At last Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem. 

Luke 19:28 – 36

Jesus comes to Jerusalem as king

²⁸ After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ³⁰ ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” say, “The Lord needs it.”’

³² Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. ³³ As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’

³⁴ They replied, ‘The Lord needs it.’

³⁵ They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. ³⁶ As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

For some time now Jesus has warned his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and the temple – the very centre of the religious heart of his people. He will go as the Messiah, but he will also go as one under a death sentence. Just prior to this scene Jesus has contrasted his kingdom with that of a ruthless ruler, a hard man punishing his servants. Jesus’ kingdom is not like that. Now Jesus fulfils Old Testament prophesy about the coming of the Messiah as he is about to come riding on a foal of a donkey. He carefully fulfils the prophecy concerning the Messiah so that those who are looking out for him are in no doubt. 

Luke gives us a fair amount of detail about the obtaining of this colt – a young donkey on which no-one had yet ridden. Jesus is in control of his environment. He has authority over the colt and its owners. “The Lord has need of it”– the disciples are instructed to say to the colt’s owners. And in response they hand it over. 

Here we get a picture of Jesus’ lordship and authority over his creation. And isn’t it the same with us and our lives and our possessions? It all belongs to him.  

Do we really believe that Jesus Christ possesses all things, and that He has the right to lay claim to them, to dictate how they are used, at any time? I think that we are far less inclined to let go of things than those who owned these two animals. It is one thing to acknowledge our Saviour as “Lord,” and as the possessor of all things; it is quite another to live this way. Our willingness to release possessions into His hands is a testimony to His lordship over our lives. 

Head: Do you have trouble believing that everything belongs to God? 

Heart: If so, what needs to change in your attitudes before you can believe that? 

Hands: Sometimes becoming more generous in small things can affect a heart change towards our grip on our possessions. Are there small steps you can enact along these lines? 

Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father 

I thank you that Jesus is not like other kings. I thank you he is compassionate and loving towards his servants. But I thank you that he is also powerful. Help me Lord to really believe that everything belongs to you. And help me to be more willing to give over any right I might have to my possessions when you have need of them to further your purposes in your kingdom as it interacts with my world. 

A song to listen to: I Surrender 

Tim Hewlett 

Living Church – Creek Road