Lessons from a Humble Donkey

April 7, 2025

Have you ever noticed this Palm Sunday detail, Jesus rides a donkey that has never been ridden? He is basically the bottom shelf of donkeys. He was certainly not a war horse. That would be too flashy for our humble Messiah. He rides this lowliest of donkeys into Jerusalem, palms waving, it is a big moment, and then hands him back to his owner. I’m picturing the owner the next day, scratching his head, ‘This donkey was worth a loaf of bread last week—now what? Do I sell him as “Messiah-ridden, one owner”?’ And the donkey is probably thinking something like, “Yes, I’m humble, but I’ve got a resume now. Jesus broke me in, so I need to step up my ‘hay’ game!” Makes me wonder what Jesus can do with us.

Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey is certainly a humble act. I think arrogance and pride are the biggest barriers to being used by God to advance the Kingdom of God in our midst. We are not very good at noticing the power of humility. Think about all the key players in Jerusalem that day. The Crowd pleaded with Jesus to be their king and make the Romans die or at least leave Israel. Pontius Pilate would conclude that Jesus must die, or he would die by the hand of Caesar. The Pharisees and Sadducees say clearly, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (John 11:50). Jesus also saw His impending death, but saw it very differently. He said, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24-25). He will be humble before God. Do God’s will, and when doing God’s will humbly, be glorified. When? At his resurrection!

Why did they get it so wrong? They did not wish to identify with the “suffering Savior.” Jesus’ words for us are not, “Take up your crown and follow Me,” but “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

All through the Bible we have the greats: Gideon and his 300-man army, Isaiah the greatest prophet of all, Peter, James, and John, and Saul/Paul. But when we look at each one they were deeply flawed, just like us. Gideon couldn’t tear down the idols until he felt safe at night (Judges 6:25-32). Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). Peter boldly, and arrogantly proclaims, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matthew 26:35). James and John run, run, run. In Acts 9:1 Saul/Paul is described this way, “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. They had to take up their cross/not their crowns to serve the Lord.

What does it look like to humble ourselves before the Lord to be used by Him? A gifted Christian friend asked me to pray for her. She was doing a project for God. God told me to tell her, “You can do this project without me and you will be blessed. Everyone will say what a good project you have done. Or you can turn to me in prayer and let me help you, and your project will change lives. The Choice is yours. I will bless you either way.”

That is quite the challenge for us as Christians. It is fun to receive the applause of man for the good works we do. It is very different when we decide to humbly work for the Lord. God expects to receive all the glory, especially since He is providing all the transforming power. It will be a constant question for us to answer, do we want to take a little glory for ourselves, or are we willing to let God have all the glory.

In a prayer meeting we were dealing with these questions, and God spoke to our souls with four things to think about to humble ourselves and be better used by God: Pray Obediently, Serve Lovingly, Worship Joyfully, Give Generously. Those are challenging and humbling words to live by.

What does it look like to humble ourselves before the Lord to be used by Him? Do you want to take a little glory for yourself, or are you willing to let God have all the glory? Have a conversation with someone about those four humbling acts: Pray Obediently, Serve Lovingly, Worship Joyfully, Give Generously. May God be glorified by what you learn about yourself. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional).