The Little Donkey
Leaving Home
The little donkey waited beside his mother. He had never seen so many people before in his life. They were singing and calling to each other, and all seemed very happy. Just a few minutes before, he and his mother had been standing quietly beside the fence outside their home near Bethany when two men had come and untied them and started leading them away. The little donkey and his mother did not know what was happening. They had no choice but to go with the men, but they did not know who they were. Suddenly their owners saw what the men were doing and shouted at them, "Hey, what do you think you are doing? Leave those donkeys alone." The little donkey thought, "Oh-oh. Now there will be trouble." The two men turned back to where the owners were and said, "The Lord needs these donkeys and sent us to take them to him." Then a surprising thing happened. The owners not only said they could take the donkeys, but ran and called their families to come quickly and see where they were going.
As they walked out of the village more people joined them and the little donkey wondered where they were going. He had never been out of the village before. Soon they came to a group of men sitting by the roadside. There were eleven of them and the two men who had untied the donkeys called out, "Jesus, we have brought the donkeys. The owners let us have them, just as you said they would."
The people around them were very excited to see the man called Jesus. Some of them ran and put their cloaks on the little donkey to make a kind of saddle for Jesus to sit on. No-one had ever ridden on the little donkey before. It felt very strange. He had seen other people riding on his mother and on his other relatives, and had hoped that one day he would be big and strong enough to carry someone on his back too.
The country where Jesus lived was called Palestine. It was ruled by the Romans. They wanted to know how many people lived in the whole country and what tribes they belonged to. They made all the men go to the towns where they had been born, and take their families with them, to be counted. This was called a Census.
The Birth of a Special Baby
The little donkey's mother had often told him of the proud heritage he held. Over thirty years before, his grandfather had been bought by a man called Joseph in the northern town of Nazareth. Joseph had to take his wife to Bethlehem for the special Census the Roman governors were making everyone register for. They had to have a donkey for Mary to ride on as she was expecting a baby, and it was nearly ready to be born.
Mary and Joseph had to travel slowly as Mary got tired easily, and the ninety mile journey took them nearly a week. By the time they got to Bethlehem it was full of people who had arrived well before them, and they could not find anywhere to stay. In the end someone realised that Mary was going to have a baby very soon and told Joseph they could sleep in the stable if he liked to clear a space in there. Joseph was a carpenter so he was used to lifting big, heavy pieces of wood around and he was strong. He soon moved the animals to one side of the stable and swept the floor clean of their mess, and put down a fresh pile of hay for Mary to rest on.
Bethlehem is about 150 km. (90 miles) south of Nazareth. It would take over 3 days to walk there, often a week. People usually travelled in groups in case robbers jumped out from behind big rocks to beat them and steal their belongings.
Later that night Mary's baby was born and Joseph put fresh, clean hay in the manger that the animals usually ate from. Mary wrapped her baby in clean cloths and laid him in the manger while she had a rest. Joseph was tired too and he rested as well. The animals in the stable were curious. They had never had a baby born in the stable before. It was unheard of. Babies were born in houses. That was the way things were done. Even though it was the middle of the night it was quite light. There was a clear sky and outside the stable window the animals could see the moon shining brightly. They could also see a very bright star. They had never seen such a bright star. It seemed to be right over their heads.
Newborn babies were wrapped in swaddling clothes. These were long pieces of cloth wrapped round the baby to keep it straight. People thought this helped the baby grow up with strong arms and legs.
Before it was even dawn they were all woken up by a group of shepherds coming in to the stable. They were a noisy lot, chattering loudly in their excitement. The animals had never seen shepherds so excited. Usually they were quite reserved and kept to themselves. These shepherds said that they had been out on the hillsides near Bethlehem guarding their sheep. It was springtime so there had been a lot of lambs born recently. They knew that if they left them on their own at night the wolves would sneak down the hillsides and kill the lambs.
In Palestine springtime is in April. There are many lambs born then as the weather gets warmer. There used to be wolves out on the hillsides hunting the sheep. Shepherds would gather the sheep and lambs into pens. These were made by building a chest-high wall of rocks around in a circle, leaving a gap for the sheep to go in and out. The shepherd counted all his sheep as they came in and knew exactly how many there should be. If there was one missing he blocked the gap with a big pile of rocks and went out searching for the lost sheep before a wolf killed it.
Being a shepherd was dangerous work because the wolves usually hunted in a pack and might attack him, but the sheep were valuable to him and if one was missing he always searched until he found it. When all the sheep were safely gathered in to the sheep pen, the shepherd would lie across the doorway so a wolf could not get in, protecting the sheep with his body. The shepherd often talked to his sheep and they knew his voice and would follow him anywhere.
