Your King Comes to You
Zechariah 9v9-10
26th March 2021
The prophet Zechariah, writing nearly 500 years before Jesus's earthly ministry, said:
Zechariah 9v9-10
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the war-horses from Jerusalem,
and the battle-bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
This passage is partially quoted in both Matthew 21:5 and John 12:12, to show that it was fulfilled in the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on what we now know as Palm Sunday, in the year 30 AD.
The daughters of Zion, and indeed the sons, rejoiced when Jesus rode into town. The phrase "Daughter of Zion" just means all the inhabitants of the city. They knew Zechariah's prophecy. They realised what was happening. They shouted and cheered, and laid down their cloaks on the road in front of Him. They cut branches off the nearby palm trees and laid them on the road as well. I hope the town council didn't prosecute them for criminal damage. They acknowledged Jesus as Messiah and King, shouting "Hosanna to the Son of David".
Zechariah's prophecy had told them, and still tells us, several things about Jesus.
Firstly: Jesus is righteous. Jesus was the only man who never did anything wrong. He never did evil. He never thought evil. He was absolutely good. He had no malice, no selfishness, no laziness, no impurity of any kind. He always forgave. He always loved. And He is our example.
Secondly: Jesus came having salvation. The new version of the NIV has "victorious" here, but I think that's a mistake. The ideas are related, though. To save a city or a people, victory in battle is often necessary. God had saved Jesus from His persecutors up to the time appointed time for Him to lay down His life. And when He laid down His life in a few days' time, God would save Him by raising Him from the dead. And Jesus offers salvation to each of us, though His atoning sacrifice on the cross.
Thirdly: Jesus was gentle. The new NIV has "lowly" here and the ESV has "humble". They're all correct. Jesus rode into His own capital city, and visited His own temple, with a humble, meek attitude. Jesus is the conquering King, but He conquered meekly and humbly. He rode a donkey, a symbol of humility, and the donkey didn't even have a saddle. The people had to put cloaks on it to make it more comfortable for Him to ride.
This prophecy says two more things.
It says "I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations." God promised to bring peace on earth through Jesus. You'll remember the celebration of the angels on the hills above Bethlehem when Jesus was born:
Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.
That has been fulfilled in one sense, and it remains to be fulfilled in another sense.
It has been fulfilled in the heart of every believer. Through faith in the forgiveness that comes through the redeeming blood of Christ, every Christian has peace with God. The sin which separated us from Him has been paid for, and the record of our wrongdoing has been buried for ever in the depths of the sea. Having peace with God means we can have peace with ourselves. Since God has forgiven us, we can forgive ourselves. Since God accepts us, we can accept ourselves. Since God has justified us, we don't need to justify ourselves, to anybody, ever. Since we have peace with God and with ourselves, we can be at peace with other people. We don't need to prove anything. We don't need to stand up for ourselves. We don't need to criticise, or gossip, or complain. We can accept others as they are, because God has accepted us as we are.
All Christians should be men and women of peace. And every church should be a community of peace. And when we remember who Jesus is and what He's done for us, it's easy to be a community of peace.
But in another sense this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. God has proclaimed peace to the nations, but the nations have not responded by choosing peace. War has not yet come to an end. Nations still takes up arms against other nations. There is still civil strife within nations. Even neighbours can be at war with # each other, making them both miserable.
I hope you've chosen peace. I think I have. I hope you and I choose to be at peace with everybody, all the time. We are, after all, followers of the Prince of Peace. If you're angry, unforgiving or unkind towards your neighbour, or even your brother or sister in Christ, I hope you'll choose today to live in peace instead.
Wars still rage around the world, people are still killed, imprisoned, tortured and raped. But one day all this will end. One day, they'll be no war horses or battle bows. They'll be no tanks or warships, no bombers or fighter planes, no nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. This prophecy, which is in both Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3 will come true:
He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more.
This will come true because, as Zechariah promises, His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Jesus is the ruler of the universe. God is faithful and His word is true.