Mark 11:1-10

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'” And they went away and and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our Father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

Jesus the king-to-be rides, not proudly on his winged horse, but on a borrowed, untrained young donkey, so as to make people understand his humble Messiahship.

However even so the crowds escort him jubilantly; he is the royal Messiah of Israel! It is like a great festival of victory.

But what to say? How little they understand. As the poet said, “The Saviour rides on to die.”

Mark 10:46-52

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

The crowd of pilgrims comes to a stop because of the shouts of a helpless man who has heard that it is Yeshu the Nazaray-pa who is passing by. What did he think? ‘Did not the prophet say that Khirisitho would open eyes and release blind people from their prison of darkness? So why not me?’

Timaeus’ son is now the third person to whom Yeshu has addressed the five words, “Your faith has saved you.”

Mark 10:41-45

And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are called rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Disciples of Yeshu must be humble like him and live for others.

Yeshu came to to pay ransom (glud) for all mankind’s sin and evil, so that we might go free. He was the only perfect One without sin able to take away the crime of the many upon Himself as a kind of innocent scapegoat. No garment of gold for him in this life, but only – when he died – the dirty rags of our bad karma.

Yeshu Mashiga – what a Ransom King (glud-‘gong rgayl-po)!