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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