04-10-2022 A Donkey Named Christopher

Thomas J Parlette
“A Donkey Named Christopher”
Luke 19: 28-40
4/10/22

            One of the most unsung heroes of Hollywood are the background animals. They used to be thought of as cheap and disposable props on the movie sets of the 1920’s and 30’s. As films were being made, horses were shocked, tripped, and forced to run into trenches. Wires were strung around their ankles and then yanked by the rider to make the horse fall on cue. Six horses were killed during the filming of Ben- Hur in 1924, and 25 were killed or euthanized during The Charge of the Light Brigade in 1935.
            But then an organization called “American Humane” got into the act and opened a Hollywood office to enforce some standards for the protection of animals.
            In the 1950’s, American Humane sponsored the first of an annual PATSY award ceremony. The Performing Animal Top Star of the Year is the Academy Award for animal actors. Francis the Talking Mule was the first PATSY winner in 1951, and later awards were given to Roy Roger’s horse Trigger; Arnold the Pig from Green Acres; Lassie, of course, multiple times. Flipper had a good run; as did Mister Ed – of course, of course; Benji; Ben the Bear from Gentle Ben; and Morris the Cat from the TV commercials.(1)
            I like to think that if the Performing Animal Top Star of the Year award had been around in first century Jerusalem, the donkey that carried Jesus certainly would have been a strong contender for the top prize.
            Luke tells us that Jesus sends two of his disciples into the village of Bethphage to fetch a colt. “If anyone questions you,” he says, “just tell them ‘The Lord needs it.’” And Jesus rides into Jerusalem on this donkey.
            Those of you paying close attention to the reading might have noticed that Luke doesn’t say anything about palms, or even leafy branches. No, on this Sunday – nicknamed “Palm Sunday” – they are absent from Luke’s telling. Instead, the people lay their cloaks on the rode instead, but no palms.
            You also might have noticed that the shouts from the crowd are a little different than we expect. Luke does not mention “Hosannas.” In his story, the people offer their blessing – but not hosannas. The words of the story may be slightly different from the other Gospels, but the effect is the same, Jesus rides a colt into the Jerusalem at the beginning of the Passover festivities. As for the colt, the donkey plays his role as intended. We can actually learn a lot about serving Christ from this modest donkey.
            Now, I know most people don’t consider it a compliment being compared to a donkey. Consider the story of Lloyd George who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916-1922. One day Lloyd George was giving a political speech before a big crowd and a heckler yelled out, “Wait a minute, Mr. George. Isn’t it true that your grandfather used to peddle tinware around here in an oxcart hauled by a donkey?” – which of course drew some big laughs from the crowd.
            But George replied, “I digress just a moment and thank the gentleman for calling that to my attention. It is true, my dear old grandfather used to peddle tinware around with an old cart and a donkey. As a matter of fact, after this meeting is over, if my friend will come with me, I will show him that old cart – but I never knew until this minute what became of the donkey.”(2)       
            Touche!
            But when you consider this story, I think you’ll see there is much we can learn from this donkey.
            After all, the disciples are not particularly good Palm Sunday role models for us. They may stand with Jesus now, but in a matter of days one will betray him, another will deny him and the rest will get into an argument about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. In fact, this whole trip made them nervous, what with Jesus talking about death and suffering, and with visions of regime change disappearing like a mist in the wind. They’re falling off the bandwagon faster than a blind roofer, as the old saying goes. They had seen a lot, done a lot, listened a lot – but in the end, when Jesus gives them the faith test, the final exam, it turns out they’re not much more than a bunch of hangers on with not much of a clue.
            I suppose that could describe a lot of us. We’ve followed Jesus for years. We’ve sat in church, we’ve dropped our money in the plate, we’ve taught a class here and there, so we think we’ve done our part. Although some of us no doubt have made it to the cross, some of us have endured the fires of suffering and embraced the faith test and passed it convincingly – there are also many of us who don’t know it’s like to follow Jesus into the storm, or we’ve bailed out as the clouds started to gather. No, the disciples are not quite the ideal role models we’re looking for on this Palm Sunday.
            And neither are the crowds. They might be worse than the disciples. They’re curious, but not committed. In fact, their loyalties can be bought and sold. They’re shouting their blessings today, but soon they will reject Jesus and call for his death. New Testament scholar Eugene Boring points out that the members of the crowd know the truth about Jesus but they cannot bring themselves to do the truth.(3) They are like college students who earn an “A” in a course on ethics … but still flunk life when they fail to live by those ethics they learned so well.
            Even today, Jesus can still draw a crowd. His picture pops up on our news feeds twice a year, Easter and Christmas. People will flock to what Rex Miller, in his book The Millennium Matrix, calls “celebration” churches, where people can see a show – choreographed and stage-produced, with fancy lighting, great costumes and loud music.(4) Still, not the best role models for this Palm Sunday.
            Perhaps we can turn to our religious leaders. I don’t think so. They had more than their share of draw backs. They were corrupt, mean-spirited and jealous. When Lazarus was raised from the dead, they conspired to put him right back in the tomb – where he belonged. They offered and took bribes. They solicited false testimony. They created a bogus trial. And they sent an innocent man to his death.
