A Donkey with Jesus on Its Back Matthew 21:1-5, NIV As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” Hallelujah! I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “A Donkey with Jesus on Its Back,” which is based on Matthew 21:1-5. Please repeat after me: A donkey with Jesus on Its Back - A donkey with Jesus on Its Back. A baby is the most comfortable and happy in the arms of its mother. Lovers are the happiest when they are together. As Christians, we are the happiest when we serve the Lord with joy. We will be most joyous when we love the Lord, trusting in Him and doing His will. Jesus has changed our destiny. We are renewed in Jesus. Therefore, we must give thanks to the Lord for His grace throughout our lives. Our first priority in life should be Jesus. Jesus should be first in all that we do in life. Jesus alone must receive glory from us. Hallelujah! About 2,000 years ago, a few days before His Crucifixion, Jesus rode on a donkey as he entered Jerusalem. That donkey was at its most blessed moment when it was able to carry Jesus, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings on its back. Today, let us become like the donkey which carried Jesus. Let us ponder about the grace of today’s Scripture so that we will be able to carry our Lord Jesus throughout our lives. First, I want to speak about the donkey which was used according to prophecy. The Mount of Olive to Jerusalem was about two to three kilometers. Jesus went from the Mount of Olive to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. By entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Prophet Zechariah 500 years before He was born. Zechariah 9:9 says: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah’s prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away. Luke 21:33 says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” The Words of God’s promises will be fulfilled. The words of prophecies, promises, and blessings are the Words of God. Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Word. The Word, by living and working in us, is showing the will of God to us. Jesus used the Old Testament as a reference when he preached. He proclaimed that He came to earth as the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament. He also entered Jerusalem in the humblest form, riding on a donkey, as was prophesied in the Old Testament. The donkey Jesus rode on was not a wild donkey but a tamed house donkey. In order for us to be used by God, we need to be well tamed and trained by God. As the donkey was tamed enough to carry Jesus on its back; we also need to be well-tamed to carry Jesus, and to live for the glory of God. The Scripture says that the donkey had not been ridden on before. Mark 11:2 says: “…saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.” No one had ever ridden on the donkey. But it was well cared for and tamed by its owner. This signifies the purity of the donkey. We need to be forgiven of all our sins and cleansed from all our impurities in order to be used by God. We need to be pure. If we carry hatred, grudges, complaints, negative or filthy thoughts in our hearts, the Lord cannot use us. Let us check ourselves against the mirror of God’s Word. Let us wash away all our sins by the blood of Jesus. Let us be pure and prepared. Let us carry Jesus and give glory to Him throughout our lives. I remember talking about the following story a long time ago. A pastor of a church in Sangdo-Dong put a mirror on the pulpit. He always looked into the mirror before he started his sermon. He was not checking his outer appearance against the mirror but he was checking if he was ready or not before the Lord. By what can we check ourselves? We can look into the mirror of God’s Word to examine ourselves. I want you to meditate on the Word and listen to the voice of the Lord through the Word. I pray that you will be broken, changed, and renewed by the Word. We must love the Word of the Lord. “Lord, please, speak to me. I want to obey Your Word.” Psalm 119:9 says: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” When we keep in obedience to the Word of the Lord, we can be made pure and cleansed so that we will be used by God. The Word is a lamp to our feet, leading our footsteps to the path of righteousness and blessings, which is pleasing to God. Psalm 119:105 says: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Therefore, we must read and meditate on the Word. We must discipline ourselves by the Word so that we will be renewed and used by the Lord as His servants. 2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Scriptures were written over a period of 1600 years by more than 40 authors who lived and ministered in various areas. Yet the scriptural themes of all these authors combined show wonderful unity. Each theme was absolutely coherent since the Holy Spirit inspired each writer. Regardless of the year an author worked or the place of writing; all Scriptures over the period of 1600 years testified to the Lord Jesus. As we apply our hearts to the Word, we will be changed into perfect servants of the Lord. The Word has precepts that will teach and exhort us. When we do something wrong, the Word will rebuke us. The Word upholds us and changes us into God’s servants, by teaching us with righteousness. Those who are well trained by the Word can be used preciously by the Lord. I pray that you will always meditate on the Word. I also pray that you will become precious servants of God and change the world by being renewed and guided by the Word. John Wanamaker is considered the father of modern advertising. He received much blessing from the Lord throughout his life because he committed himself to the Bible. Born to a poor brick maker, Wanamaker’s formal education