Embracing the Future
Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem. They
came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of
Olives. There Jesus sent two of his followers to do
something. Jesus said to the followers, "Go to the town you
can see there. When you enter it, you will find a young
donkey tied there. No person has ever ridden this donkey.
Untie the donkey and bring it here to me. If any person asks
you why you are taking the donkey, tell that person, 'The
Master needs this donkey. He will send it back soon.'"
-- Mark 11:1-3 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus knows the flow of events that will follow. He knows what awaits
him in Jerusalem: reception, rejection, and resurrection. He goes to
face this future trusting that his father is in control. He has warned
his followers at least three specific times that he will go to
Jerusalem and be rejected and crucified. Now, he sets the plan in
motion. He sends his followers to get the colt that begins his journey
of sacrifice and salvation. He embraces that future knowing the cost.
Along the way, he will have opportunities to turn away from that future
-- he can not ride into Jerusalem on the donkey's colt, he can avoid
confrontations with the powers that be in Jerusalem, he can opt out of
the sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, he can call down angels to
save him, he can refuse to go to the Cross, and he can come down from
the Cross to prove his identity. Yet in each case and at every
crossroad of decision, Jesus embraces the will of God, accepts his role
as sacrificial Son, and fulfills the prophets' words. The Cross will be
no accident. His sacrifice will not be something forced upon him. His
rejection and humiliation will not be some awful surprise over which he
has no control. Jesus has come to "serve and give his life as a ransom"
for sinners ... even the very sinners who will mock, abuse, and murder
him. This is the future Jesus embraces as he sends his followers for
the colt. He has need of this colt to begin this final part of the
journey that will ultimately take him to the Cross and bring his grace
to us.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
O Father, I am overwhelmed with the love that Jesus has for me. I know
that as he sends for the donkey's colt, he knows the journey to the
Cross has begun in earnest. He knows he will pay for my sins with his
life, his dignity, his agony, and his blood. All I can do is bow in
humble appreciation, adoration, and awe. As the old hymn reminds me,
"Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all." These I
offer to you with all my heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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