Why did Jesus choose this particular animal? By Stephan Kobes

Reading time: 12 minutes

Excited shouts of hosanna echo through the air. Curious onlookers rush from all directions to catch a glimpse of him. They quickly cut off a palm branch to pay homage to this man. Wasn't it said that this was the new king of Israel? There he comes. Surrounded by his most faithful companions, he rides up the road on a young donkey. His name is Jesus. You had heard a lot about him. Was the long-awaited moment now when he would seize the scepter of the nation?

We know the scene well. When he rode into Jerusalem that day, the last - the all-important - chapter of his groundbreaking life's work opened up before Jesus. The prophet Zechariah had announced that a mighty king would one day ride into the Holy City on a young donkey: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and Savior, humble and riding on a donkey, and that on a colt, a young donkey.” (Zechariah 9,9:XNUMX)

A donkey for the messiah?

In fact, that day Jesus chose a donkey "on which no man had ever sat" (Luke 19,30:XNUMX). Then, as he rode into Jerusalem that day, the expectant crowd saw it as a sign of the coming Messiah's reign. But why did God choose a donkey to do this? Did God connect it to a deeper purpose? What is it about this animal that allows it to carry the long-awaited Messiah-King to his inauguration?

The donkey has long been an important animal in the Orient. As a beast of burden and workhorse, it was an integral part of everyday life (Genesis 1:42,26; 45,23:1; 16,20 Samuel 2:16,1.2; XNUMX Samuel XNUMX:XNUMX). Sometimes silent, sometimes screaming loudly, the donkey was seen and heard in town and country. People valued him: willing to work, tough and reliable as he was, he was an excellent worker. But the donkey is indeed far more than just a patient porter! This frugal, intelligent and gentle creature is a true master of change: he could have lived a good life as the ruler of the steppe far away from all civilization. But he gave up that freedom to distinguish himself as a servant of humanity.

From ruler to servant

A ruler of the steppe? Yes! The wild donkey can cope with great deprivation and travel long distances. He gets by with very little food and water, and can endure even great heat. These qualities earned him the honorary title »King of the Desert« among experts. Thanks to these qualities, the wild donkey is also used in the Holy Scriptures as a symbol of freedom:

»Who released the wild donkey, who loosened his bonds. I gave him the steppe to live in, the salt flats to live in. He laughs at the noise of the city, he does not hear the cries of the driver.« (Job 39,5:7-XNUMX NIV)

The wild donkey loves freedom. He can also live a very good life all by himself. Isn't it amazing, then, that one's domesticated counterpart – the donkey – was always found as a faithful servant at the side of man? Yes! But this is precisely what made the donkey so special, making it a valued symbol of work and progress.

No progress without the donkey

You can find him all over the world. It's in every country, on every continent. Even in the darkest ages, the donkey willingly relieved humans of the heaviest work: as a means of transport, in agriculture, and in the production of important goods. In this way, the loyal long-eared bat has done a great job and played a key role in the flourishing of entire civilizations.

So how come we don't get to see him anymore today?

A thankless exchange

For a long time, the donkey was considered the best means of transport. But with the invention of the two-wheeler – our universally popular “bike donkey” – and the advent of the internal combustion engine, the donkey as a means of transport was gone. A flourishing civilization pushed the donkey back into the countryside. But even in agriculture, the donkey was eventually replaced by efficient but loudly rattling machinery. In doing so, people overlooked the fact that no car, bicycle or truck has such good-natured eyes and such an affectionate nature as a donkey.

An all-round talent

But he still exists! In numerous mountain regions, which have not yet been developed for the achievements of industrial progress, the donkey can still show off a very special strength: because the donkey is absolutely sure-footed even on impassable terrain. For that, the inhabitants of those regions love him!

Undemanding and tough as he is, he proves to be intelligent, gentle and willing to learn at the same time. Once a donkey has understood what is being asked of him, he can do some work on his own. The donkey always chooses the best option. That can sometimes be misunderstood as stubbornness - if the donkey would not choose the alternative that the clever commander wants to give him.

Stubborn as a donkey?

So, as the cliché goes, is the donkey moody or stubborn? No! Donkeys are very observant and think carefully about what they are doing - before they act. This clever creature carefully processes everything it perceives and acts. This has already saved some people from great damage!

“What have I done to you that you have hit me three times now?” (Numbers 4:22,28) Balaam was angry. His donkey mare just didn't want to go any further. A danger lay before her that not even the Prophet saw. An angel of God had stood in the way of the prophet to prevent him from going any further. When Balaam, hoping to get rid of his donkey, took up his stick and repeatedly hit the poor animal with it, God gave the donkey the opportunity to express her feelings in human language. “And the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey, which you have always ridden to this day? Was it ever my habit to treat you like this?” (Numbers 4:22,30) The prophet said no. Then God showed him that his donkey had just saved his life with her supposed stubbornness.

delicate love

The donkey has a balanced and sensitive nature. He has very good hearing, a keen sense of smell and good eyesight. So he perceives what is happening around him very intensely. If he is stubborn, it is quite possible that he has recognized a danger or simply discovered a better alternative. So it was not malicious joy that caused Balaam's donkey to defy her owner's will. No! The donkey, as we shall soon see, is actually more of a servant than a rebel.

