Mark 11:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it.

NIV: They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it,

NASB: They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it.

CSB: So they went and found a colt outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,

NLT: The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door.

KJV: And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.

NKJV: So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.

As God incarnate in human form, Jesus has chosen to limit use of His divine attributes, including omniscience. In short, as a fully-human man, Jesus does not actively know everything. For instance, He doesn't know when He will return (Mark 13:32). But He is guided by the Holy Spirit to know what He needs to obey the will of God the Father. Right now, He knows His entry will fulfill the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9: that He will enter Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. He also knows where the foal is and exactly what to say to the men who are guarding it (Mark 11:1–3).

This incident is not the same as what's today labeled "personal prophecy." Personal prophecy is the belief that God supernaturally gives people messages to be delivered to other specific people. Often, the "message" is that the recipient is supposed to give the prophet money. Since God's prophetic comments are typically not so specific, it is extremely unlikely –all but impossible—that God would directly tell one person to command another to donate money.

It's possible that God could give someone the discernment to know what will happen to another, but the belief in personal prophecy is more likely to be the cause of great spiritual abuse. It is not our job to tell others what to do.

Likewise, we are not obligated to obey the orders of another believer, even if they claim a message from God. Those who think they have received a prophecy on behalf of another should proceed with caution. At least, one can think of it as God's calling for them to pray for that person, that they will hear God's call personally. Actually taking such a claim to the person, especially when cast as a "prophecy," should be handled very carefully. For the one who is approached by someone who claims to have heard from God, they can listen respectfully and then pray for guidance.

Mark 11:1–11 records an event included in all four Gospels: that several days before the crucifixion, Jesus enters Jerusalem, welcomed by the people as the Messiah who will free them from Roman rule. Jesus enters on a donkey, fulfilling prophecy and symbolizing the peaceful nature of His first coming. Matthew 21:1–11 ties the triumphal entry to Isaiah 62:11. Luke 19:29–44 records that the Pharisees demand Jesus silence His followers and that Jesus weeps, knowing what happen when the Romans destroy Jerusalem in AD 70. John 12:12–19 goes into more detail about how the disciples don't realize Jesus is fulfilling prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) until after the ascension (Acts 1:6–11).

Jesus and the disciples arrive in Jerusalem a week before the crucifixion, and Jesus begins the last days of His public ministry. They spend their nights on the Mount of Olives and their days in Jerusalem (Luke 21:37). Jesus accepts the accolades designed for a king (Mark 11:1–11), attacks materialistic tradition that keeps people from worshiping God (Mark 11:15–19), gives an object lesson about the fate of fruitless Jerusalem (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25), and reveals the Jewish religious leaders' hypocrisy (Mark 11:27–33). Despite the support of the crowd, Jesus is pushing the leaders toward the crucifixion.

The preceding passages included several miracles and lessons from Jesus. These set the stage for the last, dramatic days of His earthly ministry. In this chapter, Jesus enters Jerusalem to great fanfare and openly confronts local religious leaders for their hypocrisy. Over the next few chapters, Mark will continue to record controversial teachings, leading up to Jesus' arrest and early sham trials, recorded in chapter 14.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.