Have you ever noticed that everything on Palm Sunday is borrowed? The colt and its mother, definitely. But what about the cloaks of the disciples? Jesus sits on them, because He has no saddle. The crowd also lend Him their cloaks, this time for a royal red carpet. Others borrow branches from the trees beside the road. And of course there are the palm branches people are waving!
It makes perfect sense for Jesus to borrow all this, because in less than a week, He is going to borrow something even greater—the sin, shame, guilt, and death of the whole world. None of that belongs to Jesus by right; it is ours, bought and paid for. But He takes it. He takes it away from us, all the way to the cross. He takes it to His borrowed tomb. And He leaves it behind when He rises from the dead.
What has He given us in exchange, then? Life. Love. Forgiveness. A new creation.
WE PRAY: Thank you, Lord, for what You took, and what You gave me. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* How do you think Jesus knew about the donkeys and where they would be?
* If you’re going to ride an unbroken young colt, why would you want the mother animal around?
* What specific gift from Jesus do you treasure most?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.