Mark 11:4-6
Have
you rented a vehicle lately? Man, there is a lot of paperwork to fill out. I
almost feel like bringing a pint of blood with me, and maybe pictures of my
grandkids as collateral. I guess Hollywood’s use of vehicles in high speed
chases has inspired a generation of rental car drivers. I just can’t figure out
how the lawyers have messed up so many aspects of life.
But
it wasn’t always so difficult to borrow things. Not that long ago, and still in
some places in the world, your word, and maybe a handshake was all that was
needed to seal a deal. A person’s word was their bond. When they said
something, they meant it. You also knew them. They lived in your town, and if
they backed out, everyone in town would know they had backed out, and they
would stop doing business with them. It was a personal matter.
This
didn’t mean that there was NO
dishonesty back then, but that most transactions that involved finances were
handled with a simple pledge acknowledging the obligation to repay. Traveling
salesmen perhaps came to gain a bad reputation because they weren’t known
personally before the transaction. This is one of the reasons for the Better
Business Bureau’s creation. People could complain and have the complaint
recorded. Then people could check on the business to see if there were
complaints against that business. It was the official word of mouth.
Two
of Jesus’ disciples enter into an agreement with the owner of a young donkey. They
do a little name dropping, “The Lord needs it,” and that is enough. This would
indicate to me that the owner knew Jesus, or at least knew of Him. They might
have even known these two disciples. But Jesus and the disciples had been to
this area before during the three years of His ministry.
Ministry
takes support from all sorts of sources. No fruitful ministry can be an
isolated ministry. The best ministries make lots of connections. We need each
other. Sometimes you need to borrow a donkey, and connections may help.
Jesus
was not afraid to ask for a favor. Sometimes He had to ask for help from
others. This asking for help can put a person in a vulnerable position. The person
being asked could reject the person asking. That is always a possibility. And
it can be humiliating to be rejected. The ego takes a big hit. The self-esteem
can go right out the window in those moments.
But
sometimes, you have to ask. There is no way to accomplish what you need to do
if you don’t ask for help. Jesus trusted both the disciples and the owner of
the young donkey, that they would support Him in His ministry. He had faith in
them.