The dynastic difficulties of King David are finally settled in 1 Kings 1, by the old king choosing his successor before he dies. The drama is heightened because we have a split screen narrative: David is making his choice and one of his sons, Adonijah, is having a party to declare himself king. Each is ignorant of the other's actions.
David gets there first. He simply orders that the young Solomon, mounted on the king's own mule, is to be brought to Gihon and anointed there. It is a strange scene. The new king arrives on the royal animal to be anointed by both the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan at the water source of Jerusalem.
We might wish to see a king ride proudly into Jerusalem on a horse, something nobler than a mule, but the significance should not be lost, or Palm Sunday also becomes meaningless.
Horses were animals of warfare. To see someone arrive on one was to have terror struck in the observer's heart. The mule or donkey, an animal of steady pace, was the perfect traveling vehicle. David's decision to mount Solomon on his mule was as good as a public embrace. The people were immediately aware that their dying old king has made a choice. The new ruler rides into their welcoming shouts as a man of peace.
Jesus riding a donkey through the gates of Jerusalem was putting an end to the messianic dreams of those who had thought he should start a revolution to overthrow Rome. Jesus came, instead, on the animal of peace, the slow, sure-footed mount of everyday living.
The world needs more donkey-riders of peace this day. |