I Always Have a Problem with the Donkey

They anticipated a Messiah. They wondered, Is Jesus the one? He preached with unprecedented wisdom, He healed with a word, He commanded demons, He ruled nature. Anticipation was building. Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Passover, and again they wondered, Would He take His position as King now?

“He’s coming!” Can you hear the excitement, sense the tension, feel the hope?

And then He appeared. On a donkey! No white stallion, no trumpeters, no fanfare. So they created their own. They took off their cloaks, spreading them on the road. They spontaneously cut branches to line the way and waved fronds in the air. Apparently, they weren’t put off by the donkey. All they saw was Jesus. And they worshiped Him.

Personally, Jesus’ humble entry saddens me. I admit, it aligned with His birth in a stable and His bed in a manger. It reflected His lifestyle with no place to lay His head. It must have resonated with the sick and sinners He had healed and forgiven. And, it was a harbinger of the excruciatingly humble death that awaited Him.

Yes, the donkey discomforts me, but this is not Jesus’ only “Triumphal Entry.” He is coming again, and I eagerly anticipate His return. It will be amazingly glorious!

“There will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars.
And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil,
perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides….Then everyone will see the Son of Man 
coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”
Luke 21:25, 27