Today is Palm Sunday. I'm going to try to do daily posts this week on Passion Week in Mark. As an aside, last year I actually published Explanatory Notes on Mark's Passion Week (here's the ebook). This is a verse-by-verse commentary on Mark 11-15. The posts this week are of a more general nature.
Here are links to broader posts on Mark 1:1-13, Mark 1:14-15, Mark 1:16-45, and Mark 2.
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1. Well over a century ago, Martin Kähler described the Gospel of Mark as "a Passion with an extended introduction." The story of Jesus' final week on earth before his death takes up a full third of the Gospel, showing us how important Jesus' death is for Mark. Indeed, while the other Gospels climax with Jesus' resurrection, Mark climaxes with the recognition of the centurion by the cross that Jesus was indeed the Son of God (15:39).
Mark thus ties Jesus being the Messiah with his suffering and death. This was a highly subversive understanding of what the Anointed One would be. Before that point, all Jews would have seen the victory of the Messiah over Israel's enemies as the hallmark of the restored King of David. Amazingly, Mark ties Jesus' messianic identity to his death for sins.
Mark has been building to this week since Peter's declaration that Jesus was the Christ in 8:29. Since that point in the story, Jesus has told his disciples three times that he was going to Jerusalem to die, giving the second half of Mark a sense of forboding. In the last instance, Jesus gives Mark's theology of the cross in one verse: "The Son of Humanity did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (10:45).
2. On the Sunday before his crucifixion, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is Jesus' triumphal entry. Luke records that Herod Antipas was also in town for Passover (Luke 23:7). No doubt his entry took place with much more pomp and splendor, leading some to suggest that Jesus was mocking him.
However, Jesus was more likely deliberately fulfilling Scripture. Although Mark does not mention it, Matthew 21:5 will make it clear that Jesus was fufilling Zechariah 9:9. This verse foretells of the restored King of Israel coming into Jerusalem on a donkey. Whether by pre-arrangement or prophecy, Jesus tells two of his disciples how to find a colt in the next village. They find it just as he said.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem is full of symbolism. Not only does it enact Zechariah, but spreading garments is something that might be done for a king (cf. 2 Kings 9:13). Another passage that Jesus enacts is Psalm 118:25-27, a psalm that was often sung at Passover. The people cry, "Hosanna," which is the "Save us" of Psalm 118:25 (hoshia na). They also quote verse 26 -- "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Yahweh." Finally, 118:27 mentions branches being used in festal procession.
In short, Jesus' entrance is full of echoes of Scripture that point to Jesus as the Messiah and restored king of Israel.
Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in Mark ends with Jesus going to the temple. It's late. He returns to Bethany. It's interesting to note that Matthew has the "cleansing" of the temple as the end of Palm Sunday. The climax of Palm Sunday in Matthew is thus Jesus' action in the temple, which takes place on Monday in Mark.
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