Interestingly, I went with a group on a good news outing to a village a couple hours from here yesterday. The kind of off-the-beaten-track place where I hold out my hand to greet a flock of 3 year olds and they scatter in petrified fear, eye-ing the 'Nasarawa' with terror. As my partner shared something about the Prince of Peace, he illustrated by pointing to a passing donkey, "When you see donkeys, you know the village is at peace. But if horses are present, you know there's an issue." I had to interrupt him to ask what he meant, but he and his listener both understood it: before cars, horses were the means that colonial and even tribal officials would use to inspect a village, collect taxes, etc. One of them commented that often at the sight of horses, townspeople would hide or be afraid. But, "Donkeys," he said, "Are a sign of peace." He wasn't even talking about the Triumphal Entry, just illustrating his point about peace.
Interestingly, I went with a group on a good news outing to a village a couple hours from here yesterday. The kind of off-the-beaten-track place where I hold out my hand to greet a flock of 3 year olds and they scatter in petrified fear, eye-ing the 'Nasarawa' with terror. As my partner shared something about the Prince of Peace, he illustrated by pointing to a passing donkey, "When you see donkeys, you know the village is at peace. But if horses are present, you know there's an issue." I had to interrupt him to ask what he meant, but he and his listener both understood it: before cars, horses were the means that colonial and even tribal officials would use to inspect a village, collect taxes, etc. One of them commented that often at the sight of horses, townspeople would hide or be afraid. But, "Donkeys," he said, "Are a sign of peace." He wasn't even talking about the Triumphal Entry, just illustrating his point about peace.

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