Donkeys gets a bad press sometimes and possibly not always without some basis for that criticism. They've crossed my path on many occasions and enough instances are memorable enough to be recorded in the annals of my own personal history. We had a favourite Christmas single at home, called 'Little Donkey' sung by, I think, Nina and Frederick and describing the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. I don't recall it occurring to me at the time that there is no mention of a donkey in the biblical Christmas story but I liked the melody anyway. I guess what more stands out in my head are the local sayings that are imprinted in my mind, such as 'I could eat the cross off a donkey' or 'flap you ears and pull like a donkey.' Less memorable were those occasions when you could be described as a 'big donkey' or even a 'stupid donkey' though by the very nature of the latter statement, the unsuspecting orator was suggesting that not all donkeys were indeed void of intelligence!
And this of course I know at first hand, having had the unforgettable but not memorable experience of riding a donkey on the beach at Newcastle or being part of a donkey train through the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney. In both situations the four legged creatures were well programmed and highly disciplined, always travelling at a predetermined pace and one soon became aware that the rider had absolutely no control over his legged vehicle and just had to sit there, enjoy the view and suffer the agonies of an uncomfortable bottom, accentuated by every uneven step. Some years ago I was reacquainted with the species when one arrived at the door of my home, close enough to ring the bell and with no obvious reason for being there or indeed leaving. So after some gentle persuasion, for I discovered that little else works in trying to move a donkey, it retreated from the front step and took up residence on the adjacent lawn. Eventually, following another period of discussion, we managed to move it slightly further from the house but never far enough away to be convinced that it wouldn't move closer when we were out of sight, which of course it did. Eventually after some time, days, I think, its rightful owner came and took it away though whether he was glad to be reunited, remained uncertain.
Such thoughts were in my mind as I rummaged through the book of 2nd Kings, reading all about those two great prophets, t he soon to depart Elijah and his understudy Elisha and it was with intrigue that I came across this verse in chapter 6 which stated, 'there was a great famine in Samaria and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver.' For people to be reduce to eating such an ignominious part of an animal that they deemed to be unclean and paying the equivalent of two pounds in weight of silver for the 'delicacy' gave some idea of the desperation that the famine was causing, though probably not as much anxiety as the sight of the Syrian army all around the city whose siege had resulted in the famine in the first place. It was Elisha who would predict, by divine guidance, that within a day the famine would be over and the Syrian army would have fled the scene, because of God's intervention and I suppose any remaining donkeys would be safe from the butcher's knife. And of course that is exactly what happened but something else in the story caught my eye. The first men to discover that the enemy had departed hurriedly were four lepers who had previously come to the decision that if they stayed at the city gates they would be killed, if they went inside the city they would die anyway so chose to surrender to the Syrians in the faint hope that they might get some food but knowing that if they should be killed, it was no worse a fate than they already faced. Imagine their shock to see the enemy camp deserted and their surprise to see food, drink, clothing and gold left behind by the fleeing army. But in their joy, they didn't forget the city that they had left and the people perishing inside. They said, 'We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news and we remain silent.' (ch7 v9)
I'm so conscious that we have Good News of Jesus' salvation and yet we remain silent, too eager to fill our lives with things that ultimately will have no value and disappear. I guess it all comes down to what we value the most, our own lives and the material things that we acquire to satisfy us or our Saviour and the spiritual food that is freely available through Him for all who believe. And you see it's not just something He would like us to do, it is our responsibility to not be silent but to tell others of the good things we have found. Remember while we don't, they perish.
In John ch 12 we read, 'Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.' That much maligned animal was important to Jesus the King of Kings but can He depend on us to carry His cross?
