The men followed closely behind the women. And they all were shouting, "Hosanna"
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the King of Israel!"
King?
For a moment Tapeinos stopped in disbelief! The man sitting on his back was a king? What kind of king rides a donkey? Don't they all ride horses like Ballo, the ebony Batanean stallion who'd ridden into Bethany only a night earlier?
When he arrived, Tapeinos and every other donkey and mule in the shelter turned to watch. And Tapeinos couldn't help but admire this distant cousin of his. Ballo was a huge thoroughbred horse.
Tapeinos admired his lines, his groomed coat and, most of all, his size -- Ballo towered over every other animal in the shelter. Tapeinos would barely have exceeded his height standing on his back legs!
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Such is the fate of an ass. Forever small. Forever slow. And, in some people's minds, forever ignorant.
What kind of king has to borrow an animal and then borrows a donkey? Tapeinos wondered. Yet, here was a huge crowd! Gathered to greet this one they called "King" and "Lord." Children squealed in delight, women looked to him with tear-streaked faces, and men, some of whom Tapeinos recognized as hard, seemed awestruck. Every face shone that day.
Hosanna meant "Save." This crowd was calling out to the Rider to "save them." Many reached out as Tapeinos went by to touch the Rider and, if they couldn't touch Him, they'd just touch Tapeinos. What kind of king was this?
Then, he heard it. Tapeinos' large ears, while intended by God to help ventilate and keep him cool, served him well this day. He heard it. But he didn't believe it.
He thought he heard one man say, in a rock-chiseler's whisper, "That's Jesus boy. And I was there. I saw him call Lazarus of Bethany back from the dead!"
"Lazarus of Bethany!" Tapeinos stumbled in disbelief almost upsetting the Rider, the one called "Jesus" and "Lord."
Lazarus of Bethany! That's the last time Tapeinos had smelled that acrid, sharp aroma of nard. Jacob had to rush some spices for a burial in Bethany. It seems, Tapeinos learned, that a man named Lazarus, whose two sisters cried without solace, had died. Tapeinos bore several large containers of nard to the sisters' house that Lazarus' might receive a proper burial.
And Tapeinos knew. Lazarus was as dead as any man he'd ever seen. Ashen, stiff, beginning to bloat in the unseasonably warm early Spring that year. Lazarus had been dead.
And yet this One, this Rider, this Jesus, this King, this Lord had called him back to life?
No wonder the crowd stood mesmerized. No wonder they call him, "Lord." No wonder they stood -- was it four-deep or five-deep? -- to see him pass.
No wonder their hands reached out if only for a touch!
No wonder Tapeinos felt so strange. It wasn't merely that no man had ever ridden him before. It was that This was no ordinary Man, no routine rider. This One was Special.
But there was still one question troubling Tapeinos. Why would the Lord, the King, the most amazing One he'd ever heard about choose a donkey? It was certainly no regal ride.
As a matter of fact, donkey riding was quite awkward. So why?
Why not a white stallion?
Why not a coal black thoroughbred with fire breathing out his nostrils?
Tapeinos felt the weight of the rider shift forward. He sensed more than saw the smile on Jesus' face as the Lord said, "I chose you Tapeinos because I am like you. You are like me."
I am lowly and humble. I carry a burden far heavier than any other can carry. I am scorned and ridiculed. I will be beaten and mocked. I am seemingly too small for some, yet too much for others to handle. I am misunderstood.
I chose you, Tapeinos because your name means "humility." And that is my way too. I chose you Tapeinos because I am like you.
"He's like me?" And then, Tapeinos did what any donkey in his right mind would do: he tree-hawed with every ounce on his 300 pound frame. No, not for the mere joy of it. Not to draw attention to himself or express his displeasure.
Tapeinos didn't mean to bray. It just came out that way. What he meant to say, no, shout, was "Hosanna! Hosanna!"
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
And, for the first time that day, the Rider, the King, the Lord laughed in delight. You see, He alone knew what a humble donkey on the road to Jerusalem with a precious cargo would say. Why, if Tapeinos hadn't brayed it, the rocks themselves may have roared it.
Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel!
