Mark 11:1-11

DONKEYOLOGY

Intro:  This amazing passage records the Triumphant Entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. It was this very Sunday morning that Jesus fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the prophet Zechariah. Many centuries ago, Zechariah had written these words about the coming Messiah: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass,” Zech. 9:9. That prophecy was literally fulfilled on this occasion.

        The primary emphasis of this passage is the revelation of Jesus to Israel that He is their long awaited Messiah and their King. The common man rejoiced in the appearance of the Lord Jesus, Mark 11:7-10. But, the leaders of Israel rejected Him, and before the next Sabbath day, Jesus would have been crucified. Israel rejected their King, John 1:11.

        The teaching in this passage is glorious, but I want to focus in on one little aspect of our Lord’s Triumphant Entry. I want to focus in on His relationship with the little donkey He rode as He entered the city.

        I am interested in that little donkey. The Lord needed that donkey to fulfill His mission here on earth, v. 3. Isn’t that amazing? Jesus is God and He could have done this anyway He chose to, but He chose to use that little donkey.

        By the way, He is still using little donkeys to get His work done on earth. He uses the likes of you and me. He certainly does not need us, but He has graciously chosen to make us part of His plan! He could have assigned the task to angels, but He chooses to work through human instruments. I am glad to be a part of the Lord business. I am glad He can use a little donkey like me!

        Let me mention a few important facts about that little donkey. I think there is some help for our hearts in these verses and I do not want to miss it.

        Most of us have heard about Theology, Soteriology, Christology, Eschatology, Ecclesiology, and Pneumatology. Today, I want to talk about another “…ology” that doesn’t get a lot of attention. I want to preach about Donkeyology.

        We don’t much about the donkey Jesus rode that day, but the Bible does reveal a few facts about him that I would like to point out. Let me share those facts with you as I try to preach about some Donkeyology.

 

  I.           THAT DONKEY HAD

                 TO BE REDEEMED

·         According to the Word of God, that donkey was only alive and available to the Lord because it had been redeemed by the blood of a lamb, Ex. 13:13; 34:20.

·         The same could be said of us today.

Ø  In our natural state, we are “dead in trespasses and sins,” Eph. 2:1.

Ø  In our natural state we are God’s enemies, Rom. 8:7.

Ø  In our natural state we are given over to the lusts of the flesh, Eph. 2:2-3; John 8:44.

Ø  In our natural state we are under the condemnation of Almighty God, John 3:18-20, 36.

Ø  In our natural state four “Roman Nones” stood between us and usefulness to the Lord, Rom. 3:10-23.

Ø  In our natural state we were fit for nothing but the fires of Hell, Psa. 9:17.

Ø  In our natural state we were useless to God and separated from Him by a wide gulf of sin, Isa. 59:2.

·         That was our natural state! That may be how the Lord found us, but that is not the way He left us! When He saved us by His grace, changed us completely.

Ø  He gave us His life – Eph. 2:5-6. (Ill. Everlasting life, new life, Heavenly life, abundant life, John 10:10.)

Ø  He delivered us from the penalty of our sins – Col. 2:13-14; Eph. 1:7.

Ø  He bridged the gulf between us and Him – Eph. 2:13-16. (Il. Job 9:33 – The Daysman!)

·         That is the only reason you and I have any usefulness to the Lord today. Praise God for the redeeming power of the blood of Jesus!

·         Just so we understand, redemption is not an option, it is a necessity! Jesus put it this way to Nicodemus in John 3:7, “Ye must be born again.” Without the new birth, you are lost in your sins.

        You will notice the Lord did not say be baptized, join the church, turn over a new leaf or do good things. The Lord told Nicodemus that he needed a new life!

        Redemption is not something that happens because you joined a church and were baptized. It is not something that comes to you because you stopped committing a sin. It is not something you get be being a better person. Salvation comes when a lost sinner is convicted of sin, John 6:44, and looks away by faith to the Lord Jesus for salvation. It is an encounter with the grace of God, totally unconnected with any works of the flesh, Eph. 2:8-9. Have you been redeemed?

·         You and I will only be useful to the Lord when we have been redeemed by His blood from our lost condition. When we are, we become the Temple He occupies, 1 Cor. 6:19 and the Tool He used, Eph. 2:10; James 2:18.

 

II.               THAT DONKEY HAD

                      TO BE RELEASED 

·         When Jesus told the disciples about the little donkey, He told them they would find it tied up, v. 2. They were to untie the donkey and bring it to Jesus, which is what they did, v. 4. That little donkey was bound and it needed to be set free before the Lord could use it.

·         When Jesus found us, we were just like that little donkey! Before you and I can be of any use to Him, the chains of our sins must be broken and we must be set free.

·         I don’t know if you know it or not, but we are born into this world as slaves to sin, Eph. 2:2-3. We are children of the devil and his will is what we do, John 8:44. In that condition, we are useless to the Lord. We cannot serve Him. We cannot live for Him. We cannot bring glory to His name. We are useless in that bound up, tied down condition. We need to be set free!

·         I praise His Name that is just what He does for His saints. He comes to where we are and He gives us liberty.

Ø  He delivers us from the bondage of our sins, Rom. 6:14.

Ø  He gives us a new desire to follow Him and serve Him. “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” Titus 2:14.

Ø  He makes us a “new creature” in Jesus, 2 Cor. 5:17.

Ø  He moves in and takes up residence in our bodies, 2 Cor. 4:7.

Ø  He gives us freedom from sin, self and Satan, John 8:36.

·         I don’t know if the Lord Jesus has ever released you from anything, but I know that if He has, you need to praise Him for it. I know if your life has never changed, you need to be saved. It doesn’t matter if you are a church member or not. If you know Him, there will be the evidence of a changed life!

 

(Note: In verse 6, the phrase “and straightway he will send him hither”, means “The Lord will send the donkey right back as soon as He is finished with him.” In other words, Jesus tells His men to tell the people who owned the donkey that He will return their property as soon as He is through with it.

        When that donkey came back, it was better than it was when it left. When it left, it was unbroken and untried. When it came home, it was ready for the saddle. That’s just what the Lord does! He takes when we give Him and when He gives it back, it is far better than it was when He got it.

·         Give Him your crabapple and He will give you back a golden delicious.

·         Give Him your acorn and He will give you back a mighty oak.

·         Give Him an Abram, a lost pagan, and He will give you back an Abraham, a mighty man of faith.

·         Give Him your Jacob, a schemer and a trickster, and He will give you back an Israel, a Prince of God.

·         Give Him your Saul of Tarsus, a mean, cruel man, and He will give you back a Paul, a mighty Apostle of God.

·         Give Him you Simon, a weak, vacillating man, and He will give you back a Peter, a rock for Jesus.

·         Give Him your broken, sin-scarred life and He will give you back a new start, a new life and a home in Heaven!)

 

III.             THAT DONKEY HAD

                         TO BE RULED

·         Someone had to take charge over that donkey. Verse 2 tells us that the donkey had never been broken to ride. It was a wild animal. That little, wild donkey needed a master.

        It was wild; yet it submitted itself to the Lord Jesus and yielded to His control. That donkey wasn’t frightened by the crowds or by their noise. It simply surrendered itself to the Lord totally. The very fact that this little donkey has never been broken, and that Jesus is riding it, is a miracle in itself. Of course, Psa. 8:6-8 tells us that He has dominion over this creation. That little donkey surrendered to the Lord’s sovereignty and yielded to His authority.

·         That is exactly what He expects of us! He is looking for total submission and total surrender from our lives, Rom. 12:1-2.  

·         Let’s face the truth; some people have a real problem with authority.

        There are folks who just have a hard time the idea of someone having authority over them. Whether it is their parents at home; their boss at work; or their Pastor at church; they have a hard time with authority. The fact is, there is always someone over us!

Ø  In the home, the husband is to be over that home, Eph. 5:23. I know that idea is old-fashioned, but you need to take that up with the Lord.

Ø  In the home, the parents are to have authority over their children, Eph. 6:1-3. I know that the children rule the roost in most home, but that is not God’s way.

