And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
Jesus sent two disciples a short distance ahead to loose and bring an unridden young donkey for His ride from Bethany to Jerusalem, telling them to answer any question with the claim that the Lord needed it. That borrowing prepared His public presentation as Messiah and heir of David's throne, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of a just and saving King coming humbly on a donkey. The crowds and disciples hailed Him as King and expected Him to take David's throne and reign as a temporal prince, yet within days He was crucified and their hopes were crushed until His resurrection revived them. In the same entry He wept over Jerusalem for rejecting His mercy and love shown in dying for sinners, looking beyond its destruction to an impenitent world doomed to perish. The Lord still has personal need of every man and woman to advance His cause and present Christ to perishing souls, calling rather than compelling them to consecrate themselves wholly and cooperate with Him.
Words and Setting
Luke 19:31 belongs to the account of Christ arranging to ride a colt into Jerusalem. It took place on the first day of the week when Jesus resumed His journey from Bethany to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. He was accompanied by multitudes who had flocked to Bethany to see Him and by many on their way to the city for the feast who continually joined them.
The distance was short and He had always chosen to travel on foot, so the disciples were puzzled why He should prefer to ride. Jesus sent two of His disciples a short distance to loose and bring a young donkey for Him to ride into Jerusalem. It was a colt, the foal of an ass on which no man had ever sat, which He selected and took for His own use. If anyone asked why they were untying it, they were to answer that the Lord had need of it.
The preciseness of that instruction revealed His divine knowledge. Though the animal was needed for His royal entry into Jerusalem, He depended on a stranger's kindness. The request was readily granted.
Prophetic Royal Entry
The fetching of the colt prepared for His public presentation as King and Messiah, heir to David's throne. Riding humbly on the animal used by Israel's kings fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy of a just and saving King who comes humbly, riding on a donkey.
The ride set in motion a triumphal procession unlike those of earth's conquerors, with no train of mourning captives as trophies of valor. Its trophies were captives rescued from Satan's power praising God for deliverance. The blind whose sight was restored led the way, the dumb whose tongues were loosed shouted the loudest hosannas, and healed cripples bounded about breaking palm branches and waving them before Him. Widows and orphans exalted Him for mercy, cleansed lepers rescued from living death spread untainted garments in His path and hailed Him as King of Glory, and those awakened from the sleep of death joined the throng. Lazarus, whose body had seen corruption in the grave and was now restored to full strength of glorious manhood, guided the humble beast upon which his Liberator rode.
In glad enthusiasm the disciples spread their garments on the colt and set Him upon it, and as soon as He was seated a loud shout of triumph hailed Him as Messiah and King. He now accepted homage He had never before permitted, while the joyful multitude gave Him the worship of happy hearts. They spread outer garments as a carpet in His path, strewed olive and palm branches in the way, waved palm boughs as nature's emblem of victory, and cried Hosanna with loud acclamations. He rode a donkey while the crowd waved palm branches and spread garments before Him. It took place in a beautiful season when many had gathered for the feast, and the raising of Lazarus had drawn an enthusiastic crowd eager to see Jesus.
Hope brightened in the disciples' hearts with the joyous thought that He was about to enter the capital, proclaim Himself King of the Jews, and assert His royal power. They shared those glowing anticipations with His friends and the crowd, and the excitement spread far and near. That excitement raised the expectations of the people joining Him to the highest pitch as they treated the procession and its acclamations as a welcome of Messiah and King.
Expectations and Calling
Those who welcomed Him honored Him as King and expected Him to take David's throne and deliver Israel, to take an earthly kingdom and reign as a temporal prince and be crowned king amid the Hosannas to the Son of David. That expectation was not fulfilled as they imagined. When the priests and elders told Him to still the multitude He declared that if they held their peace even the stones would cry out, because prophecy must be fulfilled. Within a few days those same disciples who believed He would reign saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above mocking Pharisees, their high hopes disappointed and the darkness of death closing about them, and they were overwhelmed with grief. His resurrection revived their hopes, though they had misunderstood what His kingdom would be. Their disappointment was greater than the later disappointment over His expected coming, yet He was true to His promises, giving sweet consolation to His people and a rich reward to the true and faithful.
The same entry shows Him weeping over the city because it rejected His mercy and love. That mercy and love are shown supremely in His death for sinful people, so they need not perish in their sins. His weeping looked beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction, making the subject solemn.
The Lord may have need of a person for a particular work. That call should lead the person to seek God's will and consecrate herself wholly to Him. If He calls her to serve, she may be assured of His guidance and sustaining help. The Lord has need of you personally for the advancement and honor of His cause. He calls rather than compels, and He does not do His work without the cooperation of the human agent. That need means rallying around the standard to uplift the truth and God's downtrodden law and to present Christ and His righteousness to perishing souls in great spiritual blindness, with every man and woman needed and with ministering angels accompanying those who respond.
