Donkey Ride Matthew 21:1-11
Outline
Introduction: When the king shows up.
Why did Jesus enter on a Donkey?
1. To Teach us about His Kingdom
What is it like? Not of this world. Not built on power and might. But,
2. To Reveal His Inner Spirit.
He comes to Us Gentle. He shows us God’s grace.
3. To Fulfill the Promises of God.
He is the Promised Messiah. He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
A Jordanian Newspaper ave this report:
NO ONE has ever imagined that he would once be filmed or given a lift by a king. This didn’t take place
in one of the remote countries around the globe, but here in Jordan. Under disguise, His Majesty
King Abdallah, accompanied by the Director of the Information Center at the Royal Court,
switched on his video camera and started filming activities at the Free Zone in
Zerqa. The King personally listened to complaints by investors in the Free
Zone area. They didn’t realize that they were actually complaining to
the King himself, who was disguised with a beard and a
traditional dress.
The Monarch wandered for hours registering the situation through the lens of his camera. The King
managed to form a good idea about work procedures, the complaints of merchants at the grounds
and the obstacles facing investment in the country. According to eye witnesses in the
customs section, the King listened to hundreds of people without revealing his
identity. Unfortunately, the TV crew couldn’t continue with their mission.
When the management got to know of the two men filming in the area, they proceeded to the scene.
Following attempts to get rid of the officials who were sent to prevent the filming, the King
revealed his identity, and that’s when hundreds of people surrounded him. Some sources
suggested that this visit wasn’t the first of its kind since the King carried out similar
inspection visits to other corporations and departments, which have direct
dealings with the public.
It was true. The country was rocked by this news. All along the true and new king of Jordan had been
walking around in disguise among the people. This is the feeling I get about Jesus and much of
His public ministry. He is the Son of God, the creator of the ends of the earth, walking
freely among his subjects. Almost no one had grasped the true identity of this
man. Even at the end of our text for today at verse 10 we read these
words 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred
and asked, “Who is this?”
But, there was no day in all of Jesus’ ministry that he declared who he was more clearly to the people. On
this day, Jesus, the king and Lord of all who had walked around in disguise during his ministry
shushing those who recognized him, Jesus revealed who he really is. That is why this
event is recorded in each of the gospels and why we take the time each year to
remember this day. Here we see who Jesus is and what he is about. Here
Jesus shows Himself. He takes off the disguise.
I remember reading the words of Woody Allen (I am not one of his fans by the way) say that all his life
he had been wanting God to reveal Himself to him, to speak to him. He once said, I would take
anything from God. Just one word would be enough. One visit. It would be enough if
God would only sneeze. Haven’t we all had this feeling? Lord, if you would only
reveal yourself to me, make your self real to me. Speak to me. Let me hear
your voice. Well, on this day, the Lord showed His hand. He
revealed who He is. This he did on a donkey ride.
You might ask, why did Jesus enter into Jerusalem on a donkey? And, what does this have to do with me
and with us here at Granada. That is what I would like to think about as we worship this Palm
Sunday. Notice the setting of this chapter in the opening verses,
1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there,
with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell
him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
On of the first things that strikes me when I read this chapter is how Jesus is doing these things
intentionally. There are those who have said that Jesus was really a very good man, and what
happened was this: when he went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with his disciples
things went out of control. He meant well but he was swept along in the tide of
excitement in the celebration and the tide carried him all the way to the
cross. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem at precisely the time he had planned. He sent two of his disciples ahead of him
to prepare for his journey into the city. Why? 2 and ½ million people were there for the week of
the Passover. He would present himself to his people as their king. He chose this day, this
time for his coming out. Why did he do it in this way and what does it mean? This
is what I would like us to learn about today.
1. To Teach us about His Kingdom
As we dive into the text, notice how specific Jesus was. He gave specific instructions to his disciples.
Go to the next village. You will find a donkey there. Her colt will be there with her. Bring her
here. Give this explanation if you are askew what you are doing. Verse 6 says that they
did just what Jesus said. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their
cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their
cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees
and spread them on the road.