Ø  On the job, the boss is the person in authority, Eph. 6:5-8. I know most people think their job exists for their benefit and that they can do as they please, but that is not God’s way!

Ø  In the church, the Pastor is the person in authority, Heb. 13:7, 17. Authority in the church does not rest in some Deacon Board, the WMU, an influential family, or any other person or group. Authority in the local church rests in the Lord Jesus Christ and He gives His authority to lead to the man He calls as the Pastor of that assembly. I know that idea is foreign to most Baptists, but it is still the Word of God! This week, I am under the authority of this Pastor. I preach here these few nights at his pleasure. You would do well to get under your Pastor and let him lead you into the future God reveals to Him.

Ø  Ultimately, our first and final authority is the Lord Jesus Christ. When He redeemed us from our sins, He purchased us unto Himself. Now, if we are saved, He owns us completely, 1 Cor. 6:19-20. When we are submitted to His Lordship in our lives, we will have no trouble submitting in the other areas of our lives.

        You show me someone who is not submissive to the authority figures God has ordained in their lives and I will show you someone who is not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You show me someone who refuses to get under those God has placed over them and I will show you someone who is probably not even saved!

        Why? Yielding to the Lordship of Jesus is an essential component of biblical salvation, Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9. He is the “Lord Jesus Christ!” His identity as Savior cannot be divorced from His identity as Lord.

·         Who is your Master today? Is it you? Or is it the Lord Jesus Christ? Can you honestly say that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord?

        I hope you understand what I am saying today. If we are saved, He owns us completely. We do not have the right to use any part of our being, whether it is our body, our spirit or our mind for our own purposes. We are His and only He has the right to tells us how we should live our lives.

·         I do have good news for you today, if you are submitting yourself to any other mater today, Jesus can and will help you to change your allegiances.

 

Conc: One of the most amazing statements in the Bible is found here in verse three in verse 3, and it has to do with that little beast. It says, “The Lord hath need of him.”

        When did God ever “need” anything? Here is what God had to say about His Own needs, Psa. 50:9-12. But, that was the paradox of our Lord’s earthly life. He was rich, yet He became poor, 2 Cor. 8:9.

·         He owned all things, yet He possessed nothing. He created the stars, yet He had nowhere to lay His Own head, Matt. 8:20.

·         He fashioned everything there is out of nothing, yet He had to borrow a boat from which to preach His Gospel.

·         He created every drop of water that exists in the world, yet He cried “I thirst” as He was dying on the cross, John 19:28.

·         He created every tree, but He died on a borrowed cross.

·         He created every rock, but He had to borrow a tomb in which to be buried.

·         He used the clouds as His chariots, Psa. 104:3, yet He had to borrow a donkey on which to ride.

·         That is the paradox of His life!

·         He was rich, yet made Himself poor so that those who believe on Him might enjoy His riches!

                The Lord could save sinners and accomplish His work on earth just fine without us. Yet, He chooses to use frail, human instruments for His glory. When we are like that donkey, Redeemed, Released and Ruled, He can use us too.

        Being a little donkey isn’t so bad when Jesus is your Master. Look at what that donkey did. He got to carry the King of Glory into Jerusalem. The Lord used Him as His vehicle to get glory to His name. That’s what He wants to do with you and me! Let’s yield to Him and let Him rule us as He sees fit. By the way, when that little Redeemed, Released, Ruled donkey walked by with Jesus on his back, nobody saw the donkey! All eyes were on the Lord Jesus. That’s how it should be all time.

        If the Lord has spoken to you on any level through this message, you need to respond to Him.

        There are some here that need to be Redeemed. You need to come to Jesus.

        There are some here that need to be Released. Sins and the flesh hold you captive. Come to Jesus, He specialized in delivering the captives, Luke 4:18.

        There are some here that need to be Ruled. You need to submit to the Lordship of Jesus in your life. When you do, you will have no trouble submitting to the authorities the Lord has placed in your life.

        If Jesus has spoken to you on any level, you need to hear Him and heed Him today. Will you do that right now?