Prelude To Passion

On the day we call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey. He came to celebrate the ancient Passover with his fellow Jews. This was a dangerous move. In Jerusalem were powerful people who hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. Imagine Condoleeza Rice riding into Baghdad on a bicycle and you’ve got the picture. His own men had argued with Him about the wisdom of the trip. But Jesus was determined. One thing about Jesus, when He set His mind to do something, it was done.

Yet, there’s no trace of arrogance in Jesus. No bullying. He’s a hero, a superstar, but one who comes without the trappings of power. He’s healed the sick, raised the dead. There are certain evangelists who claim to do the same. They don’t travel on a donkey or even in an old VW. They fly, and First Class too.

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It’s almost funny to see a man many were calling King riding into town on little donkey that probably wasn’t much bigger than he was! Not even a saddle on the thing, just coats for a cushion. This is not the President of the U.S. riding in a bulletproof limo accompanied by 26 other vehicles. This is not Donald Trump coming in on his helicopter. This isn’t a Roman general on a prancing white stallion.

Yet Jesus knew what He what He was doing. He knew the old prophecy, “Your king comes to you humble on a donkey’s colt.” If Jesus had been about power, he would have worn that badge. If His Kingdom were political, He would have slung a sword and crucified his enemies. If He were a manipulator, for whom the end justifies the means, there’d be no need for anyone to preach. We’d all be thoroughly converted already, having had no say in the matter.

“Your King comes to you humble on a donkey’s colt.” His kingdom is hard for us to see, easy for us to miss, because God comes humbly. Some of the most powerful, God-revealing moments I’ve ever experienced haven’t come on the back of a white stallion. They haven’t come in a grandiose way.

There are people in this church, for example, who do things without fanfare. They see you sitting alone and call for you to come sit with them. They surprise you with their generosity. They don’t talk a lot, but when they do, you remember what they said. They do things most of us don’t know about — because they do them humbly. But riding on these “little donkeys,” riding on these little acts of love and service, is the King Himself.

Still, we don’t do nice things for one another just to be nice. We do them in the name of Jesus and for His sake. The King comes on donkey, but He’s still the King. God comes humbly — but He’s still God. Jesus is a man . . . but a man quite comfortable being worshipped.