SCRIPTURE: Mark 11:1-11 (ESV)
DATE: 10-3-21
It’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Each week — in the gospel of Mark — we’re seeing people ask Jesus all kinds of questions. And their questions are what we’re focusing on — because — we’ve all got questions. Questions about life, about spiritual things, about relationships, and so on. And the questions — we see people asking Jesus — are questions many of us are still asking today.
So let’s turn to our passage and discover our question for today.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Mark chapter 11. We’ll be looking at verses 1-11. And the question Jesus will be asked this week is a question — especially if you’re newer to the Christian faith — this is a question you might be asking regularly. But — even if you’ve been a Christian for years — you probably still find yourself asking this question often. So what’s the question? Jesus, why are we doing this? That’s our question — Jesus, why are we doing this?
We’re in Mark chapter 11. Beginning in verse 1.
“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before 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 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” (Mark 11:1-11 ESV)
SERMON INTRODUCTION
“May the odds be forever in your favor.” Last week I began with a quote that those of us who are a bit older recognized — a JFK quote — this week’s quote is for the younger generation — a famous quote of Effie Trinket. But have you ever stopped to ask if the odds are in your favor? What are the odds of good things happening to you — or the odds of bad things happening to you? Well here are the odds of different kinds of things — good and bad — happening to you.
- You’ve got a 1 in 122,000 chance of being struck by lightning.
- The Olympics happened earlier this year. Did you know that you have a 1 in 622,000 chance of winning an Olympic medal?
- You’ve got a 1 in 11,000,000 chance of dying in a plane crash.
- And a 1 in 292,000,000 chance of winning a jackpot lottery.
- A natural pregnancy has a 1 in 250 chance of resulting in twins.
- Which is about the same odds — 1 in 220 — of you being audited by the IRS.
- You’ve got a 1 in 6 chance of getting food poisoning.
- And a .3% chance of your car being stolen.
Now — obviously the choices we make affect the chance of some of these things happening to us or not. The odds of winning an Olympic medal decrease the older we get. And — if you never own a car — it’s probably safe to say that you’ll never have your car stolen. But — unless you’re never going to eat again — there’s not much you can do about food poisoning — so enjoy your lunch today after church.
But — this whole idea — of things being up to chance — is what many in our culture hold to today. Things are coincidental — things happen by accident. Or — to put a spiritual spin on it — things “happen for a reason.”
But — what we find in Mark’s gospel — is a different view — a biblical lens in which to interpret — not only seemingly coincidental events — but all of life’s events. What we find — here in our verses — is the doctrine known as the providence of God. So what’s the providence of God?
One Bible dictionary defines the providence of God as “God’s activity throughout history in providing for the needs of human beings, especially those who follow him in faith.” Another one of my Bible dictionaries states that the providence of God is “the unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill, he upholds his creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for his own glory.”
One writer has said, “The doctrine of God’s providence says that God orders everything that comes to pass to come to pass. And everything…comes to us as if it comes to us from his very own fatherly hand. [And] that becomes a framework, a lens, for us to see the world around us.”
A historic Christian document — written nearly 500 years ago — defines the providence of God this way. “The almighty and everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth, with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.”
Or — as the apostle Paul said — “And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Including the things we need as we follow Jesus. So let’s keep the doctrine of the providence of God in our minds as we ask our question, “Jesus, why are we doing this?”
A DONKEY AND THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
And we’re gonna begin with a donkey and the providence of God. Back to verse 1.
“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go.” (Mark 11:1-6 ESV)
Now this story is one I’m guessing you’re familiar with. It’s a story preached on — around the world — nearly every year on Palm Sunday. So it’s a story that — because we’re so familiar with it — we can easily miss the craziness of what Jesus asks these two disciples to do.
Why do we miss the craziness of the story? Because we know how the story ends. And — because we know the ending — we remove the tension that the two disciples had to feel in being told to go to the nearby village, grab a donkey, and tell the owners they’ll get it back. “Really, Jesus, you want us to do what?” I mean — you have to imagine that the two disciples felt a bit awkward about the whole crazy situation — at least at first.
So let’s not make this out to be an easy decision for them. Let’s not make them out to be some sort of superhero disciples. Like you and me — these two guys are human — they’re not programmed robots. I’m sure they felt what we feel when it comes to trusting God’s providence — that he’s working out everything — orchestrating everything — even the crazy sounding things he wants us to do.
We don’t want to look foolish in front of others, right? It’s easy to care more about what others think of us than what God thinks of us. So I’m sure these two disciples are concerned about what others are going to think of them — especially the owners of the donkey!