Jesus sent two disciples a short distance ahead to loose and bring an unridden young donkey for His ride from Bethany to Jerusalem, telling them to answer any question with the claim that the Lord needed it. That borrowing prepared His public presentation as Messiah and heir of David's throne, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy of a just and saving King coming humbly on a donkey. The crowds and disciples hailed Him as King and expected Him to take David's throne and reign as a temporal prince, yet within days He was crucified and their hopes were crushed until His resurrection revived them. In the same entry He wept over Jerusalem for rejecting His mercy and love shown in dying for sinners, looking beyond its destruction to an impenitent world doomed to perish. The Lord still has personal need of every man and woman to advance His cause and present Christ to perishing souls, calling rather than compelling them to consecrate themselves wholly and cooperate with Him.
Words and Setting
Luke 19:31 belongs to the account of Christ arranging to ride a colt into Jerusalem. It took place on the first day of the week when Jesus resumed His journey from Bethany to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. He was accompanied by multitudes who had flocked to Bethany to see Him and by many on their way to the city for the feast who continually joined them.
The distance was short and He had always chosen to travel on foot, so the disciples were puzzled why He should prefer to ride. Jesus sent two of His disciples a short distance to loose and bring a young donkey for Him to ride into Jerusalem. It was a colt, the foal of an ass on which no man had ever sat, which He selected and took for His own use. If anyone asked why they were untying it, they were to answer that the Lord had need of it.
The preciseness of that instruction revealed His divine knowledge. Though the animal was needed for His royal entry into Jerusalem, He depended on a stranger's kindness. The request was readily granted.
Prophetic Royal Entry
The fetching of the colt prepared for His public presentation as King and Messiah, heir to David's throne. Riding humbly on the animal used by Israel's kings fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy of a just and saving King who comes humbly, riding on a donkey.
The ride set in motion a triumphal procession unlike those of earth's conquerors, with no train of mourning captives as trophies of valor. Its trophies were captives rescued from Satan's power praising God for deliverance. The blind whose sight was restored led the way, the dumb whose tongues were loosed shouted the loudest hosannas, and healed cripples bounded about breaking palm branches and waving them before Him. Widows and orphans exalted Him for mercy, cleansed lepers rescued from living death spread untainted garments in His path and hailed Him as King of Glory, and those awakened from the sleep of death joined the throng. Lazarus, whose body had seen corruption in the grave and was now restored to full strength of glorious manhood, guided the humble beast upon which his Liberator rode.
In glad enthusiasm the disciples spread their garments on the colt and set Him upon it, and as soon as He was seated a loud shout of triumph hailed Him as Messiah and King. He now accepted homage He had never before permitted, while the joyful multitude gave Him the worship of happy hearts. They spread outer garments as a carpet in His path, strewed olive and palm branches in the way, waved palm boughs as nature's emblem of victory, and cried Hosanna with loud acclamations. He rode a donkey while the crowd waved palm branches and spread garments before Him. It took place in a beautiful season when many had gathered for the feast, and the raising of Lazarus had drawn an enthusiastic crowd eager to see Jesus.
Hope brightened in the disciples' hearts with the joyous thought that He was about to enter the capital, proclaim Himself King of the Jews, and assert His royal power. They shared those glowing anticipations with His friends and the crowd, and the excitement spread far and near. That excitement raised the expectations of the people joining Him to the highest pitch as they treated the procession and its acclamations as a welcome of Messiah and King.
Expectations and Calling
Those who welcomed Him honored Him as King and expected Him to take David's throne and deliver Israel, to take an earthly kingdom and reign as a temporal prince and be crowned king amid the Hosannas to the Son of David. That expectation was not fulfilled as they imagined. When the priests and elders told Him to still the multitude He declared that if they held their peace even the stones would cry out, because prophecy must be fulfilled. Within a few days those same disciples who believed He would reign saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above mocking Pharisees, their high hopes disappointed and the darkness of death closing about them, and they were overwhelmed with grief. His resurrection revived their hopes, though they had misunderstood what His kingdom would be. Their disappointment was greater than the later disappointment over His expected coming, yet He was true to His promises, giving sweet consolation to His people and a rich reward to the true and faithful.
The same entry shows Him weeping over the city because it rejected His mercy and love. That mercy and love are shown supremely in His death for sinful people, so they need not perish in their sins. His weeping looked beyond the destruction of Jerusalem to an impenitent world doomed to destruction, making the subject solemn.
The Lord may have need of a person for a particular work. That call should lead the person to seek God's will and consecrate herself wholly to Him. If He calls her to serve, she may be assured of His guidance and sustaining help. The Lord has need of you personally for the advancement and honor of His cause. He calls rather than compels, and He does not do His work without the cooperation of the human agent. That need means rallying around the standard to uplift the truth and God's downtrodden law and to present Christ and His righteousness to perishing souls in great spiritual blindness, with every man and woman needed and with ministering angels accompanying those who respond.