Perfectly Bringing to Pass

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. –Mark 11:1, 2

Jesus and his followers have completed their journey and arrived just outside Jerusalem. It is the first day, Sunday, of what will be known as Passion Week. Jesus has been traveling to the city for weeks, but what is about to happen has been more than 500 years in the making. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah prophesied between 518-515 BC. Almost five and a half centuries after this proclamation, Jesus is bringing it to pass perfectly.

As was the case with his mother, and would be the case with his tomb, the animal Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on had to be unused. The colt needed to be set apart because its use would be sacred. Such an animal would not be easy to find, for it had been over a year since Jesus had been in Jerusalem. However, he does not simply tell the disciples to look for an unbroken colt, he tells them exactly where they will find it. In addition to this, he knows what will happen when they try to take the animal, and tells them what to say. The events of the rest of the week will occur in the same manner. Not one of them will be random or haphazard.

Such is the nature of the plan of redemption. From the beginning it was the Father’s will his Son should die to restore creation to its initial perfection. Through the prophets he explicitly explained how the plan would come to pass. And, everything happened exactly as he said it would.

Even as there was not one random moment during Passion Week, there has not been one random moment this week. The plan of redemption is being worked out with the same precision as it was leading up to the cross. Our ignorance regarding our circumstances in life often causes us fear and discouragement, but this should never be. The great work of the cross has been accomplished, and even now, Jesus Christ is bringing the plan of redemption to perfect completion.