Bested by an ass

Recently I bought some land adjoining mine. The old man selling it needed to clear exactly $90 thousand dollars in order to pay off a loan and position himself for retirement. After some intense negotiations and haggling over the boundary lines, we finally agreed on his price. But when I had it surveyed, I discovered that the boundary was not where he thought it was, and unfortunately he owned approximately 100 feet less than what he thought he owned, which meant the price would have to go down.

I was discussing the situation with him in his backyard later that evening. The old man was devastated and his eyes were glistening as he reiterated that he needed exactly $90 thousand to pay off his loan and retire. I felt compassion for him and my heart was telling me to help him out, but now I would be receiving several thousand dollars less value for my money and my business side was telling me to pass on this deal.

Just then I happened to notice two dilapidated old horse trailers sitting in his backyard. I asked him if he would be willing to throw in one of the trailers on the deal and he said yes. Just then I was nudged in the back and when I looked around one of the cutest little furry donkeys I’d ever seen was gently pushing me in the back with his head. He wanted me to scratch his big pointed ears and head. It turns out the old man had an entire field of donkeys of every size, color, age, and description including adorable little babies.

I thought about all of the little kids that visit my plantation and how this would be a delightful attraction for them and said to myself, “Oh what the heck”, and I told the old man that if he would throw in one of the old horse trailers and a couple of donkeys I would give him the $90 thousand he needed and proceed with the deal. He smiled from ear to ear and readily agreed and then he nearly crushed my hand as we shook on it.

My attorney got a good laugh when I told her to write up the contract whereby I would buy the property for $90 thousand dollars, a horse trailer, and two donkeys. She said that her firm had not consummated a deal like that in some fifty years.

I had to go out of town but instructed my plantation manager to take a couple of our guys and go over to the old man’s place and pick up my horse trailer and donkeys and move them over to our pasture.

Yesterday I got a text message from my plantation manager. It read, “Donkeys bout kicked our *#? %@”.

It is too funny to even imagine these little beasts braying, kicking, stomping, and trying to bite my farm hands as they tried to load them in that old horse trailer. These old boys are burly, seasoned, farm hands and have worked around plantations all of their lives. They manage some 4700 acres on my plantation and care for and work our herd of Tennessee Walking horses virtually every day as well as other animals, and yet these cute little furry beasts very nearly got the best of all of them.

I was thinking about this incident this morning and I thought about how Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a little donkey to go to the Last Supper and face His crucifixion and I wondered why he chose one of these little beasts for such an important mission. (Is it a coincidence that Abraham loaded up his donkey when he was prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac?)

The little animal was obediently waiting just where Jesus said it would be and it was docile as He climbed aboard and triumphantly rode it into Jerusalem to pay the ultimate price for our sins. I found it a miracle in itself that Jesus rode a young “jack” colt, that had never been ridden before, into a parade type atmosphere as people crowded and were setting palm tree leaves, coats and jackets down before an unbroken colt jack. You can read the story of Christ coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey in Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:20-44, John 12:12-19. It must be important for us to read if you can find it in four of the gospels, and the Old Testament.


Notice it says “gentle and riding on a donkey”. One day soon His humble gentleness is going to be replaced by fierce judgment and wrath to those who have rejected His great sacrifice and with a free will have instead chosen the world’s darkness over His light. Make no mistake about it, when the Lord of lords, King of kings comes again it will be on a White Horse and not on a donkey and He will not be in a “submissive and gentle mood…


Revelation 19:11
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.