And no one wants to get arrested for donkey theft, right? Well neither do the two men Jesus sends to find the donkey. And I’m sure the other ten disciples were like, “Woo. Dodged a bullet with that one. Sure glad Jesus didn’t call on me this time.”
Yet God providentially ordains all of the details that we find in this story. Everything’s just as Jesus said it would be. Afterall — he did say, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt…” He didn’t say “If you find a colt.” He said, “You will find a colt.” That’s the providence of God.
And — sure enough — there’s a donkey tied up and the disciples find it just as Jesus said they would. No one’s ever ridden on this donkey before — just like Jesus said. And — when the owners ask them what they’re doing — “Uh oh, we don’t want to go to prison for stealing your donkey” — after the disciples tell them what Jesus had told them to say — the owners let the two disciples leave — with their donkey. How crazy is all of this?
If you were counting — there are six different things that Jesus says will happen and all six things happen. That’s the providence of God.
So how does this connect to our lives? Well God has providentially ordained all of the details in our lives — which should not feel restrictive or oppressive — but freeing — and this should give us great confidence as we trust and follow him. Here’s a non-biblical example.
George Mueller lived trusting in the providence of God. Some of you are familiar with his story of taking care of over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime and never once — never once — asking others for help. He trusted in God’s faithfulness and providence to provide the orphans all that was needed. One day there was no food for the 300 orphans being cared for at the time. George told the housemother to take the children into the dining room and seat them at the tables.
And — while she did so — George prayed thanking God for the food that he would provide for them to eat. And within minutes — someone knocked on the door and said that he couldn’t sleep the night before. He said that somehow he knew that bread would be needed — and so he baked bread and brought it to the orphanage.
Then another knock came at the door. This time it was a milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage and the milk would spoil by the time his cart was fixed. So he wondered if the orphanage could use the milk. Now — what are the chances — the odds — that just enough bread and just enough milk would arrive on the exact day when there was no food and no milk for the children? This is God’s providence at work.
And — like the two disciples — like George Mueller — we have the opportunity to see how God is working out everything in our lives — orchestrating every little detail in our lives — but only if we’re willing to obey and follow him. And — you have to imagine that the disciples were pretty excited when everything happened just as Jesus said things would happen.
And that’s the opportunity before us as well. We have the opportunity to see and experience God’s faithfulness to us and praise him for his faithfulness. But only if we’re willing to step out and obey him — in faith — trusting him — no matter how crazy to our ears his words sound to us — like — “Go into the village and grab the donkey.”
OUR SAVIOR AND THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
And this is what we see next in Mark’s gospel — a response of jubilation and worship and celebration. We’re in verse 7.
“And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before 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!”” (Mark 11:7-10 ESV)
“Jesus, why are we doing this?” — that’s our question. Why are we borrowing this donkey? Have you ever wondered, “Why a donkey? And why it was supposed to never have been ridden on before.” That’s kind of weird.
In the Old Testament books of Numbers and Deuteronomy — we find our answer. In these Old Testament books we see that an animal — that was going to be used for a holy purpose — had to never have been ridden on before. And Jesus — in knowing these commands from the Old Testament — and in seeing his entrance into Jerusalem as a sacred — holy — event — he knows that he needs an animal to ride into Jerusalem on — an animal that no one else has sat on before.
Thus — in God’s providence — Jesus is able to ride into the city of Jerusalem — marking the beginning of a holy and sacred event — his sacrifice for our sins — on an animal that had never been ridden on before. God is orchestrating everything we’re seeing happen in our verses.
Yet there’s something else providential here. Shortly after creating Adam, God commanded him to subdue and rule over all the animals. And Jesus is the second Adam — the representative of humanity who would not fall into temptation, but would fulfill what the first Adam had failed to do as our representative.
And — Jesus — in riding into Jerusalem — on this never before broken in donkey — demonstrates that he is the second Adam. For Jesus subdues and rules over this animal that’s never been broken in — never been ridden on — but there’s no need for it to be trained in order for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on it. For he is the Creator of this donkey. Thus he can sit upon it and command this creature to lead him into the city even though it’s untrained.
But why a donkey? Back to the Old Testament. Near the end of Genesis, Jacob — also named Israel — pronounces a blessing on his sons — who the twelve tribes of Israel descend from.
And to Judah — Jacob says, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will honor. 11 He ties his foal to a grapevine, the colt of his donkey to a choice vine.” (Genesis 49:10-11a NLT)
Matthew’s gospel begins with a genealogy that shows us that Jesus’ ancestry includes Judah. Thus — in God’s providence — Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise to Judah. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah — which is found in the verses just before in Genesis. And Jesus is the One who holds the ruler’s staff — the One whom all the nations will honor. And — here in Genesis — we get a glimpse that a donkey will have a role to play in the life of this descendant of Judah.
