An Unlikely Escort

There is so much about Jesus that is completely paradoxical. He did nothing by convention or tradition when he was here on earth. . . This morning I was reading about the triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before his death. Maybe you are familiar with this story, but I'll share it here to remind you of some of the details.

From Mark 11:1-10

As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”

The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.

Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,

“Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!”

There is a lot about this story that is thought-provoking and enlightening, but I want to share one specific revelation that had me crying like a baby this morning. . . Did you notice what kind of animal Jesus asked for? It was a young donkey. Interesting that he would choose to ride an animal better suited for a child, isn't it? What about the fact that Jesus wanted a young donkey that had never been ridden?

At first I didn't think too much about this. It seemed to be representative of Jesus' holiness - that he would ride an animal unspoiled by labor, set apart for his triumphal entry. But the author of my bible study pointed out a significant fact that I completely missed (thank goodness for Tim).

Have you ever tried to ride a young donkey that has never been ridden? I haven't. . . But I have been around horses enough to know that animals have to be taught this particular skill. It takes a significant amount of 'breaking in' to get an animal comfortable and at ease with a human riding on its back. A young donkey would be no different.

Not only was this young donkey being ridden for the first time, but he (or she!) was being ridden into a loud, chaotic, parade of sorts that would unsettle the calmest and oldest of animals. The prophesy in Zechariah that paints a picture of this exact event says, "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey (Zech. 9:9)."

We certainly don't get any indication that Jesus struggled to ride this animal. There is no mention of Him spending 2 hours taming the young colt before riding into the chaos of the city. The beauty and power of this is expressed wonderfully by D.A. Carson:

In the midst, then, of this excited crowd, an unbroken animal remains calm under the hands of the Messiah who controls nature.

Even a young donkey feels and understands the presence of Jesus. His loving hands, His calming presence. . . Even animals surrender to the love and power of Christ.

Jesus is a paradox. Both king and servant, just and merciful. . . Ultimate Majesty riding into town on a baby donkey. He is a beautiful picture of all that is good, and we experience the best of life when we trust in Him - not matter how backwards His ways may seem from the standards of this world.

I never thought I'd say this, but I hope that I respond to Christ like that young donkey did so many years ago. Willing to be broken, calm in the presence of my Messiah King. . . humbled and dependent on the one who humbled himself to save me.