It was lonely, sometimes dangerous work being a shepherd and they were rough, tough men, but when they came in to the stable they became quiet and even seemed a bit stunned. They told Joseph and Mary that they had been guarding their sheep and talking about how clear the sky seemed, and how it was lighter than usual. Then all of a sudden it became even lighter and they saw some really bright lights coming out of the sky, right in front of them. That was scary and they fell to the ground trying to protect themselves. Then they heard voices telling them not to be afraid and that this was a wonderful occasion because the Saviour who was called Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem, and they would find him in a manger in a stable.
When the shepherds dared to look up they saw there were angels speaking to them, and even more angels joining them, singing, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."
So the shepherds knew they must go straight away to Bethlehem to find out what was happening. They were amazed when they saw the newborn baby lying in the manger. It was not only because it was strange to see a baby lying in a manger, but there was something unusual about the feeling there. It was a very peaceful feeling, as though you were quite safe, and loved and accepted just for who you were - not for any great and wonderful things you had achieved in life, but for the good things you tried hard to do each day.
The shepherds would have liked to stay longer but they had to get back to their sheep. The donkey who had carried Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem was proud to have been part of this great event. He had many more adventures as he carried Mary and the baby Jesus, when they hurried with Joseph to Egypt, to escape the soldiers sent by wicked King Herod to kill all the babies in that area. When that king had died and it was safe to return, they all went to live in Nazareth.
Hosanna
As the years passed the donkey who had carried Mary watched as little Jesus grew up into a fine young man. Everyone liked him. He had such a kind nature and never hurt anyone. The donkey had children and grandchildren of his own, and was proud that they were strong and able to help Joseph carry the heavy loads of wood he needed in his carpenter's shop. The donkey's daughter was sent to a friend who lived near Jerusalem to help on their farm. That was how the little donkey came to be born at Bethphage.
Bethphage and Bethany were two small villages. There were only a few houses and farms there. They were about 5 km. (2 miles) from Jerusalem.
The little donkey's mother often told him stories of how his famous grandfather had carried Mary and the baby Jesus on their travels, and how proud their family was. The little donkey thought of this now as he carried the man everyone called Jesus. He wondered if it could be the same person his grandfather had carried as a baby. Was it possible? Could it really be true?
The little donkey had never had anyone ride on his back before. He had pulled heavy loads on the farm so he was quite strong, but they had never used him to ride on before. He had never seen so many people in all his life, and was not used to so much noise. He felt a bit unsure at first, but they all seemed happy people and they brought his mother along too, so that made him feel better. He had seen people riding on his mother and wondered what it would feel like. He hoped it would not hurt in case he jerked about and threw the person off. He had seen that happen and knew his mother would be embarrassed if he did that. However, as soon as this man Jesus sat on his back he felt a calm, peaceful feeling come over him and was proud to have been chosen to do this.
Now they were nearly at Jerusalem. It had taken nearly an hour to walk there because the crowd was going slower than usual as they were singing and dancing so much. Some people tore branches off palm trees along the road and waved them and shouted, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" just like they did each year at the Feast of Tabernacles. Some of the people even threw down their cloaks in the roadway to make a sort of carpet to walk on. The little donkey walked carefully. He saw his mother watching him proudly.
As the procession entered Jerusalem some men called Pharisees, hurried from the temple wanting to know what all the noise was about. The people said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee." The Pharisees seemed annoyed at hearing this. They certainly did not join in with the singing and dancing, in fact, they tried hard to stop it.
Soon the little donkey felt Jesus climb down off his back, and watched him go in to a big building they called the temple. The singing had stopped now and the people grew quiet. Soon they heard a man's voice shouting, "My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." The little donkey looked at his mother in surprise. The voice that was shouting was Jesus' voice. He could tell Jesus was angry about something but it was not a frightening sort of angry. Then there was a loud crash. It sounded like a big table had been tipped over and all the things on it crashed to the floor. He heard a lot of money scattering all over the ground. Then there was another loud crash, and another.
When people went to the temple they brought with them an animal to be killed as a sacrifice. The animal was usually a lamb. It had to be pure white with nothing wrong with it. Often the priests said the animal was not good enough and made people buy one from the temple, and pay extra for it. They were not allowed to use ordinary money but had to change it into temple money, which cost more. All these things made money for the priests and they became very rich. This was not what the temple was for.
The people were cheering now. They were glad that Jesus had overturned the money tables, and chased away all the money changers. It would stop all the cheating of the priests in the temple. It had been going on for years, but nobody knew how to stop it. Now Jesus had stopped it in one afternoon. The people were very pleased. They started running around again, singing and dancing. Some boys nearby untied the little donkey and his mother and took them along with them, following the crowd. The little donkey did not know if they should wait for Jesus to come out of the temple. He wanted to wait, but the boys were so excited they pulled him along with them.
