“The Lord Has Need of a Donkey” (Mark 11:3)

 

While reading the Gospel of Mark, I was deeply challenged by a simple yet profound statement:

Mark 11:3 — “If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”

We often speak about our need for the Lord—how dependent we are on Him. But here, we encounter something striking: the Lord has need. Specifically, He has need of a donkey.

A few verses later, we see Jesus riding on that donkey as people glorify Him. No one praises the donkey. Its role is simple—it carries the Lord so that He may be seen and glorified.

This raises a personal question:
Am I willing to be that donkey?

What does it mean to let the Lord ride on us? Why would He be “looking” for a donkey today?

A simple and practical understanding is this:
To let the Lord ride on us means to deny our will so that His will may be done.

This is exactly what Jesus calls us to:

Luke 9:23 — “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
John 14:15 — “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

Obedience requires us to let go of our self-will. Every commandment becomes an opportunity to glorify Him—to let Him “ride” on our will so that He alone receives the glory.

It is important, however, to understand this rightly:
We are not being crushed or diminished in a harmful sense, but willingly yielding our will in love and trust.

Jesus Himself illustrates this principle:

John 12:24 — “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Yielding our will leads to fruitfulness—it allows His life to be expressed through us.

Why a Donkey?

Why did the Lord choose a donkey?

Why not a horse—faster and stronger?
Why not a lion—majestic and powerful?
Why not an elephant—impressive and commanding?

Because if He had chosen those, the attention might have been drawn to the strength, beauty, or grandeur of the animal. But a donkey is humble, ordinary, and unnoticed.

The focus remains entirely on the One who rides it.

A Personal Reflection

When I examine my own life, I see how often I fail to let Him “ride.” One reason is this: I tend to think of myself as a horse, a lion, or an elephant—strong, capable, and self-sufficient.

But my will is often stubborn and resistant to what He asks of me.

His commandments frequently come to me as moments of testing:

• “Rejoice always” (Philippians 4:4) — yet my will says there is nothing to rejoice about.
  
  

• “Forgive others” (Matthew 6:14) — yet my will holds on to past hurts.
  
  

• “Do not be anxious” (Matthew 6:25) — yet my will finds endless reasons to worry.
  
  

And yet Scripture reminds me:

• “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3; Matthew 11:30)
  
  

• “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3)
  
  

The issue is not lack of power—it is the resistance of my will.

The Invitation

Perhaps the problem is simple:
I think I am a horse, a lion, or an elephant—when in reality, I am called to be a donkey.

A humble, willing vessel.

And that is something I can choose today.

If I am willing to obey—if I am willing to deny my will so that His will may be done—then I am allowing Him to “ride” on me. And when He is seen, He receives the glory He deserves.

God is not looking for strength to display, but for willingness to yield—so that His glory alone may be seen.