Of Nails and Donkeys

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday! I know, I know, I have a remarkable ability to state the obvious. I say that only to tell you that because it was Resurrection Sunday, we had a special service at The Well that was really well attended. As we scrambled to set up extra chairs as more and more people showed up, I thought to myself, "It's a great problem to have, having to deal with setting up extra chairs. I hope we do this more often." Anyway, I digress. Our little monologue dramatization was titled The Nail. I love productions like this one because I tend to think somewhat differently from most people, in that I'm always looking for signifcance and relevance in the most obscure of things.

For instance, I'm the guy who, when I get to heaven (while everyone else is hobnobbing with Moses and Elijah, David and Samson and so many other "greats" of the faith), would be more inclined to seek out Zaccheus and find out what was going through his mind as he climbed a sycamore tree wearing his expensive "tax collecting" designer suit, in the hopes that Jesus would pass by where he was so he could get a close-up glimpse of the professed Messiah. You see, I'm fascinated by the fact that Jesus chose to dine at Zaccheus' house. Why? Zaccheus, I'm sure, was not the only irreligious man in the crowd that encountered Jesus that day, so why him? What about the guy whose donkey Jesus' disciples "borrowed" so He could ride into Jerusalem? Or Rahab the harlot, whose rope helped the Isrealite spies escape Jericho?

God seems to use the most common of people and things to create the most uncommon of miracles. Who knew that the fate of a nation rested in the decision of a harlot and her willingness to provide shelter and a rope that had probably sat in the corner of her kitchen gathering dust from misuse? Did any one have an inkling that one day Jesus would send his disciples to fetch a donkey that was as much a fixture of everyday activity, so much so that it blended into the scenery like wallpaper? I mean, "What real King rides a donkey?" Could the iron worker have had any idea, as he carefully crafted those 8 inch spikes, that they would one day be used to nail God to a wooden cross? So, if you're reading this today and you're feeling as if you don't possess any great skills or gifts... if you believe that you're abilities are commonplace and nothing special... then you're the perfect candidate for the miraculous. You see, He delights in using the common to create the uncommon.