Today's Passage - Luke 19:32-36

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 19:32-36   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.'  They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.  As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.   The Lord rode the colt into Jerusalem, which represented His status as the king.  First, He was riding the colt and many people misunderstood it as a sign of humility.  We often think that kings are supposed to ride with multitude of vehicles or on a beautiful white horse.  Because Jesus was riding a colt, even though his entry into Jerusalem did cause an uproar in Jerusalem, the Roman government didn't pay too much attention to it.   Actually, in the Old Testament, when a king was enthroned, he would not ride a horse, but a donkey.  1 Kings Chapter 1 described the scene of the enthronement of Solomon, who was riding a donkey.  Therefore, Jesus purposely rode a donkey into the city, and the people and Pharisees at the time immediately knew that Jesus entered Jerusalem as a glorious king.  Jesus, however, was full of humility and gentleness, for He never forced anyone to accept Him; He could have brought with Him the angels and army of the heaven to wipe out all the opposing force, but He rather use the love of the cross to draw us to Him, until we willingly come to love Him and serve Him.  Revelations tells us that until today, He is still standing outside our heart and knocking on the door, and if anyone hears Him and opens the door, He will enter their life.  Jesus Christ is the king of the universe, and He wants to be the ruler of our life.   On the other hand, when Jesus sent two disciples to find the colt, He told them: "...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 untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"  When the Lord wanted the disciples to say this, the words actually carried the authority of the Lord, as it reveals that our Lord is the ruler of the universe, for everything belongs to Him.  Gospel of Mark says that this colt was never ridden by anyone, and no one can stay on such a colt for more than a few seconds; however, in the hands of Jesus, the colt was quietly used by Him.   Lord Jesus is not only the ruler of the universe, ruler of all souls, He is also the ruler of all things and He's worthy of our praise and for us to serve.  The Lord is a glorious king, so let us praise Him together!     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you and praise you!  You are the ruler of everything in the universe, and the glorious king.  We welcome you into our life to rule us, so we ask that you remove everything that doesn't belong to you, remove all the authority of darkness and sin, so that we may enjoy freedom, peace and joy in you.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!