ended when he was 12. He was able to only graduate from elementary school because his family was poor; but Wanamaker remained a faithful Christian. And because he remained faithful to the Word of God, God blessed Wanamaker abundantly. Throughout his life, he enjoyed God’s blessings. With a goal of evangelizing the young men in the world; Wanamaker used his financial blessings to build many churches and YMCAs, the YMCA building in Jongro, Seoul being one of them. In 1889, President Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, nominated Wanamaker Postmaster General of America. He accepted the post under the condition that he would observe Sundays at his home church. He said, “I will accept the post only if I could go to my home church and serve the Lord as a Sunday school teacher on Sundays.” He took the office because he was granted his request to serve his home church on Sundays. Wanamaker made weekly trips between Washington and his home in Philadelphia. For four years he spent his weekends in Philadelphia to go back to work in Washington before Monday morning. Wanamaker introduced many improvements to the federal department of postal service during his four incumbent years in office. But regardless of how God used him in his nation and around the world, Wanamaker remained a precious servant of the Lord, serving as a Sunday school teacher for 67 years. In his latter years of life, Wanamaker was quoted as saying: “I have made large purchases of property in my time; but it was as a boy in the country at the age of eleven years that I made my greatest purchase. I bought a small red leather Bible for $2.75, which I paid for in small installments. It was the greatest investment and the most important and far-reaching purchase I ever made.” Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Let us give all the glory to God. Most of us, even if we do not have too much money, do not have to buy a Bible in small installments over an entire year. We are living in a blessed era. Therefore, we must love the Word of the Lord. I want you to be disciplined by the Word. If we live our lives centered on the Word, we will surely meet the living Lord Jesus through the Word. We can experience the grace of the Cross through the Word. We will be filled with the Holy Spirit through the Word. We will be healed from various diseases on our bodies and minds through the Word. We will be blessed through the Word. We will possess eternal life and the kingdom of heaven through the Word. Therefore, let us live victoriously in the Lord through the Word. “Lord, please, speak to me. I want to obey Your Word no matter what You tell me. I want to be used by You. As the donkey was used by You as prophesied, we want to be used by You like the donkey. Make us Your servants and lead us throughout our lives.” I pray that you will always humbly kneel down before the Lord in prayer, meditate on the Word, and obey Him in the name of the Lord. Second, we must remember that the donkey had to take a yoke throughout its life. An owner will place a yoke on his oxen. Thereafter his oxen will not do anything except that which his master commands. We must also take a yoke from the Lord and wear it throughout our lives. We must follow our Lord Jesus, carrying our own cross. Jesus took the yoke of sin and was crucified to solve the problem of sin, death, sorrow and suffering. Isaiah 53:4 says: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.” Jesus took up our infirmities and died on the Cross. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as follows. John 1:29 says: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ ” John described Jesus as the Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world! Jesus shed all his blood and body fluids and then died in ultimate pain. He was offered as an atoning sacrifice so that we would receive eternal life. We then must live for the Lord alone as a thanksgiving offering for what he has done for us. In living for the Lord, we must be willing to take the path our Lord took. Matthew 8:34 says: “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ ” When we take up our cross and follow Him confessing: “I am nothing. The Lord Jesus is everything to me;” God will pour His enormous grace and blessings upon us. Do you remember the 2001 9/11 terrorist attacks on America? I was in Osaka, Japan, participating in Pastor Cho’s crusade meetings at that time. Someone knocked on my door that evening and told me to watch the News on TV. I was stunned when I turned to CNN and watched a re-run of a hijacked plane crushing into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. There were four suicide attacks on America that day. Two hijacked airplanes crashed in New York, one into each Twin Tower, and a third crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The fourth plane was heading for the White House, also in Washington; but it never made its destination because of a few brave passengers. United States was spared further disaster, thanks to their courageous sacrifice. This fourth airplane left Newark Airport, New Jersey for San Francisco. Approximately 40 minutes into the flight, four Middle East hijackers, at gunpoint, pushed all the passengers to the back of the airplane. One terrorist had a red box attached to his chest he claimed was a bomb. He threatened to detonate it if anyone went near him. The hijackers, now in control of the plane, diverted it towards Washington. Passengers started to make phone calls on their cell phones. Todd Beamer, one of these passengers who made calls through his cell phone, learned that the two World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon had each been attacked by planes that had been hijacked. He talked to the passengers next to him, saying: “We must do something to prevent bigger disaster.” Yet another passenger, Jeremy Glick, who was sitting next to Beamer, called his wife and said: “Honey, we are hijacked by terrorists. We cannot just sit here and wait to die. Three of us will do something. I love you. Please take good care of our only daughter.” Tom Burnett, a third passenger also called his wife and said: “Honey, we all are going to die. I love you. Take care of our family.” Todd Beamer, a devout Christian, called a ground operator and asked him to recite both the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 with him. