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Friday, May 10, 2013

Humility:Lessons from a Donkey

               
Part 2 of 2

“The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest.”

Matthew 21:6-9

Are donkey’s really stubborn or just misunderstood? I had to laugh a little this week when I discovered that this was the topic of discussion at a major university. The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London held a two-day talk back in May of 2012 on the topic. Perhaps our furry friends have been getting a bad rap for their behavior, but their stubbornness to follow instruction has caused us to see donkeys as obstinate and unwilling to take instruction.

The donkey in this passage, however, set herself apart by being obedient to the will of the Lord. Instead of digging her heels in and refusing to cooperate she was led without any kicking and screaming into the crowd where she willingly bore the weight of our Savior on her back. 2 John 6 states:

“And this is love; that we walk in obedience to his commands.”

Obedience to the will of God is in the truest sense an indicator of humility and an indication that we see ourselves in proper relation to God. When Jesus took a seat on the donkey’s back it would have elevated him above the crowd. In fact, with the crowd surrounding him, you could have seen Jesus, while never seeing the donkey. True humility has at its heart the exaltation of Christ, without the necessity of being seen or recognized for our service.  In Matthew 6:1, Jesus encouraged his followers:

Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

The desire to be seen for what we do is a powerful thing. That is why Jesus addresses it so often in Scripture. In the end, if we are serving him in humility, no one will be looking at us, they will have their eyes on him.

The donkey never believed or accepted that the fanfare was for him. For him to accept the praise of men while doing the work of the Lord would have robbed Jesus of part of the praise due him. John 12:43 declares:

“For they loved the praise of men, more than praise from God.”

The praise of men is a powerful ego booster because it is an instantaneous fix. The praise from God is often in secret or even stored up for a later time. This delay is what causes so many to exalt themselves in the eyes of others. True humility will always be centered around Christ being exalted and praised. As John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

When we learn these humble lessons from a donkey we too can declare as Corrie Ten Boom once said:

“If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory, I give him all the praise and honor.”

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

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