The King on the Donkey

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, He was the most popular person in town. Everyone had heard of Him, the great miracle worker. Lazarus had just been raised from the dead. Could this be the Messiah? The One who would usher in a new world order? For many, Jesus was the One and they welcomed Him into Jerusalem shouting: “Hosanna! [Lord, save us!] Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” I’m sure His disciples were all charged up as well. Finally Jesus stopped withdrawing to remote places when the crowds began to gather. Now he was going public! Now was the time to confront the corrupt authorities. Now was the time for a new world order!

Some in Jerusalem did not welcome Jesus: Among them the Pharisees and the ruling Jews. Understandably, some were jealous of Jesus’ popularity. They feared His criticism of how they abused their spiritual authority over God’s people to fatten themselves. They feared that if the people would stop listening to them and follow Jesus, the Roman government might remove them from their privileged positions as leaders among the Jews. They did not welcome that “king” riding on the donkey.

A king riding a donkey: Normally, state dignitaries travel in nice luxury limousines. We wouldn’t expect to see Prime Minister Paul Martin to pull up at his office on Parliament Hill in a beat up old clunker. So when we imagine a king entering Jerusalem, we would expect him to be riding a horse or a stallion, which befits his majesty and power. But our King rides a donkey.

Back in 1984 I had the opportunity to visit the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. It is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. 98% of the people are so poor they cannot afford a car. However, if they do have enough means, they might own a donkey. So when I was there, I did see a number of donkeys, especially in the countryside. Most often I saw the donkey used to haul water. At times I saw a donkey loaded up with produce from the fields that were taken to the market. Once I saw a child riding a donkey. Whenever I saw a donkey, it was always carrying something. It literally was a beast of burden as we call it. The donkey is a servant animal, carrying the burden of its master.

Why does Jesus choose such a beast of burden for His triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Perhaps as a clue, we should note that this day was the tenth day of Nissan in the Jewish calendar, the day when the lamb was selected that would be sacrificed five days later during the Passover feast for the sins of God’s people. So, unknowingly, those welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem, were welcoming the Lamb of God who would offer His life for their sins in a few short days.

And like the beast of burden He was riding, Jesus too was carrying a burden: He was bearing my sins and your sins and the sins of all mankind. You see, Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, because He comes as our servant to carry our garbage and our burdens to the cross. There He pays for them with His own life so that they will be completely removed from before the face of our heavenly Father.

That Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey is a sign that He does not come to kill and conquer, to punish and pay back, but that He comes to serve and heal, to offer His life and die. Paul said it best when he wrote to the Philippians as we heard it in the Epistle lesson:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (2:5-8, NIV)

Imagine God, the Creator of the universe, riding on a donkey; riding towards the cross and into the jaws of death and hell itself. Martin Luther used an interesting fishing analogy to describe what happened: God used the humanity of His Son as bait in which was embedded his deity, the hook. For example, when you want to catch a fish, you cover the hook with some bait. Then, when the fish swallows the bait it also swallows the hook and you’ve caught yourself a fish! But what on earth was God trying to catch by hiding himself within human flesh?

Allow me to back up for a moment. Ever since Satan lost his position in heaven because he led the angels in a rebellion against God, he has been leading mankind into rebellion against God. And because of our willing obedience to Satan, we have all come under God’s judgment. In effect, Satan succeeded in estranging us from God and we are now his prisoners, caught in his fangs, and on our way into the lake of fire that God has prepared for him and all his demons.

But then God enters the scene in lowly human form, riding a donkey. Satan sees this as his chance to destroy the beloved Son of the Father. And as he opens his jaws to devour Jesus in death, he drops us out of his mouth and we are set free! For Satan not only devoured the humanity of Christ, but also His divinity.

In his blind rage against God he had swallowed the hook that now leads him captive. In putting Jesus to death, Satan lost the control he had over us. Now we no longer share his fate in the fiery lake, but have the promise of eternal life through the forgiveness of our sins. And that’s great news! Praise the Lord!

As we begin Holy Week it never ceases to astound me as I see that drama of the greatest of all epic battles unfold, that was waged for my soul here on earth between the Prince of Darkness and the Son of God. Today we join the people of Jerusalem in welcoming and cheering our Champion, our King riding a donkey. We have reason to rejoice in Christ our King because soon He will give us His prize, the kingdom of heaven. As we follow Jesus this week, we will find ourselves passing through the upper room on Thursday, passing by the cross on Friday and on to the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.

During this journey through Holy Week, we humbly accept the King who comes to us on the donkey. On Maundy Thursday we will see Him again in the bread and wine of His Last Supper that we may share in the fellowship of His sufferings. There he graciously comes to us offering spiritual food for our souls, forgiveness to the troubled, rest to the weary, and healing to the afflicted.

Now is the time for us to climb off of our own horses of pride and self-sufficiency, and kneel with repentant hearts before our Creator and Lord crying, Hosanna! Hosanna to the Lord who comes to save us!

And now may our gracious God keep your hearts and minds in perfect peace through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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