Category: Animals

  • Donkeys – Beasts of Burden – and a sign of Jesus

    donkey

    I’ve always had a soft spot for donkeys. It likely stems from a  giant stuffed donkey I had as a small child. Donkey-Burro was nearly as tall as I was and a constant companion.

    Donkeys and I have an affinity. I have never met one that didn’t like me. If there is more than one person around, the burros seem drawn to me.

    I remember one occasion in South Africa. The place we stayed had a donkey that I visited. Each time Kathy drew near, the donkey got between Kathy and me, moving her away so it could have my exclusive attention.

    Donkeys (or asses, in some older translations) appear in several places in the Scriptures. They are shown as beasts of burden, the mouthpieces of God (Balaam’s donkey), symbols of wealth (see Job), and symbols of peace. It’s the latter I want to touch on this morning.

    A donkey is used prophetically to symbolize the coming of the King of Peace.

    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 ESV

    We know from the gospels that this prophecy was fulfilled.

    Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Matthew 21:1-7 ESV

    The Jews were expecting a conquering, military messiah. That sort of king would ride in on a stallion, symbolizing wealth and military might.

    Instead, Jesus rode in on the donkey, a humble beast. He shattered their expectations and showed that He would be a different sort of king. He was a King of Peace, changing things by winning hearts and souls, not crushing them under His feet.

    There will be a return at the final judgment when all things are weighed and all of His enemies banished, a time when justice reigns perfectly and supremely, and a time where love conquers all.

    The humble beast brought the victor into Jerusalem that day. His ways are not our ways, and for that we can rejoice.

    The next time you see a donkey, remember the humble King of Kings and praise His name.

    Kevin

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  • A Fish Tail – Lessons in Humility

    I stared off to the west at an unusually shaped cloud. It looked  just like a giant fish tail. It was as if a big fish was chasing the sun over the horizon.

    I had read Jonah recently, and that story came immediately to mind. When we think of biblical characters we want to be like, Jonah never comes to mind. He does not fare well in the biblical account. He ran from God at the beginning of the story, finally obeys, and ends up pouting because God didn’t do what he wanted.

    I thought about the places where our hearts were more like Jonah than like Christ—far more places than we like to admit. When I say our and we here, I include myself. Sometimes my heart is far more like Jonah than Jesus.

    One of the wonderful things about being a Christian, though, is that we are works in process. We are not yet perfect. Nor do we have to be.

    For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

    And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11

    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

    That means we can lighten up on ourselves a bit. I am not advocating that we keep our worldly ways, far from it. I am simply suggesting that we lighten up a bit on unneeded guilt. We do need to repent of our sins. We do need to let the Holy Spirit transform us from the inside out. Many changes need to be made in all of us.

    We simply need to accept that it is a process and we are not going to get there all at once. When we are confronted with sin in our lives, we need to take it to God. We need to work with Him to remove it. We do not need to carry the weight of it around our neck.

    True humility is not walking around with the chains of bondage around our neck, clanking like Jacob Marley and moaning about what worms we are. It is about accepting that we are flawed and truly giving those things to Jesus to change. 

    True humility is recognizing that while we are less than perfect, the one who dwells in us is perfect. It is not about being proud of how good we think we are. It is about recognizing that the goodness in us is a gift from Him.

    Take note of your faults. Give them to Christ and move forward. You cannot change the past, but Christ can change your present and your future.

    Until next time, give Him the room to work and change you.

    Kevin

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