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ON
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
(Part 17)
A LESSON FROM THE ASS
Palm Sunday
March 28, 2010
Today Jesus enters
triumphantly into Jerusalem, riding on a colt (Mk 11:7). People cried
out: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in
the highest!” (Mk 11:9).
Today I want
to focus not so much on Jesus, but on the colt.
Let us look at what one great saint said. St Peter Claver was a Spanish
Jesuit who served the slaves in the Caribbean islands in the early days
in the New World. He called himself “the slave of the slaves.” He
was bitterly criticized and oppressed by the slave owners. His reply
was, “The humble ass is my model. When he is evilly spoken of, he is
dumb. Whatever happens he never complains, for he is only an ass. So
also must the servant of God be.”
In these few
words are some crucial aspects of being a servant.
There is
humility. We are not worthy, but God gives us the privilege of doing
divine work. We must empty ourselves and allow Him to fill us with His
grace and power. We must be laid low so that He can life us up. We must
be the last and the least in order to be the first and the greatest.
There is
meekness in the face of evil and oppression. The servant of God will
always expect to be opposed and vilified. He will be spoken evilly of,
even accused of doing the work of the devil (just as Jesus was). He does
not retaliate in kind. He does not complain. He remains dumb (that is,
silent). He endures and perseveres. He simply continues to do what is
right and good.
There is
redemptive suffering. He rejoices in suffering for the sake of Christ.
He rejoices in the privilege of carrying the cross of Christ. He knows
suffering is good for his soul, purifies his being, and helps him grow
in holiness. He looks to the suffering of Jesus on the cross and knows
that such holy suffering is redemptive.
So when someone vilifies you and calls you a “dumb ass,” rejoice!
That person is unknowingly stating a profound truth. He is unknowingly
reminding you of whom you are supposed to be as a servant.
Further, if
he vilifies you even more by calling you an “asshole” (pardon me),
then doubly rejoice. We are not worthy even to be the whole ass, but
just a small part of the ass. And it is that part in fact where sh_t
(pardon me) passes. We are sinners and compared to the holiness of God
we indeed are like stinking human waste. Our works are like dirty rags
before Him.
But behold:
we still have a very important, nay critical, function. God uses us to
help expel waste and filth. Without our proper functioning, the body
would soon be terribly sick.
And so it is that according to the eternal plan of God, Jesus entered
Jerusalem on a colt or an ass.
“Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter
Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek,
and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass.” (Zec 9:9)
What an honor! Jesus did not choose a mighty stallion as was befitting a
king, but a lowly ass. Jesus indeed is king, but he is the suffering
servant. As his servants, we too will do wondrous works in his name, but
this will not be cause for pride but for great humility.
So let us
ever be mindful:
-
That
people are spreading their cloaks on the road for us to walk on, not
to honor us but to honor Jesus.
-
That
people are shouting their “hosannas” not to us, but to Jesus who
is behind us (riding on our backs; being Christ in us who works
through us). “Hosanna” means “O Lord grant salvation” in
Hebrew. Jesus is the savior and we are but his instruments.
-
That
people will bless us only because we come in the name of the Lord.
-
That we
are not the ones leading Jesus, but it is he guiding us in the way
we are to go.
Jesus is our
savior, but he has given us the great privilege of carrying himhis
name, his work, his authority, his anointing, his empowerment. We, lowly
asses that we are, carry Jesus, as he moves to fulfill God’s plan for
the world.
Let us truly
rejoice heartily and shout for joy, for the privilege of serving Jesus
and carrying him on our backs. As servants of God, just like St Peter
Claver, let us have the humble ass as our model.
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