Joseph, Jesus' father, owned a donkey. [1] Mary rode to Bethlehem on the donkey. [2] Greeks and Romans looked down upon riders of an ass or the colt of an ass. [3] Jesus would not enter Jerusalem as a man on horseback, but he was willing to enter peacefully and with good will as the Son of Man on a donkey. [4] Kings on mission of peace rode upon a donkey. [5]