Jesus and his disciples headed down the road that led to Bethpage and Bethany, and after that, Jerusalem. The road was empty, saving Jesus and his disciples.
Ahead of them, nestled in the foothills of the Mount of Olives, there sat two towns; Bethany and Bethpage. Their next stops.
Jesus stopped walking and turned to his disciples. “Two of you must enter the village ahead of us before the rest of us may. At the entrance, you will find a donkey and her colt. Untie the colt and bring it back to me. If anyone asks you what you are doing, tell them that the Lord needs it, but will give it back soon.”
John stepped forwards. “I will go, Lord.”
Jesus nodded, then looked at the rest of the disciples. “One more.”
Peter stepped to John’s side. “I will go if you wish me to, Lord.”
“Now go.” Jesus looked at the two of them. “We will await your return here.”
John and Peter started down the road and headed towards the village.
They walked in silence until they reached the town gates. They stepped inside them and immediately saw a donkey and her colt, tied to a fence post at a stable.
Peter gazed at them. “How did he know?” he said.
“He’s the son of God,” John said. “He knows everything. So stop questioning it and help me get this colt untied.”
Peter and John went over to the colt and began to untie the rope.
“Hey, you two!” A man walked over to the two disciples. “What are you doing, untying my donkey and colt?”
“The Lord needs it,” John said. “He will give it back shortly, but he needs it for now.”
The owner paled. “The Lord? Very well, take it. The colt and the donkey.”
Peter looked to John, but John shook his head. “No, the Lord only needs the colt. Keep your donkey.”
The owner nodded. “The Lord is gracious, praise him.”
Peter finished untying the rope that bound the colt to the fence. Then, the rope still around the colt’s neck, he slowly led it away.
The colt’s mother watched it go, but didn’t try to stop it.
John stroked the mother’s neck. “He’ll be back soon,” he whispered to her. Then he hurried after Peter, who was waiting at the village gates.
As they started to leave, they began to hear excited whispers.
“The Lord! He’s coming!”
“Here? Today?”
“Yes!”
“I have to get ready. I can’t believe this! He’s coming!”
John smiled. “Come on, we’d better hurry and get this colt to Jesus. It sounds as though he’ll have quite a crowd waiting for him.”
“Come on,” Peter said to the colt. He clicked his tongue to urge it to go forwards, but it appeared it needed no urging. It was trotting along quickly, as though it knew who its rider was going to be. And it was possible. Maybe God had told it.
They reached the spot on the road where Jesus and the rest of the disciples were waiting and stopped. John immediately took off his coat and put it on the colt’s back for Jesus to sit on. Peter quickly did the same.
“It was as you told us, Lord,” John said. “The colt and mother were there.”
Jesus nodded. “Very good.” He climbed onto the donkey and it began to walk towards the town, where a large crowd was steadily gathering on the road leading to it.
The disciples walked along behind Jesus and the colt, marveling at the scene before them.
When they were still far off from the town, groups of people began to cry out praises, laying down their coats and palm branches onto the road.
“Hosanna!”
“The Lord has come!”
“Blessed is the coming of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
The disciples smiled. Everyone knew he was the Lord. Everyone knew he was there to save them from their sins. No one quite knew how, but it happened in a way no one could’ve suspected. . .