Soon the little donkey turned to see if his mother was coming with them, but he could not see her in the crowd. He tried desperately to turn around and go back to look for her but the crowd pushed him on. He did not know where he was going. He had never been in a city, or even in a crowd of people, and he had never been away from his mother before. He felt scared. He just wanted to find his mother - or even the man called Jesus. He knew he would be safe with him.
The little donkey walked slowly now, sad and lonely. The boys had left him and gone in to someone's house. He did not know where he was. The crowd had been left far behind. He was on his own.
The little donkey walked slowly along, passing street after street. Every few minutes he would stop and listen. If only he could hear the sound of the crowd, he would know which way to walk to find his mother again. Never, in all his life, had he felt so lonely. He tried to be brave. He knew his mother would want him to do that. He knew his father would have expected that of him. He had not known his grandfather who had lived far away in the north, in Nazareth, but he remembered what his mother had told him. To comfort himself he thought about the story his mother had often told of his grandfather who carried Mary and the baby Jesus. He wondered again if that was the same Jesus, grown up, that he had carried on his back today. Could it have been? Was that possible?
Alone
The little donkey kept walking. Soon he reached the wall of the city and passed through the big gates. It was a good thing he got there before night time because, when it was dark, the gate-keepers closed the heavy gate so that robbers could not get into the city.
Sometimes a traveller arrived after dark and had to pay some money to the night-watchman to be let in a little doorway at the side of the main gate. Because the door was small and difficult to get through it was given the nick-name of 'the eye of the needle'. If a traveller arrived late with all his goods loaded on to a camel, he had to unload it all and pass it piece by piece through the little doorway. It seemed to take for ever to get a camel through 'the eye of the needle'.
Once the little donkey had walked out of the city he felt better. He could see in the distance, the green of the Mount of Olives, and knew there would be cool, green grass to eat. He wondered if he should go there, or wait near the city, in case his mother came out the same way, but he was tired and very hungry and could not wait to get to the hillside.
It was nearly dark when the little donkey reached the Mount of Olives. How wonderful it was to eat the grass and feel better. He had not realised how hungry he was - or how tired. He slept through most of the night with dreams of his mother weaving in and out of his sleep.
The day that followed was a lonely one as he walked all over the hillside, hoping to find his mother. It was the first of many days in which he despaired of ever seeing her again. Was she still in the city of Jerusalem? Was she all right? The people had been happy while they were singing and dancing, but their mood changed after that. Would they catch his mother and be cruel to her? Would they tie her up and make her work hard, and never let her see him again? He knew she would be worried about him. She did not know what had happened to him either. Oh, why had this happened? Why were there bad people in the world who made it sad for everyone?
The Angry Crowd
The sadness and loneliness were almost unbearable for the little donkey. He had plenty of grass to eat, but that was not what he really wanted. Sometimes he would climb to the top of a hill, to try and see over the wall in to the city, and perhaps catch a glimpse of his mother. Often he walked nearer to the city, stopping occasionally to listen in case he heard another crowd of people coming his way. He hoped he would. He had lost his mother in a crowd of people - maybe he would find her again in a crowd. He tried not to give up hope. Day after day he searched, walking all around the outside of the city
The days turned into almost a week and then the little donkey heard the sound he had been longing to hear. Far away he could hear the noise of people. The sound was coming from a long way off, but it was definitely a crowd of people. He listened carefully to see which way they were coming, then ran quickly to the city wall. He stopped and listened again. Yes, they were still coming in that direction. He could hear them calling out and shouting, but it was not a happy sound like the other crowd he had been in. He could hear people crying. It seemed strange to him. If his mother was travelling with this crowd maybe she would be upset too. He wondered what was happening. Soon the noise of the crowd came nearer to the city gate where he waited impatiently, hoping to see his mother among the people.
The little donkey watched eagerly as the first people came through the gate. He had not seen many people dressed like that. They were Roman soldiers. He had seen a few in Jerusalem. They were there to keep order and make the people do as they were told.
The soldiers walked quickly but turned often to look behind them. They were dragging a man along by a rope. He was carrying a huge piece of wood on his shoulders and could hardly carry it. The man was covered in red stuff. It was all over him. With horror the little donkey realised it was blood. The man had been beaten so much he was covered in blood.
The man staggered under the heavy load he struggled to carry. The soldiers whipped him but he kept falling over and had to be dragged up again. In the end the soldiers pulled a man out of the crowd and made him carry the load of wood. He was a tall man and looked very strong, but even he found it difficult to carry the big beam of wood, it was so heavy.
