Luke 19:28-40 - And when He [Jesus] had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'" So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has need of it." And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As He was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the Name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

I just love the way Jesus comes to Jerusalem, the way God Himself chooses to enter the capital city of His own people—because everything is borrowed. Nothing is ready for Him! Nobody is expecting Him! And what gets me is that He accepts that situation completely—he's not angry or bothered or upset. He just gets on with handling everything Himself.

So He sends two disciples to go fetch a donkey—not a horse. If Jesus is going to make His own arrangements, they are going to be humble ones! And they have no saddles, so they use a couple of cloaks instead. There isn't any red carpet, either—so it's clothing again, borrowed from the disciples. Really, anybody watching would have serious doubts about what kind of a King this is!

But we know. This is the King who loved us so much, He came down from heaven and became a human being, formed in the body of His mother like any human child. This is the King who was born in temporary housing and put to sleep in a feeding trough. This is the King who became a refugee before He was five, and returned home to grow up in Nowheresville.

Everything is borrowed, everything is humble, everything is unprepared. Except for His own heart, which was prepared before the foundation of the world to love us and save us and give Himself for us, even into death—so that He might make us God's dear children. And because He died and rose again from the dead for love of us, now we who trust in Him are welcome in God's own kingdom, to live in joy and love with Jesus forever.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to me. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. When have you prepared for an important event like a birthday or a wedding?

2. Why do you think God seems to like unprepared situations for Jesus' coming?

3. How did Jesus come into your own life? Was it prepared, unprepared, or both?

Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 33-34    1 Peter 5

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