1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The LORD needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” ~ Matthew 21:1-4
This is a very simple basic verse in Christianity. Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. We all know it. It’s Palm Sunday. So, it becomes one of those verses that we often overlook and take for granted, but today something struck me as a ‘huh, never really noticed that before’ moment. Jesus told two of His disciples to go get a donkey from the village. Then He tells them, just let anyone who asks know the LORD needs it.
It’s simply the Greek word Kyrios which is used to translate both Yahweh and Adonai. It simply means Lord. Now, here’s what gets me. Both Mark and Luke share that some did in fact ask what they were doing and the two disciples answered with what Jesus told them. And just as Jesus said, they let them go with the donkey without any trouble.
All they needed to know was that the LORD needed the donkey. They didn’t need to why. What for. Where. How long. If he’d get it back. All of these questions didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the LORD needed them. Now, how many of us can say that we have that much faith and that much trust in the LORD’s plans?
I want to put this into perspective how much faith this owner had. This was a young donkey that had never been ridden before. The average donkey was worth anywhere from 20 to 50 denarii. That’s equivalent to roughly $2,500 to $10,000. So, a young donkey that had never been ridden before is on the higher end. This owner had no idea where the donkey was going, for how long, or even if he’d get it back, but it didn’t matter. The cost didn’t outweigh the reward.
He was willing to risk thousands of dollars for the sake of being used by the LORD. He took David’s words to heart:
I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.
2 Samuel 24:24
We know nothing of the owner’s story. His name, occupation, everything about him is lost to history, but the LORD remembers him. The LORD knows what he did. How he walked in faith and offered something that cost him much.
And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:4
His faith was indeed rewarded. Our God does not forget us. He is faithful. When we give, He doesn’t take it lightly. Especially when it is a sacrifice that costs us something.
This Palm Sunday, don’t let the day end without giving something to the LORD that costs you something. It doesn’t have to be money. It can be time. It can be a meal. It can be anything, but let it cost you something. Let this Palm Sunday be the beginning of stepping out and trusting the LORD regardless of what He’s asking. Regardless of how scary it feels. Regardless of how little He reveals. We are to trust the LORD with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Trust Costly.