Go to the village ahead of you, and 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 untying it?" say, "The Lord needs it." - Luke 19:30-31

Devotion

Read Luke 19:28-40

Go to the village ahead of you, and 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 untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ - Luke 19:30-31

I marvel at Jesus’ ability to see what others cannot see, even things that are in the future. I know he’s God, but it still fills me with wonder. He knew the colt would be there at that specific moment. He also knew that merely saying, “The Lord needs it,” would be enough to persuade the owner to give it to the disciples.

Personally, I would have asked them for a security deposit—something valuable like a really nice watch. After all, a donkey colt would have been worth several months’ wages. But they were sixteen centuries away from portable timekeeping devices, and Jesus followers weren’t known for their flashy jewelry anyway. The Lord’s word would have to do. Of course, it is reasonable to assume Jesus’ word would have enough credibility to secure the colt until the disciples could return it.

But he didn’t tell the disciples to say, “The Lord promises to return it.” He told them to say, “The Lord needs it.”   

This Lenten season, I am struck by these three words: “the Lord needs.” I was taught that if the Lord is perfect, he has no needs. No dependencies. Right? To avoid a philosophical migraine, let’s consider something the Apostle Paul says about Jesus in Philippians 2:5-8:

… he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Out of his love for us, God, in Christ, gave up the privilege that justly belongs to the Creator and Most High King of Everything. He made himself nothing, emptying himself. He made himself a servant, revealing the nature of God as wholly giving, wholly other-focused, always setting aside his own needs. He made himself in human likeness, and need is a defining characteristic of human beings.

On Palm Sunday, he had no need for a royal procession. Instead, he chose a humble donkey for his triumphant entry into the Holy City. In Lent, we offer him what we temporarily give up as palm branches to smooth his way. Let’s remember what he most desires of us is as skittish, untrained, and impetuous as that young colt—our heart. The Lord needs it.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for choosing to humble yourself to the point of need. Please receive my small offerings, my palm branches, and in that way, allow me to prepare the way for you, my King and my Redeemer. 

Skip McKinstry
Spiritual Formation Team

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