The crowd followed the soldiers and the man. Some of the people were shouting rudely and jeering, but others were standing quietly and crying. It was a very different crowd from the one only five days before. The little donkey searched among the people for his mother but even as he looked he felt there was no hope. It was all so different from the last crowd. He looked again at the man who was being dragged by the soldiers to a place outside the city wall, called Calvary. He had kept away from it during the past week as it had a bad feeling about it. He knew it was the place the soldiers took people to kill them when they had done very bad things - robbers and murderers, and people like that. He wondered what bad things this man had done.
The Jews' name in Hebrew for the place of crucifixion was Golgotha, meaning 'a skull' or 'place of burial'. The Romans called it Calvaria, which became known in English as Calvary.
The people were moving nearer to the little donkey. They were quieter now, and more people were crying, even some men as well as the women. What was going on? Why were they all so sad? The little donkey was still too far away to see who the man was but he knew the people must like him because they were so sad he was going to be killed at Calvary. So why were they taking the man there if he was not really a bad man?
The little donkey could see some of the priests on the edge of the crowd. He could hear them saying to each other that this man deserved to die because of all the trouble he had caused them in the temple and in the synagogues. They said he had blasphemed and said bad things about God. The little donkey knew this was a bad thing to do, but he did not know if it was bad enough to be killed for. He heard other people saying that the priests' accusations were not true and that this was a good man, who had gone about helping people, and even making them better when they were ill. In fact, some people said this man had even brought people back to life after they had actually died. Then why, wondered the little donkey, would they want to have him killed?
The Beaten Man
The soldiers were almost at the place called Calvary now. The little donkey crept nearer. He had heard from other animals he had met during the last few days, that this was a bad place to go to, and he should keep away from it, but he wanted to see for himself. He moved nearer to the man and the soldiers.
The man was exhausted and had to be dragged most of the way by the rope. Even the man who carried the beam of wood found it difficult to stagger up the hill, and left as soon as he was allowed to. The soldiers roughly took the beam of wood, dropping it to the ground near a big, bare tree trunk. They grabbed the man they had dragged through the city and turned him around to untie the rope. As they did so, for the first time, the little donkey saw the man's face. He had been too far away before but now he had crept nearer and could see clearly. The man's face was covered in blood and his eyes were so swollen from being beaten that he could hardly see out of them, but still the little donkey recognised him. At first he was not completely sure, because he could hardly believe it, but when he crept even closer still, he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that this was the man he had carried on his back five days ago. This was the man called Jesus.
The realisation was too much for the little donkey and he turned away completely bewildered. Thoughts raced through his head. How could this be? What were they killing this man for? He had carried Jesus on his back. He had felt his goodness. He knew this was not only a good man, but a very special person. How could they be doing this to him? Could he rush forwards and knock the soldiers out of the way? Would Jesus have the strength to climb up on to his back so they could run away to safety? Could he rescue him? He could not just stand by and let them kill him. What could he do?
In despair the little donkey turned back to where Jesus was and saw that it was too late to rescue him. The four Roman soldiers had already taken Jesus' clothes away from him and had laid him on the ground on the crossbeam. Then they hammered great iron nails into his hands, nailing him to the wood. Someone tried to make Jesus drink some vinegar and myrrh so he would not feel the pain so much, but he would not drink it. He looked nearly dead already and it was terrible when the soldiers pulled the crossbeam up on to the tree trunk with ropes, and banged more of those terrible iron nails in to his feet to nail him to the cross. Pontius Pilate, the Governor of that area, had told the soldiers to put a sign on the top of the cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth. The King of the Jews.
There were people of many different nationalities in Jerusalem as it was a special event called The Passover. Instead of the usual thirty thousand people who lived in Jerusalem there were a million people there for the week. The Jews spoke Hebrew, the Roman language was Latin, and the people from Greece spoke Greek. The sign on the cross was written in three languages, Greek, Latin and Hebrew so everyone could read it.
The soldiers put the cross in between two others they had put up earlier. There were thieves on those crosses. They started taunting Jesus, telling him to make another miracle happen and get himself off the cross, and them as well. Then one of them seemed to realise he should not have said that and told the other thief to be quiet. He said that they had done wrong and deserved to be punished, but that this man, Jesus, had done no wrong. Jesus was nearly too weak to talk at all but he told the thief that he knew he was sorry for the bad things he had done, and he would be able to go to Paradise with him that same day.