But it’s the prophet Zechariah who gives us way more than a glimpse. He writes, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey — riding on a donkey’s colt.” (Zechariah 9:9 NLT)
Zechariah tells us that God’s king will ride into Jerusalem on a donkey. And though he will be righteous and victorious — this king will ride into the city in humility. And — by the providence of God — Jesus fulfills these words prophesied hundreds and thousands of years before this moment we find recorded in the gospel of Mark.
And — if we remember the confusion the disciples have displayed — confusion over the kind of victory Jesus is going to secure in Jerusalem. Remember — the disciples keep thinking of a military victory — a kicking the Romans out of Jerusalem kind of victory. They expect him — as an ancestor of king David — to secure a military victory for the people of God.
Knowing all of this helps us understand why the people put their cloaks on the road as Jesus travels into the city. In these days, people spread their garments on the road to show their respect to royalty — so these people recognize that Jesus is royalty. And they lay leafy branches on the road. Matthew, Mark, and John each use a different word to describe the branches. What we’re most familiar with are the palm branches mentioned by John.
But the word Mark uses basically means a “mass of straw…or leaves beaten together…to form a bed or carpet.” And these branches are a military symbol — a symbol of military victory — often used as a symbol for a king.
So — the crowd is showing all of the expectations of a military victory — they’re expecting Jesus to conquer the Romans and secure a military victory for the Jewish people. Yet — the words they’re shouting — show the providence of God at work. For they’re crying out with words from Psalm 118. The people are 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!”” (Mark 11:9b-10 ESV)
Here are the words from Psalm 118. “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:25-26 ESV)
Psalm 118 is one of the psalms sung during the Passover. And — as I’m sure many of you know — Jesus is entering Jerusalem during Passover week. So be amazed by the providence of God at work here and — bear with me if this is old news to you — but did you know that the word Hosanna — a word found often in the songs we sing in church — the word Hosanna means “save us now” — did you know that? Anytime we sing the word “hosanna” — I want you to think, “Save us now, O God” — for that’s what the word “hosanna” means.
So this is a monumental moment that we’re witnessing in Mark’s gospel. Jesus — as far as we have recorded in the gospels — has walked to get to where he’s going — he’s not ridden on an animal like royalty would in his day. And — up to this point — Jesus has wanted to keep secret his identity as the Messiah — the coming King and Savior.
But now — by the providence of God — the time has come for his secret to be made public.
So Jesus sits on the back of a donkey — he’s not walking into Jerusalem — he’s riding into the city on a donkey. And he knows exactly what he’s doing — he’s now making it publicly known that he is the Messiah — God’s Savior — the Victorious King and descendant of David.
But — something unusual is also going on here. Previously in Mark — Jesus has always stopped people from worshipping him. But now — by the providence of God — the time for him to be worshipped has arrived — thus Jesus doesn’t stop the people from praising him.
The people cry out “Save us now” — as Jesus — the King of kings — rides into Jerusalem. They cry out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” They shout, “Save us from on high, O God. Bring salvation to your people.” And Jesus receives their praise and is — indeed — bringing salvation to the people. He’s bringing them victory. And those two disciples who were wondering, “Why are we doing this” — well now — they know why.
Yet God has a different kind of victory in mind than what the people are expecting. For this will be a spiritual rescue — a victory of salvation from eternal death and freedom from enslavement to sin. A different war — a different victory.
Thus King Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem as promised but — in ancient days — when a king rode into town on a donkey it meant that he came in peace. If the king’s intent was to fight or wage a military battle — he would ride into town on a horse. But no horse here for Jesus. No horse means Jesus isn’t bringing a great military victory. But he is entering the city to be the Victor — a Victorious King who will bring peace on earth.
THE TEMPLE AND THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
And in spite of all of the shouting and praising and the laying of cloaks and branches on the road as he enters into Jerusalem — upon arriving in the city — Jesus is ignored. Verse 11.
“And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” (Mark 11:11 ESV)
That was a whole lot of “hosannas” and “hurrahs” and “hoorays” — a whole lot of excitement — for such an anti-climatic end to this story, right? Jesus arrives at the Temple, looks around, it’s late, and so he leaves.
