Mark 11:1-9 The Entry into Jerusalem
When they drew near to Jerusalem to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ reply, ‘The Master has need of it and will send it back here at once.’”
So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street, and they untied it.
Some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?”
They answered them just as Jesus had told them to, and they permitted them to do it.
So they brought the colt to Jesus and put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.
Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Q: Why does Jesus need to conclude his time on earth in Jerusalem?
Because that is the same place Abraham offered to sacrifice his son, Isaac, 2000 years earlier; which foreshadowed God doing exactly this.
Q: What does the colt represent? Why the reference to nobody ever sitting on it? Who prophesied it?
The colt represents humility, which was Jesus’ ever-present message in everything he said and did.
Nobody ever sitting on the colt before meant it wasn’t broken in, meaning it was untamed, just like the animals in Eden.
The prophecy was from the post-exilic prophet, Zechariah-9:9 (around 500 BC).
Q: What is the meaning of palms and tree branches being laid down in Jesus’ path?
This is what was done for kings, usually in 2 circumstances: a coronation ceremony or a victory procession into town (i.e., return from battle). Both are applicable here: Jesus is a king (not of this world) and Passion Week ends with victory over Satan.
Q: What does Hosanna mean, and do you recognize it where else it is used?
Hosanna is a shout of praise but also for being saved.
We say this at Mass before the consecration (as Jesus gives up his body/blood in exchange for our freedom/forgiveness). As Jesus is perpetually re-giving himself at every Mass for our continual forgiveness, we also are repeating the people’s shouts of praise, acceptance, and gratitude.
Context of the Agony in the Garden
Q: What took place after the arrival into Jerusalem and just before the “Agony in the Garden?”
The Last Supper. After the Last Supper in the “upper room,” they walk to the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mt. of Olives.
Q: Who did this “upper room” belong to?
The owner of the house with the upper room where the Last Supper was eaten is not mentioned in Scripture. However…
Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Master says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover (Mk 14:13-16).
The room/house must have been one of Jesus’ disciples, since he tells Peter and John to say to the owner, “The Master says…” Some say it was John Mark’s mother; others say it was Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea.
The Agony in the Garden Mark 14:32-42
Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be troubled and distressed.
Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch.”
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.”
When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.
Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and did not know what to answer him.
He returned a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
Q: How far is it from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane?
1 ¼ miles. See map next page. They probably walked around the southern perimeter of the city to reach the garden.
Q: Why would Jesus take the apostles over a mile away to a garden after the Last Supper to pray?
Jesus is picking up where Adam & Eve left off – in a garden where he will be arrested for mankind’s sins he didn’t commit.
Q: Why is it important for him to be executed for sins he didn’t commit?
If it was for his sins, then his punishment for his sins would cancel each other out. In order for Jesus sacrificial act of love to be credited to all humans for the forgiveness of our sins, he had to be the sinless, unblemished lamb.
Q: What was the significance of asking God to take this cup from him?
There were 4 cups of wine drunk during the Passover meal. The first was welcome blessings to God and everyone to the Passover meal; the second was during the formal retelling of the night of the first Passover in Egypt; the third was the cup of blessing and thanksgiving; and the fourth was in anticipation of the coming Messiah.
Jesus added to the 3rd cup blessing by making it his blood of the new covenant, to be poured out for the forgiveness of sins. But then Jesus didn’t drink the 4th cup, which was unheard of. Instead he said, “Truly I say to you, I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until I come into my Father’s kingdom.” The reason he said this was because HE was the Messiah, and his work wasn’t finished.
Q: Jesus finished his prayer in the garden by saying, “... yet not my will but yours be done.” This is a prayer model he left for us once already which he is now demonstrating himself. Where else did he give us these words?
The Lord’s Prayer… “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus Mark 14:43-52
Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely.”
He immediately went over to him and said, “Rabbi.” And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me? Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me; but that the scriptures may be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
Q: Who was the young man?
Some think the young man was the Apostle John, but since the passage says, “all the disciples fled,” it was unlikely him. The most commonly held belief follows the opinion of early church Bishop Victor of Antioch who said it was John Mark, since we know John Mark’s mother owned a house in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). Such cameo appearances by an author were not uncommon. If the Upper Room was in John Mark’s house, he would have been there (likely in his night shirt) when Judas brought the soldiers there to arrest Jesus. Not finding him there, Judas would have led him to the Mt. of Olives and the young John Mark would have likely followed them.
The Trial before the Sanhedrin Mark 14:53-65
They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
Many gave false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?”
Then Jesus answered, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
At that the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as deserving to die. Some began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards greeted him with blows.
Notice how Jesus is being hit repeatedly long before his scourging.
Jesus Before Pilate Mark 15:1-5
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Q: All the Gospels indicate that Jesus was not intimated by the Sanhedrin or Pilate. Why did Pilate ask him if he was king of the Jews?
Reports from soldiers/crowds, since Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on the colt.
Q: What did Jesus’ response mean?
Affirmative.
Let’s review Jesus’ Passion juxtaposed over the Temple Sacrifices (chart).
Jesus is nailed to the cross at the 3rd hour (9am), which is when the 1st daily Temple sacrifice is happening.
Jesus dies on the cross at the 9th hour (3pm), which is when the 2nd daily Temple sacrifice is happening.
One of the Temple prayers is asking God to send them the Messiah!
The Sentence to Death Mark 15:6-15
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
Q: Who is the disappointed woman in the painting?
Pilate’s wife. She had a dream about Jesus and told Pilate he was an innocent man. (Apocryphal)
Mockery by the Soldiers Mark 15:16-20
The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.
Q: How bad was “scourging”?
It was bad. The whips were tied with metal, glass, or nails so that they would grab hold of the skin. People were known to have been nearly skinned alive by Roman scourging. They did this because the crucifixion wasn’t bloody enough and they need to make certain the image would frighten would-be criminals.
The Crucifixion Mark 15:22-32
They brought him to the place of Golgotha —which is translated Place of the Skull. They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was the 3rd hour (9 AM) in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”
Q: Why did he not take the wine drugged with myrrh?
It was only the 3rd hour. He had six more hours to go.
The Death of Jesus Mark 15:33-39
At 6th hour (noon) darkness came over the whole land until 9th hour (3 PM).
And at 9th hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Q: What does Jesus mean by saying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? This acknowledges that Jesus was fully human and had to experience separation from God, which taking on the sins of mankind would cause. Remember, sin is separation from God. However, Jesus was also is quoting (fulfilling) Psalm 22, which has a surprising ending (surprising to Satan, anyway). Here are the key passages in Psalm 22:
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let Him deliver him, since He delights in him.”
And then…
But, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.
From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
Jesus takes the wine this time, because he is finished. Little does the world know yet what’s about to happen:
The surrendering, humble, forgiving love of God is just victorious.
Closing prayer: Isaiah 42: 1-3 (550-575 BC)
Here is my servant whom I uphold
My chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break
A smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth.
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