Week 22 – April 12

The Gospel of Mark: Peter’s Story of by Steve Petty Bible Interpretation and study

Mark 11: 1-11

Finally, we were approaching . When we got to Bethphage and , very near the , he asked two of us to go run an errand for him. He said, “Go into that village up ahead. When you enter the village, you will find a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it to me. If anyone questions you about this, just say, “The master needs this colt, and we will bring it back as soon as we are done with it.” So they went off, found the colt, and as they were untying it, some people nearby did confront them: “Why are you untying that colt?” But, when they told them it was Jesus who needed it, they let them take it. They brought the colt back to Jesus, and we threw our coats on it, and he sat on it and began the ride up to Jerusalem. When people saw him, they began to cheer him on. Some people spread palm branches on the road; others spread their coats on the ground. Then they started chanting, “Blessed is the one who comes from God. Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the Kingdom of David and his family. Hosanna! Hosanna, in the heights of Heaven.” We entered Jerusalem, and the procession went straight up to the Temple gates. Jesus dismounted the colt and looked all around at everything there; but it was late and, after awhile, we all went back to Bethany. ______

“THE VERY GOOD DAY” : 1-11

This is the day you are going to Disneyland! Yep! Your team just won the Super Bowl, and you were named MVP. You are running off the field and some lovely blonde sports – talking head sticks a microphone in your face and says, “Hey, you just won the Super Bowl. What do you do now?” So, you beam like the Cheshire Cat and say, “I’m going to Disneyland!” Jesus has been on the road for weeks now, inexorably moving toward Jerusalem. Today he finally crests the hill and walks down into the valley. Jerusalem looms up ahead, gates flung wide to let in all the pilgrims, come from every-known-where to celebrate the Passover in the Holy City. Jesus has a plan for the day, and he puts it into motion immediately. Two disciples go off into a nearby village and secure a colt for him to ride upon. Then, following the great tradition established by the prophets, he rides on the colt as his followers create a big scene. Pilgrims nearby join in the fun; most likely they have heard that Jesus is approaching Jerusalem, and there is talk that he may be the long-awaited Messiah. When his entourage begins the singing and palm waving, well, it is just too good to pass up. So, everyone gets Week 22 – April 12 into the act and goes with it. Now it’s becoming a parade, a procession, an uphill avalanche of people. The temple priests try to stem the flow, but there is nothing they can do at this point; so they whine a bit, but in this Gospel, they just stand aside and let it come. The press of humanity carries Jesus up to the very steps of the Temple. Jesus has taken it all in – the glory, the notoriety, the instant fame, the waving palm branches. It is great fun. It is glorious. It is just like the temptation in the desert – unreal. Jesus dismounts, looks around, and realizes it is unreal. So, noting it is late in the day, he avoids the blonde reporter and slips away through the crowd. It was a great day. But it isn’t real, and it won’t last. Reality is coming.

Questions: What do you do when you want to escape reality? Where is your favorite fun place?

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Who do you take with you to that place? Friends? Family?

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Have you ever had a day where everything just went better than you could have asked for? When it was all done, how did you feel about it?

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Jesus has predicted that when he comes to Jerusalem, he will be killed. He has told his disciples this three different times, yet they seem to be fully into the moment, ignoring the predictions of bad times ahead. Have you ever done that? Knowing there were going to be terribly painful days to come, did you just put off thinking about it, as if it might not happen?

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Why do you suppose Jesus chose to heal Bartimaeus?

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