“A Man and His Donkey”

Luke 19:28-40

April 1, 2007

A Man and His Donkey

Palm Sunday.  Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.  The crowds going wild, shouting their hosannas.  We’ve heard this story year after year. I have preached on it year after year.

But the amazing thing about God’s Word is that even the most familiar story can be fresh if we listen carefully. And when we do that, sometimes, even in most familiar of accounts, we are able to discover things we hadn’t seen before.

I hope we can do that this morning.  I want to focus on a part of the story that perhaps you have never really thought about. I want to draw your attention to a bit player in this great event – an unnamed man – a man who owned a donkey.

Do you remember him?  The story goes that Jesus sends two disciples to find this colt (in the other Gospels we learn that colt, in that day, was another name for a donkey) and when they find it they’re supposed to untie it and bring it to Jesus.

If anyone asks them what they are doing they are just supposed to tell them that “The Master needs it.” Which is exactly what they do … and in hearing that, the man lets them take his colt.

        Now I don’t know about you, but if it was my animal, no way am I going to let someone walk off with it without asking a whole lot more questions. 

Like: So, how long do you need my donkey? You will bring him back when you are finished, won’t you?  I assume you have insurance? Any objection to signing this “rental agreement?”

But the man didn’t ask a one.  Why?

        Well … let’s look at that.  I’m guessing that the donkey they find is tied up in Bethany – that’s where the scripture says they were headed. 

        And what do we know about Bethany?  A suburb of Jerusalem, not very large.  Probably a town where everybody knew everybody else.  The town where Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha lived – all close friends of Jesus. 

And there is one more little tiny weenie fact:  Bethany was where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  Probably pretty BIG NEWS in that little town!

        If the man who owned the donkey lived in Bethany – I’ll bet he had heard all about Jesus.  Maybe he even was a friend of Lazarus.  And maybe he was even there when Lazarus walked out of the tomb – once dead, now alive.

        I think that this man loaned his donkey to Jesus on Palm Sunday because he believed Jesus to be the Master. He saw what Jesus did, he heard Him speak and he believed.

And since he believed that Jesus was the Messiah . . . everything he had was now at his Lord’s disposal. For him, loaning the donkey was an act of worship and love.

I think he was a man of great faith.  I also think he had come to three conclusions:

First, that the Faithful Follower is willing to give what he has to the Lord.

Now, donkeys were a most valuable commodity back then. They were a burden-bearing animal which meant they could transport things. They were able to help till the land. And they were a means of transportation.

A donkey then is no “little” gift. But that was what the Master needed … so that’s what the Master got.  Of course, God doesn’t always ask for big things – sometimes what he asks for can be quite small.

But even when we feel we don’t have anything significant to give, God can take the simplest of things and use them in great ways.

For example: Moses was asked to give his walking stick.  David gave his sling shot. The widow gave her two cents. The young boy gave his five loaves and two fish. The early church shared their possessions with those who had a need.

In each of these cases, these people gave what they had to be used by God. What might you give?

Second, the Faithful Follower knows that whatever we have all belongs to the Lord, anyway.

Everything we have has been given to us as a gift from God. Everything: our time, our talents, our resources … have been entrusted to us so that we might use them appropriately.

Stewardship is not just about giving money . . . it is about managing with integrity and faith all that He has given us, as well.

Suppose you had an extra ten thousand dollars. And suppose you gave that ten thousand dollars to a broker to invest on your behalf. What would you expect to happen?

I imagine you would expect a favorable return on your money, right? If you lost money or if you gained nothing, the chances are that you would move your money somewhere else.

And what would happen if the money you gave was spent by the broker on frivolous pleasures for him alone?  What if it was squandered? I’ll bet you’d be angry. You might even try to take that person to court to get back what you had entrusted to him.

Have you ever wondered what God thinks when He sees us wasting what He has given us? Or worse, when He sees us squandering the good gifts He has entrusted to us?

