“The Lord Needs Them”

You know how Jesus rode a donkey for the Triumphal Entry?  Have you considered the guy who gave him the donkey?  The story seems to say that he knew in advance his donkey might be taken.  Some parents know in advance that something extra will be required of them.

Matthew 21:1-9

The Triumphal Entry
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“Say to the Daughter of Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”

He knew in advanced that he would willingly give his donkey.  I’m guessing that means he was having a quiet time with the Lord each day.  It’s hard to know that God needs your donkey unless you are listening to Him.

Once he heard the Lord, he was also willing to give what God required.  I’m aware that some parents feel compelled to homeschool because of their commitment to the Lord.  They are willing to give what the Lord requires.  Even though God has called you, that doesn’t mean it will be easy.  In fact, it might be a hard thing to do.  The donkey owner was giving a valuable commodity (not unlike a car) to a stranger, knowing it was required.  Would you be willing to do that?  Would you give your freedom and lifestyle to be able to homeschool  a stranger?  (Teenagers:  nothing is stranger than a teenager!)  There is a lot that we give up to homeschool our children.  God knows he isn’t asking for something that is easy.

Think of the donkey owner again.  What if he never saw his donkey again?  When you homeschool, does that mean you will see success?  What if you never see your donkey again?   Because sometimes homeschooling is hard, and problems don’t go away completely.  Sometimes the donkey is just…. gone!  I know that it’s tempting to think that when you homeschool everything will work out perfectly for your child.  In reality, though, they can still have some problems.  Granted, their problems would have been much worse if you had not listened to God and done what he said (that’s an important concept!).

Even if you are called to homeschool, there may still be trouble.   That does NOT mean your time homeschooling was wasted.  Look at the passage again.  Even though the donkey was gone, the donkey was still used for the Lord.  The donkey was used in such a memorable way that the story of that donkey was written in the Bible!  I’m sure from his owner’s perspective, he may have felt his donkey was wasted.  From his perspective the donkey was just GONE.  We can see the full story, that the donkey was used for a greater purpose.

What did the donkey owner do?
He listened to God.
He gave what was required.
He let go of expectations.

Editor’s note:  This is not to be construed as implying that teens are in any way like donkeys.  I’m just saying….

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