As Lent goes on, it is important for us to remain sober in the spirit, reflecting upon the suffering of Jesus and how He gave his life for us in order to save us from sin and death. The incident of Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey or colt has a very important significant lesson for us all.
In the Christian community, this is called Palm Sunday, for our savior was recognized as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords as He rode on the donkey into Jerusalem. Luke 19:30-38 says,
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.
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Here are 3 important lessons we can learn from this passage:
1). The fulfillment of the word of God through Zechariah’s prophecy.
Jesus is the word of God that becomes flesh and dwelt among men. He was born to fulfill the word of our living God. On this Palm Sunday Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of God’s word through prophet Zechariah, saying “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you, triumphant and victorious is he; humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.:
Zechariah 9:9.
As He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, it marks the fulfillment of these words spoken through prophet Zechariah, who foretells the triumphant victory that our Lord Jesus will achieve for us through His death. In this season of lent, let us position ourselves to respond to the word of God to us so that we will also like our Lord Jesus will be able to fulfill the words which He has spoken about each and every one of us.
2). Whatever that is holding us bound to serve the Lord effectively should be untied.
Jesus sends His disciples to go into the village as you enter, you will find a donkey tied, untie it and bring it to me, and if anyone asks you tell them that the Lord needs it. This donkey was made for the purpose of the Lord but was tied. We are often tied up with so many things in our lives, such as guilt, anxiety, unforgiveness, and so many other concern.
Some of us are tied with worldly activities. Jesus told His disciples to untie the donkey. This same word is for you today, May the word of the Lord untie you from every entanglement of the enemy in your life so that you will be an instrument of love, peace, faith, and joy among the people.
As we celebrate Christ our King on this Palm Sunday, let us untie ourselves and be free to celebrate Jesus as our
liberator from dependencies and afflictions.
3). The Attitude of a donkey
Jesus did not choose any other animal to ride on but a donkey, because He wanted us to learn something from the attitude and characteristics of a donkey. A donkey is a humble animal, which is able to endure many things, perseveres, and has a lot of strength.
In this lent period, we should cultivate and put on the attitude of humility, endurance, perseveres, and strength to overcome any situation that we face. Jesus was humble unto death, He endured the suffering and shame on the cross, knowing that through His death, we might be saved.
In other words, let us remain humble to the words of God, enduring with perseverance and strength looking forward to the author and finisher of our faith, who was humble to death and was given the name that is above every other name that by the mention of His name every keel must bow and confess that Jesus is that Lord of all- Philippians 2:8–11.