Read: Mark 11:1-11
In ancient Rome, when a general had won a considerable victory for the Republic, they would hold a parade known as a Triumph. The victorious army would march through the city followed by their general, riding on a chariot pulled by four horses. He would be wearing a purple toga, a color denoting royalty which was forbidden in the Republic except for this one occasion. His face would have been painted red to imitate the highest Roman deity, Jupiter. Once they arrived at the temple, they would offer captured slaves as human sacrifices.
Hold that image in your mind when you read the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus. What a stark contrast. This procession had Jesus being declared the king of the Jews as He rode on a donkey. He was God incarnate, not just painted to look like one. By the end of the week, He would offer Himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Today’s story begins with Jesus deliberately sending His disciples to collect a colt for Him to ride. This gave them a personal experience of God’s providential hand. Jesus told them what was going to happen and it played out exactly as He had said. This would be repeated on Thursday when He sent the disciples to prepare for the Passover meal. Jesus is giving them an experience that they wouldn’t likely forget. He had already predicted His death and resurrection three times, but it had gone in one ear and out the other. This experience would stick.
As Jesus began His procession into Jerusalem, the crowds lined the way and worshiped Him. But what did they understand? The people had long awaited their Messiah. They cherished the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 that their king would bring salvation, “Humble and mounted on a donkey.” Their response - to take off their outer garments and lay them on the path - was an Old Testament practice demonstrating that they were accepting Jesus as their king.
The crowds recognized the messianic significance. They cried out to Him, “Hosanna!” which means “Save us.” They were ready to see the kingdom of David restored. They were willing to follow the Lord’s anointed, but they didn’t fully understand what the kingdom of God was all about.
Some teachers have suggested that the people who were worshiping Jesus on Palm Sunday were the same as those who were calling for His crucifixion on Good Friday. However, the Bible doesn’t give us that inclination at all. In fact, it makes special note of the fact that the religious leaders came to arrest Jesus at night because they feared the crowds. No, the crowd’s support of Jesus was genuine but, like the disciples, they didn’t fully understand His mission. They missed a crucial sign of the Messiah.
Ezekiel 10-11 tells of a prophetic vision of the glory of God leaving the temple, proceeding through the eastern gate, and settling on the top of the Mount of Olives. This took place in the sixth century before Christ and showed that God had removed His presence from them. Later, in Ezekiel 43-44, another vision shows a future prophecy of the glory of God returning: over the Mount of Olives, through the eastern gate, and filling the temple. This was the route that Jesus took on His triumphal entry. Anyone could have ridden on a donkey and claimed to be the Messiah, but Jesus was no ordinary man. He was God incarnate, fulfilling the prophecy of the glory of God returning to Israel. The crowds had not made that connection.
Mark gives us another subtle clue here in the text to show that the crowds lacked a full understanding of what this triumphal entry actually meant. We call it, “Palm Sunday,” but the Gospel of John is the only text that mentions palm fronds. Mark specifically says that they spread “leafy branches.” If we were to read ahead into tomorrow’s lesson, we would see that Jesus saw a fig tree in “leaf” but when He got closer, there was nothing but “leaves.” There was no fruit. This is clearly a play on words. We might also get a clue from the fact that the cities of Bethphage and Bethany both mean, “House of unripe figs.”
What Mark is communicating here is that the people, while exuberant in their worship, lacked fruit. We should be careful, however, not to read too much into the text. Some of those present would certainly go on to be very fruitful in the Kingdom of God, but at least at this stage, they lacked a definitive representation of true faith. Perhaps that is why Mark points out it was not the season for figs. Mark wants us to understand the difference between those who show initial excitement for Christ, and those who have a genuine understanding of who He is: God incarnate.
Like the parable of the seed and the soils in Mark 4, not every seed that sprouts bears fruit. Three of the four soils produced leaves, but only one produced grain. Don’t get caught up in thinking that everything that is green is good. Christians need to be more discerning in our culture today to not assume that outward expressions of worship mean an inward transformation has taken place. The Apostles would go on to warn the flock to watch out for those who don’t bear good fruit.
The typical way that we measure success in our churches today is by counting people, but the crowds at the triumphal entry were just waving leafy branches. That is not what God is looking for. The proper way of measuring success is by counting the fruit.
Have we accepted that Jesus is more than just a good leader, and moral teaching? Do we believe that He is God incarnate? Are we bearing the fruit of the gospel, or are we just waving leafy branches?