Mark 11:1-11
Mark 11:1-11, one of the few episodes narrated in all four canonical gospels, is a transitional passage, connecting the Galilean period of Jesus' ministry to the final week in Jerusalem. This transition, however, is more than geographical; thematically considered, this passage marks Jesus' public announcement of his identity as Israel's king, an announcement that contrasts sharply with the emphasis on concealment so prominent in earlier scenes, seen in Jesus' use of parables (where only disciples learn the truth of the parables) and the "messianic secret" (Jesus repeatedly telling people not to say anything about him). Now in Jerusalem, Jesus no longer conceals his identity and instead speaks openly and without parables (except for the parable of the vineyard in chapter 12—but this parable is not mysterious; the hearers understand it immediately). He will acknowledge his messianic identity before the Sanhedrin (14:61-62) and will be named, with unintended truth, king of the Jews by Pilate (15:26) and the chief priests (15:32). Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem is in this way also the reader’s movement from concealment to revelation. In Galilee, Jesus is an enigma: scribes think he is in league with Satan (3:22); the crowd regards him as a prophet. In Jerusalem, Jesus' identity as messiah and king is no longer hidden, and, in the supreme moment of revelation, he is seen to be God's son (15:39). 11:1-11 is the hinge in this transition.
In its immediate context, 11:1-11 is prepared by the story of Bartimaeus (10:46-52), who names Jesus as the son of David, anticipating both the crowd's acclamation in 11:10 ("Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!") and also Jesus' puzzle about the Messiah being both David's son and lord (12:35-37). Looking forward, 11:1-11, ending with Jesus' inspection of the temple, sets up a series of temple-focused scenes: driving out the money-changers (11:15-16), debates with Sadducees and others that take place in the temple (11:27-12:40), the saying about the poor widow and the temple treasury (12:41-44), the saying about the destruction of the temple (13:1), the report that Jesus said that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days (14:58; 15:29), and the tearing of the temple's curtain (15:38).
11:1-11 contains a few points whose significance is unclear. For instance, why does the gospel tell us that the colt was tied up and that no one had ever ridden it? Are these merely historical details? Or do they have theological significance? Some commentators have connected the colt's being tied to Genesis 49:10-11 ("The scepter shall not depart from Judah…. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine…."), with its implications of kingship. Other scholars have claimed (on the basis of texts such as Deuteronomy 21:3, Numbers 19:2, and 1 Samuel 6:7) that the colt's unridden status points to its consecrated nature--it has been reserved for Jesus' use. These theological interpretations are intriguing, but the truth is that Mark's gospel is simply not clear about the meaning of these details about the colt.
Another point of unclarity is whether 11:1-11 alludes to Zechariah 9:9 ("Your king comes to you … humble and riding on a donkey"). Matthew's and John's versions of this episode include express quotations of Zechariah 9:9; Mark's gospel does not. The only thing that Mark's version has in common with Zechariah 9 is the image of someone coming to Jerusalem and riding a donkey. The connection between the two passages may thus be either a coincidence or an indirect allusion. If it is an allusion, Matthew's gospel has made explicit what is implicit in Mark's.
The oddest puzzle is 11:11 ("Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve"). Commentators have drawn attention to the apparent anticlimax: Jesus has entered Jerusalem as Israel's king, accompanied by a crowd of disciples and others who have shouted acclamations fraught with expectation ("“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”). On entering Jerusalem, Jesus goes immediately to the temple and the scene has been set for a dramatic moment. Will Jesus be proclaimed king? Will there be a confrontation with the Roman authorities? In the event, almost nothing happens as Jesus merely has a quick look around and then, given the lateness of the hour, goes back to Bethany for the night. In a gospel with numerous scenes of theatric intensity, this scene ends on a seemingly muted note.
It's worth noting that in Matthew's and Luke's gospels, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is followed immediately by drama as Jesus expels the money-changers. Those authors, wishing to avoid a subdued, disappointing end to the entry into Jerusalem, have simply edited out the return to Bethany. (John's gospel locates the episode with the money-changers in a much earlier moment in Jesus' ministry.)
A look at the context suggests that the scene is not anticlimactic. After his survey of the temple, the next episode is Jesus' encounter with the barren fig tree (11:12-14). By juxtaposing these scenes, the gospel is telling the reader to see the fig tree scene as a symbol of Jesus in the temple: just as Jesus approaches the fig tree hoping to gather fruit but instead finds none, so he comes into the temple, hoping to find prayer, but instead sees commerce. 11:11 is thus part of a careful narrative sequence: Jesus inspects the temple and fails to find what he is looking for, he encounters the fig tree with similar results, he clears the temple in an act of judgment (11:15-19), and finally the disciples find the fig tree dead (11:20), just as the temple is spiritually dead. The fig tree episodes in this way symbolize Jesus' encounter with the temple and what at first seems like a casual glance at the temple turns out to be an inspection as Jesus tries to determine whether the temple is a house of prayer for the nations.
A final note: Mark's gospel makes heavy use of paradox. For instance, the people who recognize who Jesus truly is are not those whom you would expect--the disciples or the scribes--but a blind man and a Roman centurion. To take another example, those whom Jesus picks to be his closest followers turn out to be dull and hardened of heart. So, in reading Mark 11:1-11, we are not surprised by the contrast between Jesus' status as Israel's king and his crucifixion or by the fact that the crucifixion does not contradict his monarchy but instead reveals it. The crucifixion, in other words, redefines what it means to be a king, just as it redefines what it means to be messiah, son of God, and son of man. Pilate's question ("Are you the king of the Jews?") thus becomes the reader's questions: What does it mean to believe that Jesus is a king? What is the nature of God's kingdom? What does citizenship in God's kingdom look like? Mark 11:1-11 is, accordingly, much more than a simple narrative of events. It is an invitation to ponder "the secret of the kingdom of God" (4:11).