The soldiers did not like doing crucifixions, but had to obey orders and do their job. They had to work hard to get these three crucifixions done early as the rulers of the synagogue in Jerusalem wanted the men dead and off the crosses before the Jewish Sabbath began at 6 pm. and already it was now 9 am. The soldiers were allowed to take any clothing and belongings they wanted from the people who were crucified, so they cast lots to see who would get Jesus' clothing. Then most of the Roman soldiers marched back to the city, leaving only a few to stand guard at the crucifixion site at Calvary.
Heart Broken
The little donkey felt overwhelmed by the bad feeling at Calvary. There had been so much killing there over the years, so much cruelty, and now this worst of all, that they were killing Jesus. He had no-one to turn to in his time of grief. He had lost his mother in the crowded city and did not know where she was, or even if he would ever see her any more.
Suddenly, the horror of the whole event rose up inside the mind of the little donkey, and he could bear it no longer. He felt his heart would break, and he let out great sobs of pain and anguish. The sobs came out of him as great braying sounds, but he was completely unaware of the noise he was making. The soldiers were annoyed by all the noise and came and chased the little donkey away. He staggered off down the hillside sobbing and braying at the top of his voice.
The little donkey was oblivious to everything around him and did not even realise how much noise he was making, but so great was his sorrow that his sobbing brays carried for a long way around him. He cried and cried, and brayed and brayed. He did not know how much time had passed, but suddenly he became aware of another sound, coming to him from a long way off. It was also a braying sound, and it was coming nearer. Through his tears he saw another donkey running towards him. It was his mother. Sobbing with disbelief, he threw himself towards her.
Slowly the little donkey told his mother all had happened to him since they had been parted nearly a week before, and especially the terrible crucifixion of the man called Jesus. His mother said she had seen things that had happened to Jesus while she had been in the city. There had been a great crowd of people gathered outside the palace of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. The people were listening to Pilate as he told them they could choose who would be released from prison as a special favour, as it was their yearly Feast of the Passover.
The Feast of the Passover was held each year around April, in memory of the time when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to live in Palestine. This was about 2,000 years before the birth of Christ. They had been slaves in Egypt for 600 years and only escaped when God sent plagues and death to the Egyptians. The Angel of Death passed over the Israelite houses and they always remembered that time and called it The Passover.
The priests whispered around the edge of the crowd that they should choose Barabbus. The people were surprised as they knew Barabbus was a murderer, and they did not want him let out of prison, but they were scared of the priests and knew they must do as they were told.
Pilate asked what was to be done with Jesus, and the crowd shouted, "Crucify him." Pilate tried to stop them. He asked the crowd, "Why kill him? What wrong has he done?" but the crowd shouted even louder, "Crucify him."
Mother donkey told all this to her son as they stood near Calvary. They were so happy to have found each other and be together again, but were overcome with sorrow at what was happening around them. Mother donkey asked her son to take her to where Jesus was. He did not want to. He did not want to feel all that pain and grief again, but he knew his mother needed to see the place for herself, so together they walked slowly back to Calvary.
The World Grows Dark
Most of the crowd had gone back to the city now. They had been frightened because the sky had become very dark, and even though it was only mid-day, it looked more like night time. The little donkey showed his mother where Jesus was hanging on the cross. Because it was dark they were able to stand really close without being noticed.
A group of women had also moved nearer to the cross of Jesus. They were all crying, one especially. She kept saying, "My son. My son. How could they do this to you?" Another woman tried to comfort her. She was her sister and called her Mary. Then the little donkey knew beyond any doubt that this was indeed the same Mary and Jesus that his grandfather had carried on their long journey so many years before. He turned to tell his mother, but when he saw the tears rolling down her face, he realised that she already knew it.
A man they called John was also standing with the group of women. He had been one of Jesus' friends when they came to collect the little donkey to ride in to Jerusalem. How long ago that all seemed now. There had been twelve of them, and they called themselves disciples. Now they had all disappeared except this man John. The little donkey became aware that Jesus was trying to say something from the cross. He was amazed because he thought Jesus had died already, or was nearly dead, and could not talk any more. Jesus was looking at his mother and asking John to look after her from now on, as if she were his own mother.
Then Jesus spoke again, louder this time, "My Father in Heaven, why have you left me? Why have even you deserted me?" The little donkey heard the pain and desolation in Jesus' voice. He knew how it felt to be lost and afraid, and all on your own. Big tears rolled down his face. How he wished he could do something to help, instead of standing there helplessly. The darkness at that time of day gave a strange, eerie feeling, and he was scared.
Then Jesus called out again, even louder than before, and said, "Father. It is finished. Into thy hands I commend my spirit." The women all started to cry again. They realised that the end had really come, and Jesus had indeed died. The little donkey cried too. He could hardly see now as it was so dark, even though it was only three o'clock in the afternoon.
