Please write the title (Mark 11:1-10)
Today is Palm Sunday to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem riding on a colt. Today we would like to focus our attention on one very small incident that happened on this day.
Jesus passed through Jericho across the Jordan River and arrived at Bethany Bethphage, a town near Jerusalem. Jesus' journey will be the final journey toward the cross. Until now, Jesus had traveled on foot, and with Jerusalem in front of him, he said that he would find a donkey and ride it again. Then he commanded his disciples to go to Bethany across the street and bring a colt that no one has ridden yet. If someone asks why he is driving, he simply says, "The Lord will use it." The disciples did as they were commanded and brought the colt.
I do not know who willingly lent this colt to the Lord. Perhaps it was Shiram who came to believe in Jesus through the event of raising Lazarus from the dead. Or maybe they are relatives of Mary and Martha. In any case, when the Lord says that he will use it, his heart that he can freely sacrifice his own animals stands out.
He probably did not calculate any interest in lending Jesus a colt that no one had ridden. For example, as the disciples did, they probably did not borrow a donkey with the expectation that Jesus would take a seat when he sat on the throne of glory. Perhaps he was very moved by the resurrection of Lazarus, who had died, and when the Lord offered to use his own donkey, he gladly accepted the request.
Human beings are extremely selfish and arrogant at times, but when they are moved by faith, they can freely give their possessions to the object of faith.
In some ways, the beliefs of the living God and the worship of idols are very similar. However, there is a fundamental difference. While idolatry is always selfish and one-sided, faith in God is unselfish devotion, and it consists in mutual personal relationships. Idolatry is based on fear or selfishness, and it is based on some personal relationship: respect, love, and human communion in which man responds to his demands. The reason the people of Israel said that the Lord God is higher and greater than other gods is that that God has granted Israel's demands and that Israel has worked hard to comply with God's demands.
The reason the Lord makes certain demands of humans is because He loves them and to establish a personal relationship with them.
When I am at school, when I enter a class, the first thing I call attendance is to borrow a pen from the student in front of me even though I have a pen. Then, in the case of lower grades, the students in front compete to give their pens to each other first. It is a joy for the students that the teacher used his own, and through this relationship, respect and love between the priests grows. Likewise, God requires of us something, so that he shows his love and concern for us, that we may have fellowship with him with our joy.
When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son when he was 100 years old, it seems like an unreasonable request in our opinion. It developed into a personal relationship. God trusted Abraham, and Abraham became convinced that God was absolutely good. This relationship cannot be broken by any force.
The relationship of love that the Apostle Paul confessed in Romans was fulfilled.
“I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This was the relationship between God and Job. Satan severed this relationship, took all of Job's possessions and children, and caused boils on his bosom. But Job did not blame God. Even in the midst of adversity, he never forsaken his faith in God.
This shows that our relationship with God is not made of material blessings or some worldly blessings, but of love. Faith is such a personal relationship.
Seeing faith as such a personal relationship, the fact that the owner of the donkey did not hesitate to respond to the Lord's need as he was going up to Jerusalem showed how fervently he had faith in the Lord.
Our unbelief lies in not responding to the Lord's demands while claiming to have holy fellowship with the Lord. On the other hand, if you only raise your own request and insist on the Lord, if it does not come true, you will be resentful and complaining. I try to fulfill only my demands thoroughly, refuse even the smallest of things for what the Lord wants, sometimes cowardly hesitate, and sometimes ignore them by pretending not to hear them. I have a poem like this.
You call me lord, but you do not follow me,
You call my day light, but do not look up,
You call my day the road, but do not walk
You call my day life, but you do not rely on it,
You call me wise but do not learn
You say you are clean, but you do not love me,
You call me rich, but you do not ask me,
Calling your day eternity, but not looking for it,
You call me crazy, but you don't come,
You honor me, but you do not serve me,
You say you're strong, but you don't respect me,
You call me righteous, but you are not afraid,
So you guys
Even if I rebuke you, do not blame me.
God gave His all for us. It is fitting that we give our all in response to this. That's when true faith sprouts. A relationship of true love cannot be said to have been established without giving all in response to the Lord's request.
The relationship between God and the people of Israel is expressed as a relationship between husband and wife. A couple's relationship is a relationship that consists of giving each other everything. There can be nothing to hide or leave behind. When such a thing exists, the marital relationship is already broken.
Jesus going up to Jerusalem was on his way to give his life as a ransom for many. The Bethany who offered this colt to Jesus, who even gave his life in this way, cannot but be called a great believer.
If we truly want to have fellowship with the Lord, we must be able to respond to His demands with joy at any time. The prophet Isaiah saw the glory of God in a vision and, when he was afraid, experienced God's forgiveness of his sins, and when he heard the voice of the Lord, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" He immediately said, "Here I am. Send me,” he replied.
When we say that the Lord will use us, our goal is to reach a position of faith where we can give ourselves, saying, “Lord, please write,” even though we are of little value.
The next thing to consider is that it is an honor for us to be used by the Lord. It is an infinite glory for us that God uses us, who are worthless, insignificant. It is the pride and glory of this beast that the colt of a donkey, raised without a name or rumor in the small town of Bethany, was used in the glorious way of the Lord. While the Lord's entry into Jerusalem is announced, the pride of this nameless colt will be preached. The important thing is not that the colt had anything, but that the Lord had chosen it and used it for his own use. Jesus used this humble colt to fulfill the prophecy of the ancient prophets.
"Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Sing for joy, daughter of Jerusalem
Behold, your king comes upon you.
He is righteous and brings salvation,
I am humble and ride on a donkey
the foal of a donkey, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9)
It is a glorious thing to break someone who is used, and it is a shame to be rejected. As the saying goes, "If salt loses its taste, what is it salted with? After that, it is of no use and is thrown out and trampled on by men" (Matthew 5:13). It cannot be this. Even if we are of little human beings, nothing will be so rewarding if we can be used in our homes and in society for others and for God. If there is a person most unhappy, it is one who has been abandoned to such an extent that no one can recognize his worth or existence.
If you look at the characters that Jesus came and chose to write, they were never great people from the beginning. According to the apostle Paul
They were neither wise nor powerful, nor well-known people. Rather, they were despised and despised in the world, and they were weak and of little value. “But God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and the weak of the world to shame the strong. He chose those who did not have." (1 Corinthians 1:27-28)
Just as the saying that the stone discarded by the craftsman becomes the cornerstone of a house, even a stone thrown away that no one can use is put into the hands of God, and a marvelous work of miracles will be accomplished.
When the Lord used five barley loaves and two fish, a great miracle occurred when the Lord used them. Even a murderer like Ko Jae-bong was used by the Lord to make him an amazing evangelist. He had done things that no one else could. Even a person who is thought to be of no use can do amazing things that no human can imagine if the Lord uses it. In this sense, it is more glorious to be used by the Lord.
I know that the Lord is asking us today, "Today I will use you." Now we hope to be able to respond with joy, "Lord, here I am. I am of little importance, but use it for Your work." It doesn't matter who I am. The Lord is calling you as you are. If you do not hesitate to respond to the Lord's request, there will be a wonderful work of miracles. When we give our all as we are, there will be an inseparable relationship of love between the Lord and us, and true spiritual fellowship with the Lord.
I believe that the new work of Cheorwon Holiness Church will be accomplished through your dedication and faith in responding to the Lord's demands. May God's blessing be with you.