Mark 11:5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
When I was a kid, Mom often would give me tasks to do. If I ever asked her, “Why do I need to do this? Why do I need to take the trash out right now? Why do I need to make my bed?” Mom would say, “Because I said so.” This was a good enough reason for me. Sometimes in your life, you are going to ask for reasons. Faith is relying upon God for the answers.
In Mark 11 Jesus was coming to Bethany, and He sent two of His disciples ahead into Jerusalem to get a donkey. He says in verse 3, “And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.” That is exactly what happened. The disciples found a colt tied exactly as Jesus said it would be, and certain people asked, “Why are you loosing that colt?” The disciples answered as Jesus had told them, and the people let them go.
Here is a story of a mundane task that Jesus gives the disciples with no obvious reason that they could see. They may have wondered why they were doing it. They had to trust that Jesus knew the reason why. When we trust the Lord for the answers that we need, it does a couple of things for us. First, it puts our mind to rest as to the reason why. Why are we to do what we are doing? Sometimes you may know and sometimes you may not, but there is a reason.
Second, it is a comfort to know that God knows the answer. Faith is oftentimes just relying upon the Lord for the answer. It not only gives us an understanding of the reason, it gives us an understanding for the importance of what we are doing.
In Mark 9 Jesus told the disciples what would happen to Him. He would be delivered into the hands of men to be killed, and then He would rise the third day. Mark 9:32 says, “But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.” You may wonder how Jesus could tell His disciples what was going to occur so many times and they not get it. One of the reasons is because when they didn’t understand, they were afraid to ask. Did these disciples understand the importance of what they were doing? No, they did not, but Jesus did.
Finally, faith is relying upon the Lord to give you the answer, and that is certainly true with the big picture. These disciples did not know what was to come. They didn’t understand that the Triumphal Entry was coming. This story is not about two disciples getting a donkey, but about Jesus riding into Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecies written about Him. It is a little like when you read a novel. In the beginning you get all these little details that seem insignificant, but in the last two chapters- wham- everything comes together and the answers are given.
The big picture here is Jesus the Messiah. The little picture was getting a donkey for Him to ride. The disciples didn’t see any reason or importance in this, but Jesus did. He always does. So, I don’t need to see the big picture in order to know that there is one. In your story today, you may not always have the answers, know the reason, or see the big picture, but the Lord does. Faith is often relying on the Lord to give the answers you need.