Mark 11:1-11, Zech 9:9-13
Have you ever had something of value stolen from you? For the first six years of my ministry in the Church of England, the Lord called me to serve in a part of England renowned for vehicle crime during which my car was broken into 7 times and actually stolen once. On the day that my car was stolen from Durham it was later found by the police abandoned in a field 13 miles away near Peterlee. When I finally recovered my car I felt personally violated and abused.
Imagine, however, that instead of stealing it those responsible for taking my car had asked to borrow it instead? Naturally I would have enquired as to why they wished to borrow my car and just imagine how I would have felt if I had been told that our late Queen had need of it?
My car at the time was a VW Jetta, a small four door saloon car and hardly suitable for the conveyance of our late Sovereign, but let us imagine that these people were insistent on borrowing my car so that it could be used by the Queen.
Imagine how proud, pleased and astounded I would feel watching my little car with the Queen seated in the rear flanked by police outriders in a motorcade being driven majestically through the streets of Durham lined with cheering crowds waving Union flags?
Imagine that scene and you will have captured a little of what happened on the first Palm Sunday when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem from Bethphage riding on the borrowed foal of an Ass.
We read in v 2 of our gospel that Jesus had pre-briefed the two disciples where to find the animal, but from v 3 it seems unlikely that Jesus had come to some prior arrangement with the owner.
The Theft Act 1973 defines Theft as being “the appropriation of the property of another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it.”Jesus quite clearly had no intention of doing this. He gave strict instructions to His two disciples that if questioned they were to say, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.” (Mark 11:3), but instead of following Jesus’s instructions the disciples replied by telling onlookers that, “Jesus had told them to” (Mark 11:6). They said nothing to reassure them that the animal would be returned “shortly” and yet amazingly the suspicions of the onlookers was satisfied and they let the disciples lead the animal away without any further objection.
This was not the first time Jesus borrowed something. He borrowed Peter’s boat to use as a preaching platform (Luke 5:2-3). He borrowed a little boy’s packed lunch in order to feed not just the little boy, but over 5000 other people (John 6:9) and He was to borrow a tomb for His own burial (Luke 23:53). Now, He needed to borrow a young donkey. But why a young donkey? Surely choosing a young donkey to ride into Jerusalem was like our late Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth having chosen to enter into Durham city in my VW Jetta rather than a chauffeur driven Daimler?
The answer to this is of course to be found in our Old Testament reading today. Jesus chose the donkey as His temporary means of borrowed transport in fulfilment of the prophecy written about Him by the Prophet Zechariah shortly after the end of the Exile at the end of 520 BC.
Jesus entered the city in the manner expected of the Messiah who was to enter the City of Zion on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The animal was a symbol of peace in contrast to the war horse customarily ridden by a conqueror.
This King of Peace would enter Jerusalem, the City of Peace to bring about an eternal era of peace. The character of this Messianic King was to be “righteous” and yet “lowly” (Zech 9:9), but in spite of His humble character His destiny was to:
“Take away the chariots from Ephraim, the war-horses from Jerusalem and to take and break the battle-bow. He was to proclaim peace to the nations and the extent of His rule is to extend from sea to sea and from the Mediterranean seas to the ends of the earth.” (Zech 9:10-13)
The King was to be humble, but also mighty and victorious.
On seeing Jesus enter the city in such a manner it is no wonder that the crowds lining the streets got so excited. Sadly we know that this excitement was to last for just one day only and it would not be long before some from the same crowd would be yelling “crucify Him.”
It would seem that the religious leaders of the time did not interpret Jesus’s triumphal entry as a fulfilment of Zechariah’s long waited prophecy. Even to this day the majority of followers of Judaism are still waiting for their Messiah, but that day will never come.
On this occasion like all the others Jesus had no intention of permanently depriving the rightful owner of their property. Jesus returned Peter’s boat to Him after He had finished with it. The young boy’s small picnic was returned and multiplied and although not recorded we rightly assume that this young donkey was returned as promised at the end of the day.
I want to finish this message by posing you all a question. What do you have that Jesus may have need of? If such a request were made then would you be willing to give it to Him?
We would like to think that we would, but how many times have we refused help to another? Remember Jesus taught in Matt 25: 40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” and “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matt 25:45).
When I went off to boarding school, my father sternly counselled me quoting Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “Neither lender nor borrower be.” Borrowers place themselves at the mercy of the lender who if unscrupulous will cause misery and lenders are reliant on the integrity of the borrower who if unscrupulous will also cause misery. It is for this reason that lending and borrowing is discouraged, but Jesus was and is a borrower. There will may come a day when Jesus says to you, “I have need of it!” Will you respond willingly or will you deny His request?
Jesus tells us to give without expecting return (Luke 6:34) and yet those who give to Him will receive hundred, sixty or thirty times in return (Matt 13:8).
Rather like the WW1 recruiting poster depicting Lord Kitchener pointing with the slogan “Your country needs you”, Jesus has need of you. He has need of your money, your things, your time and perhaps most especially your prayers. Jesus has need of you. If He can make use of a donkey, He certainly can make use of you and your talents and time.
Perhaps you don’t feel up to the job? I have heard it said that the Lord does not so much seek ability, but availability.
Will we make ourselves available to the Lord today? Let us pray that that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us ways that we can be of service to the Lord and aid in untying us from the bonds which keep us from doing so.
Amen.