As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Matthew 21:1-3
The first 3 verses at the beginning of Matthew 21 have fascinated me. Not necessarily from a deeply theological or philosophical perspective but from a very simple curiosity.
- Who was the owner of the donkey and the colt?
- What type of person was he/she?
It is very clear to me that the owner was a person of faith. Furthermore, that owner loved God intensely.
To put this story into current cultural perspective, I imagine a scenario where a few strange men show up at my house go into my garage and proceed to drive away with my 2 vehicles. When I approach them (probably very sternly) and ask what they are doing, they respond “the Lord hath need of them”. Upon hearing that response, I immediately let me guard down, hand over the keys and send them on their way (in my vehicles).
There is no way the owner of that donkey and colt could have acquiesced to this request if he/she was not operating in faith and love. There is no way that he/she would hand over such prized and precious possessions unless the Lord put it upon his/her heart. There is no way he/she obeys this command unless he/she is operating with a level of humility that only comes when the Holy Spirit is operating and leading.
For many of us, a much smaller sacrifice would be too difficult; yet, for this owner, a few simple words was all it took for he/she to fully let go and allow the Lord to make use of the precious resource.
This story took place over 2 thousand years ago but even today it resonates so powerfully for this generation.
Whatever gifts and resources we have been blessed with are worthless if we cannot lovingly and faithfully hand them over to the Lord when he has need of them.
