Week 12
Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Jesus’ entire life was humiliating from the perspective of the world that is obsessed with power and prestige. If one studies where and how Jesus was born, one will discover no palace and no kingly entourage. He was not born into political and religious power and privilege; rather, Jesus was born and lived in poverty and obscurity.
And this applies to Jesus’ messianic ministry and kingdom. His messianic promise was not political or representative of power, but He was humble and gentle of heart (Matthew 11:29). His was and is a kingdom of love and truth. John said well in John 1:17 “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” This world will never know grace and truth except through Jesus and His saving work in His kingdom.
It is no wonder that the daughters of Zion rise in praise to their marvelous Messiah, the Lord Jesus. They do in triumph and joy shout His praise, for Jesus comes to them; He comes to them, and He comes to us. Jesus, the Messiah comes in justice, endowed with salvation and humility, according to our text. Jesus is “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and even the little children felt safe in His arms, and Jesus was pleased to “place His hands on them and bless them” (Mark 10:13-16). Safe is any soul in the arms and tender care of Jesus!
And yet, there is power here in the messianic work of Jesus; there is power to save, forgive sins, and transform lives into beautiful expressions of God’s creative work. God created our physical bodies, and through salvation in Jesus He creates a sweet and noble heart and life, pure and precious in God’s sight. The world does not understand this kind of power. This is not the power of oppression and coercion; this is the power of LOVE and GRACE.
Therefore, we join the daughters of Zion in praise of Jesus, our precious Messiah! We extol Him as our Savior and worthy Lord. We join in the happy chorus of the angels who welcomed His birth, and by God’s grace, we will join the joyful band in glory to lift Him high in worship forever and ever. This is the JOY AND HOPE OF THE WORLD!
Prayer: Dear Lord, please grant today that we can see through the fog and mist of distractions to see the beauty and wonder of our blessed Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ. May this day bear witness to our faith in Him and our praise to Him. And as we live our lives and face the conundrums and complexities of living in a fallen world, may our hope be in Jesus and His salvation and kingdom ALONE. Amen.