Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Don’t Sell the Gospel Short | The Gospels | Mark 11:1–11

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

Is your view of the Gospel too narrow? Why did Jesus really come? And how does your answer shape the way you follow him? In today’s episode, Jensen explores how Mark 11:1–11 reveals Jesus as the promised Messiah who comes not to take us out of the world, but to bring God’s kingdom into it. Read the Bible with us in 2026! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passage: Mark 11:1–11

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. And the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt-McNair. Why did Jesus come to Earth? Why was he sent by God? Why is it important that you put your faith in him? When you say you believe in Jesus, what are you believing in? See, these questions, they're incredibly important because the way that you answer them will radically transform the way that you approach Jesus.

the way that you interact with the world, the person that you will become. They define your view of the gospel. Now, a really common answer to these questions stems from the belief that the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to live a sinless life, die for my sins, make a way for me to go to heaven, and to be with him when I die. And here's the thing. It's not that this view of the gospel or this answer is inherently wrong. It's just that it misses the main point. It takes our focus and it zooms in on a portion of the gospel, and in doing so it misses out on the whole scope of why Jesus came. And in doing so, we get a narrow view of Jesus, of his mission of the good news that he proclaims, and in turn we have a narrow view of our

calling and our hope as believers. And we are not the first people in history to do this. Mark chapter 11 marks a shift in the biblical narrative. Jesus who has been keeping his messiahship a secret up until this point, only revealing the truth to a few, speaking in parables, giving himself time to proclaim his kingdom without provoking those in power, will now make a strategic shift in his ministry. In verses 1 through 11 of chapter 11, we see Jesus publicly proclaiming that he is the Messiah. And he does it with a donkey. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethpage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and

bring it here. If anyone asks you, why are you doing this? Say the Lord needs it and we'll send it back here shortly. So they went and found a cold outside in the street tied to the doorway. As they untit it, some people standing there asked, what are you doing, untying that cult? They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. When they brought the cult to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead, and those who followed shouted, 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 heaven. Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts.

He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12. Okay, so let's unpack these 11 verses. Jesus is finally coming to Jerusalem, and he is very specific in how he wants to arrive. He sends his disciples out for a young donkey, a cult, one that has never been ridden before so that he can ride that donkey into the city. And as he enters the city, people begin to come out to lay their cloaks and palm branches, and they shout things to him. Hosanna, which means save us now. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming king of our father, David, Hosanna, in the highest. These are words of praise, words of adoration. This is the welcome given to a king as he makes his triumphant entry into his city.

Now, why are they doing this? Why do they assume these things about Jesus? Well, they understood the message that Jesus was communicating when he rode in on a donkey. You see, all the way back in Zechariah 9, a prophecy was given to the people of Israel, a prophecy that reads, rejoice greatly, daughter Zion, shout, daughter Jerusalem, see your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly in riding on a donkey, on a cult. the full of a donkey. And so they see Jesus, they know his story, they know what he's done, what people have said about him, and now, here he is, not skirting the issue. He seems to be stepping into his role, accepting the whispers, proclaiming the truth that, yes, he is this Messiah, the king, who is coming. And yet, we know the story. By Friday, the very same people who should shout Hosanna, will cry, crucify, crucify him. Why? What changes? Why does their view of Jesus collapse so quickly? Well, they had a narrow view of who Jesus was and what he had come to do. And that narrow view, well, it couldn't sustain their faith, their hope. You see, many,

even the disciples, believed Jesus to be the Messiah in the sense that he had come to to establish a physical kingdom, to reestablish the physical throne of David. They'd read the prophecies, the promises of God that David's kingdom wouldn't end, that one day someone would come who would establish an eternal kingdom. And now, under the oppressive rule of Rome, they see Jesus riding on a donkey and they remember the prophecy. They believe Jesus has come to be their king, to rule on the throne in Jerusalem, to reestablish Israel as a nation, to give them freedom from their oppressors to bring back the glory of the nation of Israel that had once reigned in Jerusalem all those years ago. And they aren't crazy for thinking this. See, Zachariah 9 speaks of God bringing judgment on

Israel's enemies, of his triumphant king returning, ruling over the nations, of God saving his people. But their view, it was narrow. It was focused on their personal plight, their situational needs. It was focused on one group of people for their one time in history. And the good news that Jesus came to proclaim was so much bigger than that. But they couldn't see it. And so, by Friday, when he hadn't lived up to their expectations of who he should have been as their king, they crucified him. If they had known, if they could have had the eyes to see what Jesus was proclaiming, things might have been different. Their reaction to Jesus might have been different.

