[0:07]Hey kids, welcome to the fort. My name is Mr. Colin. This will be a fun place for us to be able to read some stories together while we're stuck at home. Today's story is called The Donkey who carried a king by R.C. Sproul. In this story, we're going to read about a boy who has a problem. He never gets picked for games. Or if he does get picked, he gets picked last and he's kind of bummed about it. So he talks to his grandpa. And his grandpa tells him a cool story about a donkey. So we're going to pick it up right where the grandpa is starting his story trying to help Riley with his problem. Many years ago, there was a little donkey named Davey. He lived in a village close to the holy city of Jerusalem. He was too young to work, so he was kept in his pen. He had brothers and sisters, but none of them could play with him because they had jobs to do. Sometimes they carried sacks of olives for their master, sometimes they worked for people in the community, and some of them even carried grown adults on their backs. Davey didn't have to carry anyone or anything. All he had to do every day was stand and wait, eat and sleep. It was boring, and Davey was often unhappy, because it seemed like no one wanted him to do anything. To the other donkeys who were kept in Davey's pen, old stories about the famous donkeys of history. One had belonged to a man named Balaam. A wicked king asked Balaam to give a prophecy against God's people.
[1:45]As Balaam was riding the donkey to the place where the people of God were camped, an angel blocked the path. The donkey stopped, but Balaam couldn't see the angel, so he got very angry and hit the donkey. Then the Lord God gave the donkey the power to speak. The donkey asked, "What have I done to you that you have hit me?" Balaam said, "You are not treating me right." Then God let Balaam see the angel. The angel said, "What you are planning to do is wrong." When Balaam heard that, he decided not to prophesy against the people of God. The donkeys also told a story about old Barnabas, one of the older donkeys who lived with them. Years before, Barnabas had lived in the town of Nazareth. His owner was Joseph, a carpenter.
[2:45]Joseph and his wife, Mary, who was about to have a baby, had to go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Mary rode on Barnabas' back. When they arrived in Bethlehem, it was time for Mary's baby to be born. All the inns were full, so they spent the night in a stable where animals were kept. There, Mary had her baby. His name was Jesus. Shepherds came to the stable and worshiped the baby Jesus. They knew He was the Messiah who had come to save His people. Afterwards, Barnabas carried Mary and the baby Jesus back to Nazareth. Davey liked to hear about the famous donkeys and the important things they had done. He wanted to do a big job too, but his master never picked him to do anything. But one day, all that changed. It happened one morning when Davey was feeling especially down because he had nothing to do and could only eat and sleep. Davey saw two strangers coming. They spoke quietly to his owner. Davey tried to hear their conversation. He couldn't make out all their words, but he did hear one of the men say, "Because the Lord has need of him." Davey wondered what they were talking about. Davey's owner came to the pen and opened the gate. He brought Davey out and led him to the two men. "Take this donkey," he said. "His name is Davey. No one has ever ridden him before, but I think he'll be able to do the job. Davey wondered, "What are they going to have me do? Whatever it is, it seems important to these men.
[4:18]They led Davey down the road. Soon he saw a crowd. The two men spoke to the person who seemed to be in charge and called Him by His name-Jesus. Some of the people in the group put their coats on Davey's back. Then, to Davey's astonishment, Jesus got on his back. It felt strange to have someone sitting on his back, but Davey was excited, too. He started to walk toward Jerusalem, carrying Jesus. As they went down the road, a multitude of people came around and put their coats and palm branches on the ground in front of Davey and Jesus. They began to sing, shout, and wave palms in the air, saying, "Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" Davey was amazed by what he was hearing. He thought, "A king is riding on my back! I can't believe that I've been chosen to carry a king!" Davey made up his mind to carry the King to the best of his ability. He stepped carefully along the path of coats and palm branches, and he tried hard to carry Jesus smoothly. After Davey and Jesus came into Jerusalem, Jesus got down and patted Davey's back. Davey watched as He entered the temple. Davey felt very proud of himself. "I carried the King," he thought. "I must be a very special donkey." The next day, Davey's master decided he was ready for regular work. One of the servants put two sacks of olives on Davey's back and set out to deliver them. The sacks were heavy, and they scratched Davey's back. Once or twice he got so tired and miserable that he sat down in the road. But the master's servants tugged on the rope around Davey's neck and pulled him along. By the time Davey