colt, while Mark focuses only on the colt. There were likely both to fulfill Zechariah 9:9, which forms the basis for this event:
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knew the men would be challenged. It would have been akin to stealing a car. So Jesus told them to say to anyone who asked that Jesus had need of it. By this time Jesus was well known and especially in Bethany so this word would have sufficed, and it did.
The colt didn’t have a saddle because it had never been ridden so the men threw their cloaks on it, fulfilling another prophecy about declaring someone as a king:
2 Kings 9:13 Each man quickly took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. They blew the ram's horn and proclaimed, "Jehu is king!"
In fact, this same behavior continued as Jesus rode down the Mount of Olives towards the East gate of Jerusalem.
8 – 10
Pilgrims walked the last ascent into Jerusalem. For Jesus to ride was significant and the people recognized that He was fulfilling that prophecy in Zechariah 9, so they waved tree branches and leafy branches from the field and some placed them in front of Jesus like in 2 Kings.
They cried Psalms 118:25-26, which was the last of the Hallel Psalms sung over Passover. Though not all of them caught the significance of the words, some realized that this was indeed the Messiah, coming to sit on David’s throne.
For all of the years of Jesus life and ministry, He had purposefully hidden His true identity. But here He puts it on display for all to see in the most public way possible. It was also to fulfill a prophecy given to Daniel:
Daniel 9:24-26 "Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
The decree came about on March 14, 445BC (Nehemiah 2:1). A “week” means a week of years. So doing the math:
62 + 7 “weeks” (69 x 7) is 483 years x 360 (to get the total number of days in this prophecy) = 173,880 days. So 173,880 days from March 14, 445BC lands you on 10 Nisan, 32AD. If the “coming of an anointed one” (Messiah = “anointed” in Hebrew) was to happen it would be on that date, which happens to be this day in Mark 11. That fact alone should be enough to convince you that Jesus is the Messiah!
11
Those that thought Jesus was the Messiah were expecting Him to do battle with Rome and bring Jerusalem back to its former glory. Jesus came to do battle, of course, but it was actually against the Jewish religious system which had become so polluted that it actually kept people from understanding God’s Messiah. So Jesus does a little recognizance for what He is about to do in the Temple, which was where the people met God. Then He provides a parable of the coming battle and His victory in a fig tree.
12 – 14
It was spring, and though the fig trees in Israel were not in full fruit, they often had little buds on them that were edible. Jesus found nothing but leaves and so He cursed the tree saying “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” What’s going on here? Why is Jesus picking on this poor fig tree? I believe that it is actually representing the Jewish religious system, which looked so pretty on the outside with all of its fake goodness. But there was no “fruit” – no evidence of actual righteousness or a relationship with God. The system, or the Law, could not provide that fruit. So Jesus is saying “no one should rely on the Law or Judaism to be right with God”. It wasn’t going to be needed because Jesus Himself would produce the fruit that He would give freely to all of us. He continues the parable next inside Jerusalem.
15 – 17
In Jesus day the court of the Gentiles had become filled with people selling sacrifices and changing money into Temple shekels. What was supposed to be a way to approach God had become choked with a way to make money. The god Mammon had infiltrated Yahweh’s Temple and it was time (again) to throw them out. Not only that, but once commerce had its foot in the door, the court became a trade route instead of an entry way into God’s presence. Jesus called it “a den of thieves” saying that God’s temple was a place for people to approach God, but it been made into a place where people got ripped off. The quote here is from Isaiah 56:7. It was important because Jesus’ ultimate battle against sin was not for Jews only but for “all the nations.” The word “thieves” should probably be rendered “robbers” which suggests an organized band of extortion. So not only was the fig tree barren, but so was the Temple in terms of fruit of relationship with God. This clearing of the Temple was also a Messianic prophecy (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
18 – 19
This was the brashest challenge yet to the religious establishment. It was as if Jesus was taking an ox goad to them, trying to get a response. It’s as if He is trying to get Himself killed! Exactly. They couldn’t do anything at that time, though, because He was still popular with the people. No one stood up to the scribes and Pharisees—no one! Their time would come very soon, however.
20 – 21
The next day they come upon that same fig tree. Notice that it has withered “from the roots” which is not the natural way for a plant to wither. This to me signifies that man-made religion is dead from the root and must die. The early church later applied this parable to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. This is the last miracle recorded in Mark and the only one of destruction. So next, Jesus makes a statement that at first seems unrelated. Check out Hosea 9:10 & 16 where God talks about Israel as a “first fruit of a fig tree” but having become “detestable”.
22 – 24
The disciples had acted surprised then the fig tree withered after Jesus cursed it. But in reality they should have trusted Him (and not their own abilities or obedience) to do much more. Some suggest that the “mountain” referred to is the Mount of Olives. I suggest that it really was Mount Zion across the valley—representing again the Jewish system that would be overturned and cast into the sea when Jesus rose from the dead, ushering in a new way to God. The early church was going to go head to head with the Jews for many years. Jesus is telling them that even a tough enemy like that is no match when you rely on God! There appears to be a universal application as well that in service to Jesus we have unlimited power if we ask for it. It isn’t a carte blanche though. John 15:15 “Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.”
Conclusions
So what’s the take away from this part of the chapter?
Jesus did proclaim to be the Messiah. He rode the donkey, he rode into Jerusalem on the only day possible for the Messiah, He received the worship, and He cleansed the Temple.
Jesus condemned apostate Israel and its form of Judaism as unfruitful
Jesus predicted its demise in His hostile takeover, returning access to God
Jesus told us that as we bring forth that same message, the gospel, that nothing can stand in our way if we rely on God to do the work.
Jesus may have ridden into Jerusalem on a lowly donkey to die. But He is coming back and will be riding a white horse:
Revelation 19:11-16 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. 13 He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS
