Today we commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He came riding into the city central to the faith of his fathers, headed for the Temple we might assume. He was greeted and paraded as a king. Palms were waved in front of him. Crowds cheered his entry. He rode in on that most majestic of beasts, bearer of royalty throughout the ancient world …

… a donkey.

The prophecy which we who are His followers believe He fulfilled call Him King and God, Son of Man, Son of God. These are titles which we might think entitle him to a litter carried by slaves or eunuchs. Or a horse. Or a camel. Something with silks and lots of regalia.

Instead he rode in a donkey. The records we have suggest that it was a young donkey. This would suggest that perhaps it was untrained. I’ve ridden an untrained donkey before. To say that it is unpleasant is somewhat of an understatement. It is quite a feat to keep one’s seat on an untrained donkey. This one appears to have been particularly docile, or this is one of the unmarked miracles of Jesus.

I’ve often wondered why Jesus chose a donkey. I think it’s because even on a donkey he wouldn’t have been much further off the ground than he was when walking. Riding a donkey doesn’t lift you up very high. It just gives you four legs rather than two. It does have the drawback of making life bumpy. So this had the advantage of keeping him in touch with all the people, while being able to move down streets crowded with the festival of Pesach.

My favorite legend which has grown from Palm Sunday is that as a result of Jesus riding on the donkey, he has been permanently marked with the cross. Donkeys have a long brown stripe the begin between their ears and proceed all the way down their back along their spine to the base of their tail. Then they have another stripe that crosses it at their withers. It is the donkey’s badge of royalty for having once carried the King of Kings as He entered the Holy City on his last journey.