"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." - Zechariah 9:9
This is a direct prophecy of Christ's triumphant Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem. Israel had been without a king for nearly 500 years from the point that Zechariah wrote this prophecy. Within the prophecy to the church of Zion and Jerusalem God clearly communicates that a new King is coming and will be riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.
A few things to note:
1) God will once again provide a King for Israel after years of silence.
2) This King will be anointed by God and placed into power with salvation and righteousness
3) The king the people were desiring was of this world, and Christ is of future
Is it any wonder that the people lined the streets during that triumphant entry to lay palm branches before Him in an act of worshipping their new King. The rulers of the day certainly saw this act of homage to Christ and took insult from it, thereby fueling their anger and hatred towards him. So, thinking this through - the rulers (studied in the scriptures and prophecy) refuse to accept Him; yet the masses (traditionally less studied) follow the prophecy, recognize their new King and rejoice. Was God stimulating the excitement amongst the masses, and likewise stimulating the bitterness amongst the rulers?
Have you ever considered why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey?
Is it any wonder that the people lined the streets during that triumphant entry to lay palm branches before Him in an act of worshipping their new King. The rulers of the day certainly saw this act of homage to Christ and took insult from it, thereby fueling their anger and hatred towards him. So, thinking this through - the rulers (studied in the scriptures and prophecy) refuse to accept Him; yet the masses (traditionally less studied) follow the prophecy, recognize their new King and rejoice. Was God stimulating the excitement amongst the masses, and likewise stimulating the bitterness amongst the rulers?
Have you ever considered why Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey?
1) Peace - This would represent to the Jewish culture that a King or High Priest was entering the city in peace rather than riding a stallion indicating war
2) Humility - the donkey was the simplest of animals
3) Blatantly making a statement to fulfill the prophecy - the students of prophecy in that day would quickly recognize the Messiah entering Jerusalem riding a donkey
Five hundred years pass between the prophecy and the fulfillment. The fulfillment once again was exact in nature and out of the control of the masses. God's planning was impeccable and on His schedule, not man's. Let us not forget that there will come a day when Jesus will return upon a white horse and rid the world of evil. We need to consider this as we think about the future plans from the Creator.
Five hundred years pass between the prophecy and the fulfillment. The fulfillment once again was exact in nature and out of the control of the masses. God's planning was impeccable and on His schedule, not man's. Let us not forget that there will come a day when Jesus will return upon a white horse and rid the world of evil. We need to consider this as we think about the future plans from the Creator.
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