Donkey!

Shrek

Dylan has a concert in the next couple weeks, and he is super excited. “We are seeing the Shrek song!!!” What’s the Shrek song!

“I’m a believer???”

I always thought that’d be a nice worship song. “Then I saw God’s face… now I’m a believer.” It works. Someone, somewhere has done it!

Driving on a road trip hearing Shrek play over and over. Because we lost the remote to the DVD player and that was one of the only ones that would play automatically from the menu.

Here’s a handy fact about Shrek. It’s 90 minutes long. Which makes for a pretty handy unit of measurement, actually.

How long does it take to get drive out to Sterling? Oh… just over a Shrek.

How long is Dusty going to preach? Half a Shrek, tops. Don’t panic :D.

You can use that.

Speaking of Shrek...

Here’s my friend Zechariah. We have heard his prophecies of the new city, new temple, new world, and coming Messiah. The expectation that the Messiah is imminent. In the last few chapters here of Zechariah, he drops into poetry, seeing the judgment of nations and the full spiritual and physical restoration of Jerusalem. And the coming of the Messiah.

And he gives us one of the coolest, weirdly specific prophecies of Jesus. We have lots of pretty good ones. He’ll be born of the line of David (but there’s a lot of those). He’ll be born in Bethlehem… small town, but maybe dozens born there every year.

But wouldn’t it be nice to have a prophecy like “he’ll be at McDonald’s, driving a beat up ‘93 red Civic.” This is pretty much exactly that:

Zechariah 9:9 ESV

9 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.

Now, maybe you’ve heard this before, there is some cultural significance to riding in an a donkey. In the Ancient Near East, if you rode into town on a horse, you were coming as a conqueror. Why? It makes sense, warriors ride horses, the man on a horse has a POWERFUL advantage over anyone not riding a horse. It is status, it is wealth, it is POWER.

But a donkey? Who fights on donkey-back? Donkeys are the budget version of horses, smaller, less threatening, meaner usually. They are more useful as beasts of burden.

Donkeys are better than horses in some ways. They live longer, they are more resilient, need less water. Did you know George Washington was one of the first to bring donkeys to America, became a donkey breeder, and created the first American mule. Fun donkey facts.

So a donkey is a symbol of peace, of peace-time, of farming and plowing

Examples of donkey writing, Solomon, ancient near East.

1 Kings 1:33 ESV

33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

So Zechariah prophesies that the king is coming. But he is not coming as a conqueror. He is coming humbly… as a Prince of Peace.

Many, many folks missed this, so sure that Jesus would come as a conqueror (because, oh my the way, one day he will). John and Daniel before him see the Son of Man as a white rider, coming as a conqueror.

Matthew 21:1–4 ESV

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

Matthew 21:5 ESV

5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

Matthew 21:6–7 ESV

6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.

Skeptics imagine this kind of scenario. Jesus riding both donkeys like a stunt rider.

Is he riding both? No. “Them” refers to the cloaks, not both animals. Maybe he took turns on each. He road on the colt, Mom carried the rest of the cloaks as she followed behind.

Riding in the donkey emphasizes two things. First a conquering king comes in riding a war horse. A king who comes in peace rides a donkey. Jesus enters Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace, not only not to conquer Rome, but to make Peace ultimately, in every sense.

Matthew 21:8–9 ESV

8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

Hosanna in the highest. Remember that!

They recognize him, at least in part, as some fulfillment of prophecy. They quote Psalm 118 here.

“Hosanna,” the English word, is a Greek word “Hosanna” that is really a Hebrew word that shows up once in the OT. הוֹשִׁ֘יעָ֥ה - Hoshiya Na

Psalm 118:25 ESV

25 Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!

But it is part of the Hallel and familiar to everyone in Israel, and in that next verse “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD...”

Psalm 118:26 ESV

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.

and right before it “This is the day that the Lord has made.”

Psalm 118:24 ESV

24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

It is surrounded by success, as if the saving and salvation has already happened. And they recognize it.

and to some extent they recognize Jesus. Hosanna! Save us… and he is saving us, now!!!

Luke 19:37–40 ESV

37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Hear that, also quoting from Psalm 118, just the next verse?

Fulfillment Jesus comes in peace as the Prince of Peace. He comes humbly, almost secretly. In Mark's gospel this triumphal entry is the first time Jesus comes out as explicitly the Messiah, and even then it's subtle.