One person has said, “Mark raises the readers’ expectations that something grand will happen, but nothing does. He tells us that ‘it was already late.’ Late for what? Did time run out on Jesus before he could do anything; or is time running out for the temple? This colorless ending to Jesus’ dramatic entry into Jerusalem depicts more than meets the eye. It sets the stage for what will happen on the next day, and its true significance can only be filled in by the Old Testament. Jesus does not tour the temple as a tourist, dazzled by its glittering gold, glistening white marble, and gigantic stones. Nor does he visit it out of pious reverence; he offers no prayers or sacrifice…
He enters the temple as prophesied…to inspect it, and the next day’s events reveal that he comes not to restore it but to pronounce God’s judgment on it.” A story we’ll see in the coming weeks.
CONCLUSION
I don’t know about you, but it’s easy for me to get distracted by many things. It’s easy to forget or doubt what I’ve been called to. As God’s people it’s easy — right — to wonder why we’re doing the things we do as the people of God — gathering together to worship, serving each other and the world, giving generously to God’s work, and so on. It’s easy to ask, “Jesus, why are we doing this?”
And this is why we must remember and rest in the doctrine of the providence of God. That God is working out all things for his glory and the good of his people — and he will supply everything we need as we follow his Son.
And God’s Word shows us where God’s providence is leading us — the Bible answers our question, “Jesus, why are we doing this?” We’re following Jesus in obedience and faithfulness — proclaiming his Good News to the world — so that “…a great multitude that no one [can] number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”” (Revelation 7:9b-10 ESV)
Thus our confidence is in this promise to us: God is providentially working out all things so this eternal future will come to pass. This promise is guaranteed to us. This vision of the future will be yours — if you believe in Jesus Christ. And this future is a guarantee for many who don’t yet believe in Jesus — who’ve yet to call out “Hosanna! Save me, Jesus! Rescue me!” — but who will one day cry out to him for salvation because of our obedience — because of your obedience of going and proclaiming the gospel.
This is why we’re following Jesus. This is why we need to know and understand and trust in the providence of God. It fuels us in our faithfulness. It gives us confidence in our calling. It encourages us to spur one another on in following Jesus.
For those of us who’ve been following Jesus for some time, look back on your life. Can you see God’s providential care and leading in your life? Do you see his faithfulness to you in those moments when you were uncertain of what to do? If so, know that the God you worship today — the Savior you’re following today — is a never-changing God — a Savior who’s the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Allow God’s providence — as displayed in your past — to encourage you to trust in his providence today. And tell the stories of God’s providence in your life to others — for your stories will encourage them to trust in his providence in their life.
And church — as a whole — we need to share the stories of God’s providence in our lives with each other.
This will encourage new believers as they begin their journey of following Jesus. This will uplift those who are in a season of struggle or doubt. It will challenge those who may be rebelling against God. It will remind us of the wonderful news that God is working out all things for his glory and our good.
So share stories. Share them in your Life Groups. Share them as you talk to others in the lobby. Share them over coffee with friends. Let’s remind each other of the providence of God so we all know and have confidence in why we’re doing what we’re doing as we follow Jesus. For then — even when he tells us to do crazy sounding things — like go borrow a donkey — we’ll obey — because we have great confidence in God’s providence — that he is working out all things — orchestrating everything in our lives — for his glory and our good. Let’s pray.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, what confidence is being offered to us today. Confidence in knowing, trusting, and believing that you are working out all things for our good and your glory. That you are orchestrating every detail of our lives — from never before ridden on donkeys to supplying bread and milk at just the right time for orphans — every detail of our lives is under your providential care. And this is not a threat to us — this is not oppressive news — this is liberating news. For you — who are orchestrating every detail of our lives — are good, and holy, and righteous. You are kind, and loving, and gracious. Thus your providence is freedom to us. Assurance to us. Comfort to us.
Jesus, you lived trusting in the providence of your Heavenly Father. You did only what your Father would have you do. You so trusted in his providence that you spoke with confidence — “you will find a donkey in the village” — knowing that your Father would provide for your every need. Your trust — in God’s providence — was your hope and joy as you headed to the cross. You trusted that — even your death — would be for your Father’s glory and the good of his people.
Spirit of God, help us to see your providential work in our lives. May your past faithfulness in our lives — and in the lives of others — inspire our present day trust in you. Remind us to speak of your providence to each other. Encouraging each other with stories of how you’ve provided for our every need. And — for those who’ve yet to trust in Christ for their salvation — may their hearts cry out “Hosanna” today. “Save me, O God.” May they see your providential work in their lives — placing them right where they are — at this moment — to hear your Word to them. May they respond to your love and Christ’s saving work. In his name we pray. Amen.
BENEDICTION
May you go trusting in God’s providence — walking in obedience wherever he leads you. Amen. God loves you. I love you. You are sent.