Jesus was a king on a donkey

JESUS WAS A KING ON A DONKEY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Zechariah 9:9 New InternationalVersion(NIV)
The Coming of Zion’s King
Rejoicegreatly, 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.
BIBLEHUR RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Ideal King
Zechariah 9:9

W. Forsyth
I. BEAUTIFUL VISION. Poets in rapt moments have had glimpses of the
highest (Psalm45:72). The character, the life and work of a true King, have
passedbefore them as things fair to see. But where is the reality? "Find me
the true king or able man, and he has a Divine right over me" (Carlyle).
II. PASSIONATE LONGING. The heart yearns for what is best. The need
presses. Circumstances now and againarise that intensify the feeling and the
cry. There is so much to be done - evils to remove, wrongs to be redressed,
rights and liberties to be secured. Oh for the coming of the true King! "What
he tells us to do must be preciselywisest, fittest, that we can anywhere or
anyhow learn, the thing which it will in all ways behove us, with right loyal
thankfulness and nothing doubting, to do. Our doing and life were then, so far
as government would regulate them, wellregulated" (Carlyle).
III. IMMORTAL HOPE. There have been kings, good, bad, and indifferent.
Some began well, but did little. The best have come far short of the highest
standard. The true King "not yet." Still hope. Faith in the possibilities of
human nature; above all, faith in the promise of God.
"Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good....
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The largerheart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land.
Ring in the Christ that is to be." F.

Biblical Illustrator
Thy King cometh unto thee; He is just and having salvation
Zechariah 9:9, 10
Palm Sunday
H. H. Gower.
This prophecy was generallyrecognisedby the Jews as referring to the
Messiah. Firstof all, prophecy spoke only of Messiah's glory. It was not until
the era of the Captivity that we find Christ spokenof as the Man afflicted and
stricken, the Hind pursued by the buffaloes and dogs, the King lowly, and
riding upon an ass. When the prophet declaredthat Messiahshould come
riding upon an ass, it was takenas an indication that He should be a prophet-
King. In the Talmud it is said for this reasonthat to dream of an ass is to
dream of the coming of salvation. To the Gentiles this, like other features of
our Lord's work, was a constantsubject of mockery. The PersianKing,
Sapor, promised the rabbis that when their Messiahcame who should ride
upon an ass, he would send Him a horse. It was a common scoffamong the
Mohammedans that whereas Mohammedwas "the rider upon a camel,"

Christ was "thatrider upon an ass." Christonly entered Jerusalemriding on
an ass, to bring before us a necessaryillustration of His characterand office.
1. Though He was King of kings, yet He is the Lowly One. The Hebrew word
expresses the condition of a man who has been brought low by affliction and
sorrow, possessing in himself the fruit of this sorrow in lowliness and
submission of mind. In this sense the word is used of Moses, the "meekestof
men." Messiahis "strickenand afflicted." Our Lord applies this characterto
Himself, "I am meek and lowly in heart." And this trait must especially
distinguish all who follow Him into His kingdom.
2. Lowliness not only expressedthe characterofthe King, but the character
also of the kingship. The victory of Messiahis to be over the very things which
are esteemedmighty in the world. As in nature, the brute force of the beastis
conquered by the skill of man, and the forces ofmatter overcome by the
powerof mind, so in the kingdom of Christ all powers of body and mind are
subdued to the powerof the Spirit which is made perfect in human weakness.
All through the history of Israel, God's hand had thus been made manifest in
the casting down of strongholds. When, therefore, Jerusalemrejectedthe
Messiah, she became like the fallen powers which were before her, a powerof
this world, aiming at success by the world's methods, looking forward to the
world's splendour, and receiving the world's downfall for her reward. She
knew not the day of her visitation. Let us not indulge only in pity for the fallen
city which opposeditself so madly to the kingdom of Christ. The world —
even the Christian world — is very far from this subjection to the kingdom of
Christ. When we see how faintly Christian principles as yet influence the
policies of nations, our impatient spirit is filled with dismay. We are ready to
believe that Christianity has gained extensionat the costof intension, that
men have been made Christians at the costof Christianity, and that it had
been better if the conversionof Europe had been slowerrather than speedier.
If it be so, what remedy is there so effective and so apposite as the intension of
Christian claims upon ourselves, individually and now, the realisationnow of
the severe claimwhich Christianity makes upon the will and the life of eachof
us? A country is conquered by the capitulation of one castle afteranother;
even so Christ's kingdom comes by the yielding up of individual hearts. What
a glorious triumph we canmake for Christ in our hearts today! With hearts

