By Rev. Dr. Michael Koplitz

Mark 11:7-11

7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9  Those who went in front 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!” 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

Jesus had decided that He was going to enter Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, and that stirred up trouble. By riding into the city on a colt, He was fulfilling an ancient prophecy about the Messiah.

“Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).

A question for Jesus would be, “Why this time? Why cause all this trouble?”

There is some speculation that the year Jesus died was in the very middle of a Jubilee cycle. The Jubilee took place every 50 years when all debts were forgiven, slaves received their freedom, and lands were restored to their original owners. If this is true, then His death on the cross signifies His first coming and His second coming will occur at the end of a Jubilee cycle on a Jubilee year.

By Jesus challenging the religious and government authorities, his destination became crucifixion. At that time, there was a great deal of unrest against the Roman government by the Jews in Jerusalem. The new governor, Pilate, had received strict orders not to allow any incidents to occur in the city.  When Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst great cheering and celebration, Pilate had to respond.

The people were waiting for the Messiah whom they thought would expel the Romans and re-establish the Kingdom of Israel. However, that would be restoring a temporary political kingdom instead of the spiritual Kingdom of God. When the Maccabees had defeated the Greeks before the coming of the Messiah, the country was rebuilt only to be conquered by the Romans. Jesus knew that an independent Israel would be short-lived. Israel was too weak to survive as an independent state.

Instead, Jesus came to participate in God’s plan to create a permanent Kingdom of God, a kingdom that would last for an eternity. God uses miracles for long-term gains, not short-term gains. The Kingdom of God is a worthy mission in which we are asked to participate by witnessing a Godly life.

In churches today, the liturgy during the Passion Week reads parts of Psalm 118 and Mark 11:1-11, which calls us to communal faith to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus. The foundation of Christianity occurs in Passion Week. Jesus had to die on Good Friday so that the gift of God, which is resurrection to new life, could be seen and felt on Easter morning.

As a community of Christian believers, we need to feel the pain that Jesus endured. It is the sins of the world that placed Him on that cross. It was not a “simple” death. Instead, it was excruciating. Even though He could have avoided it, He did not. Everything Jesus did in His life was for our benefit. To honor His selfless act, we must remember all the events of Holy Week. Then the actual observance of salvation by resurrection can be celebrated on Easter morning.

I know it is not easy to contemplate what happened during Passion Week. The gift that the LORD gave us on Easter morning must be appreciated in the face of these tragic events. The injustice of Passion Week should remind us of how Satan can take over the world unless we stand in trust and faith in the work that God is doing through His Son and the Son’s disciples. Then, on Easter morning, we can celebrate that the LORD is still in charge of things and has won the day.

The situation of the people coming out to cheer Jesus’ entry on Sunday, and then by Thursday they disappeared, reminds me of the local minor league baseball team. On the opening day of play, the stadium is filled with fans cheering for the home team. The fans look forward to a triumphal year, but if the team starts to lose too many games, the stadium becomes quiet with few fans to cheer. The only advantage to low attendance is that the concession lines become short.

Then the all-star game comes, which marks the middle of the season. The home team starts to win games. All of a sudden, they’re in second place, fighting for the division title. When they win that title and go to the playoffs, fans who abandoned the team in the early part of the season return in droves. The stadium becomes filled with cheering followers when the home team wins that year’s championship.

This story sounds like Passion Week. The cheers for Jesus as He entered Jerusalem turned to silence by Friday. Then the cheers returned on Easter morning. Our lives are filled with such moments. I would like to leave you with the thought that no matter what happens in your life and how you feel, Jesus is always with you, even in times of trial and distress!

Think about Jesus as being your number one fan. He’s always there to cheer you on. He will open the doors needed for you to live a life of devotion to the LORD. Jesus will be there even if you fall into sin. He will lift you up when you are down. I pray you never lose your faith and trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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