What is Your Donkey's Name?

And when they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead, Saying to them, Go into the village that is opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie [them] and bring [them] to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall reply, The Lord needs them, and he will let them go without delay. This happened that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, Say to the Daughter of Zion [inhabitants of Jerusalem], Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey [a beast of burden]. Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their coats upon them, and He seated Himself on them [the clothing].  Matthew 21:1-7 (AMPC)

Jesus had sent two disciples to go into Bethphage to get a donkey.   The problem: it was not their donkey. It was someone else’s donkey.  But that's okay because if they were challenged by the owner, they were told what to say.

Verse 3:  If anyone says anything to you, you shall reply, The Lord needs them, and he will let them go without delay.

This was the language of a royal levy, which was an ancient law which required a citizen to render to his king any item of service which he or one of his officials might request.  Do you see what Jesus was saying?  As the King, He has rights to anything his subjects have. He was claiming that right in this situation.

Sure enough, the disciples were challenged in the midst of what would have appeared to be a case of horse thieving (or donkey-thieving). And when they gave the response which Jesus had commanded, they were permitted to take the colt.

The disciples did not have any idea who this man was. The scriptures do not say that they recognized him. They only knew that he was providing a need.  There are a lot of God's people who are unknown... most actually- who are called to be faithful where God has put them, whether they get a lot of attention or not.  We don’t know this man’s name. We don’t know anything about him except that he gave something that he had to Jesus.

What is the application for us? Jesus is to be our Savior and our Lord.  And if He is your Lord, He has the right of a Lord to demand anything or to send His representatives to demand anything. That is exactly what He does.  He calls us to recognize His ownership of everything that we thought was our own, and then He makes us co-heirs of everything that is His.

Are we being obedient to the King?  Are we being obedient to His representatives (His pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists and prophets)?  The best definition of sin is one word: disobedience.  Failing to obey is sin.

James 4:17 (New Century Version- NCV) says:

Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning.

It sounds harsh, but when we fail to heed the call for help in the house of God, it is sin- plain and simple.  But when we obey- oh the rewards we receive!

Let's look at this another way.  It was extremely important that the man give his donkey.   On its own, the donkey was not much- a simple beast of burden, but when He gave it to Jesus, its significance and importance to the plan of God could not be measured.  If he had not given his donkey, Jesus would not have fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy about his entry into Jerusalem.  It was up to the Messiah to fulfill every messianic prophecy.  And if Jesus had not fulfilled every prophecy recorded about the Messiah- then His identity as the Savior would not have been established.  If even one of those prophecies had gone unfulfilled, it would have made Him a fraud.

Today Jesus is in need of your donkey so that His plans for the Kingdom can be fulfilled- so his plans for your church, your city, your state, and even the world can be fulfilled.  Will you heed His call?  Will you obey His command?  Will you do your part to see that every plan and purpose God has for man is fulfilled in these last days?

Your donkey refers to what you have to contribute. What's your donkey's name?  Is its name "Nursery Worker?"  Maybe it is "Tither and Giver."  Is it named "Sanctuary Greeter?"  Is it called "Mentor of Baby Christians?"  Perhaps it is called "Cleaner of Church Toilets." 

Whatever it is that you have to contribute, it is time to give it to the King.  What is your donkey's name, and more importantly, will you give it to King Jesus?