Lenten “In and Out” Series, Palm Sunday, Part 6: All In

Mark 11:1–11 | May 29, 2026

This is the next-to-last sermon in this series, “In and Out.” This coming Friday, Good Friday, we will conclude the series. In this series, we have been looking at and studying the crowds and individuals who were all in for Jesus, some who got all out, and some who were in, got out, and came back in with Jesus. This morning, we catch a glimpse of a whole group of folks who were ALL IN.

Jesus spent most of His life trying to avoid popularity. He tried to avoid the spotlight. After healing a man of leprosy, “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: see that you don’t tell this to anyone” (Mark 1:41–42). Mark 7:36 says, “Then He commanded them that they should tell no one.” Mark 9:9 says, “Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen.”

But in our text today, the song is playing, the crowds are going wild, Jesus is smiling, riding on a donkey, the closer has come out of the bullpen, and we are going to win. Our King has arrived. And we are ALL IN.

This is what we must notice about this Palm Sunday text.

His Request

“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it. And if anyone says to you, “Why are you doing this?” say, “The Lord has need of it.” And immediately he will send it here.’”— Mark 11:1–3 (NKJV)

Alan Carr said, “One of the most amazing statements in the Bible is found here in verse 3, and it has to do with that little beast. It says, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

When did God ever “need” anything? Here is what God had to say about His own needs in Psalm 50:9–10:

“I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.”

But that was the paradox of our Lord’s earthly life. He was rich, yet He became poor. See 2 Corinthians 8:9.

He owned all things, yet He possessed nothing. He created the stars, yet He had nowhere to lay His own head. See Matthew 8:20. He fashioned everything there is out of nothing, yet He had to borrow a boat from which to preach His Gospel. He created every drop of water that exists in the world, yet He cried, “I thirst,” as He was dying on the cross. See John 19:28. He created every tree, but He died on a borrowed cross. He created every rock, but He had to borrow a tomb in which to be buried. He used the clouds as His chariots, yet He had to borrow a donkey on which to ride. See Psalm 104:3.

That is the paradox of His life.

He was rich, yet made Himself poor so that those who believe in Him might enjoy His riches. Every one of you, young and old, Jesus has a request for you. Every one of you has a significant role to fulfill for Jesus in this life you are living. Every one of you has a God-given purpose to live out in this life. Every single one of you has a part to fill. Every single one of you, Jesus is requesting you to sign up and live out His love and grace. ALL IN.

The Lord has need of you. He’s not done with you yet. Choose today to be ALL IN.

Their Obedience

In our text, we have His request, and we have their obedience.

“So, they went their way and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. But some of those who stood there said to them, ‘What are you doing, loosing the colt?’ And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So, they let them go.”— Mark 11:4–6 (NKJV)

Let me try to illustrate this for you. You have a meeting with Jesus. He tells you about the things that are about to happen. And He says to you, “I need a new John Deere tractor cab 4x4 with air conditioning if I am to ride into town in style.” So, you go down to the local John Deere dealer, and you see the right one, keys in the ignition, you start it up, and the salesman comes running up to you. You open the door and say, “The Lord has need of it.”

The disciples were obedient to Jesus’ request. Obedience is so important for followers of Jesus. I do not want to sound like an old fundamentalist preacher, but come on, church, Jesus calls us to be obedient.

Two Important Truths About Obedience

A. Obedience is best fulfilled when motivated by love and not obligation

The more you love Jesus, the easier and more pleasurable it is to be obedient.

B. Obedience is best lived out by the teaching from the Sermon on the Mount

True obedience is not shallow, forced, or performative. It is lived out in a heart fully surrendered to Christ and shaped by His teaching.

In our text, we have His request, we have their obedience, and then we have His reception.

His Reception

“Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna! (Save us, Lord.) Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’”— Mark 11:7–10 (NKJV)

And for a moment, the crowds had it right. It was time for Him to reveal Himself as the King. It was time that He allowed the world to acknowledge that He was and is the Son of God.

One of the ways that He did that was through the nature of His entrance. This is akin to the victorious king returning from battle after winning a war. He would ride in on a parade with all the soldiers and prisoners and all the spoils from the battle. People would line the streets and sing his praises.

But what Jesus was doing was so far from what the people were wanting Him to do or even expecting Him to do. He was coming in humility on a donkey on His way to die the most humiliating death. They wanted Him to come in worldly power and overthrow the government rule. They wanted Him to free them from what they saw as a political regime that was oppressing them. They wanted to be on a winning team behind a powerful leader. They wanted to sing, “We are the champions; we are #1.”

That was not Jesus’ mission.

His mission was bigger than that. He was not coming to save people from other people or any worldly system in that sense. He was coming to save people from themselves and “the sin that so easily ensnares us” (Hebrews 12:1).

They were ALL IN.

In our text, we have His request, we have their obedience, we have His reception, and lastly, in verse 11, Mark tells us Jesus has what I call a final look.

The Final Look

“And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So, when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.”— Mark 11:11 (NKJV)

Why was Jesus looking around in the temple? What was He looking for?

What does Jesus see when He comes to our church? You know He is here today, right? Right. What does He see? Does He see people just going through the motions? Does He see people worshipping Him in spirit and truth? Or does He just see people going through the motions? What does He see?

Does he see a full surrender—an all-in faith—or surface-level faith? For some of you, He sees that you are broken and you need healing. For some, He sees a struggle, and He knows if you will let Him, He will struggle with you through your struggles. For some, He sees pain and suffering, and He reminds us that He carries our pain and suffering.

Notice in this verse, Jesus looks, but does not speak. He is silent. One quote I read said, “God’s silence is not the same as God’s approval.” Mark tells us He looked around at all things, and He went to Bethany.

Do you know what happened the next day? Jesus returned to the temple and drove out the people who bought and sold, overturned the tables of the money changers, and He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. He was angry at what He saw and what was going on.

“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of thieves.”

Why did Jesus not just shut the temple down the night before?

I know I am pushing the text just a little here, but hear me out. Jesus knew what had to be done in the temple, but He delayed by a day.

Maybe it was a time of grace.

A Call to Be All In

In your current life, what does Jesus see when He looks around? What does Jesus see that needs to be, let’s say, cleaned out and cleaned up, because the temple is not ALL IN?

The Bible says our bodies represent the temple of God.

As we come to communion today, and as we prepare for Holy Week, let us choose to be ALL IN.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUXjlL5l28g