Max Lucado wrote about this in his book, “And the Angels were Silent.”  This is what he said:

Sometimes I get the impression that God wants me to give him something and sometimes I don’t give it because I don’t know for sure, and then I feel bad because I’ve missed my chance.

Other times I know he wants something but I don’t give it because I’m too selfish.

And other times, too few times, I hear him and I obey him and feel honored that a gift of mine would be used to carry Jesus to another place.

And still other times I wonder if my little deeds today will make a difference in the long run.

Maybe you have those questions, too. All of us have a donkey. You and I each have something in our lives, which, if given back to God, could, like the donkey, move Jesus and his story further down the road.

Maybe you can sing, or hug, or program a computer, or speak Swahili, or write a check.

Whichever, that’s your donkey. Whichever, your donkey belongs to him. It really does belong to him. Your gifts are his and the donkey is his.

The original wording of the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples is proof: “If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkey, you are to say, ‘Its Lord is in need.’” [Max Lucado, And the Angels were Silent p. 54]

You see, I don’t think the lesson is really about donkeys . . . it’s about attitude. God has given us many things: our talents, our resources, our time, our children, our jobs, our interests …

They belong to Him. God has given them to us as a gift. They are ours to use … but, at any time He can request that what He has given be returned in some fashion.

And then finally, the Faithful Follower knows that the value of what he has is multiplied when it is placed in the Lord’s hands.

The man gave his donkey . . . it was valuable to him. But look at how much more valuable it was when given over to Jesus.

This donkey had a part in fulfilling prophecy, the donkey transported the Messiah on his procession to Jerusalem, and the donkey (and its owner) have been remembered for two thousand years because of his simple act of faith.

None of this would have been possible if the man had refused to give what he had.

If we talked to the man he might very well have said, “Hey, it was no big deal.” But it was. What we place in the Lord’s hands is used in remarkable ways.

…The person who gives their time to read to or visit with people in a nursing home may feel like they are doing little . . . but I suspect that they will be surprised when they get to Heaven.

…The Sunday School teacher who labors week after week faithfully giving of themselves to their students all the while thinking no one notices . . . will be surprised at how God has used their service to mold the next generation.

…The person who faithfully puts her check in the plate week after week may feel that her tithe is insignificant. But she doesn’t see that God is using her faithfulness to make it possible not only to maintain a place in which to worship . . . but God is also using those funds to bless people in our community and literally around the world.

…The person who takes the time to jot a note, to make a call, to stop by and visit may feel that they don’t have much to offer . . . but by giving what they have, God may be using their efforts to encourage someone who is weary, to comfort someone who thought they were all alone, or to reach someone who was drifting away.

What we have is never more valuable than when we place these things in the capable and strong hands of Jesus.

So, here’s the question? What is God asking of you? How can you “invest” what He has given you? What does He want you to give?

A talent, some time, some money, a willingness to obey? I can’t tell you, but if you listen, God can. It may be simple, it may be great . . . but what we do know is that the faithful disciple gives what the Master asks for.

What the Lord Jesus Christ wants more than anything is our heart. He wants our trust, our allegiance, our willingness to follow Him.

And that’s why the owner of the donkey is a model to us. He gave what he had, without asking questions, because he trusted the one who made the request.

Here is a simple assignment for you for just the next week: When you get up each morning remind yourself that everything you have (your life, your time, your talent, your resources) are His. Make a conscious choice to invest His resources well. 

When you are wondering what your meager gifts can accomplish … remind yourself not to merely look at what you can see . . .look for, and trust what the Lord is doing which is unseen.

And then finally, place a leash, or a plastic donkey, or a Palm Branch someplace prominent. Use this as a reminder of the man who owned the donkey.

And then every time you see that item remember that he believed enough to give what the Lord asked, in faith, without asking questions. And even though you don’t know his name . . . be spurred on by his example.

Amen.