Mark 11:3 NIV
“If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'”
Whereas He had been to Jerusalem a few other times, Christ’s triumphant entry to Jerusalem is the only recorded narrative where He used a donkey. Besides, that was the only recorded moment where Christ never restricted praise and adoration accorded Him from Jerusalemites in such a manner (Luk 19:37-40). Thus, without any shadow of a doubt, that entry was not only triumphant in nature but divine in significance. In any case, locating the donkey He would use was purely divine: “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there. No one has ever sat on it. Untie it, and bring it” (Mar 11:2 GW), the Master instructed some of His disciples—and it happened exactly so.
History has it that in ancient Israel, the choice of mount for a leader carried significant meaning. Donkeys were often associated with peace, humility, and royalty (Jug 5:10; 2 Sam 16:2; 1 Kin 1:33) in contrast to horses, which were typically used in military contexts for war (Jug 4:13-15; 2 Sam 4:8). Thus, Christ’s choice of a donkey was not random but had a message, which accurately aligned with what the prophet Zechariah had spoken about: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zec 9:9 ESV). Hallelujah!
In a twist of scenes, surprisingly, John the Revelator was shown a spiritual vision of things to come, where the same Christ Jesus will be riding on a horse! John narrates, “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God” (Rev 19:11-13 NKJV). Hallelujah! Yes, Christ was humble on the donkey to secure our salvation, but He is soon riding on a horse to display fierce power for our good (Rev 19:14-21)!
Pst. Emmanuel