Jesus Needs a Jackass!

Wednesday afternoon, January 9, 2008

This is what Jesus said concerning His means of transportation into Jerusalem for His “triumphal entry” into that city: “Go into the village opposite you, in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has even sat; untie it, and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ thus shall you speak, ‘The Lord has need of it’” (Luke 19:30-31). Hmmmm—interesting, to say the least!

In the first place, it is very difficult for me to believe that Jesus ever really NEEDED anything, certainly not a jackass; however, this text indicates that, well, He needed this particular jackass.

In the second place, His reason for “needing” this jackass, really blows me away—it would be His means of transportation for His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem! Surely, He could have chosen a black stallion, or at least a Pinto, even a Palomino, but no, not Him—nothing would do Him but a common, unbroken jackass, aka a donkey!

In the third place, if (and I do say IF) He really needed this donkey, He could have very easily said, “Let there be a donkey” and there would have been a donkey, I mean a jackass of a donkey—in the right place and at the right time. I mean, shucks, this would have been a “piece of cake” for Him, but no, He NEEDED this jackass—the one that was tied to the tree over by the synagogue, the one that had never been ridden because he wouldn’t let anyone ride him.

In the fourth place, the men who asked why the donkey was being untied, owned the thing (vs. 33), and it is my guess that they stood scratching their heads, as a result of the response they received—”The Lord has need of it”. I can only imagine the look on their faces, as their donkey was being led away, and I would love to have seen the look on their faces the next morning when they opened the “Jerusalem Gazette” and saw Jesus riding their donkey into Jerusalem, along a path strewn with coats and palm fronds!

One more thing before I get to my point: When Jesus NEEDS something that you think is yours, even if it is only a jackass, you might as well do as these guys did and give it up without a fight, and, I might add, you (like these guys) will in all probability be amazed at what He does with your “jackass”!

Now, the fact is this: Jesus does not NEED anything. He is completely self-sufficient; however, He sometimes pretends to NEED something in order to let us get in on the action, in order to bless us with the gift of participating in what He is doing. Again, I can only imagine how those two disciples (vs. 29b) felt when they “found it just as He had told them” (vs. 32). Because I know nothing about the men who owned the donkey, I cannot say how they responded; however, if they loved Jesus, I can tell you that they were mighty proud that He was riding on their donkey (probably wishing they had received an advance notice, so they could have offered Him one of their finest horses!).

So, quit concerning yourself with whether or not Jesus NEEDS anything and make up your mind to be ready to untie your “jackass,” if He should pretend to need it and send someone for it. I can only tell you this: you will be glad you did—really glad. Not to mention this: you will probably get the surprise of your life!