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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Riding on a donkey
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Oscar the Grouch
Adopted Cascadian
# 1916
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
The whole passage has a contrived feel to it. As though Jesus has already arranged things and kept the 12 out of the loop. The same happens in Mark's account of the Last Supper - "go into Jerusalem and follow the man carrying a jar of water on his head".
Absolutely - on both counts.
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
Someone practical, probably one of the women in the group, has come up to him and said "Lord, we're heading to Jerusalem, where do you want to celebrate Passover? You know there won't be anywhere if we don't get it arranged soon." Jesus then responds, "You're right. Get yourself into Jerusalem and find a suitable place for us. And, let's just muck around with the disciples a bit. Arrange for a strange signal, a man carrying a water jar for instance, to lead them to a miraculously prepared room. It's going to be a hard week, I could do with laughing at them try to get their heads around that one."
"Oh, and while you're at it, find a donkey and colt and leave them at the village by the Mount of Olives. Just let the folk there know two of the disciples will be along saying 'The Lord needs it' so no one worries too much about it when I get them collected".
Here is where I diverge from you.
I rather think that this secrecy on the part of Jesus is significant. First of all, he goes to great lengths to ensure that a donkey is available when he needs it, but his name is kept out of the conversation. To me, that shows that he wanted to make this entry into Jerusalem in this particular manner and he didn't want the Jewish authorities finding out about it beforehand. And he succeeded - the surprise was complete. He entered Jerusalem in a highly symbolic fashion and the authorities weren't in a position to stop him. And once he had entered at the head of a large group of pilgrims, they were unable to step in and arrest him publicly.
The same applies with the obscure instructions for preparing for the Passover meal. The name of Jesus is kept out of the loop and so there is little chance that the authorities will find him before he is ready. Which makes his actions after the meal all the more significant - he deliberately goes to an isolated place, with just a few followers, and waits to be arrested.
If Jesus is playing games with anyone, it isn't the disciples, it's with the authorities. He keeps himself (and his plans) hidden until the "right" moment.
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Faradiu, dundeibáwa weyu lárigi weyu
Posts: 3871 | From: Gamma Quadrant, just to the left of Galifrey | Registered: Dec 2001
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Ariston: Grand Theft Burro, and everybody's cool with it?
Nice term! I always interpreted it as Jesus not being a traditional king of those days, but one who has popular support. Common people spreading palm leaves for Him is testimony of that, but also this man gladly giving Him his donkey(s).
(Sorry, just had to post this.)
[ 24. March 2016, 15:26: Message edited by: LeRoc ]
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
Actually this does sound very guy. Of course the 12 had no idea of dinner and transport arrangements. All this organizing was left to the women. A room big enough to serve 12 men lying down Roman style, plus appropriate couches, food and serveware, is not something you can just find at the last moment. Remember everyone is booking for Passover that weekend.
So Mary or Martha probably made a reservation weeks in advance; either put in the food order or began shopping for groceries the week before; ordered the lamb to be butchered and ready for cooking by the morning of the day, and so on. There's a staff in the kitchen doing the cooking, another bunch of staff hauling the food up from the kitchen out back to the Upper Room and then carrying the plates and cups back down, some other bunch of people seeing to the water for the foot washing and other reception-area tasks.
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
From the words he gives the disciples to deliver, he seems to be sending a message to a follower ("Lord", "Teacher"). I don't think they just co-opted some random guy's donkey, or somebody miraculously had a free dining room that night. If it were a miracle, I would expect to be told so more clearly. This looks a bit more like planning, as others have already said.
And there were plenty of women who went along with Jesus' group. I suspect they'd been quietly putting things together all along, for this and for other meals. In consultation with Jesus, this time, as it IS Passover.
(Experience of doing similar stuff leads me to suspect that it was the women's network that did most of the prep work--Salome had a brother with a large house in town who was sympathetic, and whose sister-in-law could supply the bread and veg even though she's a bit short-handed, so cousin Mark will hang around to help with fetching and carrying (including water), and oh, doesn't her neighbor Jesse keep a donkey in town? Jesus said something cryptic about needing one on Sunday. No, I don't know, just have it ready. We'll send somebody for it at the right time, okay?)
[ 24. March 2016, 19:00: Message edited by: Lamb Chopped ]
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Cresswell:
The whole passage has a contrived feel to it.
I'm not sure that there is much about any of the gospel stories that works without the assumption of a supernatural element.
Everything about the story is miraculous and serendipitous, all wrapped up in a divine purpose. If we accept anything about the overall theological assertions of the gospels, why would we question small things such as these?
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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HCH
Shipmate
# 14313
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Posted
I feel that G. K.Chesterton's poem is unfair to donkeys. I do not regard them as ugly. Perhaps he was thinking of mules.
Posts: 1540 | From: Illinois, USA | Registered: Nov 2008
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