bowed down in lowliestsense ofsin, emptied of all self-trust, filled with the
sense ofGod's love and pass on for the world, we shall be ready then to
receive the lowly King, and to be made partakers ofthe kingly spirit.
(H. H. Gower.)
The ideal monarch of the world
Homilist.
I. Here is a monarch, the ADVENT OF WHOM IS A MATTER FOR
RAPTUROUS JOY. "Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter
of Jerusalem." Christ's advent to the world was announcedby the gladsome
music of angelic choirs. "Gloryto God in the highest," etc. Why rejoice at His
advent? BecauseHe will —
1. Promote all the rights of mankind.
2. Remove all the calamities ofmankind.
II. Here is a monarch the DIGNITY OF WHOM IS UNAPPROACHED.
"Thy King cometh unto thee." "Thy King." Thou hastnever yet had a true
king, and there is no other true king for thee: this is "thy" King.
1. The King who alone has the absolute right to rule thee. Thou art His, His
property. All thy force, vitality, faculty, belong to Him.
2. The King who alone canremove thy evils and promote thy rights.
III. Here is a monarch the CHARACTER OF WHOM IS
UNEXCEPTIONABLYGOOD.
1. He is righteous. "He is just." The little word "just" comprehends all
virtues. He who is just to himself, just to his Maker, just to the universe, is the
perfection of excellence,is all that Heaven requires.
2. He is humble. "Lowly, and riding upon an ass." Where there is not genuine
humility there is no true greatness;it is essentialto true majesty. Pride is the

offspring of littleness, it is the contemptible production of a contemptible
mind.
IV. Here is a monarch the MISSION OF WHOM IS TRANSCENDENTLY
BENEFICENT.
1. It is remedial. "Having salvation." Salvation!What a comprehensive word,
deliverance from all evil, restorationto all good. Any one can destroy; God
alone can restore.
2. It is specific. "And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim," etc. He will put
an end to the "chariot," the "horse," the "battle bow," of war, and "speak
peace" to the nations. Peace!This is what the nations have always wanted.
War has been and still is the greatcurse of the nations.
V. Here is a monarch THE REIGN OF WHOM IS TO BE UNIVERSAL. The
language here employed was universally understood by the Jews as embracing
the whole world. He claims universal dominion, He deserves it, and will one
day have it. Learn —
1. The infinite goodness ofGod in offering the world such a King.
2. The amazing folly and wickedness ofman in not accepting this Divine offer.
(Homilist.)
The personaland officialcharacterof Messiah
Ralph Wardlaw, D. D.
I. ROYAL DIGNITY. "Thy king cometh unto thee." The designationis
emphatic. "Thy king," as if they had never had another. That royalty was to
pertain to the coming Messiahmight be shown from many predictions. He
was to "sit" on the throne of David forever. His being a king was anything but
an objection to the Jews. Butthe kind of royalty was not at all to their minds.
His kingdom was not to be "ofthis world." Its throne was not to be in this
world. He was born of royal lineage — born a King; though, strictly speaking,
His mediatorial reign did not commence till, having finished His work on

earth, the Father said to Him, "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thy
foes Thy footstool."
II. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF HIS CHARACTER AND
ADMINISTRATION. "He is just." The designationis to be understood as at
once personaland official: for, indeed, were there not the former, there could
be little reasonto count upon the latter. This attribute is frequently ascribed
to Him, as characterising Himself and His government. Jehovahcalls Him
"My righteous servant." His throne is founded in the very charter of
righteous ness. And His whole administration is conducted on the principles of
the purest and most unbending righteousness.
III. HIS SAVING GRACE AND POWER. "Having salvation." Salvationwas
the very object of His coming. "The Son of Man is come to save that which
was lost." The very design of His atonementwas to render salvationconsistent
with the claims of righteousness:so that Jehovahmight be "a just God and a
Saviour." When He had completedHis work, He was to "have salvation," not
only as being Himself delivered from death, but as possessing forbestowalon
mankind all the blessings of "salvation" — beginning in pardon and ending
in" life eternal."
IV. THE HUMILITY AND MEEKNESSOF HIS CHARACTER. "Lowly,
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." This attribute of
characterdistinguished His entire course;all His intercourse with men —
with His friends, and with His enemies. Even His triumphs were lowly —
"riding upon an ass";and not one that had been trained for the use of royalty,
but, as would appear, a rough unbroken colt. Although the ass was not the
very mean and despisedanimal there that it is with us, yet comparatively it
was so. The horse was the animal used in war; and consequently, in the
triumphal processions ofkings and conquerors;and on such occasions,
arrayed in costlyand elegantcaparisons.
V. THE MODE AND MEANS OF THE EXTENSION OF THE KINGDOM
CORRESPOND WITHITS SPIRITUAL NATURE. "I will cut off," etc. This,
at the coming of the Messiah, was literally true respecting the civil and
military powerof the Jewishpeople. At the very time when they were looking

