Palm Sunday - The Triumphal Entry Luke 19:28-40

A friend once gave me some dating advice back in college that essentially went like this, “Isaiah, relationships are like fish, if you hold the fish too tightly after you catch it out of the water, it will probably slide out of your hands, but if you don’t hold it tightly enough, it will flop away. You gotta learn how to hold things appropriately.” Now obviously the Triumphal Entry in the Gospels isn’t about dating, it’s about Jesus. More so, it is about recognizing Jesus as King, but I do also think there is something for us to learn about our resources in this snapshot of Jesus’ life. While my friend was talking about how to hold relationships well, I think his advice is also relevant for how we view our resources in light of the coming of Jesus as King.

Every time I read this story, I cannot help but think about the people who owned the colt that Jesus rode in on. Did they already know who Jesus was? How did Jesus know they would give it up? One commentator says that the fact that Luke points out that the colt had multiple owners may suggest that they lived in poverty. Therefore, this was not necessarily like a president loaning out the official government vehicle for Jesus to ride in on. It was probably more like someone from an impoverished part of town loaning their only means of transportation and/or source of income so that Jesus could continue to do what He came to do: to proclaim year of the Lord’s favor as the Lord’s anointed one, the Messiah (Lk. 4:16-21). And how did the owners know they needed to submit their resource, their colt, to this man named Jesus? All they were told is that, “the Lord has need of it.” Somehow, they recognized who “the Lord” was. Not only that, but they recognized that their “reasonable act of worship” was to give Jesus what He asked of them in order that the multitude might see Him for who He really is: as the King who comes in the name of the Lord (Lk. 19:38), one who comes to bring peace (Zech. 9:9-10).

This is what Jesus invites us into as our Lord and Savior: a life of worship and service. But this is not just service for the sake of service. When we properly recognize Jesus as Lord and Savior, we see that our resources can be used to show others who Jesus is. How might Jesus be inviting you to submit your resources to His mission in worship and service? Where is He telling you, “The Lord has need of it?” How will you respond?

Isaiah Thomas, Pastoral Intern

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