When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, 'The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!" When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."

Jesus' disciples were brave men. Back in the day, the book of Deuteronomy states that if someone steals something like a donkey, the owner must be paid back double the value of the stolen property. As time went on, the penalties increased until, during America's early history, the penalty for stealing modes of transportation and beasts of burden was a public whipping, jail time and sometimes death, depending on the circumstances and jurisdiction. Donkeys, mules and horses were valuable commodities right up into the 20th century because they were the best and fastest means of transportation for most individuals...in addition to their abilities to carry large loads. Even today, they aren't cheap, though the penalties for their theft are much less severe.

There was much more at work here than mere bravery. There is a matter of faith too. The disciples trusted that what Jesus said was true, that if they were challenged about taking the donkey and colt, the challenger would understand when told "the Lord needs them." The disciples had faith in their savior Jesus. While there would be some backsliding in the Garden of Gethsemane four days later, they would display their faith again and again until all but one of them would be martyred for his faith.

What about our faith? It's easy to talk the talk of Psalm Sunday and much harder to walk the walk to Calvary. Fortunately Jesus took that walk to Calvary for us, so we don't have to. But the faith journey is ours, guided by God's Holy Spirit. Lent is the perfect time for introspection, a time to take a few prayerful moments and examine our faith journey: where we are and where we want to be. Then, on Easter morn, we can join our risen Lord with a new shout, a new display of renewed faith, that of "HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED. HALLALUEIA!!"