Christ's ONE Need

Christ had NEED of ONE thing in the Scriptures.  Can you imagine...the Sovereign Almighty God actually stating he needed something?  This is a man (a God man) that fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness desert of temptation, who unabashedly performed miracles and preached to hostile crowds, never needing man's approval or praise.  He also seemed to never need followers, as He appeared to turn away many a potential convert with discussions on the cost of discipleship.  He graciously accepted meals, a lavish gift of a perfume foot bath, and welcomed the children to come to Him...but He only stated he NEEDED something once.  We see it in the last week of His earthly life, on that triumphant Palm Sunday as he nears Jerusalem.  Matthew 21: 1-3 states, "Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”  We see in this passage that Christ's ONE need...was a donkey.  He needed that donkey to ride into Jerusalem and fulfill the culmination of his earthly ministry, His death on the cross for the salvation of the world.

Well, what do we know about donkeys?  According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, they have a "notorious reputation for stubbornness," are stupid, are "most often associated with those who live at or below sustenance levels," and are classified as a "beast of burden."  Their primary role is to carry loads, up to 20% of their body weight, which translates into loads of nearly 200 pounds!  Well, you might be wondering what Christ's need of a donkey might have to do with US today.  You see, making this connection is critical to understanding one of our most essential and exciting roles as believers!  Just like on that first Palm Sunday, Christ has a need for a donkey, even now.  His need is that we,  as His followers, bear one another's burdens and intercede on one another's behalf. Galatians 6:2 tells us, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  But before you grown under the weight of it all (being a pack donkey just doesn't seem glamorous, easy, or fun!) Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30).  Recall that He rebuked the Pharisees for loading people with unnecessary burdens to bear in the law (Luke 11:46).  Christ needs faithful, ordinary believers like you and me who will be available to do His bidding and carry one another's burdens as we intercede for them in prayer.  And...this is the exciting part...as we fulfill this humble yet critical role, we too, like that prophetic donkey on Palm Sunday, will work to usher in the culmination of Christ's ministry here on earth as we see it fulfilled with every answered prayer!  And we will be granted the privilege of rejoicing in the lightness of the weight of His glory amidst the shouts, "Hosanna!" (literally, "Save us, please!"), an echo of our gratitude to God, a thanks to Him in worship for rescuing us.  Though we might be stubborn, obstinate, and slow to learn at times, Christ has a need!  Will you be faithful along with me to fulfill this humble, yet rewarding, call?  To know where to start, check out my last post on intercession.