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Mark 11:1-11
The Lowly Savior

What kind of a savior do you need? Of course many people don't think they need any savior at all. But perhaps you're one who admits to a need. If so, then hopefully, you know that you need a substitute, someone who is like you, so that He can take your guilt upon Himself.  Of course He must have no guilt of His own to deal with.  And you may realize that you need, not only one who will assume your guilt and face justice for you. But He also has to be someone who lives today, someone who can relate to you and help you in your daily life.  Not very many people know they need all these things, but I hope you do.

One more thing – the One to Whom we pray certainly needs to be approachable – He needs to be someone who can understand you and deal with your needs because he has experienced them himself.

Now where is there a savior who meets all this criteria?  May you be fully persuaded that here's only one!  Jesus Christ is the One perfect Object of prayer! If the passage before us teaches us anything, it certainly teaches us that He really is the suitable Savior that we need. Let's try to see what this passage teaches us about just now how He can and will meet each and every one of our needs.

Because the Jewish leaders were seeking Jesus' life, and because He needed to minister to Galilee and Samaria, Jesus absented Himself from Jerusalem for a considerable time. But what we have before us today is His final, deliberate return to Jerusalem, a return that He knew would result in His crucifixion. No more than a few weeks before this final return to Jerusalem, Jesus had come as far as Bethany. It was there that He raised Lazarus from the dead and wept over the unbelief of the people in one of the most dramatic moments of His earthly ministry.

But from Bethany, He had gone North just a few miles to Ephraim, then, as described here in Mark, a few weeks later, He came back past Bethany on His way down to Jerusalem. The point of all this is that Jesus was already extremely well known in and near Bethany. They knew of His great miracle of raising Lazarus, and, in fact, Lazarus still lived there. Many of the people of Bethany and its neighboring town of Bethphage would have been only too glad to follow the Master anywhere and give Him anything He needed, because they were convinced he really was the promised Messiah-King, the Savior of Israel, the One Who would restore things as they had been in David's day and even make Israel the greatest nation on earth.

That's why, as Jesus came with His disciples past Behany and Bethphage, as soon as the people of those places heard He was near, they came out and formed an excited procession behind Him. It was as this crowd was gathering that Jesus told His disciples to go into one of the two villages, find a young donkey that He (miraculously) knew was tied outside a door there, untie it, make the necessary explanations to anyone who might question their actions, and bring it to Jesus.

What follows is usually called Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Great crowds from Jerusalem came out to meet Him, crowds from Bethany and Bethphage followed behind, and everyone was excitedly shouting various Messianic phrases such as "Hosanna!" "Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!." The disciples had laid their outer garments on the young donkey for Him to sit on, and people were throwing down their robes or palm fronds for Him to ride on.

It's a wonderful and triumphant scene, but there are certain things about this entry into Jerusalem that seem a little strange when we stop to think about them. First of all, when you realize that really important persons rode ahead of their armies or their admiring crowds on great, white military horses, you can't help wondering about Jesus entering Jerusalem on a young donkey!

Then there's the trappings. Most usually, king's horses were equipped in gold, beautifully worked leather, etc. Jesus' mount was equipped with His disciple's outer garments! More often than not, the crowds around truly important persons entering the capitol city would be officials and other rich and important persons. Jesus' followers were the poor, the farmers, the blue collar workers, etc. There's a wonderful significance to this seemingly strange procession.

Think for a moment also about the Lord's Supper that we observe from time to time. When we observe it, we perform a physical act that has a spiritual meaning. Our Lord had good reason for instituting a ceremony like that. He knew that a visual, tactile demonstration like that would make the meaning more vivid. He knew that we are so earth bound that we can only really understand heavenly truth when it's illustrated in earthly ways.

It's like that in His entry into Jerusalem, too. By it He demonstrates in a vivid, physical way the kind of King He is. By coming the way He did, He fulfills the prediction of Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zech. 9:9)

I want to share with you today what I feel is the meaning for us of our Lord's demonstration. I want us to get into the spirit of Zechariah 9:9. Before we do that, though, there's something about Zechariah's words that I feel needs to be explained.

Under inspiration the prophet says, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!" It was the custom in the days of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel for the women to rush joyfully out of the city to meet their victoriously returning army. They would come with singing and shouts of praise to God for giving them victory. So Zechariah, looking many years ahead, urges the "daughters of Zion" to rush out to meet the victorious Messiah-King. They should come with singing and shouts of praise, because the son of David has won the greatest of all victories, the final and eternal salvation and glory of His people. Jesus is the returning  army, and the "daughters of Zion" are all of us.

