It being March, we have Easter ahead of us. And, I was given this scripture passage this morning. Now we are having a morning service at this place, we Japanese use this idiom "morning service" to mean a simple breakfast served in family restaurants. We need to be able to know this is used only in Japan. Well, we all are together to offer to God our morning service.

Visiting Israel, I still have clear memories of the Holy Land. I remember the scene when I saw a few horses very fast passed by just in front of me on the street. The last one was, however, a donkey which so much surprised me. Whenever I come to this passage in the Bible, I think of that donkey, which ran very last in the line, but still ran very hard.

You might think the donkey that carried Jesus must have been very strong and bigger than what we now have today. But, a donkey is a donkey. For english-speaking people, the word "donkey" is associated with being stupid, or dull. The donkey is always looked down on, and people think little of a donkey. However, a donkey never betrays people! It is very obedient and faithful. Jesus chose a donkey to ride on with His own purpose. When we think of a donkey, we think of peace and the warm atmosphere of a meadow. It is very different from the impression we get from a horse. The word horse shows something very strong, with war-like feelings.

Jesus' gentleness chose a donkey which was also gentle. True, Jesus is gentle, but when we look at verses 12 and 13, we find He has another personality. Even with these violent deeds, He is still gentle.

It is often said that we can tell people's personalities by their voices. Gentle people have gentle voices. Strong people have strong ones. Jesus must have a gentle voice as well, as He is gentle Himself. Jesus, who is (was) gentle chose a donkey, not a horse!

I just can't imagine Jesus on a strong and beautiful horse. 1 Cor.1:18,21,26-31.

It is so clear that Jesus chooses those who are weak, foolish and look like nothing, just through examples of our own salvation.

Matthew 11:29. In this verse, Jesus introduced Himself to us; I am gentle and humble. He is God who had been up with Father God before He humbly came down to earth. We find Him humble all through His life. We are all to know that we are donkeys in God's sight. In living in this difficult world, we naturally come to choose what is better, stronger and more beautiful. Unless we stop being greedy, we can never find or grasp happiness. We want to be rich, more intelligent, more beautiful, better in many ways, so we feel unsatisfied and frustrated. We never feel contented. It is far different from having no dreams or visions.

Jesus needs a donkey, not a good-looking horse. He needs you to be a complete donkey; obedient to His calling.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
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