Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Judah had been conquered by Babylon. The knew kings did not ride “the foal of a donkey.” They knew most kings were short on humility. As they returned to their land, it is unlikely that this was the kind of King that they wanted to come home to. How in the world could such a king make things right and bring salvation? They were too shortsighted.
“The great crowd that had come for the festival [Passover] heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!’ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.'” (John 12:12-15, NIV 1984). In a few short days the shouts of “blessed is he” would be replaced by “crucify him!” They did not want righteousness, they wanted vengeance. They did not want salvation, they wanted deliverance. They did not want a humble king, the wanted a champion. They wanted a king riding on a stallion, not a “donkey’s colt.“
My Advice – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11, 14-16, NIV 1984).
We have a choice of which King we face. “Righteous and having salvation…humble and mounted on a donkey” or one on a “white horse” treading “the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” Accept Him and find salvation or reject Him as they did long ago and incur His wrath. Do we really want to face the King riding on a stallion? We should make the righteous choice.
The Brew Is A Musing 