Monthly Reading - Mark 11

Posted by Brad Wingler on

        A new month brings a new set of chapters to read, study, and review. This month is Mark 11-16.  I want to start by asking, "What is your reason for your actions?"  In Mark 11, Jesus makes the grandest entry of all time...on a donkey.  We could spend much time discussing the humility of Christ in this instance, his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and the horrid days to come following this entry.  However, I would like to take a look at the first few verses:

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage 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 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. (Mark 11:1-6 ESV)

        The disciples went and did as they were as told.  When they were questioned about their answers their reason was obedience to their Lord. What is the reason for your actions?  Maybe you aren't at the place where you even want people to see your actions and you need to first repent of sin in your life, so that you can once again be a light for the Gospel.  Maybe you have never been a light and the events that follow the triumphal entry have rang true in your heart for the first time and you need to confess your sin before a Holy God, repent and believe in Him as your hope for eternal life.  Perhaps you are a believer, have been doing good things, but keeping the reason silent and need to start sharing the reason for your actions to others.  Or maybe you are truly obedient and enjoying this passage because you can stand up boldly and joyfully proclaim that you are just like the original disciples at this moment in your life.  

     Regardless of where you fall in the above questions, the issue still remains, What is the reason for you actions?  The disciples were not privileged to fully understand what was to follow the triumphal entry as we are.  Their reason for their actions was love for the Lord.  We have so much more to be fully motivated.  Not only can we say we are actively obedient because of our love for the One, True Lord we can think of the obedience of Christ to the point of death.  My plea is that myself and the church would be actively obedient to what Christ commands His people to in Scripture because of our love for God and His gift of His Son on the cross for our sins.  

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