got home, he was very grumpy. "Why did the master make me carry those olives?" he grumbled to old Barnabas. "I carried the King; I shouldn't have to carry ordinary things." Barnabas frowned. "We are donkeys," he said. "It is our job to carry things-whatever the master decides to put on our backs. Every job is important, even carrying sacks of olives, and you should do your best to do it well." "Humph," Davey said. "I don't think I'll ever enjoy this kind of work. I think I'm better at special jobs, like carrying important people." But Davey had to carry things every day now. Sometimes he carried olives, sometimes one of the servants would ride on him for errands for his master. Davey didn't enjoy any of it. He couldn't understand why his master was giving him such ordinary tasks. One morning, one of his master's servants led Davey to a village on the other side of Jerusalem. As they were returning through the city, Davey saw a crowd coming down the street toward him. The people seemed to be shouting angrily at someone as they moved along. The servant led Davey to the side of the road so that the crowd could pass. Davey saw the person they were shouting at. It was Jesus-the King Davey had carried into Jerusalem amid such joy only a few days before. But now the people seemed furious at Jesus. Davey wondered about that. Then Davey noticed that Jesus was carrying something-a rough, heavy beam of wood. Jesus seemed to be struggling to carry the beam. With a gasp, Davey saw that Jesus was hurt. His back was covered with cuts and bruises, and his head was bleeding where it had been scratched by a circle of sharp thorns.
[8:11]Suddenly, Jesus fell down. He couldn't carry the beam any farther. Davey wished with all his heart that he could carry the beam for Jesus. He tugged at his rope, but the servant held him back. The soldiers who were with Jesus grabbed a man from the crowd and made him carry the beam.
[8:34]The crowd went on down the street, and the servant led Davey away. He was confused and sorrowful. "They shouldn't have made Jesus carry that awful beam," he thought. "He is the King. Why did He have to carry it? And why were they so angry? When he got home, Davey found old Barnabas. "I saw something terrible today," he said. "The King I carried was hurt, and the people made Him carry a big wooden beam. Why did they do that?" Barnabas looked at him kindly. "I remember when I carried Jesus and His mother home from Bethlehem," he said. "His mother and his father knew that He would die to save His people. Someone had told them so. It seemed that prophecy has come true. The King was carrying the beam of the cross on which He was going to be crucified." Davey was amazed. "So the King was being a servant to others," he said. "Yes, Davey, Barnabas said, "It is a terrible thing that He's been treated so badly, but what He is doing is wonderful. Davey was quiet for a few minutes. At last he said, "If the King was willing to carry that terrible beam, I'll not complain about carrying our master's olives. I'll follow Jesus' example and be a willing servant." Now let's go back to the story with grandpa and Riley. Grandpa looked at Riley and said, "Riley, until that day when Davey was picked to carry Jesus into Jerusalem, he had never been given anything to do. His master never picked him for even the easiest task. But the other boys do pick you for your games. So I'd like you to try to be thankful. You have a chance to play. Can you do that for me, Riley?" Yes, Grandpa," Riley said. "You're right. I know I should be thankful that I get to play even if I'm chosen last." Good," Grandpa said with a smile. "Also, do your best to be content with whatever you are asked to do because every player and every role is important. If you are picked to do something special, don't get proud like Davey. If you are given a job that doesn't seem to be so much fun, do your best at your job anyway. Remember that God the Father chose Jesus for the worst job of all, but He did it willingly to please His Father and to save His people." "Wow, you're right, Grandpa," Riley said. "I never thought about it that way before." Grandpa gave Riley a quick hug. "That's my boy," he said. But let me tell you the rest of the story, the part that Davey didn't understand. Jesus died on a cross that day. When He died, He gave His life to save His people from their sins. In a way, He carried their sin and their guilt. By dying for them, He took the punishment that they deserved for sinning against a holy God-the punishment you and I deserve. He was a King, but He was a servant to His people. And do you know what, Riley? Jesus didn't stay dead. He rose again from the grave three days later and He reigns forever with His Father in heaven. That's the best news of all. Riley grinned. "It sure is, Grandpa," he said. "He's the greatest King of all, and I want to serve Him and do whatever He asks me to do, whether it's a little job or something very important." And that is the end of the donkey who carried a king by R.C. Sproul. Thank you guys so much for hanging out with me in the tent today. It's fun to build forts sometimes and hopefully you'll come back and we can read another book together. Bye.
