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.
Zechariah 9:9-10 NIV
Riding a Donkey
Sandra Pady and her husband, David, initially had sheep on their 100-acre farm near Guelph, Ontario. After some issues with coyotes, Sandra learned that donkeys could offer protection to herd animals such as sheep. She agreed to foster three donkeys, named Riley, Bronwyn and Apache, from the Rare Breeds Conservancy. That was in 1992, and it marked the beginning of The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada, which now houses 82 donkeys and 9 mules, with an additional 25 donkeys cared for at foster homes.
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The Palm Sunday story usually fits into our Spring calendar – and it properly does, originally happening in the week preceding the Passover. Jesus arrives into Jerusalem receiving the adulation of the crowds, crying out Hosanna – Lord, save us. So why am I mentioning this story during our Advent series? Because it was a Hebrew prophet who would look forward to the parade of palms. Zechariah 9:9-10 says, “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 war-horses 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.” So often when we celebrate Palm Sunday, we miss the second part of the reason Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day – it was the picture of His coming rule as the Prince of Peace. As we celebrate the first advent, we are reminded again that when Jesus comes next time, he will do so to proclaim peace to the nations.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley