A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Kingdom Not of This World - Mark 11:1-11
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Jesus arrives in Jerusalem riding a humble donkey while crowds shout "Hosanna!" - but what does this seemingly simple event reveal about the radical difference between God's kingdom and human kingdoms?
At the heart of Palm Sunday lies a fascinating paradox. Standing before Pilate, Jesus declares, "My kingdom is not of this world," establishing a fundamental contrast that runs through this entire episode. As we examine Jesus' triumphal entry more closely, we discover three profound characteristics that set God's kingdom apart.
First, God's kingdom transcends time itself. Multiple prophecies converge on this singular moment - Daniel precisely predicting the day of Messiah's arrival, Zechariah describing the donkey He would ride, and Psalms providing the very words the crowds would shout. This reveals a God who doesn't simply have endless time but exists completely outside it, seeing beginning and end simultaneously. For believers facing uncertainty, this brings extraordinary comfort: while we cannot see tomorrow, our eternal King already holds it in His hands.
Second, God's kingdom operates through humility rather than dominance. No conquering hero on a majestic stallion here - just a carpenter with His feet likely dragging on the ground while riding a baby donkey. This counterintuitive image perfectly captures Christ's mission: "The Son of Man came to serve, to give his life a ransom for many." The world's rulers demand service; the true King came to serve us.
Finally, God's kingdom begins spiritually before manifesting physically. After entering Jerusalem, Jesus immediately went to the temple, foreshadowing His cleansing work the next day. Similarly, He desires to enter our lives and lovingly challenge what doesn't belong. This spiritual transformation often proves uncomfortable as He gently asks, "Can I sit there?" of the throne we naturally want to occupy.
What throne are you occupying today that rightfully belongs to the King? Your time? Your resources? Your deepest desires? The invitation of Palm Sunday remains unchanged: to welcome not just a King, but your King.
All right, two places that you can get to in the Bible, two places. The first one is John, chapter 18, verse 36. John, chapter 18, verse 36. And then the passage we're really considering today, that was Mark, chapter 11,. You figured right Mark, chapter 11, verse 1, next place in study there. So John, chapter 18, verse 36, and then Mark, chapter 11, verse 1, and you know, as we've been going through the book of Mark, we are headed to the cross. Jesus has had his eyes set on the cross and going to the cross and chapter 10, we had a little bit of a detour, six months or so, of final bit of ministry to the area called Judea. But the next five chapters involve less than a week of time, the time right before the cross and the cross. So think about that. We've got 16 chapters in the book of Mark and five of them cover about a week of time. So things are slowing down and getting a little more intense as we look at this Now. It'll probably take us months to get through those five chapters, but really they only cover about a week.
Speaker 1:Today we will start here in John 18, but we're going to consider what we know as Palm Sunday. Most of us would call Palm Sunday, or was one commentator pointed out this morning Palm Monday, and he had a great case for why this Palm Sunday was actually on a Monday and how that fits in time. But I think I'd probably bore you if we went over that. So I can give you the link and you can watch that study if you would like. But Palm Sunday, palm Monday, you picture it. It is the week before the cross. The cross will come on Friday and again time slows down considerably.
Speaker 1:Now, as we look at this Palm Sunday, this triumphal entry, we see Jesus coming as king. That's what they're saying, that's what he's doing and it's this idea of the kingdom being established. Now Jesus gives us some great commentary on what it means the kingdom of God, what this idea of the kingdom of God means. Notice John, chapter 18. You don't get better commentary than Jesus. John, chapter 18, verse 36. Jesus is standing before Pilate and it says here in verse 36, jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But now my kingdom is not from here. So as we consider this kingdom of God, we realize that it's completely different than the kingdom of man or the kingdom of earth. The kingdom of God, jesus says, is not of this world. My kingdom is not from here. So we're going to look at this kind of comparison and this kingdom of God today. But I wanted us to have this commentary that Jesus says my kingdom is different than the kingdom of the world.
Speaker 1:Now turn over to Mark, chapter 11. Mark, chapter 11, verse 1. Let's read it. Notice now, when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them go into the village opposite you and as soon as you have entered it, you will find a colt on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. If anyone says to you why are you doing this, say the Lord has need of it and immediately he will send it here.
Speaker 1:So they went their way and found the colt tied to the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them what are you doing, loosing this colt? No kidding. And they spoke and said just as Jesus had commanded them. So they let them go and they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it and he sat on it and they spread their clothes on the road and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road and those who went before and those who followed cried out saying Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest. And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when he had looked around at all the things, as the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. So here we see this kingdom of God coming right and we see, different than the kingdom of man, some things about this kingdom of God.
Speaker 1:In verses one through seven we see that it's an eternal kingdom. It's not temporal, it's eternal. And we see this in this getting of the donkey right. You picture this and it's kind of almost humorous. Here Jesus sends his disciples into the town and says look, you're going to find a donkey, a colt of a donkey. You're going to find it tied. I want you to go and loose that and take it and bring it to me. If anyone, we just read it, right? If anyone says, hey, what are you doing? Tell them the Lord has need of it. Now, that's kind of sketchy if you ask me, but Jesus knows exactly what's going to happen.
Speaker 1:The story right here involves prophecy. Now, come in for this one Prophecy. We know the term prophecy. It means to we get the idea of telling the future before it happens, and the Bible is filled with prophecy. But this is kind of a short-term prophecy that Jesus gives here. He tells his disciples this is the way it's going to be, this is what's going to happen, this is what they're going to say, but it's all going to come together. Jesus predicts the future.
Speaker 1:Now, as we look at this, we should be kind of blown away, because prophecy is one of those things that only God can do. It has to do with relationship to time. Right, god is eternal. We look at that and we go God is eternal. Well, he's just got a lot of time. You know years and years and years and years and lots of thousands and millions of years. God has it all. He's eternal. And we look at ourselves and we go well, I'm not eternal. Right, I've got a schedule, I've got 24 hours in a day, and where did the hours go? I don't know Time. You know, as in last night right, time kind of mugs us. You know what I mean. It comes and knocks us down and says I'm taking an hour from you right now, you know, and we go oh, I'm a slave to time. But God is not Now. Check it out.
Speaker 1:When we look at prophecy, we do think about God having just lots of time. When we say that he's eternal, we think he has lots of time. But that's not really a good way to look at it. A better way to look at it is that he's outside of time. God isn't just filled with time, he doesn't just have a ton of time on his hands. He's outside of time. Time is like the timelines that we remember from school, right, and you know, we see all the different events of American history or whatever it is, and we look and go there's the timeline and we're stuck right here in 2025. That's where our time is. Well, god is outside of time. He looks down at the timeline and he sees the beginning and he sees the end. Both are just as real and present to him as the other right, the garden, adam and Eve. He sees it and it's right there the end of time and the establishment of God's literal kingdom on earth. He sees it and he knows it. So God is eternal and here in this event, we see his eternal nature and prophecy. Now Matthew in his account says all this was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. So this whole event, matthew says and we see lots of different prophecies coming together on this day that we have in front of us here in Mark, chapter 11. I'll just list a few. Try to track all right.
Speaker 1:Daniel, chapter 9, verse 25. There's an amazing prophecy there. We could talk for an hour on this prophecy, daniel 9, 25. It's known as the 70 weeks prophecy. Study it, it would be a great study. But what does it say?
Speaker 1:This prophecy to Daniel gives the exact day that the Messiah would come as the king, the exact day, and it starts a timer for us. Daniel is told from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of Messiah, the prince will be. And then you work the math and it's like 178,880 days. And so, just like one of our Alexa, timers don't want to say it too loud you set that timer. You say set a timer for my baked potato or whatever, and it counts down. So Daniel is given a prophecy that starts at a specific date and time and the timer starts. That starts at a specific date and time and the timer starts 173,880 days later, it ends and it comes to this exact day. Now you can study this and go, wow, that's crazy, the exact day.
Speaker 1:But that's why Jesus will say in Matthew's gospel I believe he would say you know what, if everybody was quiet, the rocks would cry out. It's so important that I'm proclaimed as king and Messiah. Jesus says that even the rocks would do it if nobody else did. But here we see the people doing it. They're yelling Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, blessed is the kingdom of our father David. So this amazing prophecy, daniel, chapter nine. It is fulfilled here in Mark, chapter 11. Check it out.
Speaker 1:Zechariah, chapter nine, verse nine, also fulfilled. Now Matthew quotes, quotes it, but Mark does not. But here's what. Here's what Zechariah 9.9 says Listen to this. Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion, shout, o daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your king is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the fool of a donkey. And so here Zechariah tells us this is how the Messiah is going to come. Now, zechariah says this about 400 years before Christ, about the same time as Daniel. But he says this is how it comes down the Messiah will come on a donkey. So this donkey here, not a flute, it's all part of the plan that God knew beforehand.
Speaker 1:Now one more passage actually two, but they're started together is Psalm 118, verse 25 and 26, and Psalm 148. Mark actually quotes it here in verse 9 and 10. That's Psalm 118 and Psalm 148, kind of just a mix of both of those he puts down in there and we read those would cry out saying Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Now that passage again. About a thousand years beforehand, david writes in a Psalm those words and the people knew Hosanna, save now that this was a picture of the Messiah coming. Now, check it out. Did they know what they were saying? Maybe, maybe there were some that had done the math on Daniel's prophecy and said the Messiah will come to Jerusalem on this day and I'm gonna be there saying this messianic psalm, hosanna say now, maybe, maybe not, I don't know, but one way or another the people were going to say that Jesus was going to come, and he was going to come riding on a donkey. So check it out.
