Journey of a Divine Warrior - Gospel of Mark 11:1-11

Journey of a Divine Warrior

Mark 11:1-11

Mark's description about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (Mk 11.1-11) reminds us a number of royal and messianic signals: Jesus rides on a colt on which no one has ridden; there are garments placed on the colt as well as on the road; and the crowd spread leafy branches and cry out in acclamations and blessings of 'he who comes in the name of the Lord' with reference to the kingdom of David. Jesus’ triumphal entry to Jerusalem was the culmination of his public ministry and it was a journey to encounter the powers of this world.

Unwelcoming Jerusalem. The custom was the King should be welcomed by the leaders of the place. While here , however, the customary ritual does not occur. A failure to provide a customary welcome would be taken as an insult and could have severe consequences. The nonexistence of an official welcome of Jesus in Lk. 19.28-44 as signalling an insult against Jesus. In Mark’s gospel Jesus entered into the temple without any leaders of Jerusalem.

Jesus shortly looks around and then retires, for as Mark says, 'it was already late’(11:11). Political, Social and Religious leaders boycotted Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem and it signals their conflict with Jesus. The reason for this unwelcoming response was due the conflict between the leaders of the land and Jesus. The village-to-village renewal initiated by Jesus and the disciples constituted a challenge to the local authorities.With the entry into Jerusalem the conflict has escalated.

Powers of this world never welcome the divine interventions and they will try to annihilate or destroy such interventions.

A New King, A New Kingdom and A New Hope. Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem was an acted parable, of the type the prophets had known and practiced, and it had Messianic significance. It was designed by Him to make it absolutely certain that no one should misunderstand that His Identity. Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem as a King was happened in a historical context where there was a King and Kingdom. Jesus and his disciples belonged to the wider category of people who were under Roman subjugation.From a Jewish perspective, therefore, the Hosanna cries in Mark 11.9-10 invoke the Exodus tradition and the longing for liberation from foreign rule, which at the time of Mark's writing meant liberation from the Romans. Jesus’ journey gives hope to the people who are under an unjust and sinful historical context.

Church is called to give hope in the midst of hopelessness. Church should strive for God’s empire in the midst of the empires of this world

Jesus as a Divine Warrior  The text of the Mark describes Jesus as a Divine Warrior and it echoes  God as a Warrior in Zechariah 14. First, in 11:1 Mark situates the beginning of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, a fact that calls to mind the appearance of YAHWEH, the divine warrior on that same mountain in Zech 14:4. Second, Jesus and his followers enter Jerusalem in procession just as YAHWEH the divine warrior enters Jerusalem in procession with his holy ones in Zechariah 14. Finally, Mark's reference to vessels in the Temple in 11:16 recalls Zechariah’s reference to vessels in the Temple.

Mark also describes his allusion to the divine warrior text by calling to the minds of his readers elements found in the advent processions of Greco-Roman warrior-kings. In such Greco-Roman entrance processions we have seen the following elements: (1) The conqueror/ruler is escorted into the city by the citizenry or the army of the conqueror. (2) The procession is accompanied by hymns and/or acclamations. (3) The Roman triumph has shown us that various elements in the procession—for example, fasces, the painted face of the general, and so on — symbolically depict the authority of the ruler. (4) The entrance is followed by a ritual of appropriation, such as sacrifice, which takes place in the temple, whereby the ruler symbolically appropriates the city.

In the Marcan entry account, Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem in a similar manner. First, he is escorted by his disciples and followers as the Greco-Roman warrior-king was escorted by his army. Second, his escort voices an acclamation "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest (Mark 11:9b-10)," an acclamation echoing Psalm 118.50 Third, the procession into Jerusalem contains elements that symbolically portray Jesus' authority: for example, the garments laid across the colt and on the road (see 2 Kings 9:13) and the leafy branches—possibly a symbol of nationalism.

Christ’s entry as a divine warrior into Jerusalem was a journey of cleansing and establishing God’s will in the land. Christ was on his way to encounter the sinfulness at the mount of Calvary. Jesus was accepted as a King by the People in a Roman Colonial Political setting and it was a challenging and revolutionary movement from the side of the people.

We are called to be the warriors of light and warriors of God’s Kingdom.

From this text I would like to raise three important questions

1. Are we ready to welcome Christ who is in conflict with the unjust powers of this world?

2. There are millions crying for liberation and restoration and still Christ in his way to give new hope to them and to redeem them. Where are we?

3. Divine Warrior is living and continuing his journey to establish a just and peaceful world by defeating the unjust, violent and sinful powers. Do we share the same dream and passion in this great war?

Christ is on his way to redeem his people. Let us welcome him, let us accept him as the King and let us join with him in this great journey and struggle. Amen.