The Book of Mark #67 chapter 11:1-11
The Book of Mark
The False Coronation of the True King
Mark 11:1-11
 
Tonight we will look at Mark 11:1-11.  With this passage, we come to the final week of our Lord’s life and His public ministry. This is the week of the end. The end of this week is the cross and the resurrection. So, in a sense, we only have a week to go in the gospel of Mark.
 
 However, it will take us several weeks to preach our way through this week, but hopefully it will be a rich and enjoyable and insightful study as we look once again at the final week of our Lord’s earthly ministry.  And the timing will be such that we will be near our celebration of Easter as we do it. 
 
The year is 30 A.D. by the best chronology. The month is the first Jewish month, Nisan, and the arrival is on the tenth and the crucifixion is on the fourteenth and that all matters because God has established a very firm time table.
 
It is important to keep in mind also that it is Passover week and that means tens of thousands of  lambs will be slain, none of which can take away any one’s sin. However, on this Passover, there will be one sacrifice made for sin that will take away the sins of all who have ever believed through all of human history and it will be the sacrifice of the true Lamb of God. 
 
What John the Baptist said of Him at His baptism three and a half years ago is about to come to pass.
Now the week begins with a very strange, bizarre event. We call it the triumphal entry, but that is really not an appropriate title to capture what’s going on. What’s happening is nothing official.  It isn’t official in a Jewish sense, it isn’t official in an earthly sense, and it isn’t official in a heavenly sense.
 
What we have happening is actually a false coronation, even though Jesus is the True King.  He is, in fact, the Messiah, the promised King, the Son of David.  We have seen Him verify that time and time again.  We’ve listened as He is identified in that way.  He is the Son of God. He is the true King, but this is a false coronation.
 
That’s why it’s such a strange event. It is not a true expression of faith. It is not a true expression of praise. It is not a true expression of a claim. And it certainly isn’t God’s coronation.  That’s why I say what happened on this day was an odd, bizarre event.
 
Let’s read the account, verses 1 to 11.
 
Does that strike you as odd?  It does me.  This is a rather inconsequential conclusion to a coronation, wouldn’t you think? It’s because it wasn’t really a coronation.
 
The true coronation of Christ has two parts. One has already happened and one has not. The first phase of the coronation of Christ occurred at His Ascension.  According to the book of Hebrews, when He left this earth as described in the first chapter of Acts and ascended into heaven, He then took His seat at the right hand of God. This was His first coronation and it was a heavenly coronation.
Philippians 2 says that when He arrived, He not only took His seat at the right hand of God, but He was given a name and the name that He was given is the name Lord which is the name above every name and every one in existence bows to that name. So He has already had His heavenly coronation. He is reigning at the right hand of the throne of God.
 
There awaits Him still an earthly coronation and it is described in Revelation 19 and 20.  Sometime in the future, the Lord Jesus will return to earth, not riding on the colt of a donkey, but riding on a white horse, followed by the armies of heaven. 
 
And when He arrives, He will destroy the ungodly in a massive judgment that will sweep across the planet and then He will establish His throne in Jerusalem and He will reign there for a thousand years in the Millennial Kingdom and beyond that forever and ever because of His Kingdom there will be no end throughout all eternity in the new heaven and the new earth. That’s the earthly coronation of Christ.
 
And what we have here is neither of those things.  In fact, it is not a coronation at all.  To be honest, it is a mockery and that will become evident before the week is over. 
 
 
This really is very similar to His birth. In His birth, His mother arrives in Bethlehem in humble obscurity riding on a donkey. Here He arrives in Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Yes, He is the true King, King of kings, Lord of lords, Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Savior, and no monarch in all human history remotely compares to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is none so magnificent, powerful, wise, sovereign, just, pure and holy and all the elite and all the monarchs of all human history collectively together stacked on top of each other wouldn’t go high enough to touch the hem of His all-glorious garment. This is a true King, but this is no coronation.
 
Notice verse 1 tells us they drew near to Jerusalem.  Everything else in His earthly life will play out here. 
He has told them time and time again that He has to go to Jerusalem and suffer and be killed and raise from the dead.  One has to wonder what was going through the minds of the twelve as they approached the city. 
 
Let me touch on the chronology of what’s about to happen.  John’s account of the crucifixion makes it clear that Our Lord’s death occurred on “preparation” day. 
 
19:31
 
That makes sense because one of the things that occurred on Preparation Day was the killing of a lamb.  So as most Jews were killing their lamb without blemish, God’s lamb, Jesus Christ, was also being slaughtered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
 
John also tells us in John 12:1 that Jesus came to Bethany, to the house of Mary and Martha a Lazarus six days before the Passover.  Then in verse 12 he tells us that triumphal entry took place “the next day”.
 
So if we want to establish a timeline for the final days of the life of Jesus, I am able to do that by these references.  However, many make the mistake of believing that the Passover always occurred on a regular weekly Sabbath, but that’s not always the case. 
 
The Passover always began at dusk on the 14th day of month of Nissan and ended at dusk on the 15th.  It didn’t matter way day of the week that date fell on, it was always then.
 
In addition to that, Passover was always followed by the feast of unleavened bread which begins with a Sabbath and ends with a Sabbath.  So we have back-to-back Sabbaths.  That immediately rules out a Friday crucifixion for Jesus because even if the Feast of unleavened bread fell on the weekly Sabbath, that means Friday was Passover and Jesus died on preparation day, so that backs us up to at least Thursday for the crucifixion. 
 
But remember, Jesus prophesied that He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, just like Jonah was in the whale.    
 