This was not a pretty scene. It was not a bold scene. But, this was supposed to be the coronation of a
king? And, not just any king, but the king of all the kings? Picture it with me if you will. Here is
Jesus dressed in common every day clothes. A donkey is brought to him with her young
colt. There were two donkey’s there. Not just one. Cloaks are spread on them, and
Jesus manages to get on the colt, the young one that has never been ridden
before. I can imagine a wobble. The young colt is reassured by the
presence of its mother. But, here is Jesus presenting himself
as king.
Now, when I think of coronation ceremonies or the arrivals of kings, I think of great pomp. The
communication of power, authority and control. Here is one I recently read about: On December
4, 1977 in Bangui, capital of the Central African Empire, the world press witnessed thecoronation of his Imperial Majesty, Bokassa I. The price tag for that single event, designed
and choreographed by French designer Olivier Brice, was $25 million. At 10:10 A.M. that
morning the blare of trumpets and the roll of drums announced the approach of His
Majesty. The procession began with eight of Bokassa’s twenty-nine official
children parading down the royal carpet to their seats. They were followed
by Jean Bedel Bokassa II, heir to the throne, dressed in a white
admiral’s uniform with gold braid. He was seated on a red
pillow to the left of the throne.
Catherine followed, the favorite of Bokassa’s nine wives. She was wearing a $73,000 gown made by
Lanvin of Paris, strewn with pearls she had picked out herself. The emperor arrived in an imperial
coach bedecked with gold eagles and drawn by six matched Anglo-Norman horses. When the
Marine Band blared "The Sacred March of His Majesty,” Emperor Bokassa I" His Highness
strode forth, cloaked in a thirty-two pound robe decorated with 785,000 strewn pearls and
gold embroidery. White gloves adorned his hands and pearl slippers his feet.
On his brow he wore a gold crown of laurel wreaths like those worn by Roman consuls of old, a symbol of
the favor of the gods. As the "Sacred March" came to a conclusion, Bokassa seated himself on his
$2.5 million eagle throne, took his gold laurel wreath off, and, as Napoleon 173 years before had
done took off his $2.5 million crown topped with an 80 carat diamond and placed it upon
his own head. Here was a new emperor, a new king.
From R.Kent Hughes commentary on Matthew
Now, this is the way a new king is
supposed to appear. Riding a great steed. With a train of servants and a procession
of chariots. Some kings were placed atop armor to show their military
might. Some were presented on important stones to make them
appear unmovable like God.
There is almost always the presence of great wealth to show presitige and honor and majesty. Queen
Elizabeth was handed a scepter when she was crowned, the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross
signifies the Sovereign’s temporal power. T36.5 inches (92.2cm) long, mainly gold, and it
is decorated with champlevé enamel and 393 precious stones, including the
Cullinan I diamond. At just over 530 carats, Cullinan I is the largest top
quality cut diamond in the world.
Cruel lipped. Swords aloft. Wanting everyone to know who is in charge…
These things are worthy of great monarchs. Great Sovereigns. But, not Jesus. Why not? He wanted to
teach us about his kingdom. Do you see? Monarchs must surround themselves with these symbols
to point to what they are to be, but Jesus had all these things in himself: all wealth, all
power, all honor, all glory, all majesty. His kingdom is not of this world. His
kingdom is not built on power and might. Not built on brute force.
He is a king like not other king and his kingdom is a kingdom not of
this world. The people do not understand this. They want
someone to liberate them from the Romans. But,
Jesus has not come to do this… He has come
to die for sin and give them life…
We want him to fulfill the American dream for us… To remove all our problems. His kingdom is not this.
It is the restoring of life to our souls.
2. To Reveal His Inner Spirit.
The second thing goes even deeper than the first about his kingdom. Why did he ride in on a donkey?
Think again about the picture. Jesus riding on a donkey, a young one at that. Almost humorous.
Here is what the picture communicated: humble animal. Humble man. Gentle animal.
