Jesus Sends His Followers on a Foal's Errand

Luke 19:28-40

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Jesus Sends His Followers on a Foal’s Errand

You’ve heard of a fool’s errand, right? It’s a task that has very little – or absolutely no – chance of success. There’s no such thing as a left-handed screwdriver or blinker fluid or a can of polka dot paint or cordless wire! If you send someone out to grab them then either you’re trying to make a point in a sermon, or you’re trying to make a fool out of someone.

The last thing I want to do is make a fool out of anyone. But I do want to make a point about the kind of tasks that God calls us to do.

In our Gospel reading, Jesus sent his disciples not on a fool’s errand, but on a “foal’s errand.” To them, there might not have seemed to be much of a difference, but for believers that one little vowel makes all the difference in the world.

Jesus sent two of his disciples to do something that, under ordinary circumstances, would have had very little chance of success. Jesus said,

“Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”[1]

Can you imagine being one of those two disciples, tasked with going to a village to take a donkey from a stranger with only 4 words of explanation if anyone objects? That’s a foal’s errand. If anyone other than Jesus tells you to do that, you would say, “No way! I don’t want to be arrested as a horse thief.”

Even if it were Jesus telling you to do that, wouldn’t it still be hard to do? How could you be sure that it’ll play out the way Jesus says? What if the donkey’s not there? What if I say, “The Lord needs it,” but the owners don’t care? There are so many things that could go wrong in this scenario!

But look how it all plays out: Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.[2] The colt was right where it was supposed to be. The owners did ask the disciples the exact question Jesus said they would. And, amazingly, the 4-word explanation, i.e. “The Lord needs it,” was all it took to persuade them to let the disciples have this donkey.

This tells us a few things about Jesus and his disciples.

It tells us that Jesus is omniscient – he knows everything. Now, there is no indication in any of the gospels that there was any preexisting arrangement with the owners of this donkey for Jesus to have it. In fact, there’s every suggestion that this would have come as a complete surprise to the disciples and the donkey’s owner. But it didn’t surprise Jesus, because he knows everything – he’s omniscient. So, he could tell his disciples what to expect and they could trust that what he said would come true.

It also tells us that Jesus has the right to requisition our resources. That’s kind of what this whole scene is all about. As we heard last week, Christ is our King. He has the authority to command us to do anything, and we are under obligation to obey.

But the most curious phrase in this entire passage tells us something fascinating about Jesus. He told those two disciples to say,

“The Lord needs it.”[3]

How can God possibly need anything that we possess? Everything we are and own already belongs to him. He is our Creator. He is the one who gave us everything we have.

Not only that, he’s all-powerful. He could snap his fingers and create a Clydesdale to ride into Jerusalem on. But he chooses to need a colt that didn’t belong to him. It’s not even a real donkey. It’s a baby donkey. Of all the things to need, why this?

Well, it tells us the last thing we need to know about Jesus. It tells us that Jesus is humble and gentle.

Here’s what we didn’t read in our gospel for today: By the time that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, there was already a well-known plot to kill him. The Twelve were certain that if Jesus entered the city, he would die. The pilgrims, who were there to celebrate the Passover, doubted that Jesus would even show his face. Everyone knew that Jesus coming to Jerusalem would end badly.

But he came anyway. And not only that, but when he did come, although he had a veritable army of supporters singing his praises, he didn’t come in a show of power or with a threat of violence. He came on a borrowed burro – a beast of burden, but more than that, a beast of peace.

Jesus came to Jerusalem in peace to bring peace not among people on earth, but as the Passover pilgrims sang,

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.”[4]

Jesus came to bring peace between you and God, to restore the relationship that we strain with sin, and Jesus was prepared for what was about to happen to him. He predicted it and tried to tell his disciples – several times – that he would be handed over to the chief priests and teachers of the law, that he would be beaten and suffer at their hands, that he’d be killed later that week, and rise from the dead.

