Sunday, March 24

Mark 11:1-11

It’s the beginning of the week that we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, and this is also when our passage begins. It’s the start of the Passover Festival and Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all around the Roman Empire. Jesus fulfills the over 500 year old prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 as He enters the city as the awaited King, riding on a donkey’s colt.

As He enters in this peaceful and humble way, the people recognize Him as their Messiah and create a parade for Him. They lay their coats down for Him to pass over and they shout praises to Him that show they recognize Him as the one to fulfill the prophecies. He’s the one they have been waiting for.

They shout, “Hosanna”, which means “Save!”, as they believed that is what He would do. They probably weren’t expecting Him to save them the way He did. This might be why this same crowd shouted “Crucify Him” just a few days later.

Many times, we expect God to answer our requests of mercy and justice in a specific way or time. When we don’t see the answer in the way or time we are expecting, we can feel abandoned or angry. God is at work in our world all the time, and as we cry out for mercy, justice, and help we also must open our hearts to see God at work in our world. We can get caught up in the excitement and emotions of the moment and forget to keep our hearts open when the excitement fades.

As we begin this week of the Passover Festival, what area in your life do you need to fully give over to God and trust that His way is the best way?

Household Challenge:

• Reenact the story: have someone ride in on a “donkey” (maybe on someone’s back) as others are waving their hands and shouting “Hosanna!”.

• Share of a way that Jesus worked in your life in a way that you didn’t expect.

Pastor Rachel Zeigler