Jesus Rode A Donkey And Why Many Christians Still Can’t Get The Joke

Some folk just never “get” a joke. Personally, I love jokes and parody is probably my favorite form of humor.

At Easter every year I am reminded of a really good joke Jesus told over 2,000 years ago. A parody so good that many are only starting to get it centuries later.

The joke went down something like this…

During the Passover festival Jesus rides into Jerusalem atop a ridiculously small donkey colt. The adoring crowds, many who would only soon be screaming “Crucify Him” when he failed to deliver on their Make Israel Great Again dreams, were too busy screaming Hosanna than to grasp the satire being played out in front of them.

See our political, economic, and religious systems promote strength, power, might. It revers the strong man with a sword proudly riding a war horse; which is why you’ll find a statue of one in just about any major city you visit.

As Pastor Brian Zahnd likes to coin, “There is always some dude on a horse.”

But Jesus entering Jerusalem humbly ridicules and parodies that whole notion. Riding into the capital on that baby colt was his way of mocking the way mankind had chosen to organise society. A system so corrupt it would soon be executing the Prince of Peace. The Apostle Paul says it this way:

He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15

Essentially, Paul is explaining the joke; that Jesus riding into the capital city triumphantly on a donkey colt and then allowing himself to be crucified rather than leading a violent revolt against Israel’s enemies, was a big cosmic “middle finger” to our political, economic, and religious systems.

(And before you think our Christian system is immune to the fetish for Strength, Power, and Might you might want to give a quick check of the worship songs you are singing on Sunday morning.)

New Boss, Same as the Old Boss

The religious leaders of Jesus’ time were willing to follow Jesus, just as long as he would be the God they wanted him to be. As Jesus was hanging there dying, they would happily get on board if he would just show his power.

If you really are the Son of God, come down off that cross and we will believe you.

But if Jesus chose to do it our way, he becomes just another king in a long line of kings who establish their kingdoms through power, violence and force. Just another “dude on a horse” who who rules by having more chariots, larger guns, or bigger aircraft carriers.

New boss? Same as the old boss…

But Jesus mocks that system and instead establishes his Kingdom on a completely different model; a Way that extends love, mercy, and forgiveness even to those who would do us harm. Jesus then shows us how this Way is done by looking down from the cross on the men who put him there and forgives them.

New boss? Much better than the old boss…

So it’s sad then when I hear so many Christians speak of what Jesus will do when he returns.

Wrath, fury, swords and blood…

It echos what the crowds in Jerusalem were looking for in their Messiah. That somehow when Jesus returns he’ll renounce that whole Sermon on the Mount thing, destroy his enemies, establish his kingdom, and finally become that dude on a horse they had been secretly pining for all along.

But Jesus is a dude on a baby donkey

Some people just can’t get the joke

Happy Easter,

Steve