The hope might have been different. So we have to ask, who is this Messiah? What is Jesus proclaiming as he rides in on a donkey? If it isn't the political upheaval of the Roman Empire and the reestablishment of the nation of Israel, well, what is it? Zachariah 910 says this. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim, and the war horses from Jerusalem and the battlebow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations, his rule. will extend from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.

This king who is coming is coming to bring peace, to take away the things of war. Somehow this king would establish his throne humbly. His rule would extend outwards with peace. He wouldn't come to destroy the nations, but to welcome them in, to proclaim a new kingdom, one of peace. See, Jesus here is announcing,

the kingdom that he has been teaching about throughout his entire ministry. One that came to save the lost, one that will redeem all people, one that brings justice. This is the eternal kingdom that God promised. Jesus is the messianic king. He just came to redeem all of creation, to break the curse of sin that has held the world captive since Genesis 3. His rescue mission to destroy the enemies of God is not merely to free Israel once again from their oppressors, but to free humanity from the oppression of Satan, from the chains of sin. And that brings us back to our view of who Jesus is. See, Jesus establishes his kingdom, his rule, through his death and resurrection.

He breaks the chains of sin, he rescues us, and makes a way for us to live with him through his death and resurrection. this is all a part of the good news, but the scope of what he is doing is even bigger. This kingdom, it's for all people. The sin that he dies for is your sin, but his death and resurrection also overcome and defeat the curse on all of creation. He came to redeem all of creation. He came to rescue the world that he loves to put it right, to bring Eden and its perfection back into working order through the kingdom he proclaims in the gospel. This includes the redemption of each of us, the rescue from our own sin, our need for a Savior. It includes Jesus making a way for us to live with him.

But it isn't rescuing us away from this world into some spiritual heavenly realm. No, Jesus came to establish his kingdom here, to redeem this creation, to create a people of God united and spreading his kingdom here today in our lives, in our world, and our communities. When we zoom in on one aspect of the gospel, when we make the main thing that Jesus died for me and my sins, our faith becomes focused on our own self-improvement, ensuring that I'm safe, making sure that I can get to heaven. But when we have the whole scope of the gospel, when we understand the kind of king that Jesus is, the kind of kingdom that he came to establish, when we realize this good news is for all people, everything changes. Jesus is a king not just with the power to overcome my sin, but to redeem and restore all the evil and injustice that we see in the world.

My calling as a believer isn't just personal sanctification, but to bring the blessings of Jesus, his love, his justice, and mercy to all the people around me. I am called to extend the boundaries of his kingdom, to partner with him in redemption, to bring his goodness and peace to the ends of the earth. It gives your life purpose today. It gives you a calling. Jesus doesn't just redeem you. He isn't just your personal savior. He's the king of all creation, the one who defeated all evil, the one who has the power to right every wrong, to redeem everyone. That's the kind of king Jesus. Jesus, was proclaiming to be when he rode a humble donkey into Jerusalem. Don't miss out on the magnificence and gravity and beauty and life-changing reality of all that that means for your life. It will change

everything. Make it fuller. Give your life purpose. Don't sell the gospel short. Don't try to build your life on a narrow version of who Jesus is and what he came to do. No, the fullness of the gospel is what brings life, purpose, meaning, and a hope that transcends all the darkness of this world. See, you have a hope and a future because Jesus is king and his kingdom has come. He will rule over all of creation with peace and prosperity. Follow the king. Believe in the good news of the gospel, all of it, and see how he uses your life to bring flourishing to this world.