‘See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and
riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ Zechariah 9:9.
These days everyone is a star—or so they think.
One of the negative things about social media is
that every nonentity around can have their moment of glory—their 15 minutes
(usually 15 seconds or less) of fame—many times a day. Here’s a photo of the
meal I’m about to eat. Yummy. (Really? It looks disgusting.) This is the view from my kitchen. Magnificent,
isn’t it? (Hmm. It's so-so.) Here’s my latest hat. (Does she really think that’s nice? It's awful!) Here’s a
photo of me on the airplane, about to head off on my trip to London—first class,
no less. Aren’t I doing well? Hashtag this, hashtag that. (Sure, you're a legend in your own lunchbox, as we Aussies like to say.) And, yes, I am also guilty of this.
One of my favourite Bible verses is this: ‘For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and
those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (Mt 23:12). That’s one of the
Zen-like sayings of Jesus. The multi-talented musician, bandleader, singer, actor, producer, director, writer and university lecturer Desi Arnaz, pictured above, once said that it was his favourite Bible verse. The verse, he said, was ‘one
of the greatest quotes from the Bible as applied to show business’.
In a few days time, namely,
on Sunday, April 9, it will be Palm Sunday, a day on which Christians recall
the triumphal entry of Jesus into the walled city of Jerusalem. The people laid
down their cloaks and small branches of trees in front of him. The image of
Jesus riding on a donkey is an object lesson in humility—and much, much more.
The donkey may be an image of proverbial stubbornness but it is also one of
peace as opposed to war, Jesus being the Prince of Peace (cf Is 9:6). The
donkey is also an image of meekness, persistency and endurance. There is the
intellect, the emotions and the will—plus the physical body. When all of four
of those things are ‘tamed’ – the image of Jesus riding on the donkey – they
become obedient to the spiritual impulse within,
the ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ (Col 1:27).
There is more to life than
so-called fame and worldly success. There is an exalted state of consciousness
and inner spiritual richness that those who seek the things of this material
world will never know—that is, unless and until they humble themselves. Let go
of willfulness and personal exertion of the selfish and superficial kind.
Whether Christian or not, Easter
is a time to reflect upon what is truly important in life.
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