for a Messiahwho was to break the yoke from off their neck, establishtheir
temporal freedom and power, and lead them on to universal conquest, their
powerwas finally overthrown and destroyed, their temple and city laid in
ashes, and them selves scatteredabroadamong all nations. Yet the kingdom
of the Messiahgrew and prospered. This itself showedits true nature. It was
not, as the Jews anticipated, to be a Jewishkingdom. It was to have subjects
among all peoples. And these subjects were not to be gainedfor Him with the
swordof steel, but by the "Swordof the Spirit," which is the Word of God.
His kingdom consistedofall, wherever His truth spread, whom that truth
made free — spiritually free. All thus made free come under willing and
happy subjectionto His gracious sceptre. Forcenevermade one subject of the
King of Zion.
VI. ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC OF HIS REIGN — "PEACE.""And
He shall speak peaceto the heathen." This is a feature of His reign frequently
celebrated. By His gospelHe speaks peace to sinners of mankind. There is no
exception.
VII. THE EXTENT OF HIS REIGN. The language employedhere was
universally understood by the Jews as embracing the whole world. In due
time, "the kingdom, of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of
His Christ."
(Ralph Wardlaw, D. D.)
The Saviour King
W. L. Alexander, D. D.
To us who read this prophecy in the light of its fulfilment in the advent and
work and glory of Christ, all is plain and clear. Notso much by our Lord's
particular actin riding into Jerusalemon the occasion, and in the manner
describedby the evangelists, as by that which, by this act, was symbolisedand
indicated, namely, His advent to empire, His coming to getfor Himself a
kingdom, His appearing as the Saviour and King of His Church, and His
gathering to Himself a people from among the nations, has this prediction

been fulfilled. He came in poverty and humiliation to lay the foundation of His
kingdom in obedience and sacrifice. It was from the field of sorrow and of
suffering that He ascendedto the throne. The crowncame after the Cross;the
humiliation precededthe glory. All things have been put under His feet, all
powerand authority have been given Him in heaven and on earth, in the
universe He reigns supreme: But it is because He was "obedientunto death"
that He has been thus "highly exalted." His kingdom rests on His propitiatory
work;and it is in view of this, though then perhaps but dimly seen, that the
prophet here calls upon Zion to behold and hail her King. And now that He
hath ascendedto the throne of His glory, the "gladtidings of the kingdom"
are to be proclaimed to all nations. and men of every tongue and clime are to
be invited to behold their King, and submit to His righteous and benignant
sway.
(W. L. Alexander, D. D.)
The lowly King Messiah
T. V. Moore, D. D.
The theocracy, orChurch, is calledto rejoice because ofthe coming of her
King. The kingly office of the Messiah, whichwas conferredupon Him for the
accomplishmentof the work of redemption, is often alluded to as ground for
rejoicing. Here is given the characterofthe King, and the extent of His
kingdom.
1. He is "just." The righteousness referredto is not His priestly, but His
kingly righteousness, that rigorous justice of His reign in virtue of which no
goodshould be unrewarded, and no evil unpunished. In the unequal
allotments of the present, when the goodso often suffer, and the bad so often
escape, itis surely ground for rejoicing that the King, under whose rule this
dispensationis placed, is just, and will render to every man according to his
work.
2. He is "endowedwith salvation." The word employed is a difficult one. It is
usually takenin a secondarysense, as expressing notsimply the reception of a

salvation, but its possessionas a gift that was capable of being bestowedupon
others. The meaning then would be, that God was with Him, in spite of all His
lowliness, sustaining Him in the mighty work Be had undertaken, and that
this protectionwas bestowedupon Him not as an individual, but as a King, a
representative of His people, so that He would not only enjoy it Himself, but
possessthe power of bestowing it upon others. Hence, while His inflexible
justice might make us tremble in our sin, the fact that He was also endowed
with a free salvation, and a salvation which He could bestow as a kingly right,
would remove these fears, and enable us to rejoice in this coming King.
3. He was to be "lowly." If the usual sense ofthe Word be given, the Church
would be summoned to rejoice because ofthe humiliation of her King. And,
howeverincongruous such a ground of rejoicing may seem to be to men
generally, the heart that is crushed with penitence or grief will comprehend
the reasonofthis summons. Had this augustKing been as sorrowlessas He
was sinless, had He been a robed seraph, or a crowned monarch, the poor and
suffering could never have approachedHim with confidence, for He could not
have sympathised with them in their sorrows. Butwhen He comes to us as
One who canbe touched with the feeling of our infirmities, we welcome Him
with joy, and understand why we are calledto rejoice, because He comes to us
as the lowly King. Surely a suffering child of God can understand how blessed
a thing it is to have a Saviour King who has known Himself what it is to
suffer.
4. He was to be externally in poverty, "riding upon an ass, and upon a foal,
the sonof the asses."This is a prediction of poverty, for although in earlier
times kings rode on asses, afterthe time of Solomonthey were never so used,
horses having takentheir place. The employment of the horse in waralso
made the use of the ass an indication of peace as wellas of poverty. The exact
fulfilment of this prophecy in the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, was
merely a specific illustration of the generalprediction, not the entire object of
the prediction itself. Its range was much broader than this single event, and,
indeed, would have been substantially fulfilled had this event never occurred.
The specific fulfilment, however, rivets the prophecy more absolutelyto
Christ.