And he didn’t try to stop it. He didn’t snap his fingers and create a Clydesdale or summon a legion of angels to defend him. He rode on a baby burro he borrowed from somebody in Bethphage. Because he loves you and was willing to pay that price for you. He was willing to lay down his life for you to give you eternal life and peace in heaven with God forever.

And look what that love inspired his disciples to do. Even though they didn’t know what the future held for them or for Jesus, they trusted him. Even though he sent them on a foal’s errand, they didn’t question him or drag their feet. They went and found it just as he had told them. Jesus said he needed them and without hesitation they served him.

God needs you too.

Isn’t that insane to imagine?

God needs you too.

Not in an absolute way. Not as if he’d be powerless to do what he wants to do without you. But he needs you because he’s chosen to.

Jesus could have ridden into Jerusalem on any donkey, but no matter which one he chose, it would have belonged to somebody. What an honour it must have been for those Bethphageans to give their colt to the Christ, i.e. to answer the call and serve their Lord.

God calls you to serve too. Maybe you don’t have a donkey to give, but, honestly, in this passage, it’s not so much about what we can do in service to God, but how we can serve him.

Think about those two disciples. Jesus told them to go somewhere and do something that must have felt incredibly uncertain and very awkward. How could they know that the donkey would be there, or that the owners would let it go? They couldn’t know, but they could trust in Jesus.

You can trust in Jesus too. He calls us to do lots of things that are uncertain and awkward. I think about the ministry plans that we’ve tried to put into place these last 2 years – Sunday School, community service projects, fellowship events, Christmas services. There’s no certainty that we’ll be able to any of the things we plan. But God doesn’t want us to do nothing, just because we’re not sure how it’ll turn out. He wants us to trust him and to know that even if our efforts don’t produce the effects that we want to happen, his word will not return to him empty but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he sends it.[5]

We may have to have awkward conversations too – make requests of people or encourage them to do something that might make them sensitive, e.g. “I haven’t seen you in church in a while. How are you doing?” “Hey, I know you feel a particular way about protocols, but I’d like you to think about what effect your words and actions have on others.” We don’t know how people will respond, but God doesn’t want us to say nothing. He says,

“Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”[6]

We don’t know how people will respond, but we know that God will be with us.

And we could on down the list.

Those donkey owners were asked to give up their property. They didn’t hem or haw or heehaw about it. They gave without hesitation, without fear of what it would cost them.

The disciples literally gave the clothes off their backs to give Jesus something he could sit on and something a barnyard animal could walk on. They didn’t hold back or hesitate. They gave freely knowing what it would cost them, but knowing that it was worth it.

The crowd tore branches from trees. They saw the opportunities around them to praise Jesus, and they seized them. They sang Jesus’ praises at the top of their lungs, not daunted in the least that there were people there who wanted to silence them.

That’s what God calls for from you too. It could come in the shape of a colt or a cloak. It could come in the form of a question or songs of praise. But the point is that Jesus calls you to go on foal’s errands too. Sometimes we worry that what God promises us won’t come true. Sometimes we’re afraid of what obeying God’s commands will cost us. Sometimes we question and hesitate and drag our feet, but Jesus never did. He rode that donkey straight through the city gates, knowing full well that death was waiting for him there. But he did it anyway because he loves you.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow – first for your King, but also – for each other and everyone else. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when Jesus comes again.[7] Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.  

[1] Luke 19:30,31

[2] Luke 19:32

[3] Luke 19:31

[4] Luke 19:38

[5] Isaiah 55:11

[6] 2 Timothy 2:4

[7] 1 Thessalonians 3:12,13

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

Christ Is King Now, Forever, and Always

Daniel 7:13,14

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Christ Is King Now, Forever and Always

Do you know what this is?

It’s the royal coat of arms for the U.K. When I was a kid, I thought these were so cool. Mythical creatures, mysterious messages, every little detail means something special. I used to dream that there was some royal connection in my family going back hundreds of years and we’d have a coat of arms too.

