This is a study of all the things Jesus borrowed in the Gospels. He had reason to do so even though there are bad things about borrowing.

1. JESUS WAS A BORROWER
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Mark 11:2-3 2sayingto them, "Go to the villageahead
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. 3If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?'
say, 'The LORD needs it and will send it back here
shortly.'"
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES
VERSE 2
Adam Clarke Commentary
Whereonnever man sat - No animal was allowedto be employed in sacred
uses, even among the heathen, that had previously been used for any domestic
or agricultural purpose; and those which had never been yokedwere
consideredas sacred. See severalproofs ofthis in the note on Numbers 19:2;
(note), and add this from Ovid: -
Bos tibi, Phoebus ait, solis occurretin arvis,
Nullum passa jugum curvique immunis aratri
Met. lib. iii. v. 10

2. The Delphic oracles this answergive: -
Behold among the fields a lonely cow,
Unworn with yokes, unbrokento the plough.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And saith unto them, Go your way into the village that is over againstyou:
and straightwayas ye enter it, ye shall find a colttied, whereonno man ever
yet sat;loose him and bring him.
As to which village was meant, there is no certain way to determine it; but
Matthew's mention of their coming to Bethphage with no mention of Bethany
suggeststhat the latter was the "village over against" them. Mark and Luke
writing at a later date than Matthew threw in the name of the village where
they gotthe colt. This writer is aware that this contradicts the notions
regarding Mark's being the first gospel;but this is only one of a hundred
examples in the text itself suggesting the priority of Matthew, a position which
this writer accepts as far more likely to be true. The historicalfact of
Matthew's being the first book in the New Testamentis of immense weight.
A colt tied ... The mother would not depart from the colt if the latter was tied,
hence it was unnecessaryto tie both animals. Tying the mother, on the other
hand, would not restrain the colt from wandering off. Both were tied.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And saith unto them, go your way into the village,.... Either of Bethany or of
Nob. The Ethiopic version renders it "the city", and so reads a copy of
Stephens's:some have thought the city of Jerusalemis intended, but without
any reason;See Gill on Matthew 21:9;
over againstyou. The Syriac and Persic versions read, "over againstus":the
sense is the same;for Christ and his disciples were together:this suits with
either of the above mentioned places:

3. and as soonas ye be entered into it; are come to the town's end, and to one of
the first houses in it,
ye shall find a colt tied: Matthew says, "anass tied, and a colt with her",
Matthew 21:2; both no doubt true:
whereonnever man sat; which had never been backedand broke, and which
makes it the more wonderful, that Christ should chooseto ride upon it, and
that that should quietly carry him:
loose him, and bring him; that is, awayto me.
Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
As ye enter (εισπορευομενοι — eisporeuomenoi). So also Luke 19:30. Present
middle participle.
Colt (πωλον — pōlon). So Luke 19:30. Matthew 21:2 speaks ofthe ass (ονον —
onon) also.
Whereonno one ever yet sat(επ ον ουδεις αντρωπων εκατισεν — eph' hon
oudeis anthrōpōn ekathisen). See Luke 19:30.
. Renewal1960.
return to 'Jump List'
Vincent's Word Studies
Colt
Only Matthew adds the ass. Mark and Luke havecolt only.
The Fourfold Gospel

4. and saith unto them, Go your way into the village that is over againstyou1:
and straightwayas ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied2, whereonno man
ever yet sat3;loose him, and bring him.
Go your wayinto the village that is over againstyou. Probably Bethphage, for
Jesus startedfrom Bethany.
And straightwayas ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied. Numerous
Scripture references show that the ass was held in high estimation in the East.
The sons of the judges used them, and David's mule was usedat the
coronationof Solomon(Judges 10:4; 1 Kings 1:33).
Whereonno man ever yet sat. It is specificallystatedthat no man had ever sat
upon this colt, for if the colt had been used by men, it would have been unfit
for sacredpurposes (Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7).
John Trapp Complete Commentary
2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over againstyou: and as
soonas ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereonnever man sat;
loose him, and bring him.
Ver. 2. Whereonnever man sat]As if it had been done on set purpose. Here
was a wheelwithin a wheel, Ezekiel1:10, the better to convince the stubborn
Jews ofhis kingly office.

5. Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Mark 11:2. Go your way, &c.— Go to the village there before you. Heylin. To
yonder village that faces you. Versionof 1729. OurSaviour probably pointed
with his finger to the village.
Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomonof the New Testament
Mark 11:2. κώμην, village) Bethphage.— ἐφʼὃν οὐδεὶς,(24)upon which no
man) Not readily would there be found such a colt at one and the same time
and place;this one, therefore, was reservedfor the Lord. Those creatures or
things which are to serve Christ, must be free from all pollutions of sinful
bodies; see Matthew 27:60. This colt, though untamed, yet bare Him as a
sitter.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Matthew saith an ass and a colt. The other evangelists speak onlyof the colt.
The heathens, by a light of nature showing them there was a reverence and
honour due to the Divine Being, were wont, in the use they made of creatures
for any Divine service, to use such as they had not before used for common
uses:the Philistines, 1 Samuel 6:7, sending home the ark, set it on a new cart,
and took two milch kine on which there never came yoke. But our Saviour
probably made choice ofsuch a colt for the further notice of the miracle, (colts
being when first backedmore unruly), or for some other wise end which we
know not.
Alexander MacLaren's Expositions ofHoly Scripture
Mark
A ROYAL PROGRESS
Mark 11:2.

6. Two considerations help us to appreciate this remarkable incident of our
Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The first of these is its date. It
apparently occurredon the Sunday of the PassionWeek. The Friday saw the
crossesonCalvary. The night before, Jesus had satat the modest feastthat
was prepared in Bethany, where Lazarus was one of the guests, Martha was
the busy servant, and Mary poured out the lavish treasures of her love upon
His feet. The resurrectionof Lazarus had createdgreatpopular excitement;
and that excitementis the secondconsiderationwhich throws light upon this
incident. The people had rallied round Christ, and, consequently, the hatred
of the officialand ecclesiasticalclasshadbeen raised to boiling-point. It was at
that time that our Lord deliberately presented Himself before the nation as
the Messiah, andstirred up still more this popular enthusiasm. Now, if we
keepthese two things in view, I think we shall be at the right point from which
to considerthe whole incident. To it, and not merely to the words which I have
chosenas our starting-point, I wish to draw attention now. I am mistakenif
there are not in it very important and practicallessons forourselves.
I. First, note that deliberate assumption by Christ of royal authority.
I shall have a gooddeal to say presently about the main fact which bears upon
that, but in the meantime I would note, in passing, a subsidiary illustration of
it, in the errand on which He sent these messengers to the little ‘village over
against’them; and in the words which He put into their mouths. They were to
go, and, without a word, to loose and bring awaythe colt fastenedat a door,
where it was evidently waiting the convenience ofits ownerto mount it. If, as
was natural, any objectionor question was raised, they were to answerexactly
as servants of a king would do, if he sent them to make requisition on the
property of his subjects, ‘The Lord hath need of him.’
I do not dwell on our Lord’s supernatural knowledge as coming out here; nor
on the fact that the owner of the colt was probably a partial disciple, perhaps
a secretone-readyto recognise the claim that was made. But I ask you to
notice here the assertion, in act and word, of absolute authority, to which all
private convenience and rights of possessionare to give wayunconditionally.

7. The Sovereign’s needis a sovereignreason. WhatHe requires He has a right
to take. Well for us, brethren, if we yield as glad, as swift, and as
unquestioning obedience to His claims upon us, and upon our possessions,as
that poor peasantof Bethphage gave in the incident before us! But there is not
only the assertion, here, of absolute authority, but note how, side by side with
this royal style, there goes the acknowledgmentof poverty. Here is a pauper
King, who having nothing yet possessesallthings. ‘The Lord’-that is a great
title-’hath need of him’-that is a strange verb to go with such a nominative.
But this little sentence, in its two halves of authority and of dependence, puts
into four words the whole blessedparadox of the life of Jesus Christ upon
earth. ‘Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor’; and being
Lord and Owner of all things, yet owedHis daily bread to ministering women,
borroweda boat to preachfrom, a house wherein to lay His head, a shroud
and a winding-sheetto enfold His corpse, a grave in which to lie, and from
which to rise, ‘the Lord of the dead and of the living.’
Not only so, but there is anotherthought suggestedby these words. The
accurate, or, at least, the probable reading, of one part of the third verse is
given in the RevisedVersion, ‘Sayye that the Lord hath need of him, and
straightwayhe will send him back hither.’ That is to say, these last words are
not Christ’s assuranceto His two messengers thattheir embassywould
succeed, but part of the messagewhichHe sends by them to the owner of the
colt, telling him that it was only a loan which was to be returned. Jesus Christ
is debtor to no man. Anything given to Him comes back again. Possessions
yielded to that Lord are recompenseda hundredfold in this life, if in nothing
else in that there is a far greatersweetnessin that which still remains. ‘What I
gave I have,’ said the wise old epitaph. It is always true. Do you not think that
the ownerof the patient beast, on which Christ placidly pacedinto Jerusalem
on His peacefultriumph, would be proud all his days of the use to which his
animal had been put, and would count it as a treasure for the rest of its life? If
you and I will yield our gifts to Him, and lay them upon His altar, be sure of
this, that the altar will ennoble and will sanctify all that is laid upon it. All that
we have rendered to Him gains fragrance from His touch, and comes back to
us tenfold more precious because He has condescendedto use it.

8. So, brethren, He still moves amongstus, asking for our surrender of ourselves
and of our possessions to Him, and pledging Himself that we shall lose nothing
by what we give to Him, but shall be infinitely gainers by our surrender. He
still needs us. Ah! if He is ever to march in triumph through the world, and be
hailed by the hosannas of all the tribes of the earth, it is requisite for that
triumph that His children should surrender first themselves, and then all that
they are, and all that they have, to Him. To us there comes the message,‘The
Lord hath need of you.’ Let us see that we answeras becomes us.
But then, more important is the other instance here of this assertionofroyal
authority. I have already said that we shall not rightly understand it unless we
take into full accountthe state of popular feeling at the time. We find in
John’s Gospelgreatstress laidon the movement of curiosity and half-belief
which followed on the resurrection of Lazarus. He tells us that crowds came
out from Jerusalemthe night before to gaze upon the Lifebringer and the
quickened man. He also tells us that anotherenthusiastic crowdflockedout of
Jerusalembefore Jesus sentfor the colt to the neighbouring village. We are to
keepin mind, therefore, that what He did here was done in the midst of a
greatoutburst of popular enthusiasm. We are to keepin mind, too, the season
of Passover, whenreligion and patriotism, which were so closelyintertwined
in the life of the Jews, were in full vigorous exercise. It was always a time of
anxiety to the Romanauthorities, lestthis fiery people should break out into
insurrection. Jerusalemat the Passoverwas like a greatmagazine of
combustibles, and into it Jesus flung a lighted brand amongstthe inflammable
substances that were gatheredthere. We have to remember, too, that all His
life long He had gone exactlyon the opposite tack. Remember how He betook
Himself to the mountain solitudes when they wanted to make Him a king.
Remember how He was always damping down Messianic enthusiasm. But
here, all at once, He reverses His whole conduct, and deliberately sets Himself
to make the most public and the most exciting possible demonstration that He
was ‘King of Israel.’
For what was it that He did? Our Evangelisthere does not quote the prophecy
from Zechariah, but two other Evangelists do. Our Lord then deliberately
dressedHimself by the mirror of prophecy, and assumed the very
characteristicswhichthe prophet had given long ago as the mark of the

