Here’s a sentence I’ve read hundreds of times and given little thought to:
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 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. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”…Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” (Mark 11.1 – 3…Luke 19.32 – 34, NIV)
Did you see it?
“The Lord needs it.”
These accounts of the Triumphal Entry are the only places in the entire Bible where “Lord” and “needs” occur in the same verse except Isaiah 58.11 where the Lord is meeting our needs and Joshua 9.27 about the Gibeonites meeting “the needs of the altar of the LORD.”
This speaks to the humility of Jesus. (See Philippians 2.5 – 8). As a man, he needed things: for example, rest and water to drink (John 4). In this case, he needed a donkey. He asked (probably arranged ahead of time) and someone provided. His father could have created a donkey for him or he could have bought one out of their treasury, but he just borrowed one.
Even today, God could send angels to proclaim the gospel, but he chose to train men and have the message spread from person to person. Hence, in that sense, “The Lord needs us.” He could miraculously provide for every person in need, but he prefers to have those needs met through people.
Just a few weeks ago I recalled how early in our marriage, June and I had an unexpected expense and no margin in the budget to meet it. It was “only” about $200, but it was $200 more than we had. And just as unexpectedly, a friend of ours, someone we knew through The Navigators, a single Naval officer, just endorsed his paycheck and mailed it to us. The amount? About $200!
How does the Lord want to use you to meet “his needs”?
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9.35 – 38, NIV)
Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. (Titus 3.14, NASB)