Behold, your king is coming to you
Zechariah 9:9 A prophetic look at the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9 NASB1995
The Lord loves to lead me in unexpected directions. Today, He chose a verse from one of the minor Hebrew prophets, Zechariah, who lived and prophesied in the 6th century BC. It’s not just any verse; it’s the single verse that describes the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, now celebrated by Christians on Palm Sunday.
In writing these devotionals, I find that I always learn something new. Now, I was always under the impression that Jesus — the Messiah-King — rode the donkey into Jerusalem as a symbol of His humility. However, that impression was corrected when I found out that a donkey was the traditional mount for royalty entering a city or town in peace. A general of an army would ride a stallion into a recently conquered city, but a king would usually ride a donkey.
In this case, it is not only a donkey, but “a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This peculiar wording (עַיִר, ʿayir) appears to indicate that not only is the donkey young, vigorous, and capable of bearing a load, but that it is a purebred beast of burden from a line fit for kings.
There was another reason that Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a horse. Adam Clarke noted that:
“God had commanded the kings of Israel not to multiply horses. The kings who broke this command were miserable themselves, and scourgers to their people. Jesus came to fulfill the law. Had he in his title of king rode upon a horse, it would have been a breach of a positive command of God; therefore he rode upon an ass.” 1
God issues this command to His chosen people in Deuteronomy 17:16, and Jesus — who came to fulfill the law — is following that command.
The foreshadowing of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem makes up the beginning of today’s verse: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!” This joyful procession is described in detail in Matthew 21, when Jesus presents Himself as Messiah to Jerusalem and the people of Israel.
The occupying Roman forces in Jerusalem wouldn’t have been impressed. From Enduring Word:
i. Though the triumphal entry was a joyful celebration, a Roman spectator would wonder what was so triumphal about this entry. It didn’t compare at all to the kind of parade Julius Caesar had when he came back to Rome from Gaul. Then there was a parade that lasted three days as he displayed all the captives and booty he brought back. In contrast to this, the procession of Jesus must have seemed pretty humble, and this showed that Jesus was a different kind of King.
Our Lord and Savior demonstrated both His status as the King of Kings and His perfect humility in entering Jerusalem. I conclude today’s devotional with this statement about humility from Charles Spurgeon:
“Brethren, let us be lowly. Did I hear one say, ‘Well, I will try to be lowly’? You cannot do it in that way. We must not try to act the lowly part; we must be lowly, and then we shall naturally act in a humble manner. It is astonishing how much of pride there is in the most modest.”2
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:
Heavenly Father, I rejoice greatly for Jesus, my wonderful Saviour. Thank You that He was prepared, before the foundation of the world, to be slain for my sins and for the sins the whole world. Thank You that Your Word of truth wrote history in advance so that we would know that Jesus is the Son of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Thank You that one day the nation of Israel will once again shout out in tearful praise and joyful thanks, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Commentary quoted from Enduring Word with the written permission of the author.
Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 4 (Isaiah-Malachi) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1827)
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)