Let the Donkey Speak

In the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Numbers chapter 22, there is an interesting story about a donkey. In the story a donkey speaks. That might bring to mind the Eddie Murphy voiced donkey character from the Shrek movies, or Mr. Ed the talking horse, but the ancient story is way more interesting.

In Numbers 22 we read about the King of Moab, a guy named Balak son of Zippor. King Balak has been watching the Israelites coming up out of Egypt and is afraid that this mass migration of people “Is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” The situation is not unlike current fears of mass migration at the Southern US border. In response King Balak calls on a guy called Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on the Israelites. Balaam's reputation got him the job. He is known as someone who, when he blessed someone they were blessed, and when he cursed them, they were cursed.

After the request is made to curse the Israelites God tells Balaam he can't curse them because they are already blessed. So, Balaam sends the King's messengers away. This cycle repeats, but the second time God tells Balaam to go with the men.

The next day Balaam heads out riding a donkey, but an angel (seen only by the donkey) blocks the road and the donkey veers off into a field. Balaam is mad and beats the donkey to get it back on the road. At a narrow place in the road the angel blocks the donkey’s path again, and the animal crushes Balaam's foot against a wall trying to get away. Another beating takes place. The angel blocks the road a third time at a very narrow spot where the donkey could not turn. This time the beast simply laid down. Another donkey beating takes place. And then it happened, the donkey spoke.

"What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?,” the donkey blurts out.

Balaam responds, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

To which the donkey reasons, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

Balaam agrees and answers, "No." (Number 22:28-30 - NIV)

After the discussion with the donkey Balaam's eyes are opened and he can see the angel blocking the road.

This coming Sunday another ancient donkey will take center stage. Each year on the Sunday before Easter the Christian church remembers Palm Sunday with the story of Jesus entering the city on a donkey. Unlike Balaam's donkey this one doesn't utter a word, but speaks volumes.

We don't know who owned the donkey we remember on Palm Sunday. Jesus gave instructions for his disciples to borrow this young donkey colt for the trip into the city of Jerusalem. The donkey is a bold choice, and a colt aspect adds to the drama. Typically, when conquering heroes returned from a successful battle they would ride into the city on a horse, captives in tow, soldiers marching along, to celebrate their victory. The act was part victors’ parade (think ticker-tape parade) and part reviewing the troops with a dash of humiliating one’s enemies thrown in as well. The Romans had this practice. Kings in Israel were known to do this. Just over one hundred years before Jesus, the Maccabees rode into Jerusalem in a similar way celebrating a victory that made Israel a free state once again (I Mc 13:51). Finally, only years before Mark records his gospel, in 66CE, Menahem processed into Jerusalem to celebrate the struggle to overthrow the Romans. In each of these cases the goal was to celebrate a victory and show strength. If one is making a show of strength and force in the ancient world a horse is a fine choice.

However, nothing much has changed in our world. We are still looking for powerful symbols and military victory to guide and inspire us. Brian Zahnd notes that whenever he travels "There is Always Some Dude on a Horse." He sates,

"In my travels I’ve seen this same statue in every capital city — the horse, the dude, the sword, the pigeon droppings. Of course, they’re not really the same statue, but if you’re a foreigner and don’t know who the hero is they all look the same...I’ve seen horse-riding dudes in capitals from Lisbon to London, from Rome to Paris, from St. Petersburg to Washington D.C. Of course, the dude with a tricorn hat on a horse in D.C. is George Washington. It makes a difference if the dude is your dude. Most Americans upon beholding this marble dude will feel the kind of patriotic stirring in their bosom that the citizens of other lands feel for their equestrian statuary." (1)

A horse (with a dude on it) says a great deal.  A horse projects leadership, power, victory, triumphing over one’s enemy, strength and likely a whole lot more. But Jesus shows up on a donkey, not a horse.

In the story of Balaam we know what the donkey is thinking because the beast speaks. The story of Jesus on Palm Sunday (Mark 11:1-11; John 12:12-19; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-44) prompts the reader to wonder what nearly everyone in the story is thinking. What is going through Jesus' mind as the praises surround him? What do the disciples think is happening? Does the crowd think a new political or military leader is on the rise? We only get hints in the texts to answer our wonderings.

Some have even wondered about what the donkey was thinking. G.K. Chesterton and Mary Oliver have written poems about the donkey. (2) Others have speculated on donkey thoughts and feelings, but we don't really know because this Palm Sunday donkey is mute, unlike Balaam's lowly steed. However, the donkey's lack of a statement doesn't mean that it's not speaking.

The dude on a horse imagery is far from the colt of a donkey Jesus sits on as he rides into Jerusalem. In fact, rather than riding high above the crowd on a steed, this young donkey may have struggled to carry Jesus and undoubtedly failed to lift him above the people. The diminutive size of the animal has led some to imagine Jesus' feet dragging on the ground as he "rode" into the city.

We often refer to Jesus' Palm Sunday processional as the Triumphal Entry, but name another leader the conquered on a donkey? While horses are noble, speaking to leadership, power and victory, donkeys are common lowly animals associated with service, suffering, humility, and weakness. This processional, though it looks similar to the Romans, King David, the Maccabees, and others, is different, starting with this dinky donkey.

The prophet Zechariah saw this ass entrance coming. In that prophets book he wrote,

        "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.

    

        I will take away the chariots from Ephraim

            and the warhorses from Jerusalem,

            and the battle bow will be broken.

        He will proclaim peace to the nations.

            His rule will extend from sea to sea

            and from the River to the ends of the earth." 

            (Zech. 9:9-10 - NIV)

 

The prophet sees that the king who is coming will be riding on a donkey (v.9) and that this will replace the warhorses, chariots, and weapons of the previous kings (v.10). The donkey riding king is different. The Donkey riding King is not interested in military force that dominates and conquers, but rather comes in a lowly way to serve. Rather than riding high above the people on a horse, Jesus comes low to the ground among the people. The prophecy of Zechariah could be retranslated this way, "See your king is not some dude on a horse like every other leader, he comes among you to show another way."

 

Many of us have inherited a Christianity that rides a horse. The gospel has come wrapped in militarism, colonialism, nationalism, and a winner-take-all mentality that seeks to conquer ("Onward Christian Soldiers" anyone?)  We should not be surprised or embarrassed by this, these are the things - militarism, colonialism, nationalism, and a winner-take-all mentality - most likely on minds of those yelling "Save Us! Hosanna!" as Jesus entered the city. However, we would be wise to listen to what the donkey is wordlessly saying to us. We would do well to attune ourselves to the message of the donkey this Palm Sunday - the message of the arrival of a very different King who is a suffering servant.

 

This Palm Sunday we might not hear the voice of a donkey as Balaam did, but we should let the donkey under Jesus speak.

 

 

Joel K

Footnotes:

(1) https://brianzahnd.com/2020/06/theres-always-some-dude-on-a-horse

(2) https://jonathangrieser.com/2019/04/14/the-poet-thinks-about-the-donkey-by-mary-oliver-poetry-for-palm-sunday/   &    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47918/the-donkey 

Ched Meyers' Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus was helpful in crafting this post.