RADICAL Obedience

Eastford Baptist Church
April 5, 2007

“After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of 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.’” So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord needs it.” (Luke 19:32-34)

How good are you at being obedient? I heard a “story” about a couple of hunters who were out in the woods when one of them fell to the ground. He didn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes were rolled back in his head. The other guy whipped out his cell phone and called the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “I think my friend is dead! What can I do?” The operator, in a calm, soothing voice, said: “Let’s just take it easy. I’m sure I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.” There was an eerie silence on the phone, and then a shot was heard. The guy's voice finally comes back on the line. And he says to the 911 operator: “Okay, now what?” (Now that’s a little too obedient!)

Most of us like to think that we follow the straight and narrow fairly well. But I suspect that if we looked closely at our lives we would discover that all is not what it seems. Who among us doesn’t drive at least a few miles over the speed limit from time to time? How many of us have never fudged the numbers just a little on our income taxes? Or what about that “little white lie” you told to spare someone’s feelings? Paul said it best when he declared that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We know we are supposed to be radically obedient, but it isn’t always easy. Jesus showed us that it is possible to live this way. One example of this kind of obedience is right in this passage.

The donkey (or colt) seems to be a rather minor player in the passage but in reality was the fulfillment of a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 “your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” It’s hard not to believe that Jesus had this passage in mind when he made the arrangements for his Palm Sunday parade. He sends his disciples to a nearby village to retrieve the donkey for him. Amazingly after they find the animal (just as he had told them) they began to untie it. And as they were untying it, the owner asked “Why are you untying it? (just as he had told them.) They respond, “The Lord needs it.” (just as he had told them) and the owner lets it go.

Now here’s what I want us to catch: The owners of the colt, when they confronted the disciples who had been sent to fetch it, immediately accepted the simple explanation that The Lord needs it and allowed the colt to be led away. Did they know Jesus was the one who needed the animal? Some scholars suggest that Jesus had made prior arrangements with the owners and that they were just checking to make sure the right people were picking up the animal. I guess this is plausible even though it takes some of the mystery away from the story. But I suspect that the colt’s owners simply knew somehow that Jesus was the one who had sent these disciples to get the colt, so they responded with a radical obedience. They had no way of knowing if they would ever see their colt again, but they went ahead and let the animal be led away. We should note that this animal represented a sizable financial investment for its owners. It is even possible that several families owned it together. Yet, the owners were willing to give it up simply because Jesus had need of it. They didn’t ask any questions, set any conditions, or ask for anything in return. They simply gave what they had when it was asked of them.

How many of us, I wonder, would be able (or willing) to do the same thing? Too often we have an attitude that tries to get by with the least amount of investment possible. Often it isn’t necessarily obedience that’s really important to us. It’s the appearance of obedience that’s important to us. As long as our life has the appearance of obedience, we’re satisfied. Radical obedience doesn’t seek to comply with the minimal standards but pursues extravagant, lavish fulfillment – regardless of the cost or inconvenience. Radical obedience is not satisfied with a skin deep cosmetic perception that we are obedient. It settles for nothing less than total surrender of the heart. It simply responds when called upon because the issue of trust has been settled completely in the lordship of Christ. Radical obedience is what drove Jesus to the cross as he determined to fully accomplish His Father’s will. “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death, even death on a cross!” Nothing less than radical obedience can be offered when we remember what has been gifted to us through His radical sacrifice on the cross.

Looking forward to a wonderful Resurrection Weekend,
PT