            Today, 95% of the pastors and priests and rabbis in this country are without a doubt caring and committed people. But it’s the other 5% who’ve abused children, had affairs, avoided paying taxes and solicited donations on TV – and then buy sleek new jets for their “ministry”, palatial mansions and fleets of cars. These are the false shepherds whom God will remember come judgement day, and who in the meantime cause unbelievers to scoff and say, “See, I told you so. That’s why I don’t go to church.”
            So what’s left? Who is our role model on this Palm Sunday? I suggest perhaps this PATSY, this top performer, this unnamed donkey.
            There is an old legend about this donkey from Palm Sunday. As the story goes, the donkey woke up the next day, his mind still savoring the afterglow of the most exciting day of his life. Never before had he felt such a rush of pleasure and pride.
            So he walked into town and found a group of people fetching water from the well. “I’ll show myself to them,” he thought.
            So he casually sauntered by – but nobody noticed him. They went on drawing their water and paid him no mind.
            “Hey, what’s going on. Throw your garments down like yesterday. Don’t you know who I am?”
            They just looked at him in amazement. Someone slapped him across the tail and ordered him to move.
            “Miserable heathens!” he muttered to himself. “I’ll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me.”
            But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the market.
            “What about the palm branches? Where are the palm branches? Yesterday, you threw palm branches!”
            Hurt and confused, the donkey went back home to his mother.
            “Foolish child,” she said. “Don’t you realize that without him, you are just an ordinary donkey?”(5)
            This donkey can teach us a lot, because this colt is the one who carries Christ into the world. And that is what our faith life is all about – carrying Christ into the world. The donkey was a Christ-bearer, or a Christopher, derived from the Greek word “Christos” and combined with “pherein”, meaning “to bear, to carry.” So that really would be the perfect name for this unnamed donkey – Christopher, or Christ-bearer.
            Today is an opportunity to take the name Christopher, or the feminine form Christophera, as our own. By doing so, we commit to bearing Christ into the world. Which means exhibiting some of the qualities seen in this donkey:
            Serving Christ humbly without caring who gets the glory.
            Following Christ’s direction and being willing to go where he wants to go, instead of where we want to go.
            Not getting spooked by the crowds, the noise or the attention.
            Sometimes taking Christ into enemy territory.
            Never asking Jesus to get off our backs.
            Being obedient to the will of the One who holds the reins.
            Clarence Jordan was the founder of the Koinonia Farm, near Anericus, Georgia. It was set up to be an interracial community before anyone knew what civil rights were all about. Jordan himself was a pacifist as well as an integrationist and thus he was not a popular figure in Georgia, even though he came from a prominent family. The Koinonia Farm, by its very nature, was controversial and often faced problems. In the early 1950’s, Clarence approached his brother Robert Jordan, later a state senator and justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, to represent him and Koinonia Farm in court. They were having trouble getting propane gas delivered for heating during the winter, even though it was against the law not to deliver gas. Clarence thought Robert could get a lot accomplished with a simple phone cal.
            However, Robert said, “Clarence, I can’t do that. You know my political aspirations. If I represented you, I might lose my job, my house, everything I’ve got.”
            “We might lose everything, too, Bob.”
            “It’s different for you.”
            “Why is it different? I remember, it seems to me, that you and I joined the church on the same Sunday, as boys. I expect when we came forward the preacher asked me the same question he did you. He asked me, “Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? And I said Yes. What did you say?”
            “I said yes – and I do follow Jesus, Clarence, up to a point.”
            “Could that point be by any chance – the cross?”
            “That’s right Clarence – I follow Jesus to the cross, but on the cross. I’m not getting myself crucified.”
            “Then I don’t believe you are a disciple. You’re an admirer of Jesus, but not a disciple of his. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you’re an admirer, not a disciple.”
            “Well, now, if everyone who felt like I do did that, we wouldn’t have a church at all, would we.”
            And Clarence said, “I think the real question is, Do you really have a church?”(6)
            As we carry Christ into the world, we are challenged to do a particular kind of work, and to show a distinctively Christian lifestyle. This means letting love be genuine, hating what is evil, holding fast to what is good. It involves rejoicing in hope, being patient in suffering, and persevering in prayer. To live this way means that we are going to contribute to the needs of others, extend hospitality to strangers, and even go so far as to bless those who persecute us. It means that when our city, our nation or our world is in turmoil, as Jerusalem was on Palm Sunday, and the people around us ask, “Who is this?” – we’ll be able to give an answer that shows them the way to everlasting peace and salvation.
            If we can pull that off, and model our lives on the donkey who should be named Christopher, we will discover the joy that comes from carrying Christ into a dark and broken world.
            There is no better role we could be asked to perform.
            May God be praised. Amen.

1.      Retrieved from homileticsonline.com, 3/28/22.
2.      Ibid…
3.      Ibid…
4.      Ibid…
5.      Ibid…
6.      Ibid…