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want...” After finishing the recitation; Beamer initiated an attack on the hijackers with the following last words that he would always be remembered for: “Are you guys ready? O.K. let’s roll.” Beamer, Glick and Burnett jumped the hijackers and fought them; resulting in the plane crashing into a Pennsylvania forest. This hijacked plane was heading for the White House but three brave passengers stopped it. All the passengers on that flight died but they saved their nation from one further disaster that day ? the destruction of the White House. Todd Beamer, Jeremy Glick, and Tom Burnett sacrificed themselves for their nation. They followed the example of Jesus who sacrificed Himself for all of mankind. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul confessed the following: Philippians 2:17 says: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” Paul confessed that for the glory of God, he was willing to sacrifice himself and pour out his blood in martyrdom. And today because history has seen many servants of God like Paul, both on native soil and on the mission field; the Gospel of Jesus has reached the ends of the earth. Even today the Lord Jesus, who willingly took the yoke and the Cross, is inviting us. Matthew 11:28 says: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Everybody lives under some kind of yoke. Even though we may not be able to see it, we all, without exception, carry a yoke. Some carry a yoke of sin. Some carry a yoke of sorrow. Others carry a yoke of poverty. Still others carry a yoke of disease or loneliness. Many people carry their yokes wandering around the world in pain and agony; drifting around here and there, without knowing what to do. The Lord is inviting those who carry such heavy burden, saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” We must put down all our heavy burdens under the Cross. As Jesus took up His Cross, so must we take up our cross and follow Him. When we sacrifice ourselves as Jesus sacrificed Himself; our homes will change. Our work places will change. The whole community will change. “Lord, I want to take up my cross and follow You. I want to be broken every day. I want to sacrifice myself. I want to be offered for Your glory.” When we as Koreans take up our cross and sacrifice ourselves, Korea will have a bright future. When the country is reunited, we will be preciously used for our Lord. Third, I want to speak about the donkey which exalted Jesus. The donkey Jesus rode exalted Jesus alone. People took off their cloaks and cut branches to spread on the road. As they scurried ahead of Jesus, shouting exaltations; the donkey followed in gentleness and humility, carrying Jesus. Matthew 21:5 says: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey.’ ” Jesus, in gentleness and humility, rode a humble and gentle donkey. The humble Jesus was exalted by a humble donkey as the gentle Jesus was exemplified by a gentle donkey. Generally when a king returns victoriously from a battle; he will ride through his city triumphantly on a horse, addressing the sounds of trumpets and cheers from his people. However, Jesus, the King of peace entered Jerusalem with humility and gentleness, riding on a donkey. Matthew 21:5 says: “…gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” Jesus, the Son of God, was gentle and humble. Gentleness means having the heart of love, warmth, and care. Gentleness and humility are like the two sides of a coin. In gentleness and humility, Jesus cared and comforted those who were wounded, in deep despair, and too lonely to fall asleep. Jesus cared for those born blind and for the widow who wailed in sorrow over the death of her only son. He cared for the lepers, and those who were hungry. All those who came to Jesus received his care in the fullness of gentleness and humility. Hallelujah! Prosperity attracts many friends. On the other hand when our wealth leaves, generally so do our friends. However our Lord Jesus promises to not ever forsake us. Instead of leaving like our friends, He will hold us in His arms, comforting us in our despair. Jesus is there in the middle of all hopelessness and sorrow. Matthew 11:29-30 says: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” We must learn gentleness and humility from the Lord. Do you know why we have problems? It is because we are too strong in our selves. We constantly clash with one another because we are too strong. In a church I pastored in Washington, there was a couple who fought with each other for the entire thirty years of their marriage. Classically they would have a big fight once a week. Their neighbors knew their pattern so well that they would say: “Oh! Today is their fighting day.” Do you know why they fought so often? It was because each of them was too strong and stubborn. Each said the other would not yield. Although they fought for thirty years; they still stayed married. Nothing good can be achieved when we are too strong. A strong person cannot win people. People gather around a gentle person. People may stay with a strong person when he is in power but, eventually, they