9. coming King of Zion. If He had wanted to excite a popular commotion, that is
what He would have done.
Why did He act thus? He was under no illusion as to what would follow. For
the night before He had said: ‘She hath come beforehand to anoint My body
for the burial.’ He knew what was close before Him in the future. And,
because He knew that the end was at hand, He felt that, once at least, it was
needful that He should present Himself solemnly, publicly, I may almostsay
ostentatiously, before the gathered nation, as being of a truth the Fulfiller and
the fulfilment of all the prophecies and the hopes built upon them that had
burned in Israel, with a smoky flame indeed, but for so many ages. He also
wanted to bring the rulers to a point. I dare not saythat He precipitated His
death, or provoked a conflict, but I do say that deliberately, and with a clear
understanding of what He was doing, He took a step which forced them to
show their hand. For after such a public avowalof who He was, and such
public hosannas surging round His meek feet as He rode into the city, there
were but two courses openfor the official class:either to acknowledgeHim, or
to murder Him. Therefore He reversedHis usual action, and deliberately
posed, by His own act, as claiming to be the Messiahlong prophesied and long
expected.
Now, what do you think of the man that did that? If He did it, then either He
is what the rulers called Him, a ‘deceiver,’swollenwith inordinate vanity and
unfit to be a teacher, orelse we must fall at His feet and say‘Rabbi! Thou art
the Sonof God; Thou art the King of Israel.’ I venture to believe that to extol
Him and to deny the validity of His claims is in flagrant contradiction to the
facts of His life, and is an unreasonable and untenable position.
II. Notice the revelationof a new kind of King and Kingdom.
Our Evangelist, from whom my text is taken, has nothing to say about
Zechariah’s prophecy which our Lord setHimself to fulfil. He only dwells on
the pathetic poverty of the pomp of the procession. Butother Evangelists
bring into view the deepermeaning of the incident. The centre-point of the
prophecy, and of Christ’s intentional fulfilment of it, lies in the symbol of the
meek and patient animal which He bestrode. The ass was, indeed, used

10. sometimes in old days by rulers and judges in Israel, but the symbol was
chosenby the prophet simply to bring out the peacefulnessand the gentleness
inherent in the Kingdom, and the King who thus advanced into His city. If
you want to understand the meaning of the prophet’s emblem, you have only
to remember the sculptured slabs of Assyria and Babylon, or the paintings on
the walls of Egyptian temples and tombs, where Sennacherib or Ramesesride
hurtling in triumph in their chariots, overthe bodies of prostrate foes;and
then to set by the side of these, ‘Rejoice!O daughter of Zion; thy King cometh
unto thee riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.’If we want to
understand the significance ofthis sweetemblem, we need only, further,
remember the psalm that, with poetic fervour, invokes the King: ‘Gird Thy
swordupon Thy thigh, O MostMighty, and in Thy majesty ride prosperously
. . . and Thy right hand shall teachthee terrible things. Thine arrows are
sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;the people fall under Thee.’That is
all that that ancient singercould conceive ofthe triumphant King of the
world, the Messiah;a conqueror, enthroned in His chariot, and the twanging
bowstring, drawn by His strong hand, impelling the arrow that lodged in the
heart of His foes. And here is the fulfilment. ‘Go ye into the village over
againstyou, and ye shall find a colt tied . . . And they set Him thereon.’
Christ’s kingdom, like its King, has no powerbut gentleness andthe
omnipotence of patient love.
If ‘Christian’ nations, as they are called, and Churches had kept the
significance ofthat emblem in mind, do you think that their hosannas would
have gone up so often for conquerors on the battlefields; or that Christian
communities would have been in complicity with warand the glorifying
thereof, as they have been? And, if Christian churches had remembered and
laid to heart the meaning of this triumphal entry, and its demonstration of
where the powerof the Masterlay, would they have struck up such alliances
with worldly powers and forms of force as, alas!have weakenedand
corrupted the Church for hundreds of years? Surely, surely, there is no more
manifest condemnation of war and the warlike spirit, and of the spirit which
finds the strength of Christ’s Church in anything material and violent, than is
that solitary instance of His assumption of royal state when thus He entered
into His city. I need not say a word, brethren, about the nature of Christ’s

11. kingdom as embodied in His subjects, as representedin that shouting
multitude that marched around Him. How Caesarin his golden house in
Rome would have sneeredand smiled at the Jewishpeasant, onthe colt, and
surrounded by poor men, who had no banners but the leafy branches from
the trees, and no pomp to strew in his way but their ownworn garments!And
yet these were strongerin their devotion, in their enthusiastic conviction that
He was the King of Israeland of the whole earth, than Caesar, with all his
treasures and with all his legions and their sharp swords. Christ accepts poor
homage because He looks for hearts; and whatever the heart renders is sweet
to Him. He passes onthrough the world, hailed by the acclamations of
grateful hearts, needing no bodyguard but those that love Him; and they need
to bear no weapons in their hands, but their mission is to proclaim with glad
hearts hosannas to the King that ‘cometh in the name of the Lord.’
There is one more point that I may note. Another of the Evangelists tells us
that it was when the humble cortège sweptround the shoulder of Olivet, and
caught sight of the city gleaming in the sunshine, across the Kedron valley,
that they broke into the most rapturous of their hosannas, as if they would call
to the city that came in view to rejoice and welcome its King. And what was
the King doing when that sight burst upon Him, and while the acclamations
eddied round Him? His thoughts were far away. His eyes with divine
prescience lookedon to the impending end, and then they dimmed, and filled
with tears;and He wept overthe city.
That is our King; a pauper King, a meek and patient King, a King that
delights in the reverent love of hearts, a King whose armies have no swords, a
King whose eyes fill with tears as He thinks of men’s woes and cries. Blessed
be such a King!
III. Lastly, we have the Royal visitation of the Temple.
Our Evangelisthas no word to speak about the march of the processiondown
into the valley, and up on the other side, and through the gate, and into the
narrow streets of the city that was ‘moved’ as they passedthrough it. His
language sounds as if he consideredthat our Lord’s objectin entering
Jerusalemat all was principally to enter the Temple. He ‘lookedround on all

12. things’ that were there. Can we fancy the keenobservance, the recognitionof
the hidden bad and good, the blazing indignation, and yet dewy pity, in those
eyes? His visitation of the Temple was its inspection by its Lord. And it was an
inspection in order to cleanse. To-dayHe looked;to-morrow He wielded the
whip of small cords. His chastisementis never precipitate. Perfectknowledge
wields His scourge, andpronounces condemnation.
Brethren, Jesus Christ comes to us as a congregation, to the church to which
we belong, and to us individually, with the same inspection. He whose eyes are
a flame of fire, says to His churches to-day, ‘I know thy works.’What would
He think if He came to us and testedus?
In the incident of my text He was fulfilling another ancient prophecy, which
says, ‘The Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple, and . . . sit as a refiner of
silver . . . like a refiner’s fire and as fuller’s soap. . . and He shall purify the
sons of Levi. . .. Then shall the offering of Jerusalembe pleasant, as in the
days of old.’
We need nothing more, we should desire nothing more earnestly, than that He
would come to us: ‘Searchme, O Christ, and know me. And see if there be
any wickedwayin me, and lead me in the wayeverlasting.’Jesus Christ is the
King of England as truly as of Zion; and He is your King and mine. He comes
to eachof us, patient, meek, loving; ready to bless and to cleanse. Dear
brother, do you open your heart to Him? Do you acknowledgeHim as your
King? Do you count it your highest honour if He will use you and your
possessions, andcondescendto saythat He has need of such poor creatures as
we are? Do you castyour garments in the way, and say: ‘Ride on, great
Prince’? Do you submit yourself to His inspection, to His cleansing?
Remember, He came once on ‘a colt, the foalof an ass, meek, and having
salvation.’He will come ‘on the white horse, in righteousness to judge and to
make war’ and with powerto destroy.
Oh! I beseechyou, welcome Him as He comes in gentle love, that when He
comes in judicial majestyyou may be among the ‘armies of heaventhat follow
after,’ and from immortal tongues utter rapturous and undying hosannas.

13. Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Christ has a right to all things, because he made all things, and by him all
consist. Colossians1:16-17. He can so influence the hearts of men that they
will comply with his wishes, and cheerfully give up their possessions to any
extent that he may require.
Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
2. Ὑπάγετε. So also Lk., while Mt. has his favourite πορεύεσθε.
τὴν κατέναντι. We have no means of knowing whether this was Bethany or
Bethphage or another village. The two messengers couldsee it and there was
no need to name it. The compound prep is not classical, but it is freq. in Bibl.
Grk.
πῶλον. The young of horse, ass, elephant, dog, and even of man; in the last
case it is usually fem., “a filly.” The word is in all three and nowhere else in
N.T. In LXX. it is usually a young ass;Genesis 32:15;Genesis 49:11;Judges
10:4; Judges 12:14;Zechariah 9:9. Cf. pullus, which is also elastic in meaning,
but is commonly used of birds. Vulg. has pullum here. Mk evidently regards
as supernatural Christ’s knowledge ofwhat would happen; cf. Mark 14:13;
John 1:48; John 4:50; John 11:11;John 11:14. We may adopt other
possibilities, but they receive no support from the Evangelists.
οὐδεὶς οὔπω. See crit. note and on Mark 1:14. The animal is required for a
solemn and sacredpurpose. The Virgin Birth and the new tomb harmonize
with this idea, which is natural and widespread; Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy
15:19;Deuteronomy 21:3; Judges 16:11;1 Samuel 6:7; 2 Samuel 6:3; Ovid,
Metam. iii. 11; Virg. Geor. iv. 540. See Wetsteinad loc. and Orelli on Hor.
Epod. ix. 22.
λύσατε καὶ φέρετε. The change from aor. to pres. is accurate;cf. Acts 12:8,
and contrastJohn 11:44 (both aor. imper.) and James 2:12 (both pres.
imper.).

14. Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
2. A colt tied — Matthew has it, “an ass tied, and a coltwith her.” This is
variation but not contradiction. It is the purpose of Matthew to show the
accordanceofour Lord’s conveyance into Jerusalemwith the predictions of
prophecy, which required the mention of the ass and her foal. It is Mark’s
purpose simply to narrate that our Lord rode triumphantly into Jerusalem,
without dwelling speciallyupon the animal he rode.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mark 11:2. A colt. Matthew mentions the mother, but Mark and Luke the colt
only.
Whereonno man ever yet sat. This agrees with the accountthat the mother
was with it. Animals never yet workedwere used for sacredpurposes
(Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy21:3; 1 Samuel 6:7).
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 11:2. κατέναντι ὑ., opposite you. This adverb (from κατά ἔναντι)is not
found in Greek authors, but occurs frequently in Sept(100)— ἐφʼὃν οὐδεὶς
οὔπ. ἀν. ἐκάθισεν:this point, that the colt had never been used, would seemof
vital importance afterhand, from the Christian point of view, and one cannot
wonder that it took a sure place in the tradition, as evinced by the narrative in
Mk. followedby Lk. But it is permissible to regard this as an expansion of
what Jesus actuallysaid. The idea underlying is that for sacredpurposes only
unused animals may be employed (vide Numbers 19:2, 1 Samuel 6:7).—
λύσατε, φέρετε: aorist and present; the former denoting a momentary act, the
latter a process.
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