Speaker 1:God's kingdom is an eternal kingdom. Time is not an issue. One little bit of application before we move on from this. God is eternal. That should bring a huge amount of comfort to us. Now follow this, please listen. God is eternal. That means he knows the beginning from the end.
Speaker 1:You don't, I don't, you don't know what the future looks like for you. You don't know what this week looks like. You don't know and I don't mean to be ominous about that there's some good stuff too, right but you don't know what's going to happen. You don't know where you're going to be a year from now, but God does. A year from now, but God does. So the application is so huge here. Trust God, he knows the future, he knows your future and he's really good. Trust him and just cast everything on him. So God's kingdom, unlike man's kingdom, is eternal.
Speaker 1:The next thing we see in verse 8, specifically 8 through 10, is we see that God's kingdom is heavenly, not earthly. Again, remember what Jesus said there in John 18, 36. My kingdom is not of this world, my kingdom is not from here, it's a heavenly kingdom. Now, check it out. If you were planning a kingdom, what would you expect? Maybe, some might, a mighty kingdom, some armies marching in a parade, right? You know? You see on the news, you know some missiles and some tanks and saluting a mighty army, a mighty kingdom. That's man's kingdom. Maybe majestic, a king riding on a white stallion, galloping and waving majestically my people. Yes, majestic kingdom. A monarch with a robe and a crown. But what does it look like in this heavenly kingdom? So different, right, it's humble, not mighty.
Speaker 1:A donkey, Now you have to kind of think about that. A donkey is so different from a horse, isn't it? I mean, donkeys make you laugh a little bit, you know, when they're not being stubborn, right, they kind of make you laugh. Horses, they gallop into the. You know, you can picture one of those movie scenes of horses rushing into battle with the sabers and you just go right there, man, it's just a horse. Then you see a donkey, and what does it do? Clippity-clop, clippity-clop, clippity-clop. I don't know what story that was, but I remember Clippity-clop, clippity-clop, and even just the way they walk, you just kind of want to laugh.
Speaker 1:Now the Antichrist in the book of Revelation, chapter 6, he comes riding on a white horse. Jesus will come on a white horse too, but the Antichrist comes with this look of power. Jesus comes riding on a donkey, but not just a donkey, it's a colt, a foal of a donkey. I don't even quite understand those words, but I know it's a baby donkey, right? So picture this buff carpenter, right? I mean, that's the way I picture Jesus. He's a carpenter, works with his hands, he's no wimp. And there he is, riding a baby donkey into the city His legs, his feet, dragging on the ground as he goes. You're not going to win a battle on a donkey. Imagine trying to get away on a donkey. All right, let's go, you know. And there he comes, humbly. Now we know that he didn't come to rule when he first came. He came to serve. Mark tells us that, that the Son of man came to serve, to give his life a ransom for many.
Speaker 1:Let's turn to Psalm 118. Turn to Psalm 118. It's quoted in part here in our passage, but 118, verse 25, this is kind of where that statement comes from, psalm 118, verse 25. And let's listen to all the words Save now. I pray, o Lord. The save now.
Speaker 1:There is where we get the word Hosanna from. Hosanna means save now. So save now. I pray, o Lord, o Lord, I pray. Send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They said that we have blessed you from the house of the Lord, the temple. God is the Lord and he has given us light.
Speaker 1:Now look at verse 27. Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. So you've got this song that's like God, save now, be our Messiah, be our king Hosanna. And then, before you even get done with the idea, they say bind the sacrifice to the altar. And we know that's exactly what the king did. He became a sacrifice for us. Now that's foreign right. Israel didn't understand that in the day especially. You're gonna be the king, you're gonna kick out the Romans. No, I'm gonna be the king. You're going to kick out the Romans. No, I'm going to be the king. I'm going to die, I'm going to give my life, I'm going to rise again. But that's the king, that's the kingdom.
Speaker 1:Humble, a servant, and it's not physical, but it's spiritual. Look at verse 11. Let's go back to Mark, verse 11. It's spiritual, we'll finish it up with this. And Jesus went into Jerusalem, into the temple. So when he had looked around at all things, the hour was already late. He went out to Bethany with the 12. So after Jesus rides into the city of Jerusalem, bethany, we find him in the temple. Now in verse 15 through 19,. We'll get to it next week, probably In 15 through 19,.
