“THE LORD NEEDS THEM!”

Matthew 21:1-11                           (ESV)

“1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then JESUS sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, '”THE LORD NEEDS THEM””,' and he will send them at once."

4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

5 "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" 

6 The disciples went and did as JESUS had directed them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "HOSANNA to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! HOSANNA in the highest!"

10 And when HE entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?"

11 And the crowds said, "This is the prophet JESUS, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Palm Sunday wasn’t just another day in History.   It was the beginning of the most Holy Week of the year for GOD’s chosen people, and indeed the entire world!  JESUS began HIS journey by sending two disciples into the village near them to get a donkey and her colt.   Why, “THE LORD NEEDS THEM” was the response they were given to report to anyone who asked.  

Formerly, I was angry with Peter and the rest of the disciples for abandoning my LORD when HE needed them most.  But then the “scales were removed from my eyes” and I understood that JESUS was fulfilling GOD’s Plan for mankind just so I could be redeemed by HIS precious blood.     Not one person, even HIS mother, was able to defend JESUS as HE was paying the debt that I was unable to pay.  GOD had a Plan and it took JESUS to complete HIS Plan.  

Scripture doesn’t indicate what happened to the donkey and colt after JESUS was delivered.  The disciples were told to respond “THE LORD NEEDS THEM” and after doing their job, the animals were left in anonymity.  Similar to the donkey and colt, we are CREATED to glorify GOD, AND NOT OURSELVES!  We can’t be so caught up in the “ministries” we are involved with that we fail to recognize WHO it is we are worshiping?  Sometimes we claim to be doing HIS work, and we fail to even recognize HE WHO is sovereign over ALL!

Colossians 1:15-20 says that JESUS Created ALL THINGS and HE could have made us to Praise and adore HIM by default.   But Hebrews 11:6 lets us know that WITHOUT FAITH IN HIM we can’t please HIM!  The only way that we can please HIM is to recognize that “THE LORD NEEDS THEM” to trust in HIM!!!