Of course, when reality set in that my family was not that special, I always thought it would be fun to make a crest. These days there are whole websites for that – glossaries of symbols and their meanings. You could go make a royal coat of arms for your family this afternoon if you wanted to.

In fact, that’s exactly what I want to do with you today, but not for the Metzgers. It’s Christ the King Sunday, so let’s come up with a royal coat of arms for our King, for Jesus, and let’s do that on the basis of Daniel 7.

The coat of arms for the U.K. has a lion on it to symbolize nobility and strength and valour; it has a unicorn to symbolize courage and bravery. Those are the qualities the U.K. wants to be associated with. What qualities of Jesus should we try to convey in his coat of arms?

Daniel gives us a good place to start. He says,

“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power.”[1]

Those are good qualities for a king to have. The question is, what symbols can we use to convey authority, glory and power? Should we use a lion or unicorn like the U.K.?

Or how about these symbols that Daniel mentions earlier in Chapter 7?

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream...

Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were… four great beasts.

“The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. 

[The second] looked like a bear. It… had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.

[The third] looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads.

[The] fourth beast [was] terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left… it had ten horns.[2]

Wouldn’t these make great symbols for a coat of arms? Better than a unicorn, right? Each of them is fierce and powerful and deadly in its own way. You wouldn’t want to mess with any of these four beasts. They all convey authority, glory and power.

But none of them represent Jesus. They were actually four very real – and very dangerous – kingdoms from earth’s history: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Each of them was fierce and powerful and deadly in its own way. They all commanded authority, glory and power.

The Babylonians were the ones who invaded Daniel’s homeland and carried him and his fellow Jews off into 70 years of captivity. Babylon was the world power of Daniel’s day. It was bigger, badder and more beastly than any kingdom before it.

…until the Persians came and conquered Babylon. Then the Persians were at the top of the heap. And because they didn’t just conquer Babylon but also defeated more territories and nations around them, they became the biggest and baddest and most beastly.

…until Alexander the Great from Greece came and did the same thing to Persia that Persia had done to Babylon. And then Rome did to the Greeks what the Greeks had done to Persia – each kingdom growing bigger, badder and more beastly.

These are not pictures of Jesus at all. These are pictures of people and nations that tried to claim Jesus’ authority, glory and power for themselves. And even scarier than the descriptions of these nightmarish beasties is the fact that, to a degree, for a time, they succeeded. They won their wars. They conquered people and nations. They sat on the most powerful thrones in the world. For a while.

But no matter how successful they were, no matter how long they sat on that throne, none of them held on to their power forever. Just before our text for today Daniel writes that while they were allowed to live for a period of time, every one of these “beasts [has] been stripped of their authority.”[3]

We don’t have to worry about the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, or the Romans anymore. We don’t have to worry about lions, bears, or leopards – oh my! None of them exist anymore. None of them can threaten us. They’re all toothless, powerless, lost to the sands of time. None of those beasts can claim authority, glory or power anymore.

But there is one who can. That’s the one that Daniel describes in verse 13:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.[4]

Here are some things we can put on Jesus’ coat of arms. Let’s start with those clouds.

Clouds may not seem like the best picture to capture authority, glory and power. They’re just water vapor in the sky, right? They can’t fight battles for you or protect you from much more than a sunburn. But this is the perfect place to start, because it helps us understand how Jesus is different than every other king.

Jesus is not a product of this world. His rightful place is in heaven, at the right hand of his Father, the position of authority, glory and power over heaven and earth and all that exists. Heaven is his rightful home, but he came once, and is coming back again, to rule this world.

And he’s doing it as one who looks like “a son of man.”[5]

Compared to a ten-horned beast with iron teeth, a normal human like us doesn’t look all that fierce or powerful or glorious. There’s a reason you don’t see many people on coats of arms.

