Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
Don’t be afraid! Jesus is coming! And He is coming in peace. He tells us Jesus did this to fulfill prophesy. In the center of all the pageantry and fanfare, Jesus made an important distinction by riding a donkey’s colt into Jerusalem. The conquering kings of the day could either ride a horse or a donkey’s colt on the day they were inaugurated. If the rode a horse they were declaring they were coming as a conqueror and with oppression in mind. It was a declaration that they were holding the entire population responsible for the conflict the two regions had just been in. They were letting everyone know they were the boss and things were going to be their way from now on. If they chose the colt they were declaring their peaceful intentions. This was saying they understood it was bad leadership that had caused them to be in conflict with the new King. They were establishing themselves as a benevolent leader; one who would look out for the people’s interest. Jesus’ message to us is that He knows it is the god of this world who is His enemy. He is telling us that He has come with our liberation in mind. This is how Jesus announced Himself to Jerusalem. He came on a humble donkey not a war horse.
Let’s thank God for coming in peace. On the day His people yelled for a conquering Savior Jesus established Himself as the King of Peace. He came to reconcile us to Him not to judge us. (See John 3:16-17 and 2 Corinthians 5:19) We can be glad that He is patient with us. We can let our gratitude spill onto those around us. Let’s represent the peace that Jesus came in. Let’s proclaim the Good News: He came in PEACE!
Thankful for His Peace,
Pastor Jason
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