Palm

Sunday’s

Minor

Character

In most stories, there is a minor character that plays a supporting role to the story, but is also very important to the action.

I enjoy super hero stories and in many of these stories there is a sidekick or supporting character that plays an important role while supporting the main character. In recent Antman movies, the main character, Scott, has a best friend, Luis, that is the supporting minor character of the story. His tendency is to tell stories with way too many details, while providing important information with a bit of humor. From Luis, we learn that even hardened criminals can change when provided the right opportunity and support.

In the story of Palm Sunday, there is a minor character that teaches a very important lesson, but most people miss because he is being ridden. Yes, I am talking about the donkey.

Including a young donkey in this story was not out of physical necessity, but spiritual. It was not just because Jesus’ feet and legs were getting tired and He wanted a ride. The prophet Zechariah wrote about this event centuries earlier.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9

In calling for a young donkey to ride, He was fulfilling a prophecy of the long awaited Messiah.

An Unexpected Ride

As Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem at the beginning of this auspicious week, the two disciples bring Him this young, untrained donkey. Jesus asks them to put their cloaks on the back of the animal. What happens next must have surprised the disciples. He sits on the back of this untrained, unbroken donkey and the donkey just waits.

Now, this may not seem to be much of a miracle to us, but it is because we don’t typically ride a donkey to get anywhere. There are still parts of the world where donkeys are used for carrying heavy loads for long distances, especially over difficult terrain. In Jesus’ day, donkeys were used to carry people as well as cargo, but they first had to be trained for the task.

In researching about riding an untrained donkey, the consensus was that it is not recommended because it could be unsafe for both the rider and the donkey. Just don’t try it. It will likely end badly.

The reputation of donkeys of being stubborn and even rebellious animals, when they are untrained, has been well earned. Just like a horse, if a person tries to get on the back of an untrained donkey, it can be very unpredictable, where it could buck, kick, or bolt, trying to get the rider off of its back. Young donkeys are even more unpredictable, because they don’t have the maturity to respond to the new experience. 

The disciples of Jesus would have been aware of the challenges of trying to ride an untrained donkey. They probably had their own stories or stories of friends that had attempted riding on a young untrained donkey with unfortunate results. So, when Jesus started mounting the untrained donkey, they were not expecting what happened. Instead of kicking or bolting, the animal allowed Jesus to sit. It then allowed itself to be led into a crowded city, with people all around shouting and pushing, while calmly carrying Jesus.

This was unexpected. It was yet another miracle of Jesus.

The Lesson of the Donkey

As stated earlier, donkeys are known for their stubborn and obstinate nature. This is a rather unfair characterization. In fact, they have a highly developed sense of self-protection. They will not do something that they do not believe is in their best interest, even when motivated.

This young donkey had never been ridden before. It had every reason to be stubborn or rebellious when being ridden for the first time. It would have been in its nature to do so, because it would not have perceived this new experience was in its best interest.

So, why did it not behave as we would have expected and submit to being ridden?

The answer is simple. The young donkey knew that Jesus was its Creator. Instead of rebelling against Jesus, it submitted to the desire of Jesus to be ridden and led.

Remember that donkeys have a highly developed sense of self protection and will not do anything that they fear or will cause them pain. Even though the experience of being ridden may have been new to the donkey, it believed that doing whatever Jesus wanted would not cause harm or pain. Jesus would not ask the donkey to do anything that was not good for the donkey.

The one riding the donkey was its Creator and was good. It could follow the commands of Jesus without concern or fear.

More Stubborn than a Donkey

Even though we consider donkeys as stubborn animals, we are even more stubborn. When asked to do something by their Creator, they willingly obey. In contrast, God has given us much more than donkeys, and we continue to live in stubborn, obstinate rebellion.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23:1-4

Our Creator is good. He is our Good Shepherd. What do we have to be afraid of by following Him? But, still we choose to go our own way and live out of the identity that we have created instead of submitting to Him and His design for us.

• He is truth, but we hold on to our own principles. We keep our own truth.
• He is the Light of the world; the only way that we can see things as they really are, but we hold on to our own perspectives. We maintain a worldview with us at the center.
• He is the way of righteousness, but we continue to do what we want instead of seeking His righteousness for us. We believe we can find fulfillment on our own terms and motivations.
• His glory is the ultimate priority, but we continue to define our own priorities, seeking our glory.

God, our Creator, has a perfect identity for each of us, but we have created an identity independent of Him that we hold on to. Even though there is a promise of a better existence, the way we were designed to live, we stubbornly choose to live out of the corrupted, the counterfeit.

The Shepherd and the Lamb

As Jesus was riding into Jerusalem, the people did not realize what He was coming to accomplish. He was coming as the Good Shepherd that would give His life as the perfect sacrifice.

…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
John 10:10-11

Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb, so that our rebellious donkey nature could be forgiven.

He lived the perfect life and became the ultimate sacrifice, so that we do not need to continue to live out of a corrupted identity, separated from Him and the life He wants for us. Because of His death for our sin, we can have the abundant life for which we were created.

To receive this abundant life, we need to both accept His forgiveness and let go of our old corrupted identity, so He can give us a new one. We need to be like the Palm Sunday donkey and recognize our Creator, that He is good, and submit to Him along with His desire for us. Let Him lead us into the life that we were created for.

The lesson we can learn from the donkey is to submit and follow Jesus. This is the only way that we can become who we were created to be and experience the life that He desires for us.