Tags
donkeys, Jerusalem, Mark 11, Matthew 21: 9-11, Psalm 50: 7-11, The unridden colt, Triumphal Entry, Zechariah 9:9
I don’t know if you have ever ridden on a donkey, but I can tell you, that they are not the most comfortable means of transportation. They take short, jarring steps that rattle your teeth and they have a proclivity for stopping quickly and nearly unseating you. Give me a smooth gaited horse any day!
I was thinking of donkeys because it is six weeks before Easter, a season liturgical churches call Lent, when thoughts are to be especially focused on the meaning of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. I plan to do a series of posts looking at some of the details that we might not always think of, and I am starting out with the donkey that Jesus rode when he entered Jerusalem for the last time.
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)
The villages near Jerusalem would have been where pilgrims bought supplies and lodged. They also would have been the source of animals for sacrifice. The sheep that the shepherds were tending in Bethlehem at Christ’s birth were quite possibly those meant for sacrifice in the temple. Animals to be sacrificed to God were never used for anything else. They were to be without spot or blemish, the firstfruits, not something that had already been used and was ready to be discarded.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all include the detail that the colt was unridden, which indicates the importance of this detail. This young donkey, who had been raised to be an unblemished sacrifice was instead to carry the Lamb of God who would be the final sacrifice for sin.
If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. (Mark 11:3-6)
“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine. (Psalm 50:7-11)
Jesus could have asserted his right of ownership over the donkey, but instead, he borrowed it. Yet his authority is evident in the way the disciples repeat his words to the owner, and he is satisfied.
And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:9-11)
The final detail we will note as we think about Jesus and the donkey is the stir He caused when he rode this little donkey into Jerusalem. In ancient times, no one rode through the gate of the city except a conquering King. All others, no matter their status, dismounted and walked through the gate. The fact that Jesus rode, was yet another subtle way of proclaiming His Kingship for all to see. For the Scribes and Pharisees, this was a not so subtle reference to prophecy.
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 9:9)
Oh the depth and beauty of God’s Word. How I marvel at all of the layers of detail we can uncover, even in a familiar story. I pray that you will have a deeper reverence and understanding for the detail of the humble donkey after reading this.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Diane