Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Job 37-38
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 21:2-3
Jesus: Go to the village over there. There you’ll find a donkey tied to a post and a foal beside it. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone tries to stop you, then tell him, “The Master needs these,” and he will send the donkey and foal immediately.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
I remember the first time I heard this story, I thought Jesus just told the disciple to go steal a donkey. That’s not a nice thing to do! Why would Jesus steal a donkey? It’s still easy to think that if you don’t stop to remember that the Bible isn’t a detailed history book. The writers tell us what they remember and what God puts in their hearts to relate to us for our understanding of His plan of salvation for all humankind.
We assume there were twelve disciples because we have the names of twelve. But there were undoubtedly a lot more than twelve. At Jesus’ ascension, some 500 gathered to see Him rise in the clouds with the promise He would return the same way one day. Many of those 500 were His disciples, not just the twelve, but followers, those who wanted to be like Him. That’s the definition of a disciple, a person who desires to study a learn and be like his teacher.
That’s why we have the distinction between the title Apostle and disciple. There are twelve apostles and there will never be more than that. Those are the twelve chosen by Jesus to draw very close to Him, learn from Him throughout His three year preaching ministry, and then carry on the work of building His church after His resurrection and ascension. But His disciples are too numerous to count and the number is growing every day and men and women find Him through faith and give themselves to Him as living sacrifices.
So what’s the answer to this great mystery? How did Jesus know about the donkey and the foal?
No doubt one of His disciples lived or had relatives or friends in the village Jesus speaks about in His command to the disciples He addresses in this command that Matthew records. It’s not hard to assume this disciple has gone there to take care of his household affairs, plant a crop, check on lambs that are just being born in the spring, feed cattle or whatever might be happening in the little village. Jesus might have seen the disciple ride in or ride out on a donkey. And the donkey, late in pregnancy might have been ready to deliver.
The miracle part of the story, of course, would be to know the donkey and foal would be tied together. Unless the disciple in the village already had his instructions from Jesus. Is it too far fetched to think those things were planned? No. Would it be a miracle for Jesus to have the knowledge that all those things were in place without anyone telling Him. Yes. Could it have happened that way? Yes
Would it have been a miracle for Jesus to have planned for the donkey and foal to be standing ready for Him in the village and send other disciples to fetch the animals as they drew closer to the village on their way to Jerusalem? Yes it would. Think about the timing of the event. A foal is not very old. To have a donkey and its foal tied together in the village just at the right time as Jesus and the rest of His entourage were passing through would not be an easy feat for even an extraordinary man. But Jesus knew it would happen.
Why was Jesus so sure the donkey and colt would be available? Because He knew He was the long awaited Messiah. He also knew His mission would take Him to Jerusalem and He would be heralded as the King of the Jews riding in to the city in the manner described 500 years earlier by the prophet Zechariah on the backs of humble beasts of burden, not on the back of a stallion as most conquerors would.
So He came into the city, riding on the backs of a donkey and an untamed foal. Now that is a miracle. I don’t know if you’ve ever ridden a donkey with an untamed animal tied to it. I haven’t, but I’ve seen others who have tried to ride those untamed animals. It’s usually not a pretty picture for the rider. But Jesus rode into the city, through a crowd of people with His disciples leading the parade. No one was trampled. The donkey and foal apparently behaved themselves. That’s a miracle!
The people waved palm branches, threw their cloaks onto the dusty road, shouted praises, heralded Jesus as King. The din must have been tremendous as the guards came out to settle what they thought was a riot. Still the animals remained quiet and controlled. Now that’s a miracle!
The planning to have a donkey available as Jesus passed by? I’ve learned as I’ve grown a little more mature that’s not so hard to do. And Jesus wouldn’t ask His disciples to heist a donkey. I think the donkey was planned. Riding that donkey and a new foal through that crowd, now that’s something only God could do.
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