Meet Derek the Donkey
Today I wanted to reflect on one of the more significant characters in the Palm Sunday story. In fact some biblical commentators say that this person's role was absolutely vital. Meet Derek the donkey that carried Our Lord into Jerusalem. There are a few pertinent things about Derek. First, Derek was chosen specifically for his role. Read the good book carefully and you’ll see that Jesus chooses Derek. Not Dave, not Delilah, not Dawn not Darcy or even Danny. No, Derek is the donkey that Jesus wants.
“Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it.”
Moreover Derek is needed. The symbolism of the King riding the lowliest of beasts would not have been lost on those who lined the streets and it must never be lost on us. It is crucial that Derek shows up.
Now it is a little known fact that Derek actually went grudgingly. He was about to whoof into his feed box and he had his eye on a pretty young donkey that had just been introduced to the herd. So of course when these two strangers show up out of nowhere with a task that was not in his job description, Derek is more than a little put out and goes reluctantly with the disciples. Still with a full tum tum and a wicked twinkle in his eye Derek sighs heavily and goes off to do as he is asked. He’s really not quite sure about this task put quickly realises that the guy on his back is someone that is good at gently steering. He’s the sort of passenger that engages you so that you really just want to assist. It’s a long haul but as they get closer to Jerusalem Derek is just pleased to be able help because he has grown to rather like his passenger.
As he trots along Derek hears the crowd and he can tell that they are excited and cheering. As he gets closer to Jerusalem the crowd gets bigger and the shouts get louder. Then he hears his first “Hosanna”. The word is picked up by the crowd and pretty soon everybody is shouting “Hosanna!” Derek's ego begins to swell. Even the pretty young filly back at the stable is forgotten, such is the verve of the crowd. “Hosanna, HOSANNA!” chant the crowds. This is the most fun and the most fuss that Derek has ever experienced in his three years of being a donkey. ‘They love me… They need me’ he thinks… ‘What can I say?’. But here’s the thing. After Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Derek is never mentioned again. He disappears from the pages of the bible just as swiftly he appears.
Now I tell you about Derek because there is a little part of him that is all of us. Sometimes we are asked to do things and go places where we would rather not. Like fessing up, like trying to chat through difficult issues that are tricky, and maybe just getting our stuff together so that we can find ourselves at the altar on a regular basis. Like finding a line in our family budget for God. But God has chosen us specially and specifically for a particular reason. Like Derek, we may not know about it, we might never understand it, we might think it is a frivolous waste of time; but there is a reason for this. We might never be able to see the bigger picture and how we fit into the grand plan of things. But our role is crucial in God’s eyes and while we might come dragging our feet, with heavy hearts and muttering to ourselves and anyone else who will listen, still we come. And notice please that Derek doesn’t have any lines to speak. Perhaps we are most effective when we keep our counsel and listen. And what are we to make of the Hosannas. Dear Derek thought they were for him and this is the part where you can have a mini doze because this next point is for clergy. The message of the Hosannas is that the cheering is always for the Master. It’s not about the priest or dare I say it, about Bishop Gary. It is always about The One true High priest. The one on the donkey, not the donkey himself. And the good news… If God can use Derek the donkey in the triumphant fulfilment of his plan, then he certainly has a plan for me and he most certainly has a plan for you.