But the fact that Jesus came from heaven to earth and entered into his own creation, was born of a woman, just like you and me, tells us so much about our King. It means he loves us and will do whatever it takes to help us.

Imagine that you’re Jesus for the first couple thousand years of human history. You’re up there in heaven watching nations like Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome – these fearsome, deadly beasts – wreak havoc on the people you love. You’re up there seeing the devil – that ancient dragon – deceive and tempt people to sin. You’re in heaven and you see a flood of the humans you love in danger of being swept into hell forever. What are you going to do?

We know what Jesus did. He didn’t sit idly by. He didn’t say, “Oh well, we’ll try again next time.” No, he gave up all the authority, glory and power that were rightfully his as the almighty Son of God at the right hand of his Father in heaven, and he came to earth and became a son of man. He lived in flesh and blood, just like you and me. He ate and drank; he walked this earth and breathed this air, just like you and me. He became our brother, so that he could be our Saviour.

Jesus needed to be a man so that he could take our place, so that he could live the perfect life that we were meant to live, so that he could die the death that we deserve for our sin, so that he could rise from the dead and ascend into heaven as the promise and guarantee that you will join him there in your human body too.

To put a person on a royal coat of arms is not the most impressive picture. But it tells us how much God loves us – that he was willing to become like one of us to save all of us. And it was precisely that sacrifice that not only won our salvation, but earned for Jesus the victory parade we read about in Daniel 7:

He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.[6]

You’ll be there, and so will everyone who believes that Jesus is their Saviour, whether they live in Canada or the Republic of Congo, whether they lived in the 21st or the 1st century. Anyone – everyone – who has ever believed in Jesus gets to look forward to being part of this procession, to line the streets of heaven and give Jesus the glory that he deserves, to praise him because his kingdom will never end.

That’s what Daniel says,

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”[7]

That’s why I chose an oval shield. It has no beginning or end – just like Jesus’ kingdom.

That’s kind of weird to think about, isn’t it? Not the concept of eternity, but that Jesus has always, is now and always will rule as the King of kings and Lord of lords. It doesn’t always feel or look that way, does it? It often feels and looks like certain people and governments of this world are in charge.

That’s what Pontius Pilate thought when Jesus was brought to him. He sure didn’t look like a king at that moment. But Jesus was in charge even then. He wanted to go to the cross for you, even though it would mean pain and death for him. That’s the kind of King he is – one who would sacrifice everything to save you. No one understood it at the time. Not the Jews, not Pilate, not Jesus’ own disciples. But now, looking back, with the help of God’s Word, we know what he was up to – our salvation!

Jesus is still in charge now. We may not always understand how. It may not look or feel like it in the moment. But the governments of this world – the four-headed leopards and ten-horned beasts – they’re not really in charge. Jesus is. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. All the empires and nations of this world will eventually flame out, but his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

And that means something for you, right here and right now. It means that you don’t have to fear the beasts. They may have power for a time, but Christ is King forever. They may impact your daily life, but he rules your eternal heart and soul.

It means that you shouldn’t make those monsters your mascots. In other words, don’t hinge your hope on the governments of this world to give you every good thing; put that hope in Christ your King, just as he promises to work all things for your good, to rule all things in heaven above and on earth below, to include you in and make you into his kingdom forever.

And finally, it means that we don’t have to wait to worship him. This picture of Christ our King is not some vague future promise we’re waiting to see fulfilled. Christ rules right now. He is sitting at the right hand of his Father in heaven, ruling over all creation. He lives in your heart by faith and rules in your life on earth so that you can live with him forever in heaven. Don’t wait for him to come back with the clouds of heaven on the Last Day. Praise his name today and every day. Christ is King now, forever and always. To him be authority and glory and sovereign power for ever and ever. Amen!

[1] Daniel 7:14

[2] Daniel 7:1-7

[3] Daniel 7:12

[4] Daniel 7:13

[5] Ibid

[6] Daniel 7:13,14

[7] Daniel 7:14

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS