Donkeys of Peace and Passion
"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!'"
(Matthew 21:7-9)
Yes, I know. That's a horse with Ginger and not a donkey. We searched and searched on our devises for a photo of a donkey but to no avail.
But I do remember interacting with a donkey on different trip to North Carolina. We were at an orchard grove that stabled some farm animals, including a donkey. I wasn't too fond of him though, in large part because he wasn't at all fond of me. When my family went up to the fence, he was fine. But when I approached, he brayed madly. And if you haven't heard a donkey bray, try to keep it that way. It's a terrible racket.
The truth is donkey's can be fierce. In fact, farmers often use them as a sentinel of sorts to guard against wolves or canines. Not only will they sound the alarm when a predator approaches, but they've been known to full on attack the intruder.
So it's interesting to consider why Jesus selected a donkey to ride into Jerusalem for his triumphal entry. The short of it is that even though donkeys are fierce, they were a symbol of peace in ancient times. We see that in the prophecy Jesus fulfills in this passage from the book of Zechariah. Chapter nine says:
"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. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."
So riding a horse into a city would communicate military power, conquest and domination while a donkey would have indicated diplomacy, humility and peaceful intent.
Jesus is very deliberate about that image here. His mission into Jerusalem wasn't to bring violence to the city but rather to allow it to be done to him so as to fulfill his vocation as the sacrifice for sins.
Still I find the fierceness of the donkey compelling too. Yes, Jesus' intent was to bring peace and reconciliation to the hearts of those who trust in him. But during the week leading up to his crucifixion, he boldly took on "wolves in sheep's clothing" by calling out the hypocrisy of religious leaders and the oppressive structures they upheld in the city.
Friends, this is our Lord. Fiercely intentional to uproot evil yet doing so through the sacrifice that would make true peace possible.
Join me this week in meditating on this truth about who Jesus is and what that means for us, his people.
Darin+