15. order of Jesus Christ shews his omniscience and supreme dominion. By the
former, he informs his two disciples that in Bethphage they would find a colt
tied; and by the latter, he assures them that the master, on learning that the
Lord hath need of the colt, will immediately let him go. (Haydock)
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
into. Greek eis. App-104.
over against= below and opposite (katenanti). At the former entry it was
apenanti = right opposite (Matthew 21:2).
as soonas = immediately. See notes on Mark 1:10, Mark 1:12.
colt tied. At the former entry "an ass tied and a coltwith her" (Matthew
21:2).
An untamed coltsubmits to the Lord. Not so His People to whom He was
coming (John 1:11),
whereon. = upon (Greek. epi. App-104.) which.
never man = no one (Greek. oudeis. See App-105.)
of men. = man. Greek. anthopos. App-123.
bring him = lead it.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(2) A colttied.—St. Mark, with St. Luke and St. John, omits the mention of
the “she-ass”bound with the colt, on which St. Matthew lays stress as a literal
fulfilment of Zechariah9:9.
Whereonnever man sat.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES

16. VERSE 3
"If anyone says to you, `Why are you doing this?' you
say, `The Lord has need of it'; and immediatelyhe will
send it back here."
Adam Clarke Commentary
And straightwayhe will send him hither - From the text, I think it is
exceedinglyplain, that our Lord did not beg, but borrow, the colt; therefore
the latter clause ofthis verse should be understood as the promise of returning
him. Is not the proper translation the following? And if any one say to you,
Why do ye this? Say, the Lord hath need of him, and will speedily send him
back hither - και ευθεως αυτοναποστελλει ὡδε . Some eminent critics take
the same view of the passage.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of
him; and straightwayhe will send him back hither.
The Lord hath need of him ... Jesus here referred to himself as "Lord," a term
that cannot, in context, be separatedfrom a claim of divinity on Jesus'part.
And straightwayhe will send him back hither ... The Greek wordhere
rendered "hither" is actually "here";[2]it is thus a reference to the place
where Jesus was standing when he gave this order. The word "back" is thus
not a reference to taking the animal back but to the coming "back" ofthe
disciples with the colt. Translators and commentators have a greatdifficulty
with this rather unusual mode of expression;but the meaning is absolutely
clearin Matthew: "And straightwayhe will send them" (Matthew 21:3),

17. meaning the ownerwould straightwaysend the requested colt(and its
mother) to Jesus. The notion that Jesus was here promising to send the animal
back promptly is ridiculous, as if the Lord would need to promise any such
thing in order to procure an animal which he already knew would be
promptly given without any such promise. The appearance ofthis event in all
three synoptic gospels is proof enough that the supernatural knowledge ofthe
Lord regarding where the coltwould be found, the factof its being tied and
being with its mother: and the fact of the owner's willingness to allow the
Lord to use them that supernatural knowledge is the main point of the
narrative, along with the element of fulfilling prophecy.
ENDNOTE:
[2] Nestle Greek Text(Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing
House, 1972.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And if any man sayunto you,.... As very likely they would, and it would be
strange if they should not say something to them, especiallythe owners of it:
why do ye this? Why do ye untie the ass, and attempt to carry it away, when it
is none of your own, and it belongs to another man?
Say ye that the Lord hath need of him; our Lord and yours, the Lord of
heaven and earth, and all things in it; it looks as if this title, "the Lord", was
what Jesus was wellknown by; see John 11:28;unless it canbe thought, that
the owners of the colt were such, that believed in Christ, as is not improbable;
and so would at once understand by the language who it was for, and let it go:
and straightwayhe will send him, hither; as soonas everhe hears that the
Lord, by whom he would presently understand Jesus, wantedhim for his
present purpose; he will send him with all readiness and cheerfulness, without
the leasthesitation, or making any dispute about it.

18. Robertson's WordPictures in the New Testament
The Lord (ο Κυριος — ho Kurios). So Matt. and Luke. See note on Matthew
21:3 for discussionof this word applied to Jesus by himself.
He will send him back (apostellei). Presentindicative in futuristic sense.
Matthew 21:3 has the future aposteleif0).
The Fourfold Gospel
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of
him; and straightwayhe will send him back hither2.
And if any one say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye, The Lord hath need of
him. The owner of the ass was no doubt a disciple or well- wisherof Jesus, and
therefore readily consentedto respond to the Master's need. Sucha well-
wisher might readily be found in a multitude ready to lay their garments in
the road to honor Christ.
And straightwayhe will send him back hither. These words are usually
construed to be a promise on the part of Christ that he would return the colt
when through with him. But such a promise seems rather out of keeping with
the dignity of the occasion. We prefer to construe the words as referring to the
movements of Christ's two messengers from the neighborhood of Bethany to
Bethphage and back again, or to a backwardmovement along the caravan's
line of march.
James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

19. ‘THE NEEDS OF GOD’
‘And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? sayye that the Lord hath need
of him.’
Mark 11:3
Our Lord’s words illustrate the deliberateness withwhich He moved forward
to His agonyand death.
I. The first step to Calvary.—WhenHe sent the disciples for the colt which
was tied up in the streetof Bethphage, He was, as He knew, taking the first
step in a series which would end within a week upon Mount Calvary.
Everything, accordingly, is measured, deliberate, calm. It is this
deliberateness in His advance to die; it is this voluntariness in His sufferings
which, next to the fact of His true Divinity, gives to the death of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ its characteras a sacrifice forthe sins of the whole
world.
II. The exactnature of our Lord’s claims.—‘Ifany man say unto you, Why do
ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him.’ What is the justification of
this demand? It is a question which can only be answeredin one way, namely,
that Christ was all along the true owner of the colt, and that the apparent
ownerwas but His bailiff. He claims what He has lent for a while, He resumes
that which has always been His own; we hear the voice of the Being to Whom
man owes allthat he is, and all that he has—‘Whose we are, and Whom we
serve.’
III. Christ canmake use of all.—Our Lord’s words show how He can make
use of all, even of the lowestand the least. It was of the colt at Bethphage that
He Himself said, ‘The Lord hath need of him.’ The colt, insignificant in itself,
had become necessaryto our Lord at one of the greatturning-points of His
life; it was neededfor a service unique and incomparable, which has given it a
place in sacredhistory to the very end of time. The coltwas to be conspicuous
in that greatsacrificialprocession—forsuchit was—inwhich He, the prime
and flowerof our race, moved forward deliberately to yield Himself to the
wills of men, who to-day can shout ‘Hosannah!’ and who to-morrow will cry

20. ‘Crucify!’ The needs of God! It was surely too bold an expressionif He had
not authorisedus to use it. And yet there they stand, the words—‘The Lord
hath need of him.’
—CanonLiddon.
Illustration
‘How many there are who say to us nowadays when we seek recruits for the
ranks of the ministry, whether for home or missionary work, What do ye
loosing this man or that, tied and bound as young men are by so many ties to
this world’s interests and occupations;how people raise objections, and yet
“the Lord hath need of them,” and they are loosed, notby our word, but by
the will and power of God, just as it was not the disciples’ word, but the power
of Christ acting with their word, which causedthe owners to change their
mind and recalltheir objection.’
(SECOND OUTLINE)
AN INDIVIDUAL APPEAL
You say, ‘The Lord wants me? Impossible! I want Him. How can He want
me?’ He does want you.
I. He wants you for Himself.—Because He loved you for His own free love’s
sake, andmust have you with Him, therefore He came down, and was
miserable, and died; and His mission is frustrated till you come. You are the
‘joy setbefore Him,’ for which He ‘endured the cross, despising the shame.’
And, when you are His, then He sees ofthe ‘travail of His soul,’ and is
‘satisfied.’
II. He wants you for His Church.—Understand this: The Church is a
building; you can never tell what stone the Great MasterBuilder may require
next. You may be that stone. It is a family or spiritual party—you complete
the circle. Forremember, God is busy accomplishing the number of His elect.
It may be very near its accomplishment. Perhaps you make up the total!
III. He wants you for His work.—Youmust have faith in this. There is a vast
amount of goodto be done at this moment, and eachwork has its own proper,

21. appointed workersetapart for that work from all eternity. No doubt, though
you are not conscious ofit, yet He has some specialwork for you to do.
IV. He wants you for His glory.—Think how you will chant His praise, how
angels will admire, how saints will rejoice atyour conversion. What a
testimony it may be to many! and how greatwill be His own grace to such a
poor sinner as you before the eyes of perhaps other worlds!
Illustrations
(1) ‘When those mysterious deaths come which so confuse us by removing one
who could so ill be spared, we do not sufficiently remember that this is not the
only sphere of action. God has other busy worlds besides this; they may be
wanted there, just at that moment for some work, preparing to do there, and
which no other could do so well. Therefore they went. “The Lord hath need of
him.” Be ready, for it is very likely at this moment you have something which
you callyour own for which Christ may very soonput in his demand; and you
must be prepared for the messagein whatevergarb the messagecomes:“The
Lord hath need” of it.’
(2) ‘There is very greatcomfort in the fact that when Christ sent to
appropriate what was indeed His own, He sent also the constraining powerof
His own grace to overrule that it might consentto the surrender. And so it
came to pass that though there was a momentary hesitation, the opposition all
gave way, and there was complete accordance.This is indeed an allegory. For
in like manner, howeverpainful the sacrifice may be to which I may be called,
the same Christ will not fail, when the time comes, to give a prompt and
submissive mind.’
John Trapp Complete Commentary
3 And if any man sayunto you, Why do ye this? sayye that the Lord hath
need of him; and straightwayhe will send him hither.

22. Ver. 3. Say ye that the Lord hath need of him] See here six different
arguments of our Saviour’s Deity: 1. That he knew there was such an ass colt.
2. That he sent for it. 3. Foresawthat the masters of the colt would question
them that setit. 4. That he professethhimself the Lord of all. 5. That he could
tell they would send the colt. 6. That accordinglythey did so. (Piscater.)
Greek TestamentCriticalExegeticalCommentary
3. ὁ κύρ… ὧδε] The pres. ἀποστέλλει, is used of future things whose
occurrence is undoubted; see Matthew 17:11;Matthew 11:3 alli(35).: but the
words are somewhatambiguous. From the ancient interpolation of πάλιν, it
seems that they were understood all to belong to ὁ κύριος—‘the Lord hath
need of it, and will immediately send it [back].’Lachm., by printing the words
without a stop, evidently adopts this rendering: and Origen, tom. xvi. in Matt.
§ 16, vol. iii. p. 741, favours it. But verisimilitude seems to me to be againstit:
and the final clause in Mark 11:6, καὶ ἀφῆκαναὐτούς, appears to correspond
with this. So that I would understand it as in E. V.: and straightwayhe (the
speakerorowner) will send it hither.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
Ver. 3-6. See Poole on"Matthew 21:3", &c. All along the story of our
Saviour’s life and actions we shall find certainindications of his Divine power
and virtue: his knowing men’s thoughts, and declarations of such his
knowledge to them: his certain prediction of future contingencies,being able
to tell persons such particulars as no man could know. How could he who was
not God have told the disciples, that at their entrance into the village they
should find a colt on which never man sat, that the owners would not resist
strangers to take it away? Yet notwithstanding all this disciples very
imperfectly believed him to be so, until he was risenfrom the dead. The time
was not yet come when Christ would have this published, and till he gave
them a power to believe it, i.e. to have a full persuasionof it, all these moral

23. arguments were not sufficient to work in their hearts a full persuasion. The
faith of the Christians of that time seemethto have had these three
gradations:
1. They believed him a greatProphet, that had receivedgreatpower from
God.
2. They ownedhim as the Messiah, as the Sonof David, and now and then
they would drop some expressions arguing some persuasions thathe was the
Son of God.
3. Last of all, they came to a firm persuasionthat he was truly God, as well as
man, after that he was risen from the dead, and declaredwith powerto be
such, as the apostle saith.
Yet what means imaginable could they have had more than,
1. A voice from heaven declaring it.
2. The Spirit descending in a visible shape.
3. The great miracles he had wrought by sea and land, commanding the winds
and the waves, healing incurable diseasesandall others in an instant without
use of rational means, raising the dead, &c.
4. His telling their thoughts, foretelling future contingencies,&c.
Yet all these produced in the generality of the people no more than
amazement and astonishment;and in the apostles themselves, rathera
disposition to such a faith, or an opinion or suspicionof such a thing, than a
firm and fixed persuasionconcerning it.
Alexander MacLaren's Expositions ofHoly Scripture
Mark
CHRIST’S NEED OF US AND OURS
Mark 11:3.

