Sunday
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.
(Zechariah 9:9-10, NIV)
Zechariah was born in Babylon during the period of exile and is one of the Jews who returned to Judah in 538 B.C. under the leadership of Zerubbabel. He was not only a prophet, like his contemporary Haggai, he was also a priest. In fact, he eventually became head of the priestly family.
The central themes of Zechariah’s recorded prophecies concern rebuking Judah for her sins and encouraging her citizens to complete the rebuilding of the Temple. The book ends with two prophetic oracles describing the exciting messianic future and the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Today’s verses, which are a part of the first oracle concerning the birth and subsequent rejection of the Messiah, present a picture of Jesus, the gentle king, who rides not on a powerful horse of war, but on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus is a King who is not only gentle, but righteous, and one who brings salvation.
As the prophet Zechariah draws out this picture of King Jesus, note what the gentle king does. He destroys the implements of war and proclaims peace to the nations. For the Jews in the sixth century before Christ, struggling for their survival following their release from captivity in Babylon, this must have been a strange prophecy to hear from a priest. Yet, as we now know, these words were true. Jesus, the gentle king, who wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), did indeed ride into that city on a donkey (John 12:12-19). This is the same king who came to proclaim shalom and to bring an end to war.
Prayer
Lord God, we thank you for the prophets of old, who gave your people hope in a time of trouble and who help us to understand who King Jesus was and is. We praise you, Jesus, our gentle king. Help us to be your agents for proclaiming shalom in our time. Amen.