The Lord Has Need of It

The Lord Has Need of It.  Underscoring Christ’s humility, who entered Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a war horse, is the easily overlooked detail that the donkey he rode was borrowed. His Majesty, King Jesus, could have legitimately confiscated any donkey or horse that he desired, since: “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof” (Psa. 24:1). Or, Christ could have materialized inside any locked palace skipping all modes of travel. No, never—Jesus showed common courtesy to the donkey’s owner through his disciples: “If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately’” (Mark 11:3). It is apparent from cross-references that two donkeys were involved: mother and foal. Jesus wanted the young one (John 12:14), “on which no one has ever yet sat (Luke 19:30), and so arranged for the mother to join: “Untie them and bring them to me” (Matt. 21:2). Jesus’ head would have barely raised above the standing crowd.

“And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, ‘What are you doing, untying the colt?’” (Mark 11:4-5). Conceivably, the animal’s caretakers balked for many reasons: untying the (untrained) colt, potentially separating a baby from its mother, allowing a stranger to borrow livestock, and proceeding without a formalized contract. While it is impossible to determine the subtle tone of the dialogue about the donkey, since merely the summary of it is included in each of the four Gospel accounts, one thing remains clear: although Jesus was courteous, he was not technically asking permission. The most forceful factor for lending the animal(s) seemed to be the word of the Lord. “And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go” (Mark 11:6). Is Jesus asking? In that case borrow the animal, of course, right away!

Assistance to walk the two miles between Jerusalem and the villages of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives was not why Jesus borrowed the colt. He had walked that path many times before in his life; footing it seemed to be what Jesus did most in his three-year public ministry. The donkey had another deeply symbolic and significant role to play that day. Precisely because it was less than a horse (Deut. 17:16), a mule is what both David and Solomon rode into Jerusalem when their time came to present themselves publicly as king (1 Kings 1:38). Yet different than a mule, a young donkey is lower still. As a sign, the Messiah will ride into Jerusalem explicitly on a donkey when his time comes to present himself publicly as king (Zech. 9:9), accompanied not by soldiers but by singers and children. Jesus will not need the donkey twice that day, or ever again! Next time he will ride “a white horse” (Rev. 19:11).