Skip to main content

Conversations on the way to the Cross 1: The Donkey


Judas Iscariot argues with the other disciples

"Well, I've never been so embarrassed in my whole life!"

"What's up, Judas?  You didn't enjoy all the cheering?"

"A donkey, that's what's up!  A flipping baby donkey!  What kind of animal is that for the saviour of Jerusalem to ride in on?  I told him I knew a guy with a good horse, but oh no, he sends me and Matthew off like a couple of farmhands to get a donkey.  It makes fools of all of us, that's what it does.  No one's going to take him seriously after this."

"Oh, give over.  The crowds loved it!  You heard them - hosanna to the Son of David, and all the rest of it.  And we were right in the middle of it!  I never thought a poor fisherman from Galilee would be able to say that!"

"Well, make the most of it, Andrew.  They might be cheering today, but crowds are fickle things, you'll see.  He should have seized the moment!  Ridden in, stormed the palace, started the revolution.  I told him if he waited, we'd get nowhere.  He wouldn't listen, would he?  Just gave me that funny kind look he has, as if I'm a little child.  And sent me off to get that ridiculous donkey."

"Ah, poor little Judas.  Is your pride hurt by having to lead a donkey about?  Were you born to better things?"

"Shut up, Peter!  This is nothing to do with pride.  Just if Jesus wants to be king, he ought to start acting like one.  That's what I think."

"Maybe he is.  It reminded me of that bit from Zechariah, you know?  How does it go?  'Rejoice, daughter of Zion!  Here comes your king, triumphant and victorious; humble, and riding on a donkey."  Something like that, anyway.  Surely fulfilling ancient prophecy is pretty good for a messiah?"

"Oh, Bartholomew the scholar.  Ancient prophecy's all very well, but it's not much use in the here and now, is it?  What we want is the new world Jesus was talking about, with us all on thrones and the Romans kicked out.  Isn't that what we're following him for?  Isn't it, James?  John?  You two were quick enough to try and bag yourselves the best seats for when Jesus is in charge."

"Hey, that was our mum, not us.  Anyway, you heard what Jesus said about that.  'The last will be first and the first will be last,' - which now I think about it, fits in pretty well with his king-riding-on-a-donkey act.  If you're looking for power and glory, Judas, I think you're following the wrong guy."

"Yes, and that's just what's so frustrating.  He could do anything, Jesus could. Anything!  He's got that spark, that... that.. charisma.  You've seen him!  He just has to crook a finger and people will do what he wants.  If anyone could save this wretched country he could - and I thought he was going to do it!  And then he sat on a donkey and threw it all away.  Just threw it all away."

Matthew 21: 1-11 

Other Conversations from the Cross

2: The Commotion
3: The Authority
4: The Anointing
5: The Betrayal
6: The Burial
7: The Precaution 
8: The Resurrection

Labels:

Comments

Susan Ewing said…
I love this, Martha! Ties so much together. Thanks or sharing it. And keep writing.��
9 April 2017 at 07:13
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drought

Two days into Stage One water restrictions, and I looked out of the window to see the guy over the road washing his car. Admittedly, the restrictions don't actually forbid you to wash your car.  They limit you to using a hand-held bucket (does it count if you put it down on the driveway?) or hand-held hose "for quick rinses".  But they are pretty much "if you don't mind" rules at this stage anyway, with holes large enough to lose whole buckets of water through (hand-held or otherwise).  For example, we are now limited to watering our lawn twice a week, but this only applies to sprinkler systems.  You can still use a hose as much as you like, presumably on the assumption that you will get bored of standing there holding it very quickly.  And besides, everything you read about good watering technique says it's better to water thoroughly just once a week.  Our garden would think Christmas had come early if it got watered every three days! So hopefully...
2 comments
Read more

Jesus came to earth... to reflect God to us

Do you remember playing with a magnifying glass on a sunny day?   That curved piece of glass you held in your hand captured the scattered rays, narrowing them down to a fluttering patch of brightness.   And all the light’s power was held in that one small circle, shrinking and shrinking… until finally you were rewarded with a sudden curl of smoke, and a neat charred hole. Imagine, then, that God, seeking to reveal himself on earth, condensed his essential being through some kind of celestial magnifying glass.   That wavering point became smaller and smaller, losing none of its power… until it became the exact size of a human baby, growing in a womb. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, says the verse in Colossians, the perfect reflection of God’s glory.   This is the first and greatest reason that Jesus came: to show us what God is really like.   Yet sometimes, reflected and refracted through 2000 years of history, the image that Jesus shows...
2 comments
Read more

Making a mess

My friend Ellie writes a blog which I now shamelessly crib ideas from, when I am stuck for something new to do with Toby.  Some time ago she wrote about a substance with the poetic moniker of cloud dough .  It sounded simple to make and fun to play with, so I tucked it away in the back of my mind. The recipe is childishly simple: 8 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and mix.  It comes out kind of sandy, although softer and more powdery. Now, Ellie has two gorgeous girls.  Her blog entries were full of photos of them adding pretty objects and creating cute little landscapes.  I, on the other hand, have a full-on hands-on get-stuck-in-as-far-as-possible boy.  This is what happens when you let him loose on a scatterable substance. We make it and it all starts well.  Notice I have prepared for mess with a large tarpaulin and lack of shorts. A few minutes in, and the mess is spreading up the T-shirt.  It's still mostly in the t...
2 comments
Read more