It always amazes me that after reading and studying the Bible for as many years as I have, a phrase catches my attention that I have undoubtedly read hundreds of times. Mark 11:11 says, “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.” The phrase, almost as an afterthought, “the hour was already late,” caught my attention.

It was late in the earthly ministry of Jesus. He had just ridden a donkey down the Palm Sunday Road and entered the Temple area. One translation says it was eventime, which also means it was late in the day. Jesus looks around and sees everything that is happening. He sees doves, lambs, goats, and more, all being sold for sacrifices. According to the Jewish law, those sacrifices were necessary each year to pay for the sins of the people. Unknown to everyone there, probably even to His disciples, the day for this kind of sacrifice was almost over. It was late. Jesus would return to the Temple the next day and show His displeasure at how the people were being taken advantage of.

For hundreds of years, the children of Israel had searched for the perfect sacrifice, but even the best they could find only provided a temporary atonement. Jesus looks around and sees that the time for salvation, not just for the Hebrews, but for whosoever will believe, has come, and nothing we can offer, buy, or sacrifice will be enough to pay the debt of our sin. No other blood will do. Only Jesus, the sinless one, can pay the full price for us once and for all. His sacrifice is everything we need.

After completing His earthly mission, as He ascended to the Father, He promised to come again. Two thousand years have passed. It’s getting late in the day. Jesus is coming, and it may be sooner than we expect. Are we ready for His return?