Winner of the 1997 James Laughlin Award of The Academy of American Poets In Donkey Gospel, his second collection of poems, Hoagland's generous effervescence and a jujitsu cleverness sparkle through line after line confronting negotiation and compromise, gender and culture, sex and rock music, sons and lovers, truth and beauty, and so forth. From the boy who speaks only in "Kung Fu" dialogue to the guy who visits a lesbian bar and sees his mother, this often funny and always thoughtful book of poems offers fresh, surprisingly frank meditations on the credentials for contemporary manhood.

"Davey the donkey was never chosen to do anything, until the day he found himself carrying the King. After that, he felt proud of himself, until he saw what the King had to carry"--Page 4 of cover.

Katen was delighted when Jesus chose him to ride through Jerusalem. The young donkey and his mother not only experience the cheering crowds, but also to witness the crucifixion and resurrection.

Introduction. The authorship of the Gospel ; The Gospel's sources ; How the author handled his sources ; From eyewitnesses to Matthew's sources ; The date of the Gospel of Matthew ; The provenance of the Gospel of Matthew ; What kind of document did Matthew think he was writing? ; The state of the Gospel text ; Elements of Matthew's narrative technique ; Matthew's use of the OT ; Matthew's use of other Jewish tradition -- Commentary. The stock from which Jesus comes, and its history (1:1-17) ; Infancy (1:18-2:23) ; John proclaiming in the wilderness (3:1-12) ; Preparation (3:13-4:12) ; Establishing his ministry (4:13-25) ; Sermon on the Mount (5:1-8:1) ; Jesus on the move in ministry (8:[1]2-9:34) ; Workers for the harvest (9:35-11:1) ; Seeing clearly and relating rightly to God's present agenda (11:2-30) ; Conflict with the Pharisees (12:1-50) ; Parables of the kingdom (13:1-53) ; Jesus interpreted, but also rejected (13:53[54]-16:20) ; Anticipating a future through suffering and beyond (16:1-17:20) ; Status and behaviour in the 'royal family' (17:22-18:35) -- Family and possessions in view of the kingdom (19:1-20:16) ; Redefining greatness, Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die : Jericho, Bethphage, entry into Jerusalem (20:17-21:11) ; Provocative ministry in Jerusalem (21:12-46) ; Jesus silences the leaders who are his opponents (22:1-46) ; Jesus criticises the scribes and Pharisees (23:1-39) ; The shape of the future (24:1-25:46) ; The Passion account (26:1-27:66) ; Resurrection and commissioning (28:1-20).

One week after carrying Jesus into Jerusalem, Dave the donkey learns about His death and resurrection.

Jesus had little patience with institutional religion that cared for its own needs while neglecting the plight of ordinary people. In one of his most famous parables, he sets up as a model of Christian behavior a man who, unlike some religious folks, actually gets down off his donkey and helps a person in dire need. With energy and enthusiasm, Reggie McNeal calls believers to dismount, get down and dirty, and live a life that makes a difference. He shows readers how to recalibrate their spiritual efforts to move from church-centric service to greater community engagement in order to do their essential part in creating a world worth living in. McNeal also shows readers that helping others actually helps the one doing the service just as much as the one being served. In fact, serving is the very best way to learn about yourself and grow spiritually. Anyone who longs to have the impact on the world that Jesus did will love this provocative and inspirational message.

"The English translation at the beginning of each section is France's own, designed to provide the basis for the commentary. This adept translation uses contemporary idioms and, where necessary, gives priority to clarity over literary elegance." -- BOOK JACKET.