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Crazy tasks become possible (Mark 11:2-3) August 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 10-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:2-3
Jesus: Go to that village over there. As soon as you get into the town, you’ll see a young colt tied that nobody has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it back to Me. If anybody stops you and asks what you’re doing, just say, “The Lord needs it, and He will send it back right after He’s done.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

What do you think would happen today if the disciples did the same thing they did as they approached Bethphage and Bethany? I suppose it would partly depend on where it happened. In some places they might find themselves staring down the barrel of a shotgun or rifle. They might find a guard dog chewing on their leg when they tried to untie the colt. They might discover police cars surrounding them and thrown into the back of a paddy wagon on their way to jail.

I’m not sure there are nearly as many trusting souls today as there were in Jesus day. Maybe there are, and I’m sure Jesus would pick out the right person for His disciples to visit to make the prophecies come true just as they are written, but can you imagine if you were one of those disciples? Let’s put the story into a modern setting.

You are following Jesus and listening to His words. He is on His way to the capital city to finish His task on earth. As you approach Washington, He says, “Go to Georgetown and you’ll see a red convertible parked on the street. Hop in and drive it away. If anyone asks what you’re doing, just tell them I need it and you’ll bring it back when I’m through with it. I want to ride that convertible into the city.”

So you walk into Georgetown and there among the brownstones you see a red Corvette convertible that happens to have the keys in it. Bingo. You jump into the drivers seat and start the engine. Then the owner steps out of the Starbucks on the corner. “Hey, what are you doing? That’s my car.”

“It’s okay. Jesus wants it. I’ll bring it back when He’s through with it.”

Feel good about those directions from Jesus? Are you ready to go pick up that car and drive it away? Are you excited about going into town and just taking off with someone’s property that you don’t know? Takes some faith to do what Jesus wants us to do sometimes. We don’t always stay in our comfort zone when we walk in the path Jesus tells us to go, but we will have some exciting times.

We don’t know the details of who Jesus talked to or how He arranged for the colt. Maybe the colt belonged to a friend. Maybe another of His disciples went ahead of the group and arranged for the colt to be tied in the village so that when Jesus and His entourage came it would be there. Maybe Jesus just knew it would be there and that the owners had heard of His exploits and would be willing to give up the animal for His use.

Scripture doesn’t tell us any more than a few simple facts that Jesus told His disciples to go to the village, find the colt, and bring it back. He gave them a simple message for the owner or any others who might question their actions and apparently things happened just as Jesus predicted. The next thing we know is that Jesus rode that colt into the city and that’s the extent of our knowledge of the event.

Sometimes it would be nice to know more of the details, but we can surmise that the disciples who went to carry out Jesus directions did so with the confidence that it would happen just like He said it would. Or maybe not. Maybe Jesus sent a couple of His disciples that still had some doubts about who He was and what He could do. Maybe He sent a couple of His disciples to see that He had abilities that could not be explained by ordinary means. That He really was the Son of God.

We don’t know how all of the events and actions surrounding this little colt transpired. We don’t know how much trouble these disciples had getting an unbroken colt back to Jesus. It’s not always easy to lead a colt that has never been ridden. They sometimes don’t want to be led anywhere. We don’t know if it decided to stay where it was or whether it followed meekly or whether they pulled and dragged and pleaded with the animal to get it from the owner’s house to the crowd where Jesus waited. We do know Jesus was about to ride an unridden colt into a city crowded with people. Now that is really brave. No one rides and unbroken colt into a crowd! Someone is about to get hurt.

What does all this mean for us? Jesus will sometimes give us some crazy sounding tasks to do for Him. They may sound ridiculous to us and almost impossible to carry out. But Jesus makes a way. I’m not sure those disciples knew they could make it happen when they went into the village, but Jesus did. And when He gives us a task to do, He make it possible for us to complete it. No matter how hard it may seem, He make the impossible possible. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Specializing in the little things (Luke 19:28-48), Jan 19, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Luke 19.
Many people know about what is commonly called Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem the last week of His life. Many of those who think Him only a prophet think He acted according to scripture only because of His deep study of the scriptures. They don’t believe He was truly God incarnate. They don’t look at the details of the stories recorded about Him to understand He wasn’t just any man or any prophet.

