Issue 1356 – Stubborn Truth – January 29, 2024
Good morning! I pray this post finds you well.
You know, I’ve always had a soft spot for donkeys. I actually wrote about them before. As a kid, I had a large stuffed one called “donkey burro” that was my constant companion. In my memory, it was nearly as big as me.
They also seem to have a soft spot for me. For example, when we were in South Africa, one of our hosts had a donkey. When I visited it, it always stood between Kathy and me in such a way that it showed her that I was its friend, not hers. It was quite amusing.
Like the donkey in this photo, many donkeys carry a characteristic “cross” There is a band of darker hair down the ridge of their back and across their shoulders. It doesn’t take much imagination to see it as a cross.
There are at least two different legends that I know of about the origin of the cross. The one I have heard most often is that for carrying Mary to Bethlehem while she was pregnant, the donkey was marked with a cross. The cross was to show that even the animals had a part to play in the redemption of mankind through Jesus. It was the donkey’s badge of honour.
Did you know about the second legend that tells of a donkey who tried to help Jesus carry the cross to His crucifixion? I hadn’t heard that one until a few years ago. Even though the Roman guard pushed him away and prevented him from helping, the donkey still remained loyal to Jesus and hung around even after others had left. The shadow of the cross reportedly fell across his shoulders and remained there as a reminder of his steadfast loyalty to Jesus.
These stories are fascinating and inspiring, don’t you think? People love to share them. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to support them, and donkeys were known to have “crosses” long before Jesus came.
The idea did get me thinking about Mary and her journey to Bethlehem. What kind of a donkey did she ride? Let’s look at the Scriptures and see. There are two primary accounts. One is in Matthew and the other in Luke.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:1-7
Wait a minute, there is no mention of a donkey anywhere. Scripture does not tell us how Mary and Joseph got there. She may have ridden on the back of a donkey or travelled in a cart, but she most likely walked. Walking was the most common mode of transportation for the average person of the day.
Mary’s donkey is yet another of those things that we all “know” from the Bible that turns out not to be there after all.
We need to read the Bible for ourselves, and when we do, we need to be careful to read what actually appears in the text, not what we want to be there or think should be there from the pictures we have in mind or saw in some classroom.
Until next time, may your source for biblical truth actually be the Bible.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the Glory of God alone)
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All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2024 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin, Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
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