It’s my conviction that there were three Sabbaths in a row that week, two “high” Sabbaths on Thursday and Friday and one regular weekly Sabbath on Saturday.
 
So, if ‘3 days and 3 nights’ means what it says then it is most likely the Preparation day that week landed on a Wednesday.  Jesus died at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 13 Nissan. He raised His body back to life sometime after dusk on Saturday and before Sunday morning, the 17th Nissan.
And on 14, 15 and 16 Nissan His body was dead, buried in a tomb for the three days and three nights he said it would be.
 
Now all of that to say if Jesus died on a Wednesday and that was Preparation Day and if he came to Bethany six days before the Passover and the triumphant entry was the next day, then what we are about to study happened on a Sunday, four days before the death of Christ.
 
I think it also important to note that Jewish law required the Passover lamb to be selected and set apart on the tenth day of Nissan, which would be Sunday, the day of His entry into Jerusalem.  
 
I also find it most appropriate, if my calculations are correct, that this false coronation of the true King happened on what will eventually become the day that celebrates His resurrection. 
 
No doubt the city of Jerusalem is swelling with Passover pilgrims. The word is spreading about this guy that raised Lazarus from the dead being back in town.  He is a curiosity.
 
Remember, also, the religious leaders of the day have been plotting for a long time on how to get rid of this guy, and they’re not above putting Him to death. In fact, they’ve decided they’ll kill Lazarus as well.  I kind of wish they had so Jesus could just resurrect him again and let them explain that!  
 
So now you kind of know where we are and what’s going on and I have just about seven minutes left to take you through the text. Let’s see if we can get through this.
First, think about
 
  1. The Arrival
 
Verses 1-3
 
Notice how Jesus is in charge of all the details.  He knows where the colt is.  He knows who owns it.  He knows it will be okay to take it.  He knows what to say if anyone asks about it. That’s divine omniscience.
 
And the disciples need to know that because it’s a little awkward stealing somebody’s animal.
 
verses 4-7
 
I wonder if it registered at all with the disciples what just happened?  It all just coincidentally unfolded without a hitch just like the Lord said it would!
 
So why is this little detail here?  Is it included just to give us a little tiny footnote on the deity of Christ and His power? It is that. It is this beautiful connection back to David and Solomon who both rode mules.  But that’s not the primary reason it’s included. 
 
Mark doesn’t tell us why this happened, but Matthew does. In Matthew 21:3-4, he tells us it was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah.  Imagine that:  Five hundred years before it happened, the old prophet said it would happen just like it happened. 
 
Listen:  He didn’t just arrive in Jerusalem, he arrived right on time and in the way God declared He would arrive. 
Secondly, notice
 
  1. The Approval
 
verses 8-10
 
So why would they spread their coats in the road?  I know why I I do it for Lisa, but why did they?  It was an old, ancient custom that showed submission. It was their way of saying, “We are beneath you.”  It was especially appropriate to say that to royalty. 
“We place ourselves under your authority. You’re our King.”
 
Remember, they are people living under Roman rule and this man has power and apparently no fear of the leadership.  They’ve been hoping for someone just like him to come along and throw these stinking Romans out of their country.  And now it seems to be coming together.  Jesus is there, the crowd is growing, emotions are high. 
 
And somebody, just overcome by the moment, begins to sing praises to God.  Luke tells us, as soon as they reached the Mount of Olives, at that point they could see the city, the whole crowd and the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice that they just broke loose when they crossed the crown of the Mount of Olives, they could see Jerusalem.”
 
They’re waving palm branches and laying their clothes under the feet of Jesus and praising God and all of this in anticipation of Him being the kind of King who would do what they wanted and expected Him to do. 
 
This is mob hysteria. This is Donald Trump and Bernie Sander’s crowds all rolled into one!  And I find it interesting that everything they did and said was right, as far as the Kingdom of God was concerned.
 
The Kingdom will be a Kingdom over which the Son of David rules. The Kingdom will be the Kingdom promised to David with all those promises fulfilled. The Kingdom will be a Kingdom of peace and glory. Everything shouted is true, accurate and scriptural.  The problem is, while this is God’s King, this is not God’s time.
 
He had their approval, but only for the moment and not for the right reasons. 
 
That brings us to a final point and that is  
 
  1. The Appraisal
 
verse 11
 
That’s a really blah ending to a coronation, don’t you think?  Not much of an inaugural ball!  You come into town, get honored as King and coming in the name of the Lord, go by the church, then leave town and go back where you came from. 
 
But remember, this isn’t a true coronation and He’s not really their King, at least not yet. So what’s really going on here?  Why does He go into town, and in particular, go to the temple and look around?  What’s He doing?  I think He’s casing the place. He’s planning His strategy for the next day. So what  happened on the next day?
 
verses 15-18
It’s all about to come together, and I think in those late evening hours, as He walked through the temple and looked it all over, it’s all playing out in His mind. 
 
He knows what just happened is a sham.  When He doesn’t do what they want, they will turn on Him and cry for His blood. Even those closest to Him will run like scared children.  Peter will deny Him, Judas will betray Him and soon it will all come to a head.
 
So here on His coronation day, He just makes a little appraisal of what it all means, and leaves.  But He will be back.  
 
Well, false coronations of Jesus go on all the time.  There are still those around who only want Jesus for what He can do for them.  
 
But all the events we’ve studied are evidences that God is in charge of everything. His timetable is perfect. And when you crown Christ the true King, when you put your trust in Him, you will as a true believer say, “Lord, give me what You would want me to have. Reign in my life according to Your will, not mine.”
 
Let’s pray.