April 10th, 2025
"Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
We are approaching what many Christians call "Passion Week" or simply, the days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. What was Jesus passionate about? He was on a mission from God to finish the task set before Him. He submitted Himself wholly and completely to the plan of salvation, a plan that would lead Him directly to the cross of Calvary.
Just about one week out before our Lord would be led through the shame and torture of the Roman guards, Christ makes a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Our passage in Zechariah prophesied of this exact event approximately 500 years before Jesus was even born. It was the Father's great plan that He would unveil the everlasting King of Israel right before their very eyes. However, God made it a point to showcase Christ in a very specific manner. That is, the Lord Jesus entering Jerusalem riding upon a donkey.
Now, we might be inclined to think that the idea of a donkey is meant to symbolize some kind of meekness or lowliness. However, when we read the Bible we see that donkey's could be a typical animal for a king to use. In 2 Samuel chapter 16, King David is seen to be using donkeys for his mode of transportation. Therefore, it's not that the donkey is a shameful or despised animal for a king to ride upon. It is simply that a donkey always communicated to the people a sign of peace rather than war. If a king were to enter town riding upon chariots or horses, we would see a conquering warrior in that king. This would be a king who gains his victory by the sword and with militant violence. As you can already tell, our Jesus never entered Jerusalem in any such way, or at least, not directly in that manner.
By choosing to ride the donkey, our Lord was declaring that the true and ultimate war would be over. Rather than being the king who would destroy all of Israel's enemies upon chariots of fire, Jesus rode upon His donkey as the prince of peace. At that time, everyone wanted the messiah to wage a literal war against the evil and corrupt nations that stood against Israel. However, what Jesus was most concerned with was a greater war; a war that was corrupting the soul of all humanity. Because of this, Jesus Christ came with a spiritual sword to eliminate the dominating power of sin once and for all.
The Father sent Jesus Christ as the mediator of perfect peace for our sake. While you and I stood as enemies of God, losing the battle to sin every day, Jesus Christ entered onto the scene. He purchased peace not by slaughtering literal enemies, but by giving His own life as a sacrifice. With His own body He cancelled the charge of the debt we owed that condemned us every day; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross of Calvary. And through this great act of redemption, He disarmed the powers of darkness and triumphed over them by the power of His own blood (Colossians 2:14-15). We serve a lowly and humble King who abandoned His glory just to die for us. Because of His gracious sacrifice, we can have peace with God (Romans 5:1).
While many take this salvation gift for granted each day, true believers must honour the Saviour every chance we get. We encourage you to thank God for the cross today. Thank Him for redeeming and reconciling you. Thank Him for enduring such pain and agony for your sake. Thank Him for saving your life.