Suddenly, the whole world started to shake. The earth seemed to move beneath his feet in waves, just like the sea, and he was thrown to the ground. He had heard about earthquakes but had never been in one. The shaking went on for what seemed like for ever. The noise was deafening - a roaring sound as if the mountains themselves were splitting apart. Gradually the shaking stopped and the sky became lighter. The little donkey could see great rocks and boulders tumbling down a nearby hillside. The priests and some other people who had stayed near the cross to make sure Jesus really died, struggled to get up off the ground where they had fallen in the earthquake, and hurried back to the city as fast as they could. The Roman soldiers had also managed to stand up again, and the centurion who was their leader looked at Jesus hanging dead on the cross and said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God."
The soldiers set to work to take the bodies of the crosses. They knew it was now less then three hours till the evening, and Jewish law stated that all dead bodies must be put into a grave before the Sabbath began. The soldiers started taking Jesus' body off the cross. They could see he was dead already, but one of them stuck his spear in to Jesus' side right near his heart, just to make sure, and a whole lot of blood poured out.
The Burial
The soldiers asked John and the women nearby what they were going to do with Jesus' body. They turned to each other in fear. They did not know what to do. They did not have a grave to take Jesus to and did not know if they were strong enough to carry him by themselves, or where to take him to. They did not have enough money to buy a burial place, and they did not know what to do. They were afraid that if they could not take care of Jesus' body, the soldiers would take him away, and they would never know where he was buried.
A sepulchre, or tomb, was a grave in which to put the body of a person who had died. It was like a cave, carved out of the rock of the hillside. Because of all the work to carve a sepulche out of the rock, it cost a lot of money, and only rich people could afford one.
While John and the women were desperately trying to work out what to do, a man called Joseph of Arimathaea came hurrying up the hillside. He told the Roman soldiers that he had just been in to the city to speak to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor of Jerusalem, asking for special permission to have Jesus buried in his own sepulchre, just across the hillside. Pilate had been surprised that Jesus was dead already and asked the Roman centurion, who had been assigned to stand guard by the cross, if this was true. The centurion assured Pilate that Jesus really was dead. When Pilate heard this from the centurion he gave permission for the body to be handed over to Joseph. Pilate had heard about Joseph of Arimathaea, and knew him to be a rich and influential man, and wanted to stay in favour with him.
Another man was also climbing quickly up the hillside. He was Nicodemus, and was an important man in the Jewish court called the Sanhedrin. For a long time he had agreed with the teachings of Jesus and was appalled that Jesus was to be crucified and he could do nothing to stop it. Nicodemus and his servants carried burial clothes and a large box of spices to put on the body to make it smell nice, as was the Jewish custom in those days. Together the men and their servants carried the body of Jesus to the nearby sepulchre. They washed the blood off him and wound the burial linen around the body. They had to work quickly as it was almost time for the Sabbath to begin, when, by Jewish law, everyone must be back inside the city gates and in their own homes.
The little donkey and his mother had followed quietly behind the men. Some of the women followed too. They wanted to see where Jesus was laid to rest. They were relieved that these good men were attending to Jesus' body, but wished they could help too. They decided they would go home and get their own spices and ointments ready, and as soon as the Sabbath was over they would bring them to the sepulchre. The work was done. The body of Jesus was laid in the grave, and a huge, heavy rock was rolled across the entrance to the sepulchre. Joseph, Nicodemus and their servants, and the women who had stood quietly nearby, hurried back to Jerusalem, to get in before the gates were closed.
The little donkey and his mother were about to move away from the sepulchre when more men arrived. They were soldiers from the temple guard. They were talking amongst themselves, annoyed that they had been ordered to do this job in such a rush. They put a special cement-like mixture all around the edge of the huge rock that had been wedged over the entrance of the sepulchre to seal it in place so it could not be moved. Then most of them marched quickly back to Jerusalem, leaving some men at the sepulchre to stand guard overnight.
The Jews divided the night into 3 parts. They were sunset to 10 pm., 10 pm. To 2 am., 2 am. to sunrise. The Romans divided the night into 4 parts and called each part a Watch. The Roman soldiers would stand on duty to watch for invaders.
Now all was quiet except for the guards talking to each other to keep themselves awake. The little donkey and his mother moved away from them and walked slowly across the hillside. They felt exhausted and drained by all the sorrow and pain they had witnessed. They were overjoyed to be re-united and found great comfort in being together again, but their joy was over-shadowed by the heartache they had experienced that day.
The little donkey and his mother rested the next day and ate some of the cool, green grass of the hillside. No-one came out of the city except more soldiers to change the guard kept at the sepulchre. It was the Sabbath so people stayed quietly at home with their families.
