Mark 11:1-3 “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'"
Though this passage is the introduction to one of the more celebrated stories in the gospels there is so much to enjoy in it beyond the well-known triumphal entry of Christ into the city of Jerusalem. As the disciples are approaching the area surrounding the Mount of Olives Jesus sends two of His disciples on a mission to retrieve a colt that He will use to ride upon as He enters the city. What is interesting in this passage is the reality of God’s preparation for the fulfillment of His purpose.
Jesus is about to fulfill the messianic prophesy found in Psalm 118:26 and referenced by Him in Luke 13:35 where he reminded some of the Pharisees of the triumphal greeting “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The events that are about to take place have been in the heart and purpose of God from ages past. They were declared through the Psalmists of old and here at this moment the purpose of God is about to be realized. In the midst of this setting what is truly amazing is that there, at the crossroads of history, God has already provided a colt upon which the king will enter Jerusalem. He has already revealed to His Son where this colt is waiting and how to go about accessing this resource, down to even the right words to say! This truth needs to speak to every person who will attempt to do the works of God.
What is so evident within these first verses of Mark 11 is the reality that God has already provided for His purposes. Where God ordains, God provides. This story in Mark 11 was the fulfillment of something in God’s heart from the very beginning of His plan and yet there at the appointed time the need was met. This must be the confidence of every person who will do the work and will of God. When we have the need we will find the colt tied at the side of the road and we will be given the right means to access that provision.
The roll of the disciples was simple in its expression. In this situation the disciples were not asked to do anything of great merit. They were simply given the direction of God and asked to walk out the process of acquiring God’s provision. How uncomplicated God made it for them to participate in this miraculous provision to fulfill God’s plan and purpose. Many times we overcomplicate the mission that God has assigned to us. We strive to acquire and to make things happen that would happen with a natural sense of flow and ease if only we would wait on the divine direction that will lead us to what God has already provided. This is not to say that there is no work involved in fulfilling the purpose of God but there is a way of obedience that greatly lessens man’s need to strive and walk in anxiety of heart as we do God’s purpose. May each one of us find that place of restful, attentive obedience that we might find God’s leading as He directs us to the colt at the side of the road!
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