Speaker 1:Jesus goes into the temple the next day and he cleans house. You picture it right, not on a donkey, but he comes into the temple and he just whoops up on people who are misrepresenting God, who were selling sacrifices at a profit. And he just whoops up on people who are misrepresenting God, who were selling sacrifices at a profit and making people resent coming to worship God, misrepresenting the heart of the Father. And Jesus goes in and he's not just gentle about it, right, he makes a whip out of a cord and he goes in and starts just lashing people on the rear. You know, he chases people out. It says he didn't even let him like walk. He overturns tables and lets the doves out and all these different things.
Speaker 1:Jesus goes in and he cleans house and sometimes we forget about that spiritual nature of the kingdom? Right, because God does that with us. Right, god comes into our house and he says hey, what are you doing? This isn't right, this isn't my heart for the world. That attitude, that's not my heart, that obsession, that's not what I want for you. And it's painful. When God comes into our lives and he cleans up things, he says you know what, as much as it hurts, you've got to get rid of that. That's not it. That sanctification is a painful thing and we want to call the shots. That's why it's so hard. You know, there's this throne in our heart that authors talk about often, this throne in our heart and we want to sit on it and be king.
Speaker 1:You know, we've had the same table. Yeah, what. We've had the same table since we got married. We refinished it and when we first got married, we had two chairs right, and we actually, when we first got married, we ate on a right and we actually, when we first got married, we ate on a side table. That was really fun. But that's where you start and then you get everything and you have too much. But check it out. We had this table and it started out with two chairs and then when we got kids, we figured we better get some more seats. So we got these benches from Ikea. It just worked, it looked cool, it worked.
Speaker 1:But you know, the benches where I'm at now in life, the benches are not a happy place to sit, you know. And it's not because I have to be at the front of the table, that's not I don't, I don't care. It's because my back hurts Right, so often. You know I don't do this very often, but sometimes it's your back hurts. And you know the kids are sitting in the good chairs because who could blame them. And you go, hey, could I sit there? You know, humbly, could I sit there? Your dear old dad, can he sit there? And you know to sit in that chair with the back because the back hurts. Well, you know, I just thought about it, I thought about that phrase Can I sit there?
Speaker 1:And I think about God, who has every right to be at the head of our table. That's more of the thing. He has every right to call the shots. And here we are, just sitting in the throne of our own life. You say, here's my plan, here's what I'm going to do. You know, five-year plan, 10-year plan, whatever. Here's what I got planned. And we're sitting on the throne in our own life and I really do think in all love, but in authority, he comes to us and he says, hey, can I sit there? And that's like the thing of life. We're like, no, no, I'm driving, yeah, and I I'll sit here. Can I sit there?
Speaker 1:And God says those kinds of things in our life and it's painful and it can be kind of humbling, but we see that the kingdom of God is a spiritual thing. Jesus said in Luke the kingdom of God is within you, a spiritual thing. That's where the kingdom of God starts and Jesus goes in and cleans. It's painful, but Jesus does the same thing with us. Now, all of this, this is the king that we have right, not a temporal king, we're talking an eternal king, not a worldly king, a heavenly king who comes humbly to seek and save and serve, a spiritual king who wants to rule in our hearts. Now check it out, the end of the book. You can always ruin the end of the book and go to the book of Revelation. You see that one day Jesus actually comes.
Speaker 1:Psalm 1 says he'll rule with a rod of iron. He'll rule and reign. Literally, I don't even know what that looks like, but he'll establish a physical kingdom on earth. Oh man, everything's going to be great, right? He'll rule over things like death and war and violence no more, right. He'll rule over things like death and war and violence no more, right. There'll be no more bills Yay, none of that junk, you know. And Jesus will rule and reign physically over all of it. And we look at that and we go. So that kind of kingdom, the kingdom here on earth, will come. But right now it's a little different. But it will be that and really it comes down to it. It always comes down to it. He is the king, but is he our king? And you come back to that point where you go.
Speaker 1:It's so natural for us to sit in the driver's seat, it's so natural for us to sit on the throne in our life and call the shots. That's not the way it's meant to be. That God would not just be a king but be our king. That's the punchline every single time, that he would be our king, that we would trust him and put ourselves under him. But he's so good a sacrifice for us. He loves us, god.
Speaker 1:It's so easy to just consider these things in a technical way and yet it's all practical in the end. God, that you're not just a king, but you're our king. God, I pray that you would be king over all of our desires. Where we have some good desires in our life, god, I just pray that you would be the ruler over those things, god, over the real, practical things in our life, our time, our money. God, I just pray that you would be king of those things too, and we would let you rule and have your way. God, I pray that you would make these things real to us even today. Thank you, these things real to us even today.