The Tomb
On the third day after that terrible crucifixion, the little donkey and his mother were surprised to hear voices as some women came from the city towards the sepulchre. It was hardly daylight yet, only just past dawn, and the city gate had only just opened. The Sabbath had officially ended the evening before, but then it was dark so the women could not leave the city.
The Jews were not allowed to do any work on the Sabbath day. This started at sunset on a Friday evening and went on through the daytime of Saturday, their Sabbath day, until sunset. Then, of course, it was night-time, so they could not do any work until the next morning.
The women wanted to bring their burial spices to the sepulchre at the earliest opportunity. On the way they wondered out loud how they would move the huge stone away from the entrance. They did not know that it had been sealed and guards stationed there. It was not until they returned to the city later that they heard the stories that were being told that there had been a loud, rumbling noise, just like another earthquake, and a 'being' came down from heaven in a bright light, and moved the huge stone aside with no effort at all. The guards had been so terrified, they had rushed back to the city, and it was whispered that they were paid a lot of money by the Jewish leaders, to say that Jesus' disciples had come in the night and overpowered them and stolen away the body.
The little donkey and his mother watched the women approaching and thought how surprised they would be when they saw that the heavy boulder had been rolled away. Then they heard the women cry out in alarm, and moved closer to see. The women had entered the sepulchre and were staring at an angel. He was wearing a long white robe and was surrounded by a very bright light. He told the women that he knew they were looking for Jesus, but that he was not there. Jesus had risen from the dead, and had gone to Galilee. They were to go and tell his disciples to go to Galilee and see him there.
The women looked shocked and could hardly believe their eyes. They held on to each other for support as they ran down the slope back to the city. They could not wait to tell this amazing news to the disciples. They remembered now that Jesus had talked sometimes about his death, and that he would rise again, but they thought he would be an old man before he died, and they did not understand what it meant to rise again. Rise where?
It was not long before the little donkey and his mother saw two men running out of the city and up the slope towards the sepulchre. One was the same man John who had stayed with the women near the cross. The other was of a stronger build, who looked like he worked outdoors, perhaps a fisherman. They had not seen him before. Where had he been, they wondered when Jesus was dying and needed him? John called him Simon Peter.
Peter ran faster than John and went bounding in to the sepulchre. He got such a shock at what he saw that he was standing completely still as John arrived and peered cautiously in. There were the linen burial clothes lying on the stone bench where the body had been laid. It was all just exactly as the women had said, except there was no angel there. They did not know what to make of that. It had sounded like imagination, or as if the women had made up a story to comfort themselves, but what could any of them believe now, after seeing this? What did it all mean?
John ventured in to the sepulchre too and he agreed with Peter. It was all too difficult to work out. The only thing they could do now was walk the three days' journey to Galilee and hope that the angel would perhaps appear to them there and tell them more about it all. But the angel had told the women that it was Jesus himself who would meet them there, and that he had risen. What did this word 'risen' mean?
Mary
Stunned, Peter and John walked slowly back to the city. They passed Mary Magdalene on the way. She was the one who had run in to the house to tell them what she and the other women had just seen. They openly disbelieved her. Mary Magdalene had always had a colourful imagination. But then when the other women rushed in saying the same thing they decided to go and investigate. Now she was going back to the sepulchre.
Mary had always loved Jesus and she would be able to feel closer to him near the sepulchre. Maybe if she kept really quiet she would be able to hear the soldiers talking if they came back, and she could discover where they had moved the body of Jesus to. She knew there was trouble in the city over all this, and perhaps the temple guards had hidden the body somewhere until all the fuss had died down. Or perhaps the gardeners who looked after the garden around the sepulchres would know where the body had been taken to and would tell her. If they saw she was just one woman on her own, and not out to cause trouble, perhaps they would take pity on her and tell her. If only she knew where Jesus' body had been taken.
Mary thought back to what had happened early that morning. When she and the other women had seen the bright light in the sepulchre, and the man shining with light who had told them Jesus was not there because he was risen, it had all seemed so natural, so believable. While he was talking they were sure it was true, but then when they rushed back to the city to tell the disciples the men had openly doubted them. They said it must have been a trick of the dawn light shining on them, and that they were so tired and exhausted after all they had been through that they were willing to believe anything. After the men had talked like this, kindly, and meaning well, the women had begun to doubt it themselves.
Mary Magdalene decided she had to go back to the sepulchre to find out for herself. As she passed Peter and John she could see they looked different - stunned - not knowing what to think any more. She knew how they felt. She felt like that too. Drained and empty. She told them that was why she had to go back and see if she could find out anything else. They said there was no point. There was no-one there, no guards, no angel, no Jesus, no-one. The place was deserted. Mary told them she would feel better if she went back for a while and would return to the city soon.
