Mark 11:1-11 (ESV)

¹ Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples ² and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. ³ If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” ⁴ And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. ⁵ And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” ⁶ And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. ⁷ And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. ⁹ And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” ¹¹ And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

While on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead to get a young, unbroken donkey. According to Jewish tradition, a king’s mount should never be ridden by anyone else. If someone were to question the disciples, Jesus instructed them to reply, “The Lord has need of it.” Jesus referred to himself as “Lord,” suggesting his divine authority. Some did question the two disciples. They repeated what Jesus told them, and the bystanders simply let them go. The two brought the young donkey to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back to form a last-minute saddle. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, many took off their cloaks and joined in the procession. But instead of throwing their cloaks on the donkey, they threw them on the road. They spread branches on the road too. Then the crowd began to call out, “Hosanna!” This word was originally used as a prayer to God and can be translated “Save, I pray.” “Hosanna in the highest” meant “Save us now, O God in heaven.” The crowds called for a blessing upon the one who came in the name of the Lord and upon the coming kingdom of David. Verse 11 says Jesus went into the temple and looked around to see how it was being used. Little did those around him know that the God the temple was constructed to worship stood right there in the midst of them.

Jesus knew what was coming. He gave the two disciples specific directions because he had everything prearranged. Jesus foresaw not only the plan to get the donkey and the right response to questioners, he knew everything that was coming. We wonder what it would be like to know the future, yet we forget that there are future things we know already. For example, we all know our time on earth is limited. We know we won’t be here forever, but even though we know this we often try to push it out of our thinking. We somehow believe that if we don’t think about it, it won’t happen soon. But failure to consider our end isn’t wise. Maybe we need to make some changes today in light of what we know about the future. Let’s never forget that even though we don’t have all the details like Jesus did, we aren’t totally in the dark about what’s coming, and we’re responsible to live accordingly.