Friday, April 8, 2011

Hosanna! aka Praise the Lord, Mark 11:1-11; The Adult Sunday School Lesson for 4-17-11

ATTENTION:  Please note that this is The Adult Sunday School Lesson, Hosanna! aka Praise the Lord, on Mark 11:1-11 for the 4-17-11 International Sunday School Lesson.  You will find the 4-10-11 lesson, Praise Builds Us Up aka Remember the Warnings, directly beneath this message and on the right side.


Jed




Hosanna!
Or
Praise the Lord
Mark 11:1-11
International Sunday School Lesson
April 17, 2011



Commentary
By
Jed Greenough




Time, do you ever reflect on the times of your life?  I find myself doing that more often these days as I look at how quickly life works itself out.  Though we do not have the burden of knowing how our lives ultimately will unfold, Christ did.
Despite the fact that we are studying Mark 11 today, it was the book of John of which I was reminded.  The first time I read John I was left with such a strong feeling concerning the time that Jesus had and how aware He was of that time.  In John 2 His mother wanted Jesus to do something about the wedding party running out of wine and He said, “Dear woman, why do you involve me?  My time has not yet come.”  Although there are other instances regarding it not being His time the fact that He could have easily been taken captive by His enemies is another example of timing that stays with me from the same book.   In John chapters 7 and 8 we can read where they should have easily been able to accomplish that but Jesus knew the time was not right. 
We cannot know from the scripture with certainty but perhaps the Holy Spirit does give us insight to know that Christ reflected about His life and time when He went to the temple even though it was late and looked around at everything.
How about when we read in today’s scripture the instructions that He gave two of His disciples concerning the colt?  He must have reflected on the fact that now it was His time.  He must now proceed to do those things that would show from the scriptures that He was the fulfillment of those prophecies concerning the Messiah.  He must have reflected on how quickly the time of His life had passed.
I draw small comfort from the scriptures that, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall.” 1 Peter 1:24  But I can take comfort in knowing that our Savior felt the passing of time just as we do but He carried the added burden of foreknowledge. 
What a burden to know that as voices now shouted “Hosanna!” and “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” some would soon be shouting, “Crucify Him!”  We can see the anguish He felt with what He carried at Gethsemane when we read, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Mark 14:34a
Despite all this, for me, for you, He still rode into Jerusalem, “righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey,” Zechariah 9:9a
  

For Discussion:

1.      Discuss the scriptural significance of a colt, one that had never been ridden, the cloaks, the branches and the quoted scripture.
2.      Discuss whether the class believes that “the Lord” was known by the owners of the colt.
3.      Discuss whether the class views this as a sad or joyous occasion.
4.      Read the parallel accounts in Matthew 21, Luke 19 and John 12.
5.      Discuss why the time was now right for Jesus when it wasn’t before.  Give examples of when the time was not yet right and when it was.
6.      Discuss those that cried “Hosanna” and those that cried “Crucify Him”.
7.      Discuss what you think was going through the mind of Jesus when He sent out the two disciples, during the procession and when He was at the temple.



4-24-11:  Christ is Risen! (Go and Tell) Matthew 28
5-1-11:    Be Like Jesus (The Christ Hymn) Philippians 2:1-11
5-8-11:    Heavenly Worship (Perpetual Praise) Revelation 4:1-2, 6b-11 or Rev 4 respectively.
5-15-11:  Thankful Worship Revelation 7:9-17









Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved


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