Having My Say — A Night to Remember Part 2

Luke 1

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. (Luke 1)

I hope you have read the previous story, the one about the birth of Jesus. And if you have, you now know that the story was told by the cow. Yes, the cow. And don’t ask me why the cow was chosen to tell that story, because I don’t know, I really don’t. So, I will not comment on that. But about that story, I will say this: don’t believe everything that you hear from a cow!

It was easy to see, in the cow’s rendition, that the donkey was made out to be the villain of the story. You couldn’t miss that in the cow’s telling. Donkeys were described as stubborn, rude, and dumb. Yes, donkeys were, in the view of the storyteller, lesser creatures, and certainly inferior to cows. But read on. And if you do, you will see donkeys in a very different light. Yes, I promise! In the last story, the cow had her say. But now, in this story, I am going to have my say!

Who am I? You guessed it, I am the donkey! And all I will say is that the cow gave you a very biased view of us donkeys. Yes, I admit that donkeys can be a bit stubborn, but we have many, many good qualities that deserve much more respect than “lesser” creatures (like cows). I hope you, as you read that other story, could sort through the cow’s comments to see the hidden jealousy that prompted her description of us donkeys.

Anyway, let’s talk about my story. My story begins months before the one that you just read. So actually, my story really sets the stage for the cow’s story of the birth of Jesus. Why mine wasn’t placed first in this collection is beyond me! It should have been! Maybe you should take that up with the author!

In any case, let’s begin.

Perhaps you remember how the angel Gabriel came to Zechariah to tell him that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son. You surely also remember that they were quite old and, much to their disappointment, after years of praying, they had given up on the possibility of having children.

As a priest, Zechariah perhaps thought that his position of respect in the community might give him a special advantage in getting his prayers answered. Only it didn’t. Because as you know, years passed until finally, he was told by the angel Gabriel that Elizabeth would bear a son, and that his name was to be John. So, you see, the old married couple’s prayers were finally answered.

Now let’s talk about Mary. Yes, that Mary, the mother of Jesus. Unlike her relative Elizabeth, Mary was definitely not praying for a baby. In fact, Mary wasn’t even married, but was betrothed to Joseph, sort of like, in your time, being engaged. For a betrothed woman to have a baby was far outside the rigid structure of their Jewish community. Such a baby would be considered illegitimate and a scandal to both families. 

And while Elizabeth was a mature woman of advanced years, Mary was what you in your time would call a “teenager.”

The contrasts don’t end there. Zechariah and Elizabeth were prominent in their Judean community, living in their own home. Mary was a teenaged nobody in her remote Galilean village, and she and Joseph were essentially homeless.

And there’s more. The baby John would be born at home in the midst of a loving family and friends. On the other hand, the baby Jesus, the literal Son of God, would be born in a stable, far from home, alone, with only Joseph to comfort Mary, and surrounded not by family and friends, but by farm animals. Including me!

Birth of John the Baptist

Pontormo 1526

Isn’t it strange? Is there a message in these contrasts? Is there some meaning in God’s plan to introduce His Son into the world in this way? What is God telling us with the nature of these two parallel but contrasting stories?

Well, of course, I am just a poor, stubborn, rude and dumb animal. But nevertheless, I do have some thoughts about this.

But first, where do I come in? You already know that I carried Mary on the long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. But maybe by now you have also guessed that I carried Mary on her visit to Elizabeth in Judea. And as the scripture above points out, we went with “haste.” Yes, I carried Mary all the way, and we traveled quickly, and, I might add, safely. Now I ask you, could a cow do that? See, I told you that you’d see donkeys in a different light!

Now, back to my thoughts. Why was John born into advantage, with prominent parents, at home, while Jesus was born to a teenaged unmarried mother in a stable far from home and surrounded by farm animals? Why? Surely, this had some purpose in the plans of God. What could that purpose be?

Well, I’m just a dumb donkey, but I do have an answer. You see, everything about the birth of Jesus suggested humility. Yes, humility. The humble teenaged mother, not even married. The stable. The farm animals. The birthplace far from home. All of that was on purpose, meant to carry the message that this new king would be not a proud, domineering king, but a humble one, someone that even the least of us could relate to and feel like he was one of us. Jesus was not born to rule over us in power, but to give himself to us in great generosity and humility. And his birth and his life were to be an example to us, showing us how he wants us to live.

And one more thing. We’ve talked about the contrast in the circumstances of the two births, first John and then Jesus. But what about the men themselves? Do the contrasts continue on into their lives?

Yes, they do. John, you see, was born with a pedigree. He was the son of a priest and could have followed in his father’s footsteps. You may remember how everyone thought that he’d be named Zechariah, after his father, and surely, they assumed that he’d become a priest as well.

Was Jesus born with a pedigree? No, not even close. His father was a carpenter, not a priest. And of course, Joseph was not his biological father anyway. John received the education of a priest’s son, while Jesus learned woodworking.

You would think then, that John would be superior to Jesus in every way. But it was just the opposite. I’m sure that you remember how the unborn John leaped in his mother’s womb upon the arrival of Mary with her unborn Jesus.

And did John become a priest?

No, in fact, he gave up the life that he might have had to become the one who would make the way for the king who would follow him – none other than the one born in the stable – Jesus. And so, John lived, not in the comfort of his Judean town, but in the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair clothing and eating locusts and wild honey. You see, John gave up his pedigree and all that went with it, just so he could fulfill God’s calling to prepare the way for Jesus.

Well, now that I have had my say, I hope that your opinion of donkeys has changed a bit. Maybe we are not as stubborn, rude and dumb as you were led to believe. Well, maybe I will admit to stubborn!

I was so pleased to play a small part in this story. Yes, I carried Mary and the unborn Jesus to Bethlehem. But even before that, I carried them to their visit with Elizabeth. And in both cases, I also carried them home. And I was a witness to the unborn John literally leaping in his mother’s womb.

And the cow? Yes, what about that cow? Well, all I can say is that she’s still there, in the stable, in Bethlehem, still wondering about it all. And for me? What do I wonder about? Well, I wonder if she misses me!