M A T T H E W 2 1 : 1 - 10
As Jesus and His disciples approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olive, He sent 2 of His disciples saying (verse 21:2-3) “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. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Verse 21:5 is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
In verse 21:2-3, Jesus talking to His disciples. Now He is speaking to us.
Here we read that Jesus sent His two disciples. Similarly Jesus wants to send us too. Where to? The Lord desires to send us into the midst of those who are against Jesus and His kingdom. He wants to send us to those who are under bondage to heal, deliver, and pray for them. Here Jesus says, “You will see a she ass and its colt.
J E S U S T E L L S U S , you who are not desired by anybody, I need you, who are under bondage, He needs to make your life full.
In Exodus 13:13, according to Moses law, all first-borns are for the Lord. The neck of the first-born ass is to be broken, which means they are in bondage. When Jesus comes into us, who are under bondage, we will become respectable, noble, and desirable to others.
The donkey represents the authority of the word of God. One needs to rely on the word of God.
Man chooses what strikes his eyes and mind, while God chooses the less obvious that strikes the heart as good.
Jesus chose fishermen and ordinary people as His disciples, not scholars.
The donkey knew that all the praise and appreciation that came along the way was for Jesus. Like the donkey, we should consider that it is enough for an owner to be used by Jesus to carry His message to the world and seek no reward or honor beyond that. The presence of Jesus on the donkey was enough reward and enough blessing. Always remember that we are God’s chosen donkeys to do the will of God. Never take the credit for all, just be grateful for His grace that we have been chosen to do His will.
PRAYER Lord, I praise you. You freed us who were bound. Now send us according to your will, to free many of those who are in bondage.
SOL.ALOYSIUS, AOJ