Valerie Rae Hanneman
Matthew 21:2 “saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.” (NIV)
One of the “joys” of my job is being involved in union negotiations. They are a very stressful time. We were in one set of union negotiations and - as usual - the talk had turned to the value of union employees compared to the administration employees. One union worker was just going on and on about how hard they worked, the stress they were under, the high quality of their work, etc. When he paused to take a breath, I said, “The work that administration does is just as important and just as hard - so what’s your point?” He looked me dead in the eye and said, “You don’t represent clients - so how important is your work?” Although I was stunned, I wasn’t speechless, “We have 20 funding sources - each with their own sets of compliance rules, in addition we have compliance rules with the federal, state and local governments. To be in non-compliance with any of these people can get us defunded. Administration might not be in court - but if we don’t do our job - neither are you - in fact you wouldn’t have a job.” I was really angry that he had minimalized our contribution to the program.
I love the week that starts with Palm Sonday and ends with Easter Sonday. This week is the most significant week in the entire history of mankind. My life for all eternity was redeemed during this week.
What do you think of when you think of Palm Sonday? Do you think of the branches being waved in the hands of the crowd? Or how about when they laid their clothes and palm branches before Him as Jesus entered Jerusalem. Or how about the shouts of the crowd? “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” Do you ever wonder how Jesus felt as He looked into some of the faces in the crowd, their faces alight with worship and joy, and saw them as they would be in just a few short days - their faces twisted in hate as they screamed, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Did you ever think about the donkey colt? Or the person who owned it? I can almost see your scratching your head in puzzlement. “The donkey?” you are thinking, “What difference does an insignificant, little donkey make?” I will tell you that without that little donkey - there would have been no Palm Sonday.
We really don’t pay much attention to the donkey or the person who owned it in the hoopla of Palm Sonday but it is mentioned in all four gospels. Jesus’ birth, on the other hand, is only told of in two of the gospels. What is it about this donkey that it rates being put in all four gospels?
As they approached Jerusalem Jesus sent two of His disciples to go and get this little donkey colt that had never been ridden before. If questioned they were to say, “The Master has need of him.” The owner of the donkey, with just these few words, gave this donkey to the disciples to be used to complete God’s purpose here on earth. Did the owner know at the time Who had need of his little donkey? When did he realize that God Himself had ridden his donkey. I hope that when we get home we will be able to meet this man who remains nameless and seemingly insignificant in the Word, but whose actions changed our world.
I wonder if Jesus looked a little silly on that donkey? It was a young colt - probably not full size yet, still kept with his mother. Did Jesus’ feet occasionally drag in the dirt as He rode that small animal? Why would He purposely choose to ride that donkey? He chose to ride into Jerusalem on this particular day on this particular animal because of a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
When Jesus rode that donkey into Jerusalem, He rode it in fulfilment of that prophecy. The people in the crowd, who had been waiting for all their lives for the Messiah, knew that Jesus, was declaring Himself to be the King of Israel. Riding this donkey into Jerusalem was Jesus strongest public declaration that He was Messiah. The only stronger declaration that He is Messiah was to come in seven days when Jesus rose from the dead.
What would have happened if this nameless man had refused to allow his donkey to be taken? What if he would have said to the disciples, “No way, dudes! This donkey colt is the only one I have! I don’t care who has need of it - no money - no donkey!” But he didn’t say that. In his faith, he released to donkey to the purpose of God - maybe not even knowing if he would ever see the donkey again.
And that donkey became the centerpiece - the second most important participant - of Palm Sonday. The man released his donkey to be used by God to make His declaration that He is Messiah, which set the stage for Jesus’ crucifixion, which then set the stage for His resurrection that defeated death and hell forever which set the stage for my salvation about 2,000 years later. Praise God for the faithfulness of this man who just gave up a donkey colt.
We all know who Billy Graham is. God has used him to make a tremendous impact on the kingdom. But do you know the name of the Sonday School teacher who lead Billy Graham to the LORD? When that Sonday School teacher lead Dr. Graham to the LORD, he had no idea of the impact that this particular little boy was going to have on the world. He was just being faithful in what God had called him to do. God is still using his faithfulness to change the world.
Be faithful in what God calls you to do. It may seem insignificant and unimportant to others, maybe even to you, but the angels rejoice in your faithfulness. And who knows - maybe God is using your tiny act of faithfulness to set the stage and change the world. He did it with a donkey.
LORD Jesus, when You rode that donkey You declared to all the world that You are Messiah. They did not understand and so they rejected You and crucified You. But that did not change the truth that You were Messiah then and You are Messiah now. You still come to us - righteous, gentle and having salvation for all. You are Messiah, we worship You.
Contact Valerie or subscribe to the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at March 19, 2005 02:41 PM