Pablo is a Very Important Donkey

A Short Story

It was a beautiful Spring morning. The flowers were blooming and the leaves on the trees had returned. The cooler weather was just a memory to him. He loved the warmth of the sun on his back. The cooler weather of winter is not much fun when you sleep outside like he does. He is not homeless but his master refuses to let him in the house. It is probably the best that he stay outside anyway. The last time he got into the house, he left a mess on the floor and his master was not happy with him at all. So he stays outside even when it is cold or raining. He was tough enough to handle it, so he could not get mad at his master. He wasn't worried about anything. His mother was tied up beside him.

His name was Pablo. He was a young Spanish donkey. Even though he had a master, he had never been ridden, beaten, or put to work in the fields. Although he was so young, he was proud to be a donkey. He knew that people tended to look down on donkeys. Donkeys don't have the good reputation that some other animals have. Donkeys are considered to low in value. They aren't good for anything other than for transportation or for use in the fields for plowing.

But Pablo had some pride. He knew that throughout the centuries, there had been some donkeys that played important roles in history. Centuries ago, there had been a prophet named Balaam who had a talking donkey. It was the only donkey in the history of the world that had ever been able to talk. The patriarch Abraham had taken a donkey with him when God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The donkey had carried the load of wood to be used on the altar.

Pablo was not entirely sure about this, but he had heard stories that Mary, the mother of Jesus had ridden a donkey to Bethlehem when she was pregnant with Jesus. That was just a rumor, but it did make sense. She would have had trouble walking that distance while being nine months pregnant. He had overheard the talks that his master had with his neighbors about Jesus. Some people said that he was a miracle worker. Some said that he was the coming Messiah. Others said that he was a fake prophet who faked the miracles. The word on the street was that the leaders of the Temple were seeking to arrest him and put him to death. Everyone in the country was talking about him even though no one could agree on whether he was the real Messiah or just a conman. Everyone had a opinion on the subject.

Pablo was sure that one day, he would get his chance to take his place in history. He would do something important. Everyone would know his name. It helped that, at least in his own mind, he was a rather handsome young donkey. Of course, his brothers and sisters all laughed at his ideas. Pablo did not come from an important family of donkeys. After all, they had been born and raised near a pig sty. His family was not anyone important. As far as his brothers and sisters were concerned, Pablo could dream about being the king of Israel. That was not going to happen and neither was anything else important going to happen in Pablo’s life.

There seemed to be something important going on nearby today. Pablo could hear the rumblings of loud talking and yelling not too far away. He started looking around to see what the uproar was about. He saw two men walking down the street looking all around. Maybe these men would know what situation was. The man on the left said to the other one, "Look. There are the two donkeys right where the Lord said they would be."

The men walked towards Pablo. Pablo felt confused as the men got closer. They apparently knew that he and his mother would be tied up right there. How is that possible? One man walked up to him and started untying his rope while the other one untied his mother. Pablo reared back so that the rope pulled tight. Pablo was a little afraid of these men. He had no idea who they were. He brayed loudly in fear. Pablo knew how to bray as loud as any donkey in Jerusalem.

His master heard the noise and came out to check on Pablo and his mother. His master would protect Pablo from these strangers. His master asked them, "Where are you going with my donkeys?"

The man on the left side answered, "The Lord has need of these donkeys immediately. We are taking them to him."

Pablo's master replied, "Okay. Take them then. Just bring them back when the Lord is finished with them."

The men left walking away with just a nod to the Master, leading the donkeys by their ropes. The very confused Pablo had no choice but to allow the men to lead him and his mother away from their home.

They walked down several city streets. As they walked along, the roar of the nearby crowd grew louder. Pablo was worried about what he was about to get into. He hoped that it wasn't a riot or revolution. A handsome young donkey could get killed that way. At least he had his mother along to protect him from any danger.

They walked through the city gates to outside the city. He saw a large crowd of people standing around talking. So, this was where all of the loud noises were coming from. Pablo thought that there must be several hundred people filling the streets. What is going on here? The people there seemed excited. They were all talking loudly, trying to talk over the roar of voices. The two men didn't seem worried. They led the two donkeys right through the crowd.

The men walked up to a man standing there outside the gate to the city. He was quietly and calmly standing with a number of other people. Pablo wondered who this man was. Why wasn't he excited like the rest of the crowd?

One of the men spoke up, "Lord, we found the donkeys right where you said they would be."

Pablo thought to himself, "This must be the Lord that the men were talking about who needed us. What could he want with us?"

The man, that the two men were calling the Lord, approached the donkeys. Some of the people in the crowd rushed forward and placed their cloaks across the donkeys. The man they called the Lord sat on the cloaks draped across the two donkeys so that he could ride in comfort. Many other people placed tree branches and their cloaks on the road leading into the city. Pablo was not sure about having this man ride on his and his mother's backs.

The people immediately began shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!"

Even more people from the city came running up asking what was going on. They had been attracted by the great noise. They were asking, "Who is this man? Is he someone important?"

The crowds shouted back in answer to their questions, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee."

Pablo immediately raised his head in pride. This was the Jesus that everyone in the city had been discussing for months. Some people said that he might even be the Messiah. And he had chosen Pablo and his mother to carry him for his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. No one could ever look at Pablo again and think of him as a lowly donkey. He had been chosen by the Messiah to carry him into Jerusalem all the way to the Temple. Pablo was no longer a Nobody. He was someone important.

Carl B. Seay / April 9, 2026