He Rode on a Donkey




¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!"
¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

¹⁵"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
See, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

This is today's scripture at the church I've been worshipping. As the world knows, today is Palm Sunday. Traditionally, it introduces a week long observation of the Lenten Week which will end next Sunday. As I was riding a jeepney from my place, I passed by Baguio Cathedral and saw worshippers holding a coconut leaf version of the palm leaves, locally known as palaspas. Yesterday, I was watched "Gospel of John" and I was really moved not because of how Jesus was tortured like the one I felt watching "Passion of the Christ" but somehow viewed Jesus Christ as a man, whose leadership was awesome! A fiery God's own Son whose life is devoted in listening and following the will of his Father and selflessly offered himself to die on the cross for our sake. After watching the movie, I have decided to follow Jesus' leadership. In any small way which require my task as a leader, I just look up to Jesus.

Jesus, as presented in the movie, was misunderstood. Pharisees see him a potential religious-political threat in the Jewish comminity. Some people doubted him and called him blasphemous and worthy of death by violating the Law of Moses. Some however opened their eyes. I believe that Jesus miracles did not happen because He just said it so but because, those who were given those miracles BELIEVED that the miracle will come upon them. When Jesus told the blind man to wash his eyes with the mud He wiped on them, the man immediately got up and washed it cause he BELIEVED that he could see. The lame man got up immediately when Jesus told him to get up because he BELIEVED that he could walk. Sometimes when God speaks to us, we doubt God's promises and turn to other ways we think that could solve everything. God simply tells us to believe regardless of anything we might think or feel.

Jesus is a king! But he only rode on a donkey's colt. What irony can we see! Kings are supposed to ride on majestic white horses, aren't they? But see here, being a great a king of great leadership, one is to offer a life of service. A great leader is a servant to his followers. The scene on Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem shows us that greatness comes in little things. In his humble appearance, his greatness his shown as people who have been touched by Him declared "Hossanas". At that time Jesus was perceived only as a prophet, or a fool declaring He is God's son. Maybe he was also perceived as revolutionary leader gaining followers for an army that will bring down the Roman Empire. It was like this cause Jesus has been declaring He wil bring His Kingdom on Earth, though Jesus was referring a kingdom not of this world.

Anyway, as the Lenten week comes, let us be mindful of a God who became man - who undergone all-too-human feelings of pain, doubts, temptations, sufferings to follow God's will and save us from sin.