Zechariah 9:9 - Palm Sunday and the Triumphant Procession.
Zechariah 9:9 (NLT) Rejoice, O people of
Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!
Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous
and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a
donkey - riding on a donkeys colt.
INTRODUCTION
The triumphal entry of Jesus riding into
Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) was predicted here more
than 500 years before it happened. Just as this
prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus came to earth, so
the prophecies of his second coming are just as
certain to come true. We are to be ready for his
return, for he is coming! [Life Application SB]
Five hundred years before the birth of
Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus foretold the
coming of the King to Israel Never before had
the world seen such a triumphal procession No
train of mourning captives, as trophies of kingly
valor, made a feature of that scene. But about the
Saviour were the glorious trophies of His labors of
love for sinful man. There were the captives whom
He had rescued from Satans power, praising
God for their deliverance. [Remnant SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Five hundred years before the birth of
Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus foretold the
coming of the King to Israel. This prophecy is now
to be fulfilled. He who has so long refused
royal honors now comes to Jerusalem as the
promised heir to Davids throne.
It was on the first day of the week that
Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Multitudes who had flocked to see Him at Bethany now
accompanied Him, eager to witness His reception. Many
people were on their way to the city to keep the
Passover, and these joined the multitude attending
Jesus. All nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were
clothed with verdure, and their blossoms shed a
delicate fragrance on the air. A new life and joy
animated the people. The hope of the new kingdom was
again springing up.
Purposing to ride into Jerusalem, Jesus
had sent two of His disciples to bring to Him an
ass and its colt. At His birth the Saviour was
dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. The
manger in which He lay was a borrowed resting
place. Now, although the cattle on a thousand hills
are His, He is dependent on a strangers
kindness for an animal on which to enter Jerusalem as
its King. But again His divinity is revealed,
even in the minute directions given His disciples
for this errand. DA569
As the silenced Pharisees drew back, the
words of Zechariah were taken up by hundreds of
voices: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the
foal of an ass.
When the procession reached the brow of
the hill, and was about to descend into the
city, Jesus halted, and all the multitude with
Him. Before them lay Jerusalem in its glory, now
bathed in the light of the declining sun. The
temple attracted all eyes. In stately grandeur it
towered above all else, seeming to point toward
heaven as if directing the people to the only true
and living God. The temple had long been the
pride and glory of the Jewish nation. The Romans
also prided themselves in its magnificence. A
king appointed by the Romans had united with the
Jews to rebuild and embellish it, and the emperor
of Rome had enriched it with his gifts. Its
strength, richness, and magnificence had made it one
of the wonders of the world.
While the westering sun was tinting and
gilding the heavens, its resplendent glory lighted
up the pure white marble of the temple walls,
and sparkled on its gold-capped pillars. From
the crest of the hill where Jesus and His
followers stood, it had the appearance of a massive
structure of snow, set with golden pinnacles. At the
entrance to the temple was a vine of gold and silver,
with green leaves and massive clusters of grapes
executed by the most skillful artists. This design
represented Israel as a prosperous vine. The gold,
silver, and living green were combined with rare
taste and exquisite workmanship; as it twined
gracefully about the white and glistening pillars,
clinging with shining tendrils to their golden
ornaments, it caught the splendor of the setting sun,
shining as if with a glory borrowed from heaven.
Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast
multitude hush their shouts, spellbound by the sudden
vision of beauty. All eyes turn upon the Saviour,
expecting to see in His countenance the admiration
they themselves feel. But instead of this they
behold a cloud of sorrow. They are surprised and
disappointed to see His eyes fill with tears, and His
body rock to and fro like a tree before the
tempest, while a wail of anguish bursts from His
quivering lips, as if from the depths of a broken
heart. What a sight was this for angels to behold!
their loved Commander in an agony of tears! What a
sight was this for the glad throng that with
shouts of triumph and the waving of palm branches
were escorting Him to the glorious city, where
they fondly hoped He was about to reign! DA575
COMMENTARY
The Conquering King
Often when Jesus performed a miracle, He
would say something like this: Dont tell
anyone. My time has not yet come.
But ultimately, His time did come, the
time for Him to go and voluntarily die on the
cross. And on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday,
Jesus did something that we might call a real
attention-getter: He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Now, it may seem odd to us that Jesus
rode into Jerusalem on what we think of as a
humble creature. From our perspective, perhaps an
Arabian stallion would have been more appropriate.
However, the meaning was not lost on the
Romans or the Jews. It was a perfect choice. In
Roman culture, a hero returning victoriously from
war would ride in on a donkey as the crowd laid
out palm branches before him. For the Romans,
Jesus effectively was declaring Himself a king.
Also, the Jews knew that when the Messiah
came, He would be riding on a donkey. Speaking
through the prophet Zechariah, God said, Rejoice,
O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people
of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious, yet he is
humble, riding on a donkey"riding on a donkeys
colt (Zechariah 9:9 NLT).
This was something very significant, and
the people understood it. Add to this the fact
that Jesus was a wanted man. There was a price on
his head. The leading priests and Pharisees had
said that if anyone knew where Jesus was, they
should report it immediately.
Jesus was playing His hand, if you will.
To the Romans, He was declaring Himself as a
conqueror. And to the Jews, He was declaring Himself as
the Messiah. Jesus didnt enter Jerusalem as a
helpless victim. He arrived as a powerful victor,
marching bravely into battle. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
TEXTS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 21:5 (NKJV) "Tell the daughter of
Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly,
and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a
donkey.' "
John 12:15 (NKJV) "Fear not, daughter of
Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a
donkey's colt."
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