The Donkey Driven Church

I’ve met plenty of dog lovers, cat lovers, horse lovers and even reptile lovers, but I have never met a donkey lover. Donkeys are not highly sought after animals. They rate low on the totem pole of animal desirability. They are the Datsun or the Hyundai of animals. You never hear someone saying, “I really want a donkey for Christmas.” And yet, it was a donkey that our Lord rode into Jerusalem upon. It was prophesied that Israel’s King would come “lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt and the foal of a donkey.” Frederick Krummacher, in his marvelous work The Suffering Savior, made an interesting observation about the manner in which Christ comes as King and the way in which His kingdom advances through the church. He noted:

The whole scene of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem has both its typical and prophetic side. The progress of our Lord, so destitute of pomp, neither clothed in purple, or on a gayly comparisoned war-horse, or accompanied by ribboned magistrates or dignitaries, but in the simplest attire, on the foal of an ass, and surrounded by poor fishermen and tradespeople, gives us a hint in what manner Christ, for centuries together, will manifest Himself on earth until His second coming. And the expressly quoted, and now accomplished prophecy of Zechariah, confirms and attests this, in the words, “Behold thy Kings comes unto you, lowly…” a word that describes at the same time the idea of an entire absence of display, pomp and dignity; and this is the attribute which is peculiar to His government to this hour.

The Kingdom of God advanced, in the days of Christ, with our Lord’s riding on the back of a donkey. The Kingdom advanced in lowliness and by unassuming means. It did not advance by human wisdom and insight. It did not advance in external attraction. If it were up to men, the King would have ridden to power on a war horse –or today they would ride in a Bently. The Kingdom of God continues to advance through God’s use of humble men and women. It continues to advance through the foolishness of preaching. It advances by unassuming means. It advances now as it did then. May we never forget this most important lesson from the life our Lord.