will turn their backs away from him. Why is a person so strong? A person is so strong because he thinks he is the best. He is very proud. After believing in Jesus, we must put down our strong ego. We are nothing. God cannot use those who are too strong, stubborn, untamed, and opinionated. God uses those who are broken, gentle, and humble. Moses is a perfect example of one who was initially strong but eventually became meek and gentle after being broken. Moses grew up in the Egyptian palace; but he wanted to use his power and strength to save his people. One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his own, a Hebrew; and he killed the Egyptian. In trying to save his people, Moses found himself living with the Midianites after fleeing from Pharaoh into the desert. God used the next forty years to discipline and completely break Moses. Moses was so strong and stubborn that it took God forty years of desert life to break him. I advise you not to follow Moses’ example but to be quickly broken. Then at the age of eighty, God called Moses to serve Him; and for the next forty years God used Moses for His glory. We read in Numbers chapter 12, that Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses for some wrongdoing; but God did not reprimand Moses. He complimented Moses: Numbers 12:3 says: “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” Moses was humble enough to be complimented by God. We need the humility and gentleness of Jesus and Moses. Hallelujah! Jesus was humbler than anyone in the world. Moses was humbler than any other Israelite. “God, we want to be humble. We want to be clothed in humility and gentleness.” Hallelujah! John Calvin (pronounced “Kalveng”); a French Christian Reformer, originally wanted to be a lawyer. William Farel, a fellow French reformer, implored Calvin to stay in Geneva and assist him in reforming the church there. Together Calvin and Farel labored hard to change that city. Three years later, the city council resisted the implementation of Calvin and Farel’s ideas, and expelled both men. Calvin devoted himself completely to only be expelled from Geneva. At the invitation of Martin Bucer; Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg to become the minister of a church filled with French refugees. Three years later, the church at Geneva underwent some problems and eventually decided to invite Calvin back to Geneva to lead them. They asked Calvin to return. Ordinary people would have protested, “You expelled me before. Why do you want me back now? I am not going anywhere.” Calvin did not do this. Instead he went back to Geneva and changed it into a Christian city which gave glory to God. There stands a statue of Calvin in Geneva. Calvin was gentle, and therefore could bear beautiful fruit for the Lord through his labor of reforming Geneva into a Christian city. God does not use us because we are well educated or because we possess a great deal. God will use us when we are humble and broken. J. Oswald Sanders, in his book Dynamic Spiritual Leadership, quotes the celebrated Scottish preacher, James Stewart as follows: “It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence that God chooses to build His Kingdom.” When we lower ourselves, God uses us. As long as we are proud, thinking we can do anything on our own, the Lord will become a spectator and watch us, saying, “Ok, let us see how well you do.” We need to be broken and humble. Jesus showed a perfect example of humility and obedience. Philippians 2:7-8 says: “…but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!” This is the humility and obedience that Jesus showed. When we lower ourselves, the Lord will be magnified and exalted. You may think that you are somebody but you are really only a donkey. You are carrying the Lord Jesus on your back. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Savior whom we should love, honor, and serve forever. Never forget that you are in no position to be exalted or honored. Since the donkey carried Jesus on its back, people spread both their cloaks and branches on the road, and welcomed them. If the donkey had lifted his head to show itself off, thinking that it was at the center of their attention; Peter would have hit its rear with his enormous hands, saying, “Donkey, keep your place.” Of course, there is no such episode written in the Bible. The donkey carried Jesus humbly and gently, giving glory to God. Let us carry our Lord humbly and gently. Let us arm ourselves with gentleness and humility and carry Jesus. Then our homes, work places, and the whole community will change. Why are there so many conflicts and confrontations? Why do the people next door keep fighting with each other? Why do they do that? That is because people are not humble. The congressmen have not practiced humility. We need to pray, “Heavenly Father, clothe the leaders of this nation with gentleness and humility. Bless them so that they will obey to Your Word and exalt the Lord Jesus.” When we arm ourselves with gentleness and humility, exalting the Lord Jesus; God will receive glory from us. He will pour His blessings on us; accomplishing His great will through our lives. “Lord, may all glory be to You. I want to be used as an instrument like the donkey which You rode on.” I pray that this prayer will be your prayer, too. It is my earnest prayer for you in the name of the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love, grace, and mercy, we give our thanks to You. Help us to be broken, gentle, and humble like the donkey which carried Jesus on its back, giving glory to You. Clothe us with humility and gentleness so that we will be obedient to Your will. As Your children, help us accomplish Your will on earth. I pray in the Name of Jesus. Amen. 10