24. You will remember that Jesus Christ sent two of His disciples into the village
that lookeddown on the road from Bethany to Jerusalem, with minute
instructions and information as to what they were to do and find there. The
instructions may have one of two explanations-theysuggesteither
superhuman knowledge ora previous arrangement. Perhaps, although it is
less familiar to our thoughts, the latter is the explanation. There is a
remarkable resemblance, in that respect, to another incident which lies close
beside this one in time, when our Lord againsent two disciples to make
preparation for the Passover, and, with similar minuteness, told them that
they would find, at a certain point, a man bearing a pitcher of water. Him
they were to accost, andhe would take them to the room that had been
prepared. Now the old explanation of both these incidents is that Jesus Christ
knew what was going to happen. Another possible explanation, and in my
view more probable and quite as instructive, is, that Jesus Christhad settled
with the two owners what was to happen. Clearly, the ownerof the colt was a
disciple, because atonce he gave up his property when the messagewas
repeated, ‘the Lord hath need of him.’ Probably he had been one of the guests
at the modest festivalthat had been held the night before, in the village close
by, in Simon’s house, and had seenhow Mary had expended her most
precious possessiononthe Lord, and, under the influence of the resurrection
of Lazarus, he, too, perhaps, was touched, and was glad to arrange with Jesus
Christ to have his colt waiting there at the cross-roadfor his Master’s
convenience. But, be that as it may, it seems to me that this incident, and
especiallythese words that I have read for a text, carry very striking and
important lessons forus, whether we look at them in connectionwith the
incident itself, or whether we venture to give them a somewhatwider
application. Let me take these two points in turn.
I. Now, whatstrikes one about our Lord’s requisitioning the coltis this, that
here is a piece of conduct on His part singularly unlike all the rest of His life.
All through it, up to this lastmoment, His one care was to damp down
popular enthusiasm, to put on the drag whenever there came to be the least
symptom of it, to discourage anyreference to Him as the Messiah-King of

25. Israel, to shrink back from the coarse adulationof the crowd, and to glide
quietly through the world, blessing and doing good. But now, at the end, He
flings off all disguise. He deliberately sets Himself, at a time when popular
enthusiasm ran highestand was most turbid and difficult to manage, at the
gathering of the nation for the Passoverin Jerusalem, to castan effervescing
element into the caldron. If He had planned to create a popular rising, He
could not have done anything more certain to bring it about than what He did
that morning when He made arrangements for a triumphal processioninto
the city, amidst the excited crowds gatheredfrom every quarter of the land.
Why did He do that? What was the meaning of it? Then there is another point
in this requisitioning of the colt. He not only deliberately setHimself to stir up
popular excitement, but He consciouslydid what would be an outward
fulfilment of a greatMessianic prophecy. I hope you are wiserthan to fancy
that Zechariah’s prophecy of the peacefulmonarch who was to come to Zion,
meek and victorious, and riding upon a ‘coltthe foal of an ass,’was fulfilled
by the outward fact of Christ being mounted on this colt ‘whereonnever man
sat.’That is only the shell, and if there had been no such triumphal entry, our
Lord would as completely have fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy. The fulfilment
of it did not depend on the petty detail of the animal upon which He sat when
He entered the city, nor even on that entrance. The meaning of the prophecy
was that to Zion, whereverand whateverit is, there should come that
Messianic King, whose reign owednothing to chariots and horses and
weapons ofwar for its establishment, but who, meek and patient, pacing upon
the humble animal used only for peacefulservices,and not mounted on the
prancing steedof the warrior, should inaugurate the reign of majesty and of
meekness.Our Lord uses the external factjust as the prophet had used it, as
of no value in itself, but as a picturesque emblem of the very spirit of His
kingdom. The literal fulfilment was a kind of finger-postfor inattentive
onlookers,which might induce them to look more closely, and so see that He
was indeed the King Messiah, becauseofmore important correspondences
with prophecy than His once riding on an ass. Do not so degrade these Old
Testamentprophecies as to fancy that their literal fulfilment is of chief
importance. That is the shell: the kernel is the all-important thing, and Jesus
Christ would have fulfilled the r? that was sketchedfor Him by the prophets
of old, just as completelyif there never had been this entrance into Jerusalem.

26. But, further, the fact that He had to borrow the colt was as significantas the
choice of it. For so we see blended two things, the blending of which makes the
unique peculiarity and sublimity of Christ’s life: absolute authority, and
meekness ofpoverty and lowliness. A King, and yet a pauper-King! A King
claiming His dominion, and yet obliged to borrow another man’s colt in order
that He might do it! A strange kind of monarch!-and yet that remarkable
combination runs through all His life. He had to be obliged to a couple of
fishermen for a boat, but He satin it, to speak words of divine wisdom. He
had to be obliged to a lad in the crowdfor barley loaves and fishes, but when
He took them into His hands they were multiplied. He had to be obligedfor a
grave, and yet He rose from the borrowed grave the Lord of life and death.
And so when He would pose as a King, He has to borrow the regalia, and to be
obliged to this anonymous friend for the colt which made the emphasis of His
claim. ‘Who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes becamepoor, that we
through His poverty might be rich.’
II. And now turn for a moment to the wider application of these words.
‘The Lord hath need of him.’ That opens the door to thoughts, that I cannot
crowdinto the few minutes that I have at my disposal, as to that greatand
wonderful truth that Christ cannot assume His kingdom in this world without
your help, and that of the other people whose hearts are touched by His love.
‘The Lord hath need’ of them. Though upon that Cross of Calvary He did all
that was necessaryfor the redemption of the world and the salvationof
humanity as a whole, yet for the bearing of that blessing into individual
hearts, and for the application of the full powers that are stored in the Gospel
and in Jesus, to their work in the world, the missing link is man. We ‘are
fellow-labourers with God.’ We are Christ’s tools. The instruments by which
He builds His kingdom are the souls that have already acceptedHis authority.
‘The Lord hath need of him,’ though, as the psalmist sings, ‘If I were hungry I
would not tell thee, for all the beasts ofthe forestare Mine.’ Yes, and when
the Word was made flesh, He had need of one of the humblest of the beasts.
The Christ that redeemed the world needs us, to carry out and to bring into
effectHis redemption. ‘God mend all,’ said one, and the answer was, ‘We
must help Him to mend it.’

27. Notice againthe authoritative demand, which does not contemplate the
possibility of reluctance or refusal. ‘The Lord hath need of him.’ That is all.
There is no explanation or motive allegedto induce surrender to the demand.
This is a royal style of speech. It is the wayin which, in despotic countries,
kings lay their demands upon a poor man’s whole plenishing and possession,
and sweepawayall.
Jesus Christ comes to us in like fashion, and brushes aside all our convenience
and everything else, and says, ‘I want you, and that is enough.’Is it not
enough? Should it not be enough? If He demands, He has the right to demand.
For we are His, ‘bought with a price.’ All the slave’s possessions are his
owner’s property. The slave is given a little patch of gardenground, and
perhaps allowedto keepa fowl or two, but the master cancome and say, ‘Now
I want them,’ and the slave has nothing for it but to give them up.
‘The Lord hath need of him’ is in the autocratic tone of One who has absolute
powerover us and ours. And that power, where does it come from? It comes
from His absolute surrender of Himself to us, and because He has wholly
given Himself for us. He does not expectus to sayone contrary word when He
sends and says, ‘I have need of you, or of yours.’
Here, again, we have an instance of glad surrender. The lastwords of my text
are susceptible of a double meaning. ‘Straightway he will send him hither’-
who is ‘he’? It is usually understood to be the owner of the colt, and the clause
is supposed to be Christ’s assurance to the two messengersofthe successof
their errand. So understood, the words suggestthe greattruth that Love
loosens the hand that grasps possessions, andunlocks our treasure-houses.
There is nothing more blessedthan to give in response to the requirement of
love. And so, to Christ’s authoritative demand, the only proper answeris
obedience swift and glad, because it is loving. Many possibilities of joy and
blessing are lostby us through not yielding on the instant to Christ’s
demands. Hesitation and delay are dangerous. In ‘straightway’complying are
security and joy. If the ownerhad begun to sayto himself that he very much
needed the colt, or that he saw no reasonwhy some one else’s beastshould not
have been taken, or that he would send the animal very soon, but must have
the use of him for an hour or two first, he would probably never have sent him

28. at all, and so would have missedthe greatesthonour of his life. As soonas I
know what Christ wants from me, without delay let me do it; for if I begin
with delaying I shall probably end with declining. The Psalmistwas wise when
he laid emphasis on the swiftness of his obedience, and said, ‘I made haste and
delayed not, but made haste to keepThy commandments.’
But another view of the words makes them part of the message to the ownerof
the colt, and not of the assurance to the disciples. ‘Say ye that the Lord hath
need of him, and that straightway{when He has done with him} He will send
him back again.’That is a possible rendering, and I am disposedto think it is
the proper one. By it the owneris told that he is not parting with his property
for goodand all, that Jesus only wishes to borrow the animal for the morning,
and that it will be returned in the afternoon. What does that view of the words
suggestto us? Do you not think that that colt, when it did come back-forof
course it came back some time or other,-was a greatdeal more precious to its
ownerthan it everhad been before, or ever could have been if it had not been
lent to Christ, and Christ had not made His royal entry upon it? Can you not
fancy that the man, if he was, as he evidently was, a disciple and lover of the
Lord, would look at it, especiallyafter the Crucifixion and the Ascension, and
think, ‘What an honour to me, that I provided the mount for that triumphal
entry!’? It is always so. If you wish anything to become precious, lend it to
Jesus Christ, and when it comes back again, as it will come back, there will be
a fragrance about it, a touch of His fingers will be left upon it, a memory that
He has used it. If you desire to own yourselves, and to make yourselves worth
owning, give yourselves to Christ. If you wish to get the greatestpossible
blessing and goodout of possessions, laythem at His feet. If you wish love to
be hallowed, joy to be calmed, perpetuated, and deepened, carry it to Him. ‘If
the house be worthy, your peace shallrest upon it; if not,’ like the dove to the
ark when it could find no footing in the turbid and drowned world, ‘it shall
come back to you again. StraightwayHe will ‘send him back again,’and that
which I give to Jesus He will return enhanced, and it will be more truly and
more blessedlymine, because I have laid it in His hands. This ‘altar’ sanctifies
the giver and the gift.

