Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is righteous and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9After Jesus said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mountain that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent left and found it just as He had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. Now as He was going, they were spreading their cloaks on the road. And as soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:
“Blessed is the King, the One who comes in the name of the Lord;
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And yet some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!” Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”
Luke 19"28–40
My reading this week will focus on what is often referred to as Holy Week, the week prior to and leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
My hope is to glean at least one thing from the Scriptures of each day. So here goes.
Here we have the Triumphal Entry. A couple things stand out to me. First, the Old Testament prophecy and fulfillment. Zechariah, writing in 520 B.C., foretells exactly that Jesus would be riding a donkey, a sign of a peaceful coming, not a violent overthrow. Jesus came in peace. He brings peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!” 2 Thessalonians 3:16.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:5–7
Am I looking to Him for peace in my life? Are you?
Second, the reception Jesus receives. They are laying their cloaks on the ground as the donkey carrying Jesus makes his way. It’s like a royal carpet. Like a sort of “red carpet” treatment. And the crowd is so enthusiastic. One pictures throngs of people jubilantly welcoming Jesus. It really is like a visiting king. Royalty has come to town.
But how is that going for me? I’ll admit that the routine and mundane nature of life can so overtake me that I don’t really wake up thinking about greeting King Jesus each morning as the King of Glory, and my King!
This Holy Week I’m asking God to rejuvenate in me that wonder of His providential care for the details (like the Zechariah fulfillment) of my life. And peace. I will be praying that Jesus will be my peace. May I look to Him to settle my life in Him. Last,I want/need Jesus to refresh in me by His Spirit the awe that hey, the King of Glory who watches over me 24/7 is in my life. Every day. All the time. May I welcome him as Royalty, because He is.