The little donkey and his mother looked up from where they were grazing on the grass in the garden near the sepulchre. They saw Mary Magdalene walking towards the sepulchre. It was the last place she had seen the men take Jesus to. How Mary Magdalene had loved Jesus, but then everyone did, at least, she had thought they had, although she knew there was bad feeling between the scribes and Pharisees and Jesus. They did not like the way he seemed to take the law into his own hands. They said things should be done a certain way because that was the way Moses had set it out nearly two thousand years before. Jesus said he came to change a lot of that and to make people stop and think about their actions.
Jesus taught the people that they should not just follow the letter of the law, but treat others with love and thoughtfulness. That did not impress the priests. They revered Moses' law so much that they even wrote out parts of it and sewed them in little scrolls on their robes. Yes, Mary Magdalene knew the religious leaders did not like Jesus, but she would never have thought they would have him killed. She thought the ordinary people would have protected Jesus. She could hardly believe they had let him be killed. It had all happened so fast. It was too much to take in, and she felt exhausted and so miserable. She started to cry.
The little donkey and his mother saw Mary Magdalene move nearer to the sepulchre and look inside. Through her tears she could see the lights again and realised that this time there were two angels, not just one. They sat on the stone bench, one where Jesus' feet had been, and the other at the head. They asked her why she was crying. She told them it was because someone had taken away the body of Jesus and she did not know where to find him. With that she cried even more and turned away from the sepulchre towards the garden.
Mary Magdalene felt she could not take any more unhappiness, and was sobbing as if her heart would break. Her tears made everything blurred, but she was aware that someone was standing there and hoped it was one of the gardeners who might know where Jesus' body had been taken. Dimly she heard him ask her why she was crying, and who she was looking for, and through her tears she pleaded with him to tell her where Jesus had been taken and she would take him away.
Crying more quietly now Mary Magdalene waited for an answer and heard the one word she never expected to hear, ever again. Just one word. "Mary."
She knew that voice. There was no other voice like it. Such love. Such compassion. She turned quickly to see if it really was Jesus, hardly daring to hope. "Master," she cried leaping towards him, arms wide to embrace him, but Jesus gently stopped her, and explained that she could not touch him yet as he had not yet returned to his Heavenly Father to gain a resurrected body. He explained that this would happen soon and he wanted Mary to go back to the city and tell his disciples about it, and that he would be with them again in a little while.
Mary Magdalene could hardly breathe for joy. She did not understand how it had happened, but in some wonderful way Jesus had come back to them all again. This was what the word 'resurrection' meant. Jesus looked just the same as before, but even more wonderful, as if there was a sort of glow about him.
Mary did not want to leave this place where Jesus was but knew the others were just as heartbroken as she had been, and now she had such wonderful news to tell them. Leaving the sepulchre garden she ran quickly down the hillside back to the city.
The Cross on the Donkey
The little donkey looked at his mother. She had tears in her eyes. Tears of joy. He understood. Mary Magdalene had been re-united with Jesus. He, too, knew how it felt to be re-united with someone you loved, when you thought all was lost, and they were gone for ever. Then he turned and looked at where Jesus was standing, and saw he was walking towards them. Jesus was smiling at them. His voice was gentle when he spoke. He told them he wanted to thank them. They were surprised, and wondered why. Jesus went on to explain that all through the long hours on the cross, with jeering people around him, he knew that there were others nearby wishing they could comfort him, or help in some way. He had felt the love of his mother and friends, and this had helped a little in his ordeal. Jesus thanked the little donkey for being dependable, and said that was why he chose him out of all the animals to carry him on his triumphal entry in to Jerusalem. He had never forgotten the little donkey's grandfather who had carried his mother and him so long ago. Even when the soldiers chased the little donkey away from the cross, he still went back, and Jesus knew he was there.
Jesus told them that when we go through an ordeal like that it will always leave its mark on us, and that forever after all donkeys would have a dark cross on their backs to remind everyone of the faithfulness and endurance of the little donkey as he stood near Jesus, in the shadow of the cross.
Jesus smiled as he left them. They would have gone on listening to him for ever if they could, just to be near him, to feel his great love, but they knew he had to go to his disciples and comfort them. For a long time the little donkey and his mother stayed in the same place, not wanting to move. It was as if they were surrounded by sunshine. They did not want to move away from it.
The little donkey felt he had grown up, all in one week, and was no longer little. His mother was so proud of him. Now it was time for them to move on, to find their place in the world. They did not know where they would go, but they knew that what they had learned in this special week would guide them for the rest of their lives.
Olive Redmond - March 1995