Donkey's and Palms; Turtles and Fenceposts

Intro: “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know that it did not get there by itself.  You can learn a lot from an animal.  Even from a cat.  I don’t mean when the cat gets crazy late at night and puffs itself up like a giant hairball and runs around like it’s on some kind of illegal cat cocaine.  But the fact that when a cat doesn’t like you, it doesn’t like you.  All you need to make a dog like you is a little beef jerky.  But if a cat doesn’t like you it is over.  Food or no food.  Cats just can’t be hypocritical.  If more ministers and priests were like cats instead of dogs, this would be a very religious country.

Today I want us to learn lessons not from a cat, but from a couple of donkeys.  Donkeys who were servants of the Lord.  This will help us to understand why we have Palm Sunday.  After all there are lots of things in Jesus’ life that we don’t have a special Sunday for. We don’t have “Water into Wine Sunday” Although that might be a good idea, just to get the crowd going.

You can learn a lot from a donkey.

Matthew 21:1-11

Matthew, for emphasis, refers to the donkey at three points in the narrative (21:2, 5, 7).  A donkey could cost between two month’s and two years salary depending upon its age and condition.  Those who had two donkeys would often rent one out, which is where Avis actually started.  Of course it was originally Avis rent a donkey and their guarantee was that if your donkey was not ready they would upgrade you to a mule.

Why Two Donkeys?  The text says he sat on them in v. 7

DJG-Three options as to what the them refers to:

1. Somehow he rode both donkeys.  Maybe by sitting on one and putting his feet on the other or An Oriental throne supported by two animals, or rode one until it was tired and then rode the other.

2.  The text is wrong it should be it, there are a small number of manuscripts that read it

3.  The clothes, which is the nearest antecedent

D&A-Some Rabbis found two animals in Zech 9:9

GOD CALLS FOR ALL OF US TO BE TRUE SERVANTS.  We see the nature of this service in the story of the triumphal entry.

I.                    REAL SERVICE DEMANDS OBEDIENCE.

A.                 Obedience as to the Place.  V. 2-He knows where the colt will be because of divine knowledge.  Are we in the right place?

B.                 Obedience as to the Purpose.  “Untie them” Is your purpose in life God’s purpose?

C.                 Obedience as to the Plan.   V. 3 “Lord has need of them” Christ is the true owner.

II.                 REAL SERVICE DEMANDS HUMILITY

A.                 The humble servant knows that God uses all types of gifts. Even donkeys.  Don’t think so much of ourselves that we think less of others. 

ILLUS: When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, "I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him."

B.                 The humble servant knows that God gives all gifts. 

1.                  There is nothing to be proud of . Weak beasts and an obscure man represent a Kingdom characterized by weakness and poverty.

2.                  No one is indispensable.  Truth is that we are all donkeys.  THE CEMETERY IS FILLED WITH IRREPLACEABLE PEOPLE.

III.               REAL SERVICE DEMANDS TRUST-

A.                 Trust is more than a religious experience -there were lots of people who cried out Hosanna (save us) but they did not mean it.  This was the equivalent to saying “God save the Queen.”  They use the term “Son of David.”  11 times in Matt, 7x redactional.  This is the one time that anyone uses this term and yet does not know who Jesus is.  Every other time it is used by those who either have been healed, or truly know who Jesus is.  Those who recognize Jesus are the “no-accounts” and those who fail to recognize him are the religious leaders.

B.                 Trust is more than a related emotion -John’s gospel tells us that the branches were palms. Palms reminded them of the Maccabean period.

C.                 Trust is a radical dependance upon God (even when you do not understand it).

1.                  The disciples had been told that Jesus would have to die.

2.                  Now they see the crowd praising him.

Contrast the people who yelled praises with the donkey. Who was the real servant?  The problem with many churches today is that we have far to many who are willing to yell Hosanna, and far too few who really use their gifts for the kingdom by being obedient, humble, and trusting.  I WANT YOU TO BE OBEDIENT, HUMBLE AND TRUSTING. Realizing that all that you count success in life comes only from the grace of our Lord.

Hudson Taylor was scheduled to speak at a Large Presbyterian church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as "our illustrious guest." Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, "Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master."

What happened to the donkeys?  I got an idea from a magazine article in His Magazine and re-wrote the story a little. It was a hot Monday.  A large number of people had gathered around the well, along with a number of animals.  In the midst of the animals were two donkeys, one a mother and the other a young foal.  They looked for all the world like ordinary donkeys, but they weren’t.  The young one said to his mother, “I am going to walk out into the crowd and see what happens when they recognize me.  They young donkey walked out amidst the thirsty crowd with an expectant look on his face, waiting like a dog for food or a cat for the sound of the can opener.  Unfortunately the crowd went on, as if the he wasn’t there.  He walked faster, and held his head up higher to make sure that everyone had seen him, but still no reaction.  “Maybe”, he thought, “its just the wrong crowd.” 

Later that day they went into town.  The market place was crowded with shoppers, getting supplies for the Passover feast.  Jerusalem was very crowded this time of the year.  He didn’t expect to see any reaction from the Roman soldiers, but from the pilgrims he expected a look of recognition, a warm word, a stroke on the head, cloaks thrown down, palm branches waved.  He got none of that.

Going back to his mother he said ‘Mother, what is wrong?  They didn’t throw down their blankets.  They didn’t wave the palm branches.  They acted as if I am just another donkey.  Don’t they know what I did yesterday?  Don’t they know who I am?”

The mother looked knowingly at her small charge and nuzzled him with her nose.  “Silly boy” she said, “Don’t you know its not you.  Its him.  Without him you are nothing.”

You could learn a lot from a donkey.  And by the way, on the road home, if you see a turtle on top of a fence- post just remember; he did not get there by himself.