Who Am I in this story?

First and foremost, this is about understanding who Jesus is. Every one of the gospels includes this moment, Jesus entering, called the “Triumphal Entry.” Matthew remembers how they quoted Psalm 118, Luke, likely capturing Mary’s (and others) memories, remembers how Jesus said “the rocks will cry out.” Mark, likely transcribing Peter’s memories, writes this as the first time Jesus really reveals himself publicly as Messiah. And John remembers the Pharisees, panicked, saying “the whole world has gone after him.”

This is Jesus revealed as the Messiah, Son of God, descendant of David, come as the King of Kings, Prince of Peace, to save all humanity. Hosanna, indeed. Hallelujah!!!

Be like the crowd

So first, we can be like the crowd. Recognizing and praising Jesus.

Singing “Hosanna!”

Recognizing Jesus, the Messiah. Not just their “Messiah,” their Savior.

In all of our king, recognizing, at least in part, that he is the fulfillment of every prophecy. Jesus is the messiah, the king of kings, come to bring victory and come to bring peace.

Our Savior. Our Messiah.

In fulfillment of prophecies hundreds of years before. Yes. Zechariah and Daniel, Isaiah, Joel, all of these friends we have been hearing from. In fulfillment of prophecies thousands of years old, to Moses, to Abraham before him, to Adam and Eve.

But more than that, he is Savior of you and me. He is on the road to the cross, to die for your sins and for mine.

We give him praise, we give him glory. We recognize, that is a privilege we are invited into, if we didn't praise the rocks would cry out his glory.

Be like the crowd in the way they recognize and declare his glory and Majesty, but the crowd is fickle. And we know in a few days time they will be crying out for his crucifixion instead. In that we are all too like the crowd, for it is our sins that send Jesus to the cross.

Be like Jesus.

Here’s the church answer, right?

Jesus is just the best christian. What would Jesus do is a good motto. Be like Jesus is pretty much always a solid Church answer.

We live and move in the name of the King, in his power, but it is this different kind of power. Humble and incarnational.

In this world we are called to enter in, not to rule over, but to serve and to love and to live humbly. Jesus' road here leads to the cross. And in the days following, in the upper room with his disciples, he's going to teach them: your road leads to the cross.

Take up your cross and follow me.

Be like Jesus: humbly entering in, faithfully walking the road of sacrifice, of submission, the road to the cross.

That’ll preach! That’s not wrong. Follow Jesus, be like Jesus.

Be like donkey!

And finally, and best, there is one character that truly captures my spirit in the story. That most accurately and honestly represent our place in the narrative.

The donkey. Be like the donkey.

No KJV allowed for this one.

Even in Shrek, the donkey is the real hero. Shrek is strong, but he’s really an anti-hero and kind of a horrible person like the whole time. It is Donkey who is loyal, courageous, it is donkey who drives the story forward, who forgives, who loves, and who teaches Shrek to love.

Be like the donkey.

But here in the story, look at the donkey.

The donkey is ready and available, ready to be used by Jesus, even when an especially when she has no idea what's in store.

You got kids? Great, bring them along in ministry too. Their purpose is to serve Jesus too.

Their purpose is to bring Jesus, the king of kings, into the city. To the people.

It is Jesus who saves, it is Jesus who rules, he is the king, he is the one to be adored and glorified.

Do you think the donkey is confused as the people shout praises and lay down Palm fronds at her feet?

Or does she know that she's only part of this because she brings the king of kings. Because when she enters the city, Jesus enters the city. When she walks the street, Jesus rides along.

She brings the greatest possible gift anywhere she goes, because Jesus is with her. Humble but impossibly powerful. Peaceful, yes, but not a peace that leaves you alone, a peace that absolutely transforms everything. Changes everything.

Be the donkey. Bring the Jesus.

Every where you go, Jesus goes with you. It isn’t that he is “coming along for the ride...” the only reason you go anywhere is to bring Jesus with you. That’s why you’re still here on earth. Otherwise God could just snap us up at the moment of faith, at the moment of salvation. But He is still in the business of bringing the good news of salvation.

Hosanna, indeed! Jesus, save us! And he is!!! And he is using you, working through you, walking with you, to bring peace to friends and family who desperately need it. A world, a city that desperately needs Jesus.

Be like Jesus. Bring the Jesus. Hosanna!