29. Cambridge Greek Testamentfor Schools andColleges
3. Τί ποιεῖτε τοῦτο;Either Why do ye this? (A.V., R.V.), or “Whatare you
doing?” Vulg. Quid facitis?
Ὁ κύριος χρείαν ἔχει. In all three; cf. Mark 2:17, Mark 14:63. There is
probably little difference betweenὁ κύριος here and ὁ διδάσκαλος, Mark
14:13;both represent Rabbi. See on Mark 9:5. The Lord’s humiliation and
poverty continue to the end; even for His triumphal entry into JerusalemHe
has to borrow an animal to ride upon. But it was no part of His humiliation
that the animal was an ass;Judges 1:14; Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4;1 Samuel
25:20;2 Samuel 17:23; 2 Samuel 19:26. The ass was quite consistentwith a
royal personage coming peaceably. Moore, Judges, p. 274.
καὶ εὐθὺς αὐτὸνἀποστέλλει πάλιν ὧδε. See crit. note. And straightwayHe
sendeth him back hither (R.V. marg.). The Lord will not keepthe colt longer
than is necessary;He is going to send it back directly. This strongly attested
reading is not prosaic and commonplace;it is pleasing and natural. Christ
anticipates the owner’s anxiety. Mt. turns the promise into a prediction that
the ownerwill at once send the ass and the foal. It is apparently through a
misunderstanding of Zechariah 9:9 that he mentions two animals; the “ass”
and the “foalof an ass” are the same animal.
Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Mark 11:3. And straightwayhe will send, literally, ‘sendeth,’ him again
hither. In Matthew the clause corresponding to this is probably a declaration
of what the owner, or those objecting would do. Here the word ‘again’ (found
in the best authorities) compels us to take it as part of the message, a promise
to return the colt soon.
The Expositor's Greek Testament
Mark 11:3. ὁ κύριος α. χ. ἔχει, the Masterhath need of him. Vide on this at
Matthew 21:3.— καὶ εὐθὺς, etc., and straightwayHe returneth him (the colt)

30. again.— πάλιν, a well-attestedreading, clearlyimplies this meaning, i.e., that
Jesus bids His disciples promise the owner that He will return the colt without
delay, after He has had His use of it. So without hesitation Weiss (in Meyer)
and Holtzmann (H. C.). Meyer thinks this a paltry thing for Christ to say, and
rejects πάλιν as an addition due to misunderstanding. Biassedby the same
sense ofdecorum—“below the dignity of the occasionand of the Speaker”—
the Speaker’sComm. cherishes doubt as to πάλιν, sheltering itself behind the
facts that, while the MSS. which insert “again” are generallymore
remarkable for omissions than additions, yet in this instance they lack the
support of ancient versions and early Fathers. I do not feel the force of the
argument from decorum. It judges Christ’s action by a conventional
standard. Why should not Jesus instruct His disciples to say “it will be
returned without delay” as an inducement to lend it? Dignity! How much will
have to go if that is to be the testof historicity! There was not only dignity but
humiliation in the manner of entering Jerusalem:the need for the colt, the use
of it, the factthat it had to be borrowedall enter as elements in the lowly state
of the Son of Man. On the whole subject vide notes on Mt. This is another of
Mk.’s realisms, which Mt.’s versionobliterates. Field (Otium Nor.), often bold
in his interpretations, here succumbs to the decorum argument, and is biassed
by it againstthe reading πάλιν contained in so many important MSS. (vide
above).
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Devotions / Aug 08, 2012
The Borrowing Jesus:A Young Adult Devotion

31. By: Amy Yeary Holmes Independence. We live in a country that was founded
on the pursuit of it. We exercise it with our hair color, music choice and
wardrobe. Dreaming of the wind in our hair, we crave our own car racing on
the blacktopbecause we long to feel free. And I love independence. I tastedit
so sweetwhen I openedmy first real paycheck. Iwas able to pay all my bills
in full without dependence upon student loans or my parents. At 23, the
world was my oyster. Jesus values a different kind of independence. In Luke
5, he borrows a boat; in Luke 19, a donkey. In Luke 22 he borrows a room,
and then in Luke 23 he is buried in a borrowedtomb. While that does not
sound like the kind of independence that has the world on a string, Jesus had
autonomy from earthly ownership and maintenance. Jesus had no dock fees,
no boarding fees, no rent and no cemeteryupkeep. Such ownership would
have impeded the vagabondlifestyle needed to accomplishhis task. Jesus
becomes Jesus the Borrower. This humility is reflectedin Philippians 2:5-11
(NRSV). In this ancient hymn, Jesus is described as “emptied out” when he
became human. This humbling act of giving up Godhoodfor human form
makes Jesus dependentupon God in a new way. One of those dependencies is
borrowing. Now Jesus must receive loaned things (some he created!) to
accomplishthe mission. But, before we throw awayall of our material
possessions, there is one more point. From whom did Jesus borrow these
things? While Jesus was independent of ownership, he was dependent upon
God to provide through fallible humans; fallible humans that own things. The
Bible is full of heroes that ownedthings. Abrahams had flocks, herds and
tents, a sign of greatwealth. In Acts 16, Lydia is a sellerof purple dye, a very
profitable trade. She is constantly providing Paul and Silas free reign of her
home. The New Testamentis full of missionaries and missions in need and
generous people with things to share. Could it be that those who borrow and
those who own are the same sides of one coin? It sounds like Acts 2. In that
chapter, the spirit of Goddramatically comes overhumans in a new, very
personalway. The aftermath of that event can bestbe summed up by this
quote: “All who believed were togetherand had all things in common…”
(Acts 2:44 NRSV) In Luke’s church, those who were in need askedwithout
shame and those who owned things lookedfor opportunities to share. Perhaps
this divine dance of dependence/independence is what Luke had in mind when
he wrote “allthings in common”. DiscussionQuestion:How do you see

32. yourself sharing in the divine dance of borrowerand/or ownerof things
within the context of Christian community? See more devotions from Amy,
and our other Young Adult writers, or find our how you can become a writer
yourself at our By Young Adults for Young Adults devotion page.
https://umcyoungpeople.org/the-latest/the-borrowing-jesus-a-young-adult-
devotion
Jesus the borrower (10/28/2007)
“Neithera borrower nor a lender be...” wrote Shakespearein Hamlet,
pointing out that it's a quick way to lose both what you lent - and your friend,
as well!
It's surprising, then, to find that it's one of the marks of Jesus'life that he
kept on borrowing things! It started at the beginning. His mother was away
from home, she had no nursery, no cotor cradle for him, so he beganhis life
in a borrowed shed and a borrowedmanger.
Obviously Jesus had no control over that, though it shows that he came into a
family with few privileges or possessions. Butthe pattern continued: he
borroweda boat to teachfrom, a donkeyto ride on, a room to share a meal in.
And, in the end, he owned no plot of land in which to be buried, but borrowed
someone else's tomb.
It was in his teaching, too. In amongsthis ‘how to live' sayings, he said:
“When someone asksyou for something, give it to them; when someone wants
to borrow something, lend it to them.” (Matthew [NT], chapter 5, verse 42.)
Perhaps he was saying there's another side to borrowing. Maybe it can teach
us not to be grasping, but to share. It might teachus not to struggle for
everything we think we need for ourselves. It might encourage us to live more

33. as a community; less possessively, more aware of the needs of those around us.
And there can be a real feel-goodfactorin being able to help someone out!
Some years ago, someone who'djust passedhis driving test askedme if I
would lend him my (brand-new) car for his honeymoon. You can imagine the
tussle! What a tough choice—to go with Shakespeare,orwith Jesus?
Actually, letting go of the car required real trust and some sacrifice. It wasn't
easy. Perhaps the people who lent to Jesus had the same kind of struggle. But
there may also be a hint here of how Jesus wants to relate to us now. It's not
that he wants to take over our lives, or to own us. It's more that he asks to
borrow our lives, our time, our possessions.
Letting go of part of your life, putting it into the hands of Jesus, cancertainly
feel risky. Putting the whole of your life into his hands could be the biggest
decisionof all—and the greatestrisk you'll ever take.
But those who lent to Jesus never had any cause for regret. The borrowed
things, and the lending people, were used and transformed beyond imagining.
For me the caris symbolic. It was precious, vulnerable—and mine! But I
managedto lend it, and I'm glad I did. Letting go of my own life, my
ambitions, dreams and wants, and putting them into the hands of Jesus, has
been a goodthing, too, and has changedme. And despite ShakespeareI have
lost nothing, but found life and gaineda friend.
Pray: God, thank you for your generosityto to all of mankind, and to me.
Help me to reflectthat selflessness, andto share what I have with those who
need it. Show me who they are, give me a generous heart, and remind me that
everything I have was a gift from you in the first place. Amen.
Think: Jesus borrowedfrom all sorts of people, including strangers. Reflect
on Jesus'words in Luke (NT) chapter 6, verses 34-36. Whathe asks is difficult

34. - that's why he says it. How do you think having Jesus in your life could make
this easier?
Challenge:Remember a time when you loaned something to someone, which
was never returned: perhaps money, a toy, clothing, something precious?
Strangely, we tend to remember even the smallestsuch incidents, even if we
claim they don't matter. Allow yourself to let it go;don't retain any bitterness,
and forgive the other person. If you find it difficult, pray that God will help
you. Sometimes forgiveness is a journey.
Readthe book The Jesus I NeverKnew by Philip Yancey
Readthe book Jesus – Safe, Tender, Extreme by Adrian Plass
Readthe book Jesus:An Intimate Portrait of the Man, His Land, and His
People by Leith Anderson
Return to archive list
Site map
Copyright © 2019 Church On the Net.
Jesus the Borrower
Advice, Business Morals, Challenges, ChristianEthics, How to Build Your
Reputation, Jesus and Business

35. “Go into the village aheadof you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a
colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you,
‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
— Luke 19:30–31
JESUS THE BORROWER
The day I was made CFO of FootLocker, our banks wanted to renegotiate
our credit agreements. We were in a very difficult financial position, and this
meeting on my first day was going to be tough. Our assistanttreasurerat the
time was an executive named PeterBrown. In my previous meetings with
Peter, I had gaineda greatdeal of trust in and respectfor his abilities. He was
a clearthinker and had establishedhimself in the financial world as being
exceedinglyhonest and smart. I put him in charge of negotiating the new
agreement. On top of that I askedhim to geta $25 million cushion, knowing
full wellthat just getting the agreementdone would be hard enough. Peter
accomplishedboth. A new credit agreementand a $25 million cushion that we
would desperatelyneed in the future months.
“But without that first meeting, where his reputation ruled, we would never
have been successful.”
Peterdidn’t getthe new agreementbecausewe were financially stable. Peter
got the agreementbecause he was well respectedby the banks. In the past he
had lived up to his word. He had been unusually frank and sincere in all
previous discussions. He hadn’t over committed. In fact, his favorite saying
was “Under promise and over deliver.” The banks could gauge this and relied
on his past. We had a tough year—my first yearas a public company CFO—
nearly falling countless times. Peterwas there with me, guiding and helping.
But without that first meeting, where his reputation ruled, we would never
have been successful.
“Jesus’reputationallowedhim to borrow without questions, even a prized
colt.”
Imagine having the power to ask for a brand-new colt and then receiving it. In
the ancientJudean world, livestock was precious. It was that world’s

36. alternative form of currency. But Jesus was able to ask and receive. He
needed a colton which to ride into Jerusalemon the day we callPalm Sunday.
A victory lap of sorts. Why would anyone give up a brand-new colt, a precious
piece of their wealth? Because the Lord needed it for a few hours. Jesus had a
greatreputation among the working class. Theyflockedto hear him. They
would gather for his sermons. They trusted Jesus. He was well knownin this
ancient marketplace. Jesus’reputation allowedhim to borrow without
questions, even a prized colt.
“Our reputation dictates our creditworthiness, not our net worth.”
While banks and accountants willdo the figures and determine if we can
borrow, it’s our reputation that dictates if we can. Considerthe FICO score
we all have with the credit reporting agencies, like Experian or TransUnion.
The score is basedon our behaviors not our wealth. A score below 700 and we
will find it difficult to borrow. Above 800 and we could borrow most of what
we need. When we don’t pay our bills, our score goeslower. Whenpeople
have to chase us for money, it goes evenlower. Our reputation dictates our
creditworthiness, not our net worth. In my counseling activities, most of the
time I am not surprised when I see someone’screditscore. Who they are is
reflectedin their score.
Blessings,until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman
What is our credit score?
Why is reputation more important than the numbers?
When did Jesus return the colt?
https://www.brucelhartman.com/jesus-the-borrower/

37. View all Sermons
Things Jesus Borrowed
Contributed by NoahMartinez on May 15, 2008
based on 14 ratings
(rate this sermon)
| 9,749 views
Scripture: Proverbs 22:7
Denomination: Holiness
Summary: There are three things Jesus borrowed. He definitely returned
them in better condition!
1 2
Next
Things Jesus Borrowed
We all have a responsibility when borrowing items from others. Proverbs 22:7
“The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borroweris servant to the lender.” I
want you to think about the contents of your house, garage, attic, or basement.
Is there anything borrowed. Do you have anything that belongs to another?
Wonder if they have forgotabout it too, or are they waiting for you to return
their property.

