Horsham: 25th February 2025
So, about this donkey! There is so much symbolism in the passage about the Triumphal Entry, that I’m breaking it into shorter posts. This may feel like something of a digression, but I want to focus for a moment on the donkey!
4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
Maybe it’s because I have a little experience of working with them, but as I’ve been trawling through the Gospels and commentaries about the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem I have been thinking about the donkey (Mark 11:1-11).
Donkeys are wonderful, social, curious creatures. They have a rather undeserved reputation for stubbornness. Whilst they can be strong willed, they are intelligent animals and will be cautious if they are uncomfortable with people or situations. In biblical times, donkeys were widely used to transport people (eg 1 Kings 1:33) and goods (eg Nehemiah 13:15).
The idea of a King riding on a donkey may sound strange to us, but not so in the ancient world. The image of a King, riding on a donkey, symbolises humility (as opposed to riding on a horse which symbolises strength and power).
Horses and donkeys who were fortunate enough to live in the royal stables were strictly reserved for use by the King. In general, no-one else would ride them. Jesus appears to own very little, and certainly no livestock, so he borrows a donkey. He chooses a colt. No-one has ridden this animal before the King. So, now we see Jesus riding a donkey, coming in peace and humility, on a colt which has only ever been ridden by him. If you were in that crowd, you could hardly miss that Jesus was a King. (Barclay, Loc 5391}
’This was a colt prepared for the King!’ (Sproul p251)
Of course, Jesus isn’t just a king. He’s the King. He’s the one who rides in front of a noisy crowd, visibly fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
It’s hard to imagine an unbroken colt calmly accepting an unknown rider and walking through crowded, noisy streets, followed by an exuberant and cheering crowd of disciples and supporters of Jesus. Does the comfort of the animal in this challenging situation again point to an unspoken degree of planning on the part of Jesus? Could it be that his preparations included familiarisation and building of trust between Christ and the animal? These things are possible, although not explicit in the text. Could it mean that the owner of the young donkey walked with him, providing reassurance? Again, it’s possible.
Of course, there is an alternative explanation. We could not put on this prophecy fulfilling spectacle without considerable planning, including no doubt training, spreadsheets, form-filling and committees. Jesus, on the other hand, was capable of rather greater spontaneity.
This, we remind ourselves, is Jesus. Son of David. The ‘one who comes’ in the Name of the Lord. The ‘Messiah’. To the one who calmed the storm and healed the leper, to the one who gave sight to the blind and turned water into wine, keeping a young donkey calm and under control in extreme circumstances would not, one might think, present the greatest of challenges.
Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK