Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to Corona Chronicles. Last time we were looking at blind bartimaeus and and receiving his sight. And we were we were looking at how really, even though he was blind, he was the only 1 in the crowd who could actually see clearly who Jesus was. And because of his faith and his request to see Jesus honored that and healed him. And then bottomless followed him along the road.

So now we have Now 1 man has seen who Jesus is. We're gonna see Does the crowd see who Jesus is? And we're picking up in chapter 11 of of Mark's Gospel As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent 2 of his disciples saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you. And just as you enter it, you'll find a cult tied there, which no 1 has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

If anyone asks you, why are you doing this? Say, the Lord needs it and he will send it back here shortly. They went and found a cult outside the street. Tied at a doorway. As they untied it, some people standing there asked, what are you doing?

Untying that cult? They answered as Jesus had told them to. And the people let them go. When they brought the call to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road while others spread branches they'd cut in the fields.

Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord. Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest heaven. Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything.

But since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12. As I was thinking about this passage, I read in 1 in 1 book, which is like a commentary on this, that that the fasten dating and slightly strange thing about this story is that as the king prepares to come into Jerusalem, over half of the attention is given to his mode of transport. And the comparison was made with like a, you know, a dignitary or a no a royal person coming for a state visit -- Yeah. -- and the news coverage being devoted mainly to the car that they're riding at the collection of that car. And the collection.

Yeah. Where are you gonna pick out? Where's it gonna pick out? Yeah. Exactly.

And rather than the the visit itself, I think it's a very interesting point, isn't it? That so much attention is given to this cult. You know, Jesus is approaching Jerusalem, and now he's been on his way to Jerusalem because come to his hour. He's coming towards his hour. His hour of his passion, his suffering, and his resurrection.

But but how he gets is really, really important to him. And that is not just a kind of arbitrary detail The reason that is so important is because it's a fulfillment of scripture. And if you go back into the old testament to a book a book called Zechariah, a prophetic book. We're we're told this in in chapter 9, rejoiced greatly daughter Zion shout daughter Jerusalem, see your king comes to you, righteous and victorious. So, I mean, we're building up a picture, aren't we?

Lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Right. Yeah. Yeah. What?

The king is coming. Yeah. And he's righteous and victorious, and he's on a cult. Yeah. But it's what we had before, isn't it?

And and at the end of towards the end of chapter 10, Jesus said, the son of man did not come to be served. But to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. And as he's approaching the the place where he is gonna give his life, he he he comes so as servant. And it's there is there is a lot of honor here still, isn't there? There's people throwing cloaks and palm branches, but it is it's important for Jesus.

And I wonder whether there was temptation here for him to to to to not go this route. I mean, I guess that's when Satan was at at work, he he was trying to say, oh, you deserve as a horse or a chariot or something. But -- Yeah. -- no, he the the scriptures must be fulfilled. Yeah.

And so you read. He's gonna come in on a on a cult. On a cult. Yeah. And as you pointed out, you know, that is just another picture of his servant hearted us, isn't it?

And, you know, there's that bit in Philipp too where Paul says, you know, he took the very nature of a servant, you know, and that is his whole ministry and philosophy in a nutshell, isn't it? Mhmm. He comes as a as a foot washer -- Yeah. -- and as a servant and as a donkey you know, this is this is this is greatness in God's kingdom. This is how it works, isn't it?

That that the first will be last and the last be first. The lowliest will be the greatest. The first of all must be the slave of all. And Jesus doesn't just teach that. He he embodies principal, doesn't he?

And it's why there's something so so wrong with just authoritarian power hungry Christian leadership isn't servant based or people based. Right. It's so disconnected from from what Christianity is all about. Because this is this is it, isn't it? This is it.

It's amazing really. If you don't know Jesus and you've just heard a few things about him, then how do you react to the story. Mhmm. Well, he's coming in as a king, victorious. And he's on a on a cult.

It really shows you such a beautiful thing about God. Mhmm. That he is that he's here he's come to serve us. He's not only made us, but he's come into this world and assumed this God has assumed a slowly position. Mhmm.

You know, to to serve us. You can you can understand it. It it's not what we would do, is it? No. And I think that's why people struggled to interpret it properly.

There's definitely That's that is absolutely true. It is a stumbling block. You know? And, you know, I've got Muslim friends who can't believe this type of thing could ever be true of God. So -- Yeah.

-- the idea that he would he would live a full human life and be born in the same way that we are born. Yeah. You know, and to ride on something like this is seen to be so belittling, so not suitable to the greatness of God. Yeah. But it's, again, because and and, you know, we're all like this.

We we have warped ideas of greatness and Jesus is showing that his greatness and holiness is seen in in service and lowliness. And and and yet with that, you know, this is the king coming in, but this is this is God's king. There is a royalty about him. And we mustn't we mustn't go too far the other way, so to speak. This is still the Messiah.

Yep. And that comes out, doesn't it? When the people who were going ahead and those who followed shouting -- Mhmm. -- things at him. You know, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name.

Little blessed is the coming kingdom of our father, David Housana in the highest heaven. And that word is a Hebrew expression just meaning save. Right. It's not a save. So again, you know, sometimes the point is made that these crowds, you know, are are are cheering for him here, but might be calling for his execution later.

Yeah. And that may well be true. But I guess at this point in the story, we have to just take it on face value, don't we? They're they're they're they're shouting these true things. Yeah.

Whether they fully understand it all -- Yeah. -- that they certainly recognize enough -- Yeah. -- to know that this is not just a king coming to chop off Caesar's head or, you know, he's coming to to to save. You know, you know, they may have though. They may have those wrong ideas about the Messiah.

But, you know, for us, we know that this is this is the the savior coming. Isn't it? And that's like, as he's coming towards the cross as well, it's that's that's the whole mission of Jesus. It's this, isn't it? The whole mission of Jesus is making himself lowly into this world riding on a cult towards Jerusalem.

Like, this whole thing is a crown of thorns. It's what we're calling it. Yeah. Crown of thorns. Yeah.

And and and he's a king, but it's gonna his crown's gonna be thorns. And yet he still, you you know, he still walks 1 foot in front of the other towards the cross every day. And we're reminded again that this is part of his plan because this this cult he knows exactly where this cult is. In his sovereignty, he's ordained that there will be a cult, you know, the fulfillment of that prophecy. Everything is unfolding as part of this this plan as he walks towards the cross to to save Hosanna.

And the you know, when you take all these words together, Hosanna save, you know, blessed In other words, this is the 1 who enjoys God's favor. You know, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, not in his own name. He's the lords appointed 1. It's the coming kingdom. So the kingdom is about to come in Christ to the Father David.

He's in the line of the Messiah. Yeah. Yeah. It's all there. And and so he rides on a coal.

Yes. But let's not forget the majesty of the person on the a cult. Yeah. And and that's that's what we have. And and it's a call for us again, isn't it?

Just to see Jesus like Bartamea, to to understand his majesty and his servanthood -- Mhmm. -- and to celebrate him. Yeah. When you throw your cloak before him in a sense? Yeah.

Yeah. Absolutely. And then and then and then right at the end, there's this slightly kind of unsettling line. Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything But since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.

Gosh. A penny for his thoughts there. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah. And, you know, so he's gone to the temple and he's looking around and he's obviously seen something. You know, we don't know what it is yet. Know, could be good, it could be bad, and he's seen something that he's not gonna leave. He's gonna go back to it, but just not now.

Yep. And we're gonna find out what that is in future. So