1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.
Message: Procuring a Donkey
Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface - Jesus is headed to Jerusalem, but along the way continues to speak of his death and resurrection, predicting it for the 3rd time. The disciples, notably James and John, saw it as an opportunity to gain a special place with Jesus in heaven. Jesus uses that question to teach them and the disciples about what it means to truly be great: service to others. Greatness can be achieved but not to have power over others, but to serve others.
They approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. This is a good picture of these places. They seem to be coming from the east. The Mount of Olives has been a Jewish cemetery for 3,000 years. It represents 3 peaks of a Mountain range of about 2,700 ft. elevation. Bethpage is about 3.5 miles from Jerusalem and Bethany is about 5 miles from Jerusalem. Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Most likely the village was Bethphage. and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”
We read that when Jesus reached the Mount of Olives, our Lord sent two of His disciples to procure a colt for Him. The messianic significance of this should not be missed. In the first century, many rabbis thought the Mount of Olives would be the place from which the promised Messiah would finally come to Jerusalem. More importantly, the royal beast of burden for the ancient Israelite kings was the colt, that is, the donkey. They also used mules, which are the offspring of donkeys and horses. For instance, when David wanted to reveal Solomon as the next king of Israel, he had Solomon ride on his mule (1 Kings 1:28–53). Zechariah 9:9 is a prophecy that the Son of David, the Messiah, would come to Jerusalem on a “colt, the foal of a donkey.” After keeping knowledge of His messianic identity limited to only a few people for most of His ministry, Jesus was finally getting ready to reveal Himself as the Messiah to the masses. - Ligonier.org
Mark's gospel spends a lot of detail on the events between Palm Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, 6 chapters are used by Mark to describe the last days of Jesus' life. Mark, up to this point has not been focused on details, but in this description he covers a lot of very specific details.
Summary - Jesus is coming into Jerusalem, but prior to his arrival he will fulfill prophecy by Jesus entering on a donkey. First thing first is sending his disciples to procure the donkey and getting the donkey is not a problem.
Promise: Jesus expected the donkey’s owners to know who He was and to grant the disciples’ request. What was about to happen was something Jesus had been preparing for His entire ministry.
Prayer: Lord, you remind me in this moment that you take care of the details. Jesus coming to sacrifice for our sins and being our ransom so that we will be free. You are sovereign and in control of it all. Thank you for your word and the clarity of it.
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