Shalom! My name is Benjamin.
I come to you from the land of Israel—from far away, and
long ago. I'm a business man ... I'm in transport. And,
in the bible—although my name is not mentioned I'm
there. You see, I'm the man who owned the donkey. My
donkey—I call her Jezebel—she's been a real
treasure for me. She carries heavy items for people in
exchange for a few drachmas. And, since she has no use for
drachmas, I get to keep them—or to use them to help my
family, and yes, other people in need, and to further the work
of the Kingdom.
But, I get ahead of myself. One day a fellow I'd
never met before asked to borrow my Jezebel. He said, "The
Lord needs it." And, though some have referred to
me as a hard-headed businessman, this time I responded immediately,
no questions asked. You see, the Lord himself had previously
approached and explained to me what he had in mind. There
would be a great entry into the city—into Jerusalem—a
parade of sorts—and as the ancient prophets foretold, he would
come riding on a donkey. My donkey. He really didn't
have to explain much—I instantly trusted him, this one
they called Jesus. A kind of—how shall I say—warmth
radiated from Him toward all around Him—a love and caring
that surpassed even the love of a father or mother for their
children.
So when this follower came to me just before the big day, I
was ready. I had total faith that Jezebel would be fine. But
more than that, I had begun to realize that this was huge—this
was God's day, this Jesus was the One our people had hoped
for, for centuries. I was not just willing to loan my donkey,
I was deeply honored to do so.
And so it came to pass. The crowds were in Jerusalem for
the Passover. And they shouted their praise and blessings on
the One who came in the name of the Lord. They covered the very
road before him with articles of clothing and palm branches.
My own family was in the crowd. My children shouted to anyone
who would listen, "That's our donkey the Messiah
is riding!" I told them to hush—but deep down
I was so proud. What a privilege to be able to make a personal
contribution to such a wonderful event. It was a great day. Truly
the King was among us. Riding among us.
As soon as it was over, friends of Jesus returned the donkey
to me, just as I knew they would. She was all cleaned and
brushed—she never looked so good. My trust had been
well-placed. Jesus was true to His word. He always is.
So—a great day. But of course, that was not the end
of it. I had no idea what the next few days would bring.
What world-changing events would occur right there. It still
seems so hard to take it all in. This One from God, this
One so full of life and love and power, would, before the week
was out—share a final meal with his closest friends ...
be arrested ... put on trial ... sentenced to hang on a cross
... struggle in agony until the very life was gone out of him.
And those friends of his who had sworn to be loyal to him to
the end—well,
they all ran away in fear of their lives. Even if I had
known every detail in advance, I wouldn't have believed
it. It was more than I could bear. I understood that
this was God's own Son, with us in accord with what the
prophets had foretold. That much I understood. What
I could not understand—what I thought I could never accept,
was why he had to die as he did. The Lord of Glory on a
Roman instrument of torture.
And yet. And yet. The Lord is full of surprises. And this
was the greatest surprise of all. Ever. Death itself is no match
for God's power. Well, it's not like I'm
spoiling the ending for you—even though Easter isn't
until next Sunday. You know that he is the Risen Lord. The
tomb couldn't hold Him.
For me, for us, that first Easter day was the beginning of the
new world. Our sorrow turned to joy. And one of his
followers soon enough took the time to explain to me the meaning
of what had happened. Our sin, he said, separates us from
God. We are helpless to overcome sin by our own efforts. We
need a solution, yes, a Savior from God himself to get us out
of our particular and very human mess. Jesus Christ is the
one person who ever lived without sin. By that Perfectly
Obedient One's dying, he said, Jesus took our sins upon
him and bridged the unbridgeable gap, and brought us back to
God. He gives new life, eternal life, beginning here and
now, through the forgiveness of sins. He calls us to have
faith in the finished work of Christ upon the cross. After
this disciple had spoken in such clear terms of the meaning Jesus
Christ, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. A
light came on for me.
Now, after all that had happened, and after hearing what it
all meant, I knew I had a decision to make. I knew it was
time to respond to what God had done for me—time to respond
with my whole life to Christ's crucified love for me. How?
I didn't know. So I prayed. But, I wondered, what
should I pray? I didn't know that either. So
I just prayed, "Lord, I don't begin to understand
everything about you, but I know enough to realize I want to
receive your gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. And Lord, I know
that want to follow you. And so, Lord, please come into
my life, forgive my sins and grant me new life according to
your word. Amen."
That was it. You know what? He answered that prayer. He
always answers that prayer. He said, "I stand at the
door and knock. Whoever opens the door, I will come in."
And he did. Now it seemed I had a whole new purpose in life. Oh,
I continued my business, true, yet it was anything but business
as usual. I took the opportunity to tell everyone I met
about the amazing things that had happened. And, as I began
to realize what it all meant, I shared that, too. It seemed
my donkey and I—Jezebel and I—now had a higher calling. Life
in Christ had become a great adventure. Our trade took us
to many places—to Jerusalem, to little towns throughout
Judea—where I had some of the best pastrami sandwiches
in my life. And as we went, I shared the word.
I know that each year Christians all over the world remember
the amazing things that happened back then, when I was around.
But it's more than a memory. Jesus Christ is the living
Lord. He still seeks people who are willing to receive Him
and his grace, open their hearts to Him, recognize Him for who
He is, and serve Him. Just as he rode into the city long
ago, let him triumphantly enter your life today. It will
be the best decision you ever make. Take it from me ... I'm
the man who owned the donkey. |
