THE KING’S BUSINESS
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says may appear improbable, but it always comes out exactly as predicted. Their plac ing their own garments upon the colt for Jesus to sit upon was a proclamation that they themselves accepted Him as king (cf. 2 Kings 9:13). Wednesday, July 28. Mark 11:8-11. We pass here from the disciples to the crowd. They, too, welcomed Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not understand Him. They were unintelligent in their devotion, and so it was short-lived. Little depend ence is to be placed upon popular enthu siasm. The same crowd whom we see here crying “Hosanna ; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” in a few days will shout themselves hoarse crying, “Crucify Him.” But not even in that moment of gen eral enthusiasm did all express their hom age, though “many” did ; the day, however, is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10, 11). If you had been there on the day here pictured, would you in devotion to Him have thrown your coat or wrap in the path of the glorious King of Peace? Well, you can'do it now, if you wish, by putting it oh the back of some of His poor brethren or sisters. Note well the fact that these people did not go home either to get some old cast-off clothes to lay at the feet of Jesus, they flung the best they had. Their enthusiasm for Christ may have been short-lived, but it was more thorough-going and hearty,, and less calculating while it lasted, than that of many modern professed Christians. Thursday, July 29. Mark 11:12-14. The reality of our Lord’s human nature we see in the fact that “He was hungry” ; the certainty of His deity we see in His power over nature, in the blighting of the fig tree. Some say that Jesus made a mis take, that He expected to find figs on the tree when none were there; but they read into the account what .the account does not say. There is not a word to indicate that
with those who are in earnest to get to Jesus and get His help. He threw away the garments that hindered the freedom of his movement in his eagerness to get to Jesus. How many today are kept from getting to Jesus by their wretched garments of self-righteousness or sin (Is. 64:6; 53:7), or by some other weight? (Heb. 12:2). “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” asked Jesus. That is just what He asks each of us. So much really depends' on what we really will to let God do for us. Bartimaeus’ eyes were opened; it was a beautiful world on which he gazed for the first time, but the most beautiful object to Bartimaeus was Jesus Himself, so he turned his back on Jericho, and “followed Jesus in the way.” Tuesday, July 27. Mark 11 :l-7. In the account as given by Matthew (Matt. 21:1-17), the entry into Jerusalem, and the cleansing,of the Temple seems at first sight to have occurred on the same day, but from the account as given in Mark we find that the entry into Jerusalem occurred on Saturday and the cleansing of the Tem ple on Sunday, By a comparison of all the accounts of the events of the last week of our Lord’s life, we find that the entry into Jerusalem recorded here could not have oc curred on Sunday, and therefore the cele bration of Palm Sunday is founded upon a mistake. It was a trying errand upon which Jesus sent two of His disciples; it was a trial of their faith. They proved them selves to be disciples indeed by doing pre cisely what the Master told them to do (v. 6). Doing what our Lord Jesus commands us to do is the supreme test of disciple- ship (Jno. 15:14). It was not a.great thing that they were commanded in this instance, but it is in the little things that our sur render to His will is tested. It did require faith, and great faith in this case, to do as they were bidden. They found everything just as Jesus said (v. 4, cf. Luke 19:32). We will always find everything just as He says it will be, if we obey Him. What He
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