Mark 11 Reflection by Harriet C
Mark 11 starts with the triumphal entry, an absolute classic, the political statement that declares Jesus as king.
One of the things that always amazes me about this is the exchange (vs 4 – 6) is that the disciples are so faithful to Jesus that they fulfil this bizarre request to get the tiny colt, but even more amazing that this is the reaction of the colt owners. We have no knowledge to who they were or whether they knew Jesus, and yet they let their colt go into the hands of those who were probably strangers. How trusting is that!? But because they let it go God used it in the most amazing way and they and their colt are part of God’s narrative for the whole of time.
It makes me question, is there anything we are holding on to so tightly that we aren’t giving God the opportunity to work. Are we holding our young people too tightly and not actually giving space for God to work and doing everything under our own strength and means?
Mark 11:12-22, again, contains another iconic moment of Holy Week- the clearing out of the temple courts. It also contains a rather odd interlude about a cursed fig tree. This leads into the final part of Mark 11 when the Pharisees question Jesus’ authority. Once again Jesus gives a third way of dealing with the question. Rather than be aggressive or over confrontational, he asks them a simple question. One which they cannot answer without giving Jesus the upper hand or without the people turning on them. Jesus is the master at finding a third way. Where are we following the worlds way of looking at/doing things rather than finding the Jesus third way?
