SermonStudio

How many people here this morning wish that they were older than they are? (Wait for an answer) You do? How old would you like to be? Would you like to be ten or sixteen or twenty-one? What could you do if you were older that you can't do now? (Get some answers and try to lead them to the kind of jobs that they would have if they were older.) I see. If you were older you could have a job, go to work, stay up late, eat the kind of food you like and wash your hands and brush your teeth whenever you wanted to. Well, I can certainly see why you want to be older than you are today.

But did you ever think of the things you might miss if you grew old too fast. Have I ever told you about Benjamin Donkey? I haven't? Well, I certainly am glad that I came today so that I can tell you about this very famous donkey.

Benjamin was just a little donkey. As a matter of fact if you knew anything about donkeys you would say that Benjamin was a colt. Now Benjamin belonged to a boy who loved him and took very good care of him. Every day this boy got up and fed Benjamin the finest donkey food in the whole world and then after breakfast he would brush him until he had the shiniest coat of hair in the whole country. Later when the sun was just right, after the morning chill and before it got too hot, the boy would take Benjamin out for a nice walk and let him feed on the fresh grass in the pasture to his heart's content. Most people would think that our friend Benjamin had it "made in the shade". But not Benjamin. No sir, he was tired of being a colt. He wanted to do a really big job. If God would only hurry up and make him grow up so that he was as big as his father and mother then he could see the exciting places like the great city called Jerusalem. If he was big he could walk through the market places and listen to all of the strange noises that he heard so much about.

One day after Benjamin had come back to the house where the boy lived and was tied up, there came a couple of men looking for him. There wasn't any doubt that they wanted him, for they came straight toward him and began untying him. The boy ran from the house and asked them where they were taking his colt. "The Master has need of him," they said. The Master? Who is He? thought Benjamin. Well, Benjamin didn't have to wait long. The next thing he knew he was standing in the middle of thirteen men and one of them prepared to ride him.

What a day it was. Benjamin would never forget what happened to him if he lived to be the only 100 year old donkey in history. From a place they called the Mount of Olives they went to the great city with the high wall surrounding it. This is Jerusalem. Benjamin thought. No doubt about it. And the people were so glad to see his rider. They threw their coats and scarves in his path so he hardly ever walked on a brick or a clod of dirt. They shouted "Hosanna, Hosanna, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord." The men who walked beside this Master called him Jesus. What a day this was. What a wonderful day this was, and to think that the Master Jesus had chosen him, just a little colt.

Well, now I ask you, what donkey, colt or grown up donkey, ever had a more important job than Benjamin. Little donkeys or colts can have big jobs, really important jobs if they are only patient and are willing to wait for the right time and opportunity. That's the same way it is with boys and girls. Sometimes I hear boys and girls say that they are too little to do things for Jesus. They think that only their mothers and fathers can lielp Jesus but that is not right, is it? Think what a terrible day it would have been for Jesus if Benjamin had not been ready. So even if you are little, God will find some special thing for you to do to help Him tell others about the Lord Jesus. Then some day you will feel as good as Benjamin felt.