Mark

11:1-10

Entering the promised land, 11:1-16:20

1. Judgement in symbol and parable upon Israel, 11:1-12:12

i] Jesus' entry into Jerusalem

Jesus' entry into Jerusalem introduces the final days of his ministry prior to his arrest and crucifixion, 11:1-13:37. In Luke's gospel, the entry is tied to Jesus' journey to the cross, in fact it's not even an entry as such. The journey motif is certainly present in Mark, yet for Mark, the entry is a further unveiling of Jesus' messianic credentials. Jesus is the Davidic messiah, entering his capital to claim his crown, acclaimed by his people. The wider section, 11:1-13:37, records Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem. Jesus teaches in Jerusalem during the day and retreats to Bethany in the evening. In tradition, certainly from the 4th century, Jesus spent a week in Jerusalem (Palm Sunday to Easter). The text does not demand this conclusion and so it is quite possible that Jesus spent weeks, even months, in Jerusalem. Some commentators have argued that Jesus came to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles and was arrested and crucified at the feast of Passover.

oJte "as" - when. Temporal conjunction, forming a temporal clause; "when they were nearing Jerusalem", Barclay.

eggizousin (eggizw) pres. "they approached" - approach, draw near. Present historical tense "they draw near"

apostellei (apostellw) pres. "sent" - send ..... Send with authority.

katenanti + gen. "ahad of" - opposite, before, in the presence of, facing, over against. "Go to the village opposite you", Barclay.

eisporeuomenoi (eisporeuomai) pres. part. "enter" - entering, going, coming [into]. Given that Bethphage was on the Roman road to Jerusalem, it is most likely Jesus has told his disciples to leave the road and go to Bethany on the side road where they will find the colt.

dedemenon (dew) perf. pas. part. "tied" - having been bound, tied. The participle is adjectival, modifying "colt". "Tethered", Moffatt.

pwlon (oV) "colt" - the young of any animal, although often a horse's foal. Matthew and John say it is the foal of an ass. A Roman reader of the text would read it as a "young male horse", an appropriate animal for a king riding into his capital to claim a crown. Mark does not emphasize Jesus' humility. For Mark, Jesus is not the meek king of Zechariah 9:9.

ekaqisen (kaqizw) aor. "ridden" - sit, set, place. Here of sitting upon the back of an animal and therefore "ride".

ean + subj. "if" - Conditional clause, 3rd class, "if as the case may be ..... then ....."

eiph/ (legw) aor. subj. "asks" - may say. "Asks"

oJ kurioV autou creian ecei "the Lord needs it" - The Lord of it need has. "Lord", possibly in the sense of the divine Jesus, but more likely "Master". Jesus is the master of the animal, he is the Lord of it, which status he must have organized sometime before by renting it or whatever. In accord with the arrangements, Jesus underlines his intention to return the animal to its owner when its task is completed.

aphlqon (apercomai) aor. "went out" - they left. Here probably "went away" is better.

epi tou amfodou (on) "in the street" - usually of a village with a number of streets intersecting. The animal is tethered out in the street, "at the door", rather than in a stable or yard, ready to be picked up as arranged.

luousin (luw) pres. "they untied" - they loosen, untie. The tense in this narrative is typically present expressing the action as it happened.

twn eJsthkotwn (iJsthmi) perf. part. "standing" - having been standing. The "anyone" of v3 becomes "some people standing there." They question the disciples actions. Presumably the owner is not at home, and given Jesus' instructions, he probably knew that the owner would not be at home. This is why the owner has tethered the animal out the front.

luonteV (luw) pres. act. part. "untying" - [what are you doing] untying, releasing [the colt]. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the disciples' "doing". "What do you mean by untethering that colt?", Moffatt.

eipan (legw) aor. "answered" - they said, spoke. They, the disciples (plural), respond to the question of the bystanders.

afhkan (afihmi) aor. "they let [them] go" - they allowed, let go, released, permited. The answer of the disciples, "the lord/master has need of it", satisfies the bystanders. Presumably they are aware of the arrangements, although Mark is possibly making a point about Jesus' authority.

ekballousin (ekballw) pres. "threw [their cloaks] over it" - throw upon, cast upon. They obviously did this in place of a saddle; "they put some of their clothes on its back", CEV.

estrwsan (strwnnimi) aor. "spread" - they spread out, strew ...... as for cushions on a bench or a bed. This seems to be a spontaneous action out of respect for Jesus.

stibadaV (aV adoV) "branches" - bits of straw, rushes, leaves. The stuff of mattresses. Here probably foliage, but as it is from the "fields" it may well be just straw, or possibly olive branches. Palm fronds are very unlikely, although a nice thought (cf. John 12:13).

koyanteV (koptw) aor. part. "cut" - cut .... having cut. The participle is adjectival, modifying "branches"; "branches which they had cut." "Others put down straw they had cut from the fields", Phillips.

oiJ proagonteV (proagw) pres. part. "those who went ahead" - the ones going before, leading the way. The participle forming a substantive.

oiJ akolouqounteV (akolouqew) pres. part. "followed" - the ones following. Participle functioning as a substantive. Some commentators suggest that there are two groups of people, those who came up with Jesus and those who came out from Jerusalem to meet him. Mark is probably saying that Jesus was surrounded by people. "The whole crowd, both those who were in front and those who were behind", Phillips.

wJsanna "Hosanna" - save us we pray, save us now. By this time the word is a common liturgical acclamation and so is not actually a prayer. By means of the acclamation and the pilgrims' blessing of Psalm 118:25-26, Jesus is acclaimed by the people as the coming messiah, although probably not knowingly proclaimed.

euloghmenoV (eulogew) perf. pas. part. "blessed" - having been blessed.

hJ ercomenh (ercomai) pres. mid. part. "the coming [kingdom]" - the coming. The participle functions as a adjective, modifying "kingdom". "The kingdom which is coming."

tou patroV "[our] father [David]" - "Ancestor".

en toiV uJyistoiV "[Hosanna] in the highest" - in the most hight. "Hosanna" is again best taken as a acclamation of praise. Possibly, the acclamation is made by the heavenly host, or by us toward the one who dwells in heaven, in which case, "praise be to God"; "hooray for God in heaven above", CEV. Possibly, but unlikely, this second "hosanna" may be intended as a prayer; "O send your salvation from the heights of heaven", Barclay.

to iJeron "the temple" - Most likely the whole temple precinct.

peribleyamenoV (periblepw) aor. mid. part. "he looked around at" - having looked around. Attendant circumstance participle identifying action accompanying the main verb "he entered" "and looked around", Moffatt. "Surveyed the scene", Barclay.

oushV (eimi) pres. part. "since [it was late]" - [now] being [the hour]. The participle probably forms a causal clause, "because". "As it was late", Moffatt.

oyiaV adj. "late" - early evening. Obviously late afternoon, about sunset.

Mark Introduction.

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