In some areas of Romania, the rural population sometimes had no choice but to drive their donkey into the forest in late autumn. They were so poor themselves that they could not afford to feed the donkey as well. The poor exiles were then forced to endure the bitterly cold winter in the barren winter landscape. However, when nature revived in the spring, quite a few donkeys returned to their owners. This shows the miracle of a devotion that does not hold grudges against human weakness!

As a work animal and beast of burden, as a loyal friend and sensitive companion, the donkey never left man's side. As a minister of human frailty (Exodus 2:4,20; 2 Samuel 19,27:2; 28,15 Chronicles XNUMX:XNUMX), He lets us know that we are not alone in life's burdens. The clingy long-eared ears reveal an extraordinary love.

The perfect animal for the Messiah

So does the donkey, through its wondrous traits, enlighten us as to why God chose it to carry the Messiah to the scene where, shortly thereafter, he would manifest the Father's boundless love? Yes! He who was once the symbol of freedom - the ruler of the steppe - becomes the servant of man. Instead of staying alone, aloof from humanity and laughing at what people do, he became a servant, a friend, no matter what the situation. That's loyalty. this is love

In this way, the donkey keeps alive the memory of God's love - of his principles of rulership, which characterize his dealings with us humans to this day: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Although he was rich, he became poor for your sake, so that ye through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8,9:2,6.7) “He was equal to God in all things, and yet he did not greedily cling to being like God. He gave up all his privileges and became like a slave. He became a man in this world and divided the life of men.« (Philippians XNUMX:XNUMX)

The donkey and the lamb

Of course, we must not forget that the donkey was not meant to represent the Lamb of God. It is not the donkey that should draw attention. It wasn't his job, and it wasn't his style. The Lamb of God was the main attraction. Nonetheless, it was the chosen vehicle to carry the Lamb of God to the scene where God's great love for mankind was to be revealed: the Holy City.

The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, rides on a donkey to the place of the great sacrifice. Doesn't this also remind us of Abraham saddling his donkey and taking his son Isaac to offer the commanded sacrifice (Genesis 1:22,3)? Yes!

Brave to the end

At this point, another peculiarity of the donkey comes to the fore: the donkey is - in contrast to a horse - not a flight animal. When the young donkey carried Jesus into the Holy City, he did not panic, despite the vivid scene before him. There was no rebellion, no rebellion. Bravely he advanced under the guidance of God's Son.

Of course, the donkey proved to be the perfect companion. Even Jesus did not want to flee in the face of the approaching danger: He had set his face resolutely towards Jerusalem in order to travel there - knowing full well that it would cost him his life - but nothing and no one should deter him from it (Luke 9,51:XNUMX ). When the sheep of his flock scattered, the donkey faithfully carried him to Jerusalem - the place of execution.

The donkey and the judge

Of course, anyone familiar with the Bible will not fail to notice that in Old Testament times the sons of the judges rode on colts of donkeys.

For example, Jair (Heb. 'he enlightens'), a judge of Israel, 'had 30 sons riding on 30 colts of asses, and they possessed 30 cities, which are called 'villages of Jair' to this day' (Judges 10,4:XNUMX).

Also the judge Abdon (Heb. 'the servant') »had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 colts of donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years.« (Judges 12,14:XNUMX)

This too has a deeper meaning. The judges of Israel had the task of proclaiming the coming of God as judge. No detail was unimportant. On the day when Jesus Christ then entered the Holy City, the great moment had finally come. As the Son of God, Jesus was of course also "the judge appointed by God of the living and of the dead" (Acts 10,42:XNUMX). What animal did Jesus ride? Exactly! On a donkey!

A special battle

Jesus did not enter the Holy City on horseback, not equipped for war or battle. No! The donkey was never a war animal. But his humble, service-loving nature suited Jesus' mission as Messiah. He came not to conquer by the sword, but by humble, sacrificial love. Therein lay the sign of his divine power.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day, he came as a judge, but not to conquer in war. Nor did he come to flee. He came to save. He made his way to the first prison. On himself - on his own body - the judgment was to be carried out that should have struck all transgressors of the law of God. This was to be so that all who believe in him could have eternal life. The judge allowed himself to be crucified as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" so that we might go free (John 1,29:XNUMX).

A gentle message of grace

In this first act of the great day of judgment, the donkey faithfully stood by the side of the judge appointed by God. With this, the faithful long-eared ears helped the Lamb of God with his astonishing peculiarities to keep the memory of God's unique grace alive to this day.

What a wonderful creature!