In view of the prophecy, it was only fitting, here in Mark, that the multitudes from Jerusalem should pour forth to meet the multitudes following from Bethany and Bethphage, all of them crying out together, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" The meaning of that word "hosanna" is, literally, "Save now!" or "salvation now!" The people were just obeying to the letter Zechariah's prophetic exhortation!

But let's look a little more closely at this wonderful fulfillment of prophecy. On the worldly scene of Jesus' time, when a king entered a city during his travels, the trumpets sounded before him, all the people along his path were required to bow their knees, the city gates would be thrown open amidst fanfares, and the king would enter the city, riding on his beautiful white stallion.

But Jesus isn't like that. He doesn't ride on a great white horse, but on a lowly donkey. The trappings are not of gold, but are the robes of poor men. The fanfares are the shouts of the masses. Zechariah expresses it well: "He is just and having salvation," yet He is also, "lowly and riding on a donkey."

I believe there are two all-important things we can learn from this deliberate demonstration: 1) We can learn that His glory and the salvation He brings aren't like anything this world has to offer, and, 2) We can learn what a suitable Savior He is.

First then, His glory and the salvation He brings aren't like anything this world has to offer. His glory doesn't consist in fanfares, bowing of the knees, and gold trappings, but His is the glory of the wonderful love He expressed on the Cross and of the perfect righteousness He gives His people.  It is because of these things that we should respond in worship and in the singing of praise in hymns and spiritual songs. The salvation He brings doesn't consist in earthly honor and riches, but in forgiveness of sins and acceptance before the Holy Throne of God!

Secondly, Jesus our King is a suitable Savior for us. He is God - let there be no mistake about that. But He is also Man, and His humanity makes Him just the right Savior for us. He has all the physical weaknesses, all the human desires and needs that we have. He's experienced everything we can experience, yet without sin. We read that He was tried in every way that we are tried. And that's just the way we see Him in this scene in Mark: He's down to earth, down to our level, humble - and very approachable.

Yet He was always close to His Father, always serving His Father the way we should, always doing the Father's will, always pleasing to God in every way. And He lived that way as a real Man. He lived that way while having a mind and body like ours, and with needs and feelings like ours. There isn't anything in human life that He didn't have to deal with, and He always dealt with it in the same way we have to.

So He's just the Savior we need! He KNOWS how you feel. He KNOWS the difficulties you have. He KNOWS you - and He can help you. When He gave Himself on the Cross for you, He was a perfect Man, offered as a perfect sacrifice to God. When He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high, He rose as One Who still knows you, and by His Spirit He can and does come to you to live in you and gradually conform your life to His perfect life. In His life He succeeded, and, by His Spirit, you can succeed too! That's the kind of Savior He is. That's the kind of Savior He wanted you to see as you read about His trip to Jerusalem on the donkey. You can come to Him. He loves you just as you are!

Maybe we could shout as did these people. Maybe we could feelingly say, "Hosanna," because we see all our salvation in Him. Maybe we could receive Him as King in every aspect of our lives. Maybe our response should therefore be to come to Him - all day long - in prayer, knowing that He knows and cares - and can help in all that we face each day.

Pastor you ask "What kind of Saviour do I need?"....One who reaches down to me where I am..to my level, one who intercedes for me with Our Heavenly Father....I know of only One such and His Name is Jesus.

I often think of those who threw palm branches before Jesus' feet, acknowledging Him to be the Saviour, Messianic person who would deliver them........In just a short while they would change their tune and cry "crucify Him.".....

I am thankful to Our Lord and Saviour that He never changes His mind.  He went all the way to Calvary as you said Pastor. He is our Consistent Saviour.

Jesus seems to say to me "Keep going my child.  I am with you.  I will not leave you comfortless. I will hold your hand."

Jesus touches me just as He touched the coffin of the woman of Nain's son.   he touches nothing that He does not adorn.

Thanks again Pastor.

Jenny X

Ah dear Jenny, I'm glad you have our Lord Jesus as the anchor of your soul!  And, wonder of wonders, as Paul put it, "being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."  He is in you now, and He will be in you until the very end.

Thanks Pastor...

Such "Blessed Assurance" via you.

Jenny 

 BEHOLD, THE MAN....
BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD.
BEHOLD, WHAT MANNER OF LOVE, THE FATHER HAS BESTOWED UPON US.
BEHOLD, I AM COMING QUICKLY, HOLD FAST TO WHAT YOU HAVE..
JESUS, WE LOVE YOU.