38. How do you feel when someone asksto borrow from you? O brother. The
reasonthat we feel that way is because people just don’t take care of other
people’s property. I long for the day that I wont have to borrow things from
people to getmy job done. I lookedand found a promise from God. Deut
28:12,13.
The Lord shall open unto thee his goodtreasure, the heaven to give the rain
unto thy land in his season, andto bless all the work of thine hand: and thou
shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be
above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearkenunto the
commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to
observe and to do them:
Now just for sermon’s sake lets look atthree times Jesus borrowed.
Loaves and fishes.
Matt 14:14-21
This miracle was recordedin all 4 gospels. The disciples were busy taking
inventory of their own supplies 5 loaves, 2 fishes, and a little money. They
lookedat the time and the place and their conclusionwas “Lord, send them
away.”
Isn’t this situation just like so many of ours? Forsome reasonit is never the
right time, right place for God to work. While they wanted to give up, Jesus
was getting ready to give out. Not only did Jesus provide for the 5,000, but
also taught a lessonin faith and surrender.
1. start with what you have.
2. give what you have to Jesus
3. Obey what He commands.
As His servants, we are distributors, not manufacturers. If we give what we
have to Him, He will bless it, give it back, and others will benefit.

39. Jesus is still having compassiononthe hungry multitude. He still says to the
church – give them something to eat. How easyit is for us to just send them
away. Use excuses – not enough resources. All Jesus wants is all of what we
have. Let Him bless, break, and give to this world. A hungry world is feeding
on empty substitutes while we neglectto give them the Breadof Life. When
Jesus borrows from us, everyone benefits.
Colt
Mark 11:2-10
Looking at the description of the colt, where he was tied, and how he was used
for Jesus reminds me a lot about you and I
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1. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a
place where two ways met; and they loose him.
While lost I was tied. Sin traps and binds. As a sinner you have no control of
your actions. You are not your own boss. You are close to a door. Jesus saidI
am the way, the truth, the light. No man comethto the Father but by Me.
For the sinner there is a door, it is close. Theyare in a place where 2 ways
meet. The world is so glamorous, so attractive, so deceiving. Jesus’door is
plain. Undecorated. Rugged. At times I feel such a strong pull from the world.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is
not in vain in the Lord.

40. I am at times stubborn as a mule; my choice loosedme from that place of
decision. When people askedwhathappened to you – I could sayJesus had
need of me.
Look where Jesus took this colt. A downtown parade. Hosanna to the king.
This world has lots of promises, but only Jesus delivers. Delivers from that
place of indecision. Delivers from that bond of sin. When Jesus borrowedthe
colt – the colt won.
The Tomb
Matthew 27:57-60
Josephwas a rich Jew. He had this tomb prepared for Jesus. Whenhe took
Jesus from the cross he defiled himself. He touched a dead body. He was to
leave the city until he was cleanagain. He missed out on the greatestfeast –
the Passover.
The celebrationof deliverance from Pharaohand Egypt. This Hebrew had
gone againstthe law he lived by. While the disciples forgotJesus’promise to
return in 3 days, the Pharisees remembered.
Notonly did the religious leaders remember, but they go the Romangovt.
involved too. Theysetguards, theysealedthe tomb, they watchedforany grave
robbers. The enemies ofthe Lord actuallygave proofs ofHis Resurrection.
Thattomb was onlyborrowed. BecauseHe didn’t stayI canhave life. In His
death, I died, In his burial, I was buried, In his resurrectionI was givenlife and
life more abundantly.
The Kingisburiedin a borrowedtomb(Luke23:50-56)

41. Thisstudy coverstheeventsimmediatelyafterJesusyieldsuphisspirit on the
cross. Two officialsbury himbeforethe end of theday accordingto theLawof
Moses.
Luke23:50-56
JesusBuried in Joseph'sTomb
Luke23:50-56
50 Nowbehold,therewasa mannamedJoseph, a councilmember, a goodand
justman.51 Hehadnot consentedto their decisionanddeed. Hewasfrom
Arimathea, a city of theJews, who himself wasalsowaitingforthekingdom of
God. 52Thisman wentto Pilateandaskedfor thebodyof Jesus. 53Thenhe
took it down, wrappeditin linen, andlaid itin a tomb thatwashewn out of the
rock, whereno onehad everlain before.54 ThatdaywasthePreparation, and
the Sabbathdrew near.
55 Andthewomenwho hadcomewithHim fromGalileefollowedafter,and
they observedthetombandhowHisbody waslaid. 56Thentheyreturnedand

42. prepared spicesandfragrantoils. Andtheyrestedon theSabbathaccordingto
the commandment.
CompareMatthew 27:57-61; Mark15:42-47; John 19:38-42
In thispassagewhichconcludesLuke23, wereadaboutJesus’burial. Luketells
us that shortlyafter Jesus’death, Josephof Arimatheaapproached Pontius
Pilateandasked forthebodyof Jesus.Havingtaken thebodydown from the
cross, Josephwrappeditin linenandplaced itin a previouslyunoccupiedrock
tomb. HavingobservedwhatJosephhaddone, thewomen who hadfollowed
Jesusfrom Galileereturnedto Jerusalemandpreparedspicesandfragrantoils
with whichto embalm Him.Then atsunsetthey restedin accordancewiththe
Sabbath.
AllfourGospelaccountsconfirmtheroleplayedby Josephof Arimathea. The
Gospelsof Matthew,Mark,andJohnaddimportantdetailsto thestorywhich
Lukerelates. I willuseallfour accountsto tryto constructa fuller accountof
who Joseph wasandwhatoccurredimmediatelyafterJesus’passing.
Who wasJosephof Arimathea?
Accordingto theGospelsof LukeandMark, Josephwasmemberof thecouncil,
mostlikelytheGreatSanhedrin,whichmetin theTemplein Jerusalem. Mark
tellsusthat Josephwasin facta prominentcouncilmemberand Matthew
describesJosephasa wealthy man(Matthew27:57). ThefactthatJosephwas
ableto purchasethelandandcommissiontheconstruction of a rock tombclose
to Jerusalemismostlikelyin itselfevidenceof hiswealth.

43. Suchwealthisconsistentwithwhatisknown about thecompositionof the
Sanhedrin. In Jesus’day, theSanhedrin probably consistedof twomainfactions,
the Sadducees,madeupof thechief priestsandelders, whosepower wasbased
on their wealth, andthePharisees,madeupof thescribesand Pharisees, whose
power wasbasedon their knowledgeof theOldTestamentandtheMishnah,
the oralcommentarieson theOldTestament thatthescribespassedfromone
generationto thenext. Fortheprevioustwo hundredyearstheSadduceeshad
been thedominantfaction; butin Jesus’day thepower of thePhariseesrivaled
thatof theSadducees.
AllfourGospelsidentifyJosephwiththecity of Arimathea. However, weare
unsurewhereArimatheawas, other thanthat itwasa city of theJews, located
mostlikelysomewherein Judea.Basedon mylimitedresearch, itappearsthat
the city of Arimatheaisnotmentionedin other ancient textsoutsideof the
Scriptures. UsinglinguisticevidencesomescholarsassociateArimatheawith
either Ramleh, locatedabout24 milesnorthwestof Jerusalem,or Ramathaim-
Zophim, thebirthplaceandresidenceof theOld TestamentprophetSamuel, the
exactlocationof whichisunfortunatelyalso undetermined,butwhichwas
believedto bein thevicinitythecityof Lydda(Lod), about32milesnorthwest
of Jerusalem on thewayto theseaportof Joppa.
BothJohn’sandMatthew’sGospelsstatethatJosephof Arimatheawasa
discipleof Jesus, withJohn19:38addingthathewasa secretdiscipleof Jesus,
for fear of theJews. Wetendto think of theSanhedrin asa wholeashostile
towardsJesusand certainlythisisconsistentwithScripture. John 11:47tellsus
thatafter thereportof Jesus’resurrectionof Lazarusin Bethanyreached
Jerusalem, thechiefpriestsand PhariseesconvenedtheSanhedrinto decide
whatto do aboutJesus. Theoutcomeof that meetingwasdecision,John11:53
tellsus, wasthat“fromthatdayon, they plottedto put Him to death.” Who
exactlythat“they” waswho plotted to putJesusto death isnotclear to us, other
than it wassomeportion of theSanhedrin.Wedo notknowhowmanyor which
membersof theSanhedrinwerepresent atthismeetingnorhowtheyvotedas

44. individuals. TheMishnahrecordsthat notall71membersof theSanhedrinhad
to be on handto reacha decision; onlya quorumof twenty-threewasrequired.
The Gospelof Johntellsusthatnot allof themembersof theSanhedrinwere
opposedto Jesus. In John12:42-43wereadthat“Neverthelesseven amongthe
rulersmanybelievedin Him, but becauseof thePhariseesthey didnotconfess
Him, lesttheyshouldbeputoutof thesynagogue; 43for theylovedthepraise
of menmorethanthepraiseof God.” John tellsusthatwhilemanyof therulers
had somedegreeof belief in Jesus, theywouldnotconfessthatHewasthe
Christ(Messiah), lestthey beputoutof thesynagogue(John9:18-23) andlose
the praiseof men.
Josephof Arimatheamaywellhavebeenamongtheseleaderswhom John
referredto, who believedin Jesusbut werereticent to confessthatHewas
Messiah. Whetherhewaspresentat themeetingrecordedin John11wecannot
say. I readLuke23:51,whichtellsusthatJoseph“hadnotconsentedto their
[thecouncil’s]decision anddeed,” asindicatingthat hedidnotagreewiththe
decisionthattheSanhedrinhad reached to putJesusto death.
LukedescribesJosephas“agoodandjust man, …who himself wasalso waiting
for thekingdomof God.”Theseareintendedaswordsof praiseand arenot
spoken of many individualsin theNewTestament. AsI waspreparingthis
study,it struckmeasinterestinghowthatJesus’lifewasboundedon bothsides
by goodandjustpeoplewho werewaitingfor thecomingMessiah.When the
baby Jesuswasjusta few weeksold, Mary andJoseph took Him to theTemple
to presentHimto theLord andsacrificea pair of turtledovesor pigeons. This
wasbecause, according to MosaicLaw(Exodus13:1-2),asthefirstbornmale
child, Jesuswasholyto theLordandhadto beredeemedby sacrifice.Luke
2:25-32tellsuswhathappenednext:

