Rise and Follow: 30 Days in MarkSample

Do you remember the first words of Jesus spoken in Mark? He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” This is the message Jesus has been preaching nonstop since his ministry began in chapter 1. And he hasn’t just been preaching it–he’s been making it a reality. Captives are being set free. Dead people are being raised. Sick people are being healed. And good news is being proclaimed to the poor.

For generations, God’s people had lived under enemy rule, longing for the time when God would keep his promise to put a Son of David on Israel’s throne. To some, Jesus was the answer to that promise, but to others, he felt like a threat.

Chapter eleven of Mark begins with the crowds recognizing Jesus as their Messiah as they lined the streets shouting words of blessing and praise.

But, in only a few days, those same crowds would be shouting “crucify him!” as they realized he wasn’t the type of king they were expecting.

How could things change so quickly?

The key is to recognize that everything comes to a tipping point when Jesus enters Jerusalem. The political, religious, and social atmosphere is charged as thousands of pilgrims crowd into the city for the Passover Festival.

The growing anticipation for the coming Messiah causes people to welcome Jesus into a Roman-occupied city as their king. Only, instead of confronting the Romans, Jesus confronts the leaders of his own people. Forget Caesar and his taxes. Jesus walks straight into the Jewish Temple and starts flipping tables and calling priests hypocrites.

Do you see the scandal of it all?

Jesus’ actions in Mark eleven trigger a chain of events that will ultimately lead to his crucifixion at the end of that same week.

Jesus is ready to reveal himself, not as the king that would overthrow the Roman empire, but as the king of God’s kingdom.

And when he makes that known, he’ll be crowned not with gold but with thorns.

He may not have been the king that the people wanted, but he was the king that they and the entire world needed.