Read
Jesus Enters Jerusalem
(Mark 11.1-11; Luke 19.28-38; John 12.12-19)
1When Jesus and his disciples came near Jerusalem, he went to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and sent two of them on ahead. 2He told them, “Go into the next village, where you will at once find a donkey and her colt. Untie the two donkeys and bring them to me. 3If anyone asks why you are doing this, just say, ‘The Lord needs them.’ He will at once let you have the donkeys.”
4So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said,
5 “Announce to the people
of Jerusalem:
‘Your king is coming to you!
He is humble
and rides on a donkey.
He comes on the colt
of a donkey.’ ”
6The disciples left and did what Jesus had told them to do. 7They brought the donkey and its colt and laid some clothes on their backs. Then Jesus got on.
8Many people spread clothes in the road, while others put down branches which they had cut from trees. 9 Some people walked ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They were all shouting,
“Hooray for the Son of David!
God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hooray for God
in heaven above!”
10When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, “Who can this be?”
11The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Reflect
We come to this passage with joy and our hoorays because we know even more fully what the palm branch wavers were celebrating with their hosannas. It looked to them like Zechariah’s prophecy (Zech 9:9) was being fulfilled and their prayers for liberation by a king were being answered. We know that this was the King of Kings coming to set in motion the next piece of God’s plan of salvation – expressed through unconditional, self-giving love on the cross.
What’s intriguing – don’t miss this – is that he was riding on a donkey given without reservation or condition. Only because: “The Lord needs it.”
It happened just as he said it would. He had said: “Go get a donkey. Here’s where you’ll find it. Untie it. If anyone questions you, simply say: ‘The Lord needs it.’”
There were no protests: “What are you going to do with it?” or “When will I get it back?” No one trailing along to see where they went. They just gave it to the disciples … apparently, with no strings attached!
How do you explain this? Jesus knowing that this colt was there? And that they would just give it to them!! Was it special spiritual revelation? Perhaps.
Or, perhaps there is another explanation. Jesus knew just where a colt could be found and the owners knew who was asking for it because Jesus was regularly in their neighbourhood. They knew him … felt loved and accepted by Him.
So they said: “If you’re saying that the Lord needs it. The Lord can have it!”
What if the Lord comes into “your space” today and you experience a “The Lord needs it moment”? It’s possible that there is something that you are, something that you have, something that you can do that he needs.
Respond
Lord Jesus, when you could have ridden away into the safety of the hills, you rode on toward the cross because this is what was needed. Enable me to love like you … to give like you.Show me what you need today. It’s yours, given in your name. Amen
Keith Elford
Keith Elford serves as the bishop of The Free Methodist Church in Canada. His mandate is to oversee a diverse group of godly, competent leaders who, using a variety of approaches, work together to see healthy churches developed within Canada and beyond. Prior to being elected as bishop in 1997, Keith was a pastor for 24 years, serving congregations in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. He regularly writes for The Mosaic, a Free Methodist publication.