Zechariah foretold the coming of the King 500 years earlier. He said He would come riding on a donkey, specifically on a colt, an unridden colt. Most today haven’t been around unridden animals, but it isn’t common to ride into town on an animal that’s never been ridden. Think a minute about the westerns you’ve seen. The horse that throws its rider is the nature of an unridden animal. As soon as the disciples tried to put the cloaks on its back, it would have tried to shake them off.

But not this one. Not in the presence of My Son. The colt acted like a well trained adult horse, not a brand new unridden donkey colt. The disciples put their cloaks on it to provide a makeshift saddle and Jesus rode it across the narrow paths of the steep hillsides into the gates of Jerusalem. No bucking, no resistance, no missteps. One of My creation carried My Son exactly as I told Zechariah it would 500 years earlier. Jesus knew where the colt would be. He knew its owners would release it without question. He knew it would return with the disciples without hindrance. He knew He could ride the untamed animal. He knew all of this, not because all of it was written in scripture. Only the fact He would ride into Jerusalem on a colt was foretold. The rest He knew because He was My Son, the God-Man.

Maybe it sounds like a little thing to you. I specialize in little things, like forming each individual snowflake that together add up to mountains of snow in the winter. Forming each raindrop around a speck of dust and letting it fall to earth to replenish the rivers that flow to the oceans. I paint each flower petal before folding it into the DNA of each seed that falls into the ground.

I specialize in the little things that become the incredible things. The prophecy seemed like a little thing to Zechariah 500 years before it happened. It seemed like a little thing when the disciples picked up the donkey from the owners the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. It seemed like a little thing when He told His disciples He would not eat the Passover with them again. You see I specialize in little things and make them pretty incredible.

I can take things you might think are little and make them pretty incredible, too. In this one story of one event in Jesus’ life, a story that consumes only eight verse in Luke’s gospel, you see how small things mean a great deal to me. I specialize in the small things in life. Imagine what I can do with your life. In the small things and the big things that come your way.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Luke 19:28-48
Set – Genesis 48; Luke 19
Go! – Genesis 47-48; Psalms 19; Luke 19

Luke 19:28-48
28 When He finished the parable, He pushed onward, climbing the steep hills toward Jerusalem.

29 He approached the towns of Bethphage and Bethany, which are near Mount Olivet. He sent two of the disciples ahead.

Jesus: 30 Go to the next village. When you enter, you will find a colt tied—a colt that has never been ridden before. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you why you’re untying it, just say, “The Lord needs it.”

32 So the two disciples found things just as He had told them. 33 When its owners did indeed ask why they were untying the colt, 34 the disciples answered as they had been instructed.

Disciples: The Lord needs it.

35 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on the colt’s back, and then sat Jesus on it. 36 As Jesus rode along, some people began to spread their garments on the road as a carpet. 37 When they passed the crest of Mount Olivet and began descending toward Jerusalem, a huge crowd of disciples began to celebrate and praise God with loud shouts, glorifying God for the mighty works they had witnessed.

Crowd of Disciples: 38 The King who comes in the name of the Eternal One is blessed!

Peace in heaven! Glory in the highest!

Pharisees (who were in the crowd): 39 Teacher, tell these people to stop making these wild claims and acting this way!

Jesus: 40 Listen—if they were silent, the very rocks would start to shout!

41 When Jerusalem came into view, He looked intently at the city and began to weep.

Jesus: 42 How I wish you knew today what would bring peace! But you can’t see. 43 Days will come when your enemies will build up a siege ramp, and you will be surrounded and contained on every side. 44 Your enemies will smash you into rubble and not leave one stone standing on another, and they will cut your children down too, because you did not recognize the day when God’s Anointed One visited you.

45 He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. He began driving out the temple merchants.

Jesus: 46 The Hebrew Scriptures say, “My house shall be a house of prayer,” but you have turned it into a shelter for thieves.

47 He came back day after day to teach in the temple. The chief priests, the religious scholars, and the leading men of the city wanted to kill Him, 48 but because He was so popular among the people—who hung upon each word He spoke—they were unable to do anything.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.