Gentle man. The quote in verse “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes
to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
Not only to teach us about the nature of His kingdom, but about his
own nature. Here is the son of God. He is not in a pickup
truck with guns in the rack in the back. He is not in
a hum-vee hogging the road, making people
move over to give him room.
He is not in a town car or Lexus. There is no prestige here. I had this experience not long ago valet
parking. Maybe you have had it before. The parking people are bringing the vehicles down, and
they are popping out saying, who’s the Mercedes? Who’s the BMW? Not, whose car is
the Volvo. We found ourselves saying, “Hey, I’m the Q30.” We are what we drive.
Who would want to say, “Hey, I’m the chevette.” I know some men who
not even drive their wives minivans because they don’t want to be
seen and characterized by that.
It’s more than status. It’s personality. Some kings drive stallions. Some drive chariots. Jesus, the king of
kings drive a donkey. A what? Yep. A donkey. Not only that, it fits him. This is who He is as our
king. Now I know some of you macho men may not want him as your friend. Not rough
enough. I would dare say he is stronger than us all. But, also more gracious that us
all. He was…
Strong enough to be weak; Busy enough to take time for the least significant of people; Serious enough to
laugh; Rich enough to be poor; Compassionate enough to discipline; Conservative enough to give
freely; Mature enough to be childlike; Righteous enough to love sinners; Important enough to
be last; Controlled enough to be flexible; Free enough to endure captivity;
knowledgeable enough to ask questions; Loving enough to be angry.
Great enough to be anonymous; Assured enough to be rejected;
Stable enough to cry; Victorious, enough to lose; Leading
enough to serve. He drives a donkey. What do you
drive? What image do you need to put forth?
He comes to us gentle because this is who He is as the Son of God. Why? His purpose was to show us
God’s grace.I recently read the story of a CEO who came to a new company. He immediately
called a staff meeting for the senior staff. They expected him to get down to business so
they came ready to answer hard questions and take the business by the tail. But, the
meeting started with him opening up his heart and telling them about his life
and family. Then in turn he asked them to share what was happening
in their lives. The first woman shared that the following week
her mother had died. When she began to tell about it,
the new CEO began to weep quietly.
When she was finished sharing, he went over to her and hugged her. The other senior staff were aghast. Not
only had they never seen a senior executive take an interest in their personal lives, but they had
never seen compassion shown in this way by a superior in their entire careers. He showed
them his heart, his inner spirit. This is what Jesus did when he rode in on a donkey.
We are told that he too wept as he rode in. As he crested the Mount of Olives
and could see the city in full view, he cried for the people, our of love
for them and the knowledge they did not receive His peace.
This is important to remember for us as we look at the city. I hear such attitudes and such harsh words
come from the mouths of those who claim to follow this king. But, he came gentle.
3. To Fulfill the Promises of God.
There is one other reason Jesus was presented, came into Jerusalem in this way.
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that 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!”
It is very clear throughout this event that what is happening has not been scripted by Jesus. But, Jesus is
following the script written by the hand of God. It was done in this way top fulfill the words of
the prophet Zechariah spoken over 500 years before. He spoke of a time when God would
present a new king and a new kingdom would come. It was the promised Messiah.
The chosen one of God. The messiah. Here is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord to redeem a people. The crowds call him the son
of David. Coming in the name of the Lord.
His coming fulfilled the prophesies from the mouths of the prophets across time. No promise was left
incomplete by him. All things were ordered according to the plan and purposes of God. Every
pointer, every indicator pointed to this one as the Lord of all, the fulfillment of the words
of the ages. The completion of the plan of God to redeem a people for himself.
He is the Promised Messiah. But, why this day? Why this way? On this
day, Sunday before the Passover, each family or group of ten people
had one task on that day. It was their job to select their
family’s Passover lamb.
The lamb-keepers brought out their animals that were presented to the people. The people bought them and
to them home to be killed later in the week. Their blood was to be the people’s salvation. This is the
day the Lord presented the Passover lamb. And, the people came out and made their
selection.
He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
