PP1 The Donkey Ride
JCC Palm Sunday 28.03.10 am
Mat 21:1-10
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them." All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.' So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David!’Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
Why did Jesus choose a donkey? PP2
A stubborn, stupid and dumb animal
But many times they’re used in scripture
Abraham when he took Isaac to the mount went by donkey
It was a donkey that saved Balaam by speaking to him
It was the jawbone of a donkey that Samson used to kill 1000 of the enemy
We are not told that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem, but she may have; the donkey carrying the King of kings
1 Cor 1:26-31 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."
What does God want to show us from these passages? PP4
1. God’s Choice Pa
2. God’s Service Pb
3. God Path Pc
1. God’s Choice
The disciples were sent to untie the donkey and the colt
It may have seemed a strange request, but by now they were probably used to the unusual statements
The disciples were obedient, although he knew they were hesitant
When the Lord asks us to do something, we too can be hesitant
We feel uneasy at times, fear of the unknown
But Jesus assured them before they had chance to say anything
He said, tell them the master has need of them
I wondered why he needed two
Jesus always sent out his disciples in two’s to minister
There were always 2 disciples and here we have 2 donkeys
I didn’t really take much notice that there were two before
The colt came along with his mother
I felt God was saying that the church walks alongside its mother Israel
Jesus rode them, why?
Because Jesus came to save the gentiles as well as the Jews
God chose Israel, and then he chose the gentiles
The gentiles are the offspring of Israel
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light
Just like the donkey was chosen, so are each one us
John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
So you are chosen, always remember that
People who think they chose to follow God are mislead
God put the desire there in the first place
2. God’s Service
Once the disciples found the colt and his mother, they bought him to Jesus
So, the donkey was chosen, now the next step was his call to service
The donkey is a very important animal in scripture
To us it’s just a stupid animal
But we need to examine the word to see why this donkey was important
Is it just people who need redeeming?
PP 4 Ex 13:13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck
I found this scripture through putting in the word ‘donkey’ on the scripture search
I was excited by it
The donkey needs redeeming!
We associate redemption with sinners
With humans
Yet Ex 13:2 "Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine."
The first fruit always belong to the Lord
Notice it was the tenth day that the people gave a lamb
Ex 12:1-3 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
I will save you and your household
Noah and his household were saved
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Abraham received Lot and his niece’s back
Acts 16 The jailer at Philippi was saved along with his household
2 Tim 1:16 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain;
Do you believe God for your household?
It was no coincidence that the tenth was the time to give
Also notice that it was the beginning of their freedom
We have a new beginning when we are chosen
We are to give the Lord our first fruit: money, time etc as a tenth
Nothing God says in the word is wasted
Every word is a message to us if we will listen
In this list we see the donkey is mentioned as a separate item here in 13:13
Jewish historians say:
Illustration: The commandment to redeem the firstborn of a donkey hints that even among the impure and wicked, which seem to be ruled by their basic instinct, and who have no external signs of righteousness, are those who are pure at heart and can be redeemed. It merely has a potential to be redeemed in the service of holiness; the firstborn donkey may be redeemed with a lamb
The donkey isn’t a clean animal, so it has to be ‘purchased’ with the blood of a lamb
Now do you feel more at home with the donkey?
If, it is not redeemed, it is to die
We like the donkey needed to be redeemed
Only the precious blood of the lamb of God could purchase our salvation
Jesus was the redeemer to the donkey
The lamb sat upon the colt and it was redeemed
The word redeemer means:
One charged with the duty of restoring another and avenging his wrongs
It was to purchase back something lost
Not just a cancelling of the debt, but a full payment
Jesus has paid in full the price for us
We can say, ‘my redeemer lives!’
The donkey couldn’t save itself, and neither can we
I’m sure the donkey could have done lots of serving
But, if he served while unredeemed, then the service would be unclean
God would not accept the work done even if he was the best worker among all the donkeys in the field
You may work hard in the service of the Lord
You may be the best among us, but if the redeemer hasn’t chosen you and called you into his service, then your labour is in vain
It is not by works that you are saved; you can’t boast what a good worker in the Kingdom you are
The true criteria is, are chosen and do you know the redemption of the Lord?
Quote: (speaking on the donkey) ...if the redemption does not take place, they will have no place in holiness at all. (Cited in Yedid Nefesh on Zohar Bo, II:41b. See also Igrot Rayah 555.)
Once we are chosen, then called for service, we are to lead others to the feet of Jesus
The disciples had to lead the donkey and the colt to Jesus
When we go out in the name of Jesus and fetch the ones he has told us to, we lead them to Him
But first, they had to untie him
People are so tied up in various things of this life
You and I if we are chosen and called by the Lord, are to loosen the people
Alison said yesterday that we are to have various signs following us
Let us not only lead them to the master, loosen the things that hold them back
The Freedom in Christ is a great way of seeing the church set free from things that hold them back
Jesus has already redeemed, we are to loosen them
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the disciples were told to take the grave clothes off him
He was very much alive, but he was tied up
Someone had to lose him
Only then will they be free
There are a great number of Christians who are free, yet so bound up that they cannot move
They are of no real use to Jesus while tied up
Knowledge of the truth will set them free
Once the donkeys were led to Jesus he got on them
He entered into their life and gave them purpose
The donkeys’ existence is to serve
Let us has the people of God serve Him faithfully
3. God’s Walk
Once Jesus got on the donkey, He took the reins
The donkeys only went where Jesus took them
Side by side, two by two they went with the Lord
Prov 14:12 & 16:25 There is a way that seems right to man, but the end of it is death
We like the donkey would wander off in all directions if left without Jesus holding our reins and guiding us
There was a path set out for these donkeys
Palm leaves
Like a red carpet rolled out for a King
And the first and only load to be carried was Jesus
Why do we want to carry any more than the saviour wants to put on us?
PP 5
Take off the heavy burdens and walk in the freedom Christ has given you
You will never walk in his service with loads of baggage
This day belonged to Jesus, but He chose to share it with a couple of donkeys!
He wants to walk where you walk
The path you tread, he goes with you
He will never let you walk the path alone
If you do try to walk on without Him, then you will most certainly stray
The donkey that carried the King, was ridden like a stallion
Majestic enough to provoke a reaction from the crowd
People will always react when our path is led by the Holy Spirit
We will hear multitudes cry, ‘Hosanna’ blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hos-anna: save- please, save us in the highest sense of the word
They wanted their needs fulfilled there and then
Save us now
You and I have the One who saves, because we ourselves have found salvation
I want you to know today that:
You are Chosen
You are Called
You need the Lord’s path
For He is your shepherd, your King and your redeemer
PP 6 Hosanna in the highest
Tonight I will continue looking at this important historical event. Amen
We’re not old what happened to the donkey
