Why The Donkey?

Matthew 21:1  As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her.  Untie them and bring them to me,  If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

Jesus specifically said you will find a donkey tied there with her colt by her.  Untie them and bring them to me.  One of the key sentences in all of this is...go to the village ahead of you.  Think about this,  even though Jesus and the disciples had not even entered the village, Jesus knew right where the donkey and her colt would be.  He even knew they would be tied up at the very entrance of the village.
"and at once you will find a donkey with her colt."

Jesus didn't say somewhere in the village or ask someone where to find a donkey, He already knew where they would be.  How amazing!!!  In our everyday world we need to remember that Jesus knows every little detail about our lives, that nothing is left to happenstance.

The story goes on to say in Verse 4.......This took  place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:"Say to the Daughter of Zion, See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

I would like to stop here for a moment and talk a little about donkeys.  Even though donkeys are noted for their "stubbornness, if you talk to owners of donkeys they will tell you that a donkey is more gentle than a horse, some call them "biggest sweethearts"

Donkeys bond hard with their owners and very common are one person animals.  They may "tolerate" those that aren't their owners, but usually will just work for that one person.

They have to "trust" you to do what you are asking, that's where the stubbornness" comes in. 

They are highly intelligent animals and unless they can mentally understand why you are asking what you want, and if its safely in their best interest....you better be a good negotiator.

They will never do anything to harm themselves, they have to think things through, which is why for every one hour of horse training, about three more go into donkey training.

Horses you can force into submission, donkeys you can't.

From these facts, it seems to me that the donkey and her colt understood what Jesus was asking them to do, otherwise they wouldn't have done it.  They knew who He was.

Verse 7...The disciples brought the donkey and her colt, placed their cloaks on them and Jesus sat on them.

Not only did these animals know what they were asked to do, but they trusted Jesus so much they were willing to let Him ride them through very large shouting crowds.  This donkey and her colt were in total "submission" to be used however Jesus needed.

I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the story of the Crucifixion , we miss all the miracles surrounding it.  This week  take time to look into all those things that took place before the resurrection and see that truly He is amazing !!!!!

Matthew 28:5-6  The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was  crucified.  He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."