There are many things that I hope I never do. There are also many things that I never thought I would do. And I am about to do something, actually, say something, that I never thought I would have ever said. I want to make a confession, a declaration, a proclamation: I WANT TO BE A DONKEY FOR JESUS! I would have never thought that I could learn anything from a donkey, but God continues to take the foolish things to confound the wise.
The reason that He takes this approach, is so that, "no flesh would glory in His presence"(1 Cor. 1:29). So that no one would become lofty, thinking that they did anything because of themselves. That’s one reason why the Lord refers to His people as sheep, which are base animals. To be likened to a sheep is not a flattering comparison. Sheep are some of the dumbest and defenseless animals that there are. That may be more of a likeness than we would ever care to admit.
And just as we can learn from sheep, we can also learn some things about ourselves by looking at this donkey, upon which the Lord made His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Actually, I believe we’re about to embark upon one of the most fascinating discoveries in the Bible. I believe that we can relate to it, and be encouraged and challenged in a unique way.
God is looking for people who will flow with His plans and purposes. He is searching for people who will make His purposes a priority. He is looking for people He can use, who submit under His authority and become useful for the Kingdom. And believe it or not, we can learn, and take our cue, from this donkey in our text.
Now, you may ask: Why would you want to be a donkey for Jesus? I’ll tell you why: BECAUSE A DONKEY CARRIED HIS PRESENCE INTO THE CITY! And you and should desire to become bearers of God’s Presence. God should be able to use us to access certain places, certain areas, and certain realms. That’s what He’s searching for, and desiring out of us.
Listen: SOMETHING ALWAYS CARRIES HIS PRESENCE! Search through the Bible and you will find that God’s Presence was never meant to be only something in the atmosphere that we can feel. Even in the OLD Testament the ARK OF THE COVENANT proves that His Presence was meant to be carried! In the New Testament, the Spirit "descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove." And when He departed this earth, the Holy Ghost came into that upper room and "sat upon each of them." That implies that they bore, or carried, God’s Presence!
So then, becoming a donkey for Jesus is simply saying, "I WANT TO BECOME A BEARER OF GOD’S PRESENCE! And I want to show you four (4) things that stand out in the text. 1. IT WAS A COLT. It was a young donkey. Now this isn’t inciting an "older against the younger" mentality. What it means is that this was a colt that, the Bible says, "no man had ever sat upon." In other words, it hadn’t been trained by man, or taught in man’s ways.
Matthew records that there was two donkeys, but that jesus rode on the younger. He siomply didn’t want to ride something that had previously been misled and abused, and had grown stubborn and contrary. Jesus needed an animal that hadn’t been infested with the ways of man! God cannot use someone who gets stubborn, and "thinks they know what to do," and "which way we ought to go." He doesn’t need people who are resistent, but people who are ready! Simply put, He needs people who haven’t let men’s opinions and ways affect the way they function in flowing with God.
2. THIS DONKEY HAD A PROPHECY ON IT. In Zech. 9:9, there was a prophecy stating that the Messiah, or the Savior, would come "riding on a colt, the foal of an ass." In one way, this donkey was every other donkey. There was nothing physically unique or special about it. But this donkey was tied to God’s plan for the ages. THIS DONKEY WAS MARKED WITH A PROPHECY.
What does that have to do with us? According to Joel 2 and Acts 2, there is a generation which has a prophecy on it. It’s a prophecy that promises that the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon them. Well, WE ARE THAT GENERATION. In part at least. We are a part of the generation that is marked by a prophecy. If God has ever spoken something to you, or about you, and it hasn’t come to pass yet, then just know that you’re marked with a prophecy, a promise, of God’s divine intervention!
3. THE DONKEY HAD TO BE LOOSED. You see, even though this donkey had never been rode, and though it had a prophecy on it, IT WAS TIED UP. In fact, men had tied him up. He didn’t know what he could do, because men had him tied up. He didn’t know what he was created to do, and even if he did, he couldn’t do it because he was tied up!
Now watch this: The prophecy on him was Spiritual. But the thing that had him tied up was natural. The donkey was tied up in his flesh. And no one can carry Jesus when they’re all tied up in their flesh! There are people that God could use right now, or some He could use in a greater way, but they are all tied up!
When men don’t know God’s purpose for you, they’ll try to keep you tied up. And the fact that the devil knows that God has a purpose for your life, motivates him to attempt to keep you tied up. But you need to be loosed from all fleshly hindrances to be a bearer of God’s Presence!
And then, 4. HE WAS TIED UP, BUT JESUS KNEW WHERE HE WAS. This donkey, was at the very place Jesus said He would be. Jesus knew where he was. He was at the right place at the right time, and Jesus spoke a delivering Word that caused him to be loosed! Now, look at the text. The man wasn’t sure what was happen-ing. And I can tell you that when you start walking away from that human tie-down, people are going to wonder what’s going on.
Just turn around and say, "The Master has need of me! He is wanting to come into town, and He needs a ride. You’ve tried to keep me bound, suppressed, and hindered, but the Lord that needs me has delivered me, and loosed me from every tie-down! HE’S GOING TO RIDE ME INTO THE CITY!" You can either wear man’s neuce, or be a bearer of God’s Presence. It’s not really a choice, is it?
In closing, let me just tell you: The Bible says that the whole city was moved when Jesus rode in on this donkey. Let me tell you that, IT ONLY TAKES ONE DONKEY TO TURN A CITY UPSIDE DOWN FOR JESUS! Will it be you? Will you give Him a ride?
I say, "Let it be me, Lord, let it be me! I WANT TO BE A DONKEY FOR JESUS!"