45. 25 Andbehold, therewasa manin JerusalemwhosenamewasSimeon,andthis
man wasjust anddevout, waitingfor theConsolationof Israel, andtheHoly
Spiritwasupon him. 26Andithad beenrevealed to himby theHolySpirit that
he wouldnotseedeathbeforehe hadseentheLord'sChrist. 27So hecameby
the Spirit into thetemple.Andwhentheparentsbroughtin theChildJesus, to
do for Him accordingto thecustomof thelaw, 28hetook Him upin hisarms
and blessedGodandsaid:
29 "Lord, nowYouarelettingYourservantdepartin peace,
Accordingto Yourword;
30 Formy eyeshaveseenYoursalvation
31 WhichYouhavepreparedbeforethefaceof allpeoples,
32 A lightto bringrevelationto theGentiles,
And theglory of Your peopleIsrael."
Simeon, likeJosephof Arimathea, “wasjustanddevout, waitingforthe
Consolationof Israel,” anothernameforMessiah, ashisprayer of blessingto
God makesclear. Lukegoeson to narratethatatthatsamehour Anna, the
daughterof Phanuel, a prophetesswho hadservedfor decadesattheTempleby
fastingsandprayersalso appearedand “gavethanksto theLord, andspokeof
Him to allthosewho lookedfor redemptionin Jerusalem.” I believethatlike
Josephof Arimathea, bothSimeon andAnnarecognizedJesusastheMessiahfor
whomtheyhadbeenwaiting.
In John’sGospelJosephisaccompaniedby Nicodemus, who assistsin preparing
Jesus’ body for burial.
John 19:39-42

46. 39 AndNicodemus, who atfirstcameto Jesusby night, alsocame,bringinga
mixtureof myrrhand aloes, abouta hundredpounds.40 Thentheytook the
bodyof Jesus, andboundit in stripsof linenwith thespices, asthecustomof
the Jewsisto bury. 41Nowin theplacewhereHewascrucifiedtherewasa
garden, andin thegarden a newtombin whichno onehad yetbeenlaid. 42So
theretheylaid Jesus, becauseof the Jews'PreparationDay,forthetombwas
nearby.
John recordsthatNicodemushadbroughtwithhimonehundred Roman
pounds(orabout75 USpounds) of myrrhandaloes,both of which wereused
in theembalmingof thedeadforburial. Myrrhwasalso usedan ingredientin
perfume,asa fumigator, andasa medicine.Myrrhwasoneof theingredientsin
the holyoilthat theLordtoldMosesto makefor anointingthetabernacleand
its utensils.Myrrhwasalsooneof thegiftsthatthethreewisemenbroughtto
the infant Jesus. Asan aside, theword“aloes”probablyrefershereto powdered
aloewood, rather thanto thejuiceof thealoeverasucculent. In thetimeof
Herodotus, theGreekhistorian, powderedaloewoodwasquitevaluableand
wasin factworthitsweightin gold. AlthoughJohn doesnotsay so, itislikely
thatNicodemusalso wasa manof meanslikeJoseph.
Nicodemusisanother individualwho recognizedthatJesuswassomeoneused
by God. PerhapsNicodemusalso believedJesuswastheChrist; however,
Scriptureissilenton thatpoint. Wefirstmeet Nicodemusin John3:1,wherehe
is describedas“amanof thePharisees”and“aruler of theJews,” suggestinghe
wasmostlikelyalso a member of theSanhedrim.Nicodemuscomesatnightto
speak withJesus,who tellshimabouttheneedof beingbornagainof theSpirit
in orderto seethekingdom of God.

47. LuketellsusthatJoseph wentto Pilateandaskedfor Jesus’body. Mark’sGospel
at thispointcontainsan interestingcomment. Wereadin theNKJV versionof
Mark 15:43 thatJoseph of Arimathea“took courage” beforeheapproached
Pilateto ask for Jesus’body (Mark15:42-44). Othertranslations, suchasthe
KJVand theNIV, readthathewentboldlybeforePilateandrequestedthebody
of Jesus. Andthe AmplifiedBiblesaysthatJoseph,“daringtheconsequences,
took courageandventured to go to Pilateandaskedfor thebodyof Jesus.”
Commentssuchasthiscan temptusto question or speculateaboutthe
thoughtsandintentsof Joseph’sheartatthispoint.
ScripturemakesitclearthatJosephwentboldlybeforePilate;howeverweare
never toldeither whatcaused himto beboldor whyheneededto bebold.
Scriptureissilenton thesepoints. Wemightwonder whetherJosephwasbold
becausehehadbeenstirredupby theSpiritto makea publicprofessionof his
belief in Jesusandclaimthebody of Jesusregardlessof anyconsequenceshis
actionmighthaveforhim.Or, conversely,whether Josephwasboldbecause,
with Jesusdead, heno longer believedthat Jesushadbeen theMessiah.Or did
Josephneedto beboldbecausehefearedPilate?Or wascourageneeded
becauseheknewthat by handlinga corpse, hewasmakinghimself
ceremoniallyimpurebeforea holyday?
And thenthereisthecomment, recordedin bothLuke23:51 andMark15:43,
thatJosephwaswaitingfor thekingdomof God,in otherwordsfor theMessiah.
Hereagainwecould speculatewhether thiscommentimpliesthatJoseph had
been and wasstillwaitingfor Messiah, becauseheno longer believedJesuswas
the Christ. Thetenseof theGreekverbfullysupportssucha reading. Or does
thiscommentimplythatJosephhadceasedto wait becausehe understoodthat
Jesuswasthelong-awaitedMessiah? Heretoo thegrammar supportsthis
reading….
And finally, itistemptingto ask whatif anythingisthesignificanceof the
preparationsof Jesusbody thatJoseph andNicodemusmade. In theGospelsof

48. Matthew,Mark, and Luke, JosephwrapsJesus’bodyin a linenclothandlaid itin
a tombwhichhadbeencutoutof therock. Aswehavealreadynoted, John’s
Gospeladdsmoreinformationto thisaccount. JosephandNicodemustogether
wrapJesus’body withlinenstripsandspices, andthenplaceHimin Joseph’s
tomb, which wascloseto Calvary,thesiteof Jesus’crucifixion. Shouldweview
Joseph’sandNicodemus’preparationsof Jesus’bodyin John19:40asa lackof
belief?
Indeed, hadnot JesustoldHisdiscipleson severaloccasions, and asrecently as
a few daysbefore(Matthew16:21, 17:23,20:19; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:34; and
Luke9:22, 18:31-33.), thatHewouldbeputto deathbutthenraisedon the
thirdday?Forexample,in Matthew16:21weread,“From thattimeJesusbegan
to showto HisdisciplesthatHemustgo to Jerusalem, and suffermanythings
fromtheeldersandchiefpriestsandscribes, andbekilled, andberaised the
thirdday.”
WouldJosephandNicodemushaveembalmedJesus’bodyastheydidif they
believedin their heartsthatHewasgoingto riseon thethird day? Had not
Jesusrecently raisedHisfriend Lazarusof Bethanyfrom thedeadafterthree
days? Andhadn’t Jesushadbeen ableto bringLazarusback uncorruptedby
death, sinceScripturemakesno referenceto Lazarusstinkingafterhewas
resurrected? So whatneedwould therebeforspicesandaloesto preserve
Jesus’ body andmask theodorof Hisdecay?Or shouldJoseph’sandNicodemus’
preparationssomethingdifferent, a willingandexpensivesacrificeto a worthy
Messiah? Or weretheyperhapssimplyevidenceof their distressat seeingthe
onein whom theyhadhoped nowdeadandaboutto beburied?
In theend, I personallybelievethatallthesespeculations, whileinteresting, are
ultimatelyonlythat. I believethattheHolySpiritcan,andsometimesdoes,
revealspiritualtruthsto usaswespeculatein thisway. Asweread, meditate
on, andstudyScripture,it isimportantto remember thatGod’sWorditself

49. warnsusnotto addto, subtractfrom(Deuteronomy4:1-3), or go beyond(1
Corinthians4:6-7)whatthewordof Godsays. I believethatespeciallywhen we
go beyondwhat iswrittenin Scripture, weruntherisk of leaningon ourown
understandingandon our commonsense, rather than on whattheHolySpiritis
revealing, andbecoming“puffedup,” or prideful, in theprocess. Itistooeasy to
say, “Look whattheLordhasrevealed to me.” Insteadletuslearn to look at
whattheWordof God saysandbecontent withthat. Deuteronomy 29:29
teachesusthat "Thesecretthingsbelongto theLordourGod, butthosethings
which arerevealedbelongto usandto our childrenforever,thatwemaydo all
the wordsof thislaw.”
I believethat GodwouldhaveusbecontentwithwhatHehasgivenusin His
word.Thereisalreadyfar morethanwecangraspin thewrittenwordof God
thatwehavereceived. Furthermore,I findthatfor meitbecomeseasier to have
contentmentwithwhatiswrittenwhenI recallthatthethingsof Godcanonly
be knownthroughtheHolySpirit. In theBook of Job, Zophar,oneof Job’s
friends, whoseunderstandingof theLordwascertainlyflawed, offeredthese
wordsof truewisdomto hisfriend:
Job11:7-9
7 "Canyousearch out thedeepthingsof God?
Can you findoutthelimitsof theAlmighty?
8 Theyarehigher thanheaven— what canyoudo?
Deeper thanSheol — whatcanyouknow?
9 Their measureislonger than theearth
And broader thanthesea.
We cannothopeto completelyunderstandGod’swordor Hisways – theyare
too loftyforus. Anditisonly throughtheagencyof theSpiritof Godthatwecan

50. beginto knowHimatall. In 1 Corinthians2:9-16, Paultellsthechurchat
Corinthhowit isthespiritualthingsarediscerned:
9 Butasitiswritten:
"Eyehasnotseen, norear heard, Norhaveentered into theheartof manThe
thingswhichGodhaspreparedfor thosewho loveHim."
10 ButGodhasrevealedthemto usthroughHisSpirit. FortheSpirit searches
all things,yes, thedeepthingsof God. 11Forwhat manknowsthethingsof a
man except thespiritof themanwhichisin him?Evenso no oneknowsthe
thingsof GodexcepttheSpiritof God. 12Nowwehavereceived, notthespirit
of theworld, buttheSpiritwho isfromGod, that wemight knowthethingsthat
havebeenfreely givento usby God.
13 Thesethingswealsospeak, notin wordswhich man'swisdom teachesbut
which theHolySpiritteaches, comparingspiritualthingswithspiritual. 14But
the naturalmandoesnotreceivethethingsof theSpiritof God, for theyare
foolishnessto him; nor canheknowthem,becausetheyarespiritually
discerned. 15Buthewho isspiritualjudgesallthings,yethehimself isrightly
judgedby no one.16 For "who hasknownthemindof theLordthat hemay
instructHim?"Butwehavethemindof Christ.
Withoutthemindof Christ, withouttheSpiritof God, thethingsof God cannot
be receivedasanythingbutfoolishness. Thereisan importanttruthherefor
our passagetonight. I believethatforexactly thisreasonthespiritual
significanceof thecrucifixionof Jesusand thepromiseof Hisresurrection was
notunderstoodby themanyof thosewho saw theeventswiththeir owneyes,
heardJesusspeak withtheirown ears, andknewtheOld Testamentwritings
abouttheMessiah. Theydid notcomprehendbecausethey werespiritually
blind.

51. We seeexamplesof spiritualblindnessin theeventsleadingupto and
immediatelyafterJesus’crucifixion, even amongJesus’disciples. For example,
in Luke18:31-34, asJesusandHisdisciplesprepareto set outon their journey
to Jerusalem, weread:
31 ThenHetookthe twelveasideand said to them, "Behold, wearegoingupto
Jerusalem, andallthingsthatarewrittenby theprophetsconcerningtheSon of
Man willbeaccomplished. 32 ForHewillbedeliveredto theGentilesandwill
be mockedandinsultedandspit upon. 33 TheywillscourgeHimandkillHim.
And thethirdday Hewillriseagain."
34 Buttheyunderstoodnoneof thesethings; thissayingwashiddenfromthem,
and theydidnot knowthethingswhichwerespoken.
At thispointJesus’ discipleshad walkedwithHimfor threeyears, hadseenHim
do miracles,evenraisethedead, andhadseenthatwhatHeprophesiedcameto
pass. Theyheard HiswordsprophesyingHiscapture, abuse,deathand
resurrection- butHiswordswerenot understood.
We mustnot think thatit wasbecauseof their ignoranceof theScripturesthat
the disciplesfailedto graspthespiritualmeaningof whatHewastellingthem.
Eventhechiefpriests, scribes, andPharisees, menwhospenttheir livesreading
and studyingtheOldTestament, werejustasblindedto whatJesuswassaying.
In Matthew27:62-66,wereadthatthedayafter Jesushadbeen buried,the
chief priestsandPhariseesrememberedJesus’promisethatHewouldrise
againon thethirddayand approached PontiusPilatefor hishelpin makingthe
tombsecure.
62 On thenextday, whichfollowedtheDayof Preparation, thechief priestsand
Phariseesgatheredtogether to Pilate, 63 saying,"Sir, weremember, whileHe

52. wasstillalive, howthatdeceiver said, 'After threedaysI willrise.' 64 Therefore
command thatthetombbemadesecureuntilthethirdday, lestHisdisciples
comeby nightandstealHimaway,andsayto thepeople, 'Hehasrisen fromthe
dead.'So thelast deceptionwillbeworsethanthefirst."
65 Pilatesaidto them,"Youhavea guard; go yourway, makeit assecureasyou
knowhow."66So they wentand madethetombsecure, sealingthestoneand
settingtheguard.
We haveseenhowsomeof thechiefpriestsand PhariseesviewedJesusasa
blasphemer who deserveddeathbecauseHehadclaimedto theChristandthe
Son of God.Notsurprisingly theycouldnot theyseethespiritualsignificanceof
the thingsthatJesussaidto themabout Hisresurrection. Becausethey viewed
Jesusasa blasphemer, thechief priestsandPhariseesnever consideredthat
Jesuswouldactuallyrisefromthegraveafterthreedays; instead interpreted
His statementsasmeaningthatJesus’ discipleswereplanningto stealHisbody
to makeitappear asif Hehadrisen.
In John12:37-41theHoly Spiritrevealsthatthechiefpriests, scribes, and
Phariseesin factcouldnotbelievein Jesus, becausethey hadbeenblindedto
the truth by God, justasGodhadblindedmanyof theChildren of Israelin the
daysof theProphetIsaiah:
John 12:37-41
37 ButalthoughHehaddoneso manysignsbeforethem, theydid notbelievein
Him, 38that theword of Isaiahtheprophetmightbefulfilled, whichhespoke:
"Lord,whohasbelievedourreport?
And to whomhasthearmof theLordbeenrevealed?"
39 Thereforetheycouldnotbelieve,becauseIsaiahsaidagain:

53. 40 "Hehasblindedtheir eyesandhardenedtheir hearts,
Lesttheyshouldseewiththeir eyes,
Lesttheyshouldunderstandwith their heartsand turn,
So thatI shouldhealthem."
41 ThesethingsIsaiahsaidwhenhesawHisglory andspokeof Him.
I suspectthatJosephandNicodemus, thedisciplesandthewomenwho had
followedJesusfromGalilee, likethechief priests, scribes,andPharisees,were
unableto understandwhatthey hadheardJesussayaboutrisingagain on the
thirdday after Hisdeath. WithouttheHolySpirit, howcouldthey?Eventhough
Joseph, possiblyNicodemus, thedisciplesandthewomen hadbelievedJesus
wastheMessiah, Hewasdeadandburied. Yes, Hehadraisedothersfromthe
dead; butnow Hewasdead Himself. WhobuttheLordHimself couldnowraise
Jesusfrom thegravenow? AndwhywouldtheLordraiseHimnow?If Godhad
notwantedJesusto bedead,whyhadHepermittedHimto diein thefirst
place?
I suspectthosewho believethatJesuswasMessiahhad littleor no
understandingof howJesuswasindeedtheLambof God, who takesawaythe
sinsof theworld, asJohn theBaptisthadcorrectly proclaimed.I suspect that
the Jewsof Jesus’daywouldhaveseen Passoverpredominantlyasa reminder
for whattheLordhaddoneforthemin bringingthemoutof captivity in Egypt. I
suspectthattheywould nothavesaidthat it wasthePassover lambwho took
awaytheirsins, but rather theanimalsmentionedin Leviticus16: thebull, the
ram, andthetwogoats.
But fortheJewswholeftIsraelwithMoses,I suspect thatPassover mayhave
been moremeaningfulthan that. Theangelof deathwasaboutto pour God’s
wrathuponEgypt. Thefirstbornmalechildren andanimalsweregoingto be

54. killedthatverynight. ItwasnotbecausetheywereGod’schosen peoplethat
the angelof deathpassedover their homes.It wasnotbecausetheywere
childrenof Abrahamthattheirfirstbornwerespared.It wasonlythebloodof
their Passover lambs,sprinkledupontheirdoorpostsandlintels, whichkept
the angelof deathfromtheirhousehold. Israelwasnotbeingjudgedfor their
sinsatthispoint, buttheywerebeingsavedby theirfaith. I findin thePassover
lamba similar pictureI seein YomKippur,in theDayof Atonement. In both
cases,it isonlythebloodof an animalwithoutflawor spotwhichcan atonefor
our sinsandkeep usfromdeath. Forme, boththePassoverlambandthe
animalssacrificedon YomKippur, areOldTestamenttypesof Jesus’sacrificeon
the cross.
ShortlyafterJesushadpassed, Josephand Nicodemuswentto PontiusPilateto
ask forHisbody. Therewassomeurgency to theirrequest: allfour Gospelstell
us that itwastheday of PreparationbeforetheSabbath. I believethatin these
passagesSabbathdoesnotrefer to Saturday, whichwastheregular Sabbath.
Sabbathisalso usedto refer to anyholyfestivaldaywhereworkisprohibited,
suchasPassover.TheGospelof Johnrefersto thatSabbathasa “highday,” or in
other wordsan especially solemn or sacredfestival:“31 Therefore, becauseit
wasthePreparationDay,thatthebodiesshouldnotremainon thecrosson the
Sabbath(for thatSabbathwasa highday), theJewsasked Pilatethat their legs
mightbebroken, andthat theymightbetakenaway.”(John19:31). Becausethe
following daywasPassover,it wasimportantthatthebodieswouldnotremain
on thecross.
It wastheRomanpracticethatthebodiesof thosewho hadbeen crucified
wouldto belefton thecrossuntilthey rotted, or wereeatenby thebirds, asa
grislyreminder to thelivingwhathappenedto thosewho brokethelawsof
Rome. However, becauseof Deuteronomy 21:22-23, whichreads:

55. 22 "If a manhascommitteda sin deservingof death, andheisputto death,and
you hanghim on a tree,23 hisbodyshallnotremainovernight on thetree,but
you shallsurelyburyhimthatday, so thatyoudo notdefilethelandwhichthe
Lordyour Godisgivingyouasan inheritance; forhe who ishangedisaccursed
of God.
the Romansmadean exception fortheJewsandusuallypermittedthemto take
downthebodiesof their countrymenwhohad beencrucifiedthesamedaythat
the died.Thepracticeof breakingthelegsof thosewho hadbeencrucified
madeit muchharder to breathandhastenedtheirdeath.Johnrecordsthat the
legsof thetwo thieveswerebroken. ButwhentheRoman soldierswentto
break Jesuslegs, theyfound thatHehadalreadyexpired.To makeabsolutely
certainthat Hewasdead, onesoldier pierced Hissidewitha lance, to seeif He
reactedin any wayto thepain. Mark’sGospeltellsusthatwhen Josephasked
PilateforJesus’body, Pilatewassurprisedthat Hehaddiedso soon, and
summoned a centurionto verifythatJesuswasin fact deadbeforehegave
permissionto claimthebody.
By preparingJesus’bodyfor immediateburial,both JosephandNicodemus
werekeepingtheLawof Moses. Atthesametime, becauseof their handlingof a
deadbody, JosephandNicodemuswouldhavebecomeceremoniallyunclean
and would nothavebeenallowedto offer a Passoversacrificefortheir
household. TheLaw of Mosesisclear aboutthisprohibition(Numbers9:6-13),
althoughapparentlythishadbeen relaxedto thepointwherethosewhowere
ceremoniallyunclean wereallowedto partakeof thePassover mealwiththeir
households.Andif theydesired, Joseph andNicodemuswouldbeallowedto
sacrificetheirPassover lambson thefourteenthdayof thefollowingmonth.
We cansee, I believe, in theactionsof JosephandNicodemusan interesting
templatefor our ownwalk with God. JosephandNicodemusbelievethatJesus
is theMessiah. TheyhavereadtheLawandtheProphetsandlistenedto Jesus’

56. teachingandnowtheyrespond to thebestof their understanding. Theycannot
understandwhatGodisdoingbuttheyarefaithfulto do whattheyhavebeen
told to do. And in so doing, justliketheirfather Abraham, theydemonstrate
their faith.
Thisishoweachof usiscalled to liveoutourlivesasbelievers. Whatever the
Lordhasrevealedto us, thatiswhatweneedto live.Wewillrarelyunderstand
whattheLordisdoingbutthatshouldnot stop usfrombeingfaithful.
https://bgstudies.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-king-is-buried-in-borrowed-
tomb.html
Things borrowed— a donkey, a room, a tomb
Apr 7, 2017 by L. Kenneth Fellenbaum
What do these “things borrowed” have in common? This year during Lent,
while rereading the accounts of Jesus’ lastdays before his crucifixion, several
things jumped off the pages of the gospels to me. Specifically, they were the
things borrowed by the Lord — a young donkey, a large upper room and a
new tomb.
Why did Jesus borrow these things? The simple answeris because he needed
them and did not own them. I grew up in a farming community in the 1950s in
Pennsylvania. It was common for people to borrow tools and implements they
needed from time to time from neighbors. If you needed something you didn’t
own, then you just askeda neighbor who was in possessionofthe item. In
those days people were less affluent and seemedto be willing to share more.
We shouldn’t be surprised that the Lord, who had to borrow a coin to
illustrate a point about paying taxes (Matt. 22:19);did not own many material

57. things. When he died, the only item he possessedofreal value was his robe
(John 19:24).
The first thing he borrowed was a “young donkey” (Mark 11:2-3). Jesus used
the animal for transportation as he rode into Jerusalemon Palm Sunday. It
turns out that this act was the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy recorded in
Zechariah 9:9. It was a donkey that had never been ridden. Donkeys were a
common animal, symbolic of humility and peace — unlike horses, which were
generallyassociatedwith war.
Secondly, there was the “large upper room” where Jesus and his disciples
gatheredfor the Last Supper. The Lord was from Galilee and when he
traveled to Jerusalemhe frequently stayedin nearby Bethany at the home of
his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. However, for the Passovermealhe
would have needed a room large enough to accommodatehimself and his 12
disciples. He sent 2 of his followers aheadto secure a large furnished room
(Mark 14:13-15).
Thirdly, we note the “new hewn tomb” that was used for his burial. Unlike the
donkey and the upper room, Jesus had nothing to do with acquiring the tomb.
Josephof Arimathea (northwestof Jerusalem), a rich followerof Jesus, asked
Pilate for the body of Jesus to prepare him for burial and to place in his own
new tomb (Matt. 27:57-60). The tomb was only used for three days.
What is to be gleanedin meaning from these borrowed things? In our
materialistic age with an emphasis on newer, bigger, and better things, there’s
a lessonto be learned. This life is transitory — we are all just passing through
on our way to an eternaldestiny. Do we really need all the “stuff” that we
acquire and accumulate? Perhaps borrowing and loaning are actions for
better stewardship of our time and money.
L. Kenneth Fellenbaum is pastor of Wildermere BeachCongregational
Church in Milford, Conn. He is an alumnus of EasternMennonite College
and Seminary.