(T. V. Moore, D. D.)
How comes the King
JosephParker, D. D.
? — The Caesarsofthe world have come upon strong palfreys, prancing,
snorting; from their nostrils there has come fire, and their bits have been wet
with foam; how comes the King? — "lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon
a colt the foal of an ass." The more King for that! Some men need their own
furniture to setthem off; some persons would be nothing but for their
entourage:the things that are round about them seemto be so admirable that
surely they must be admirable them selves:— such the loose but most
generous reasoning ofsome men in some cases."Lowly" —"Iam meek and
lowly in heart." Why this colt, the foal of an ass? To rebuke the horses of
heathenism: — "The Lord will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the
horse from Jerusalem":they are signs of pomp, self-sufficiency, conscious
dignity, as who should say, we made ourselves, and we are the builders of the
greatBabylons of the earth. The Lord will not have it so with His Son, with
His Church, with His kingdom. Only meekness has aneternal province. It is
so always and everywhere, if you would but learn it. It is so at school. The boy
who is going to do everything with a wave of his hand will do nothing; the boy
who does not care anything about the examination until the night before it
comes off and then gathers himself togetherin tremendous impotence, comes
back the next night a sadderbut a wiserboy. It is so in business, it is so in the
pulpit, it is so along the whole line of human action: pretence means failure.
But there must not be mere meekness ofmanner; the tiger is sometimes
asleep. There is a spurious meekness;there are persons that have no voices at
all, and when they speak they are supposedto be so gentle and so modest and
so unassuming. Not they! It is for want of hoof, not want of will; they would
crush you if they could. This meekness is a quality of the soul, this is the very
bloom of greatness, this is the finest expressionof power. Meeknessis not
littleness, insignificance, incompetency;meekness is the rest that expressesthe
highest degree of velocity. "Riding upon an ass, and upon a coltthe foal of an

ass." All the rabbis have allegorisedthis ass with painful tediousness. Theyin
very deed have tried to read meanings into the words, but they were so
obviously incongruous that they never gotinto the words. Take it as a type of
your King's meekness, take it as an assurance that His kingdom is not of this
world. This world hates all meekness.Mammonnever listened to a prayer;
Mammon hates even read prayers; Mammon has a distaste for theological
conception;Mammon never sung a hymn or a psalm; Mammon never bowed
his knees in tender, holy adoration. The eyes of Mammon are greed, the hands
of Mammon are felons, the desire of Mammon is possession, thoughit may be
purchased with blood. This world, therefore, will not have true meekness,
gentleness, pitifulness;the world will have pomp and show and magnificence
and royalty, — one day its heart will sickenat the sight of its own idols. These
are the lines that have sudden endings. Truth encircles the universe: all lies,
howeverglibly told, suddenly disappear in the pit. Jesus Christthen comes to
setup a kingdom that is moral, subjective, spiritual; a kingdom that is
clement, redeeming, sympathetic; a kingdom that rests upon unseenbut
immovable bases. WhateverHe touches He elevates. Takethe principle, and
do not vex the mind or distract the piety with worthless detail: the principle is
this, that when Jesus Christ comes into the world He comes as no other king
ever came, that He may do a work which no other king ever dreamed.
(JosephParker, D. D.)
The coming of the King of Zion
Daniel Moore, M. A.
I. CONTEMPLATE MESSIAHIN HIS TITLE, AS A KING. There are many
senses in which we may contemplate Christ as a King.
1. He has all the ancestralhonours, titles, and high-born qualifications of a
king. He was descendedof a stock ofheavenly royalty; He was the first-born
of every creature.
2. Christ gave out laws and principles of government as a King. His sermon on
the Mount is a beautiful unfolding of the principles of spiritual rule, the

righteous awards which would characteriseHis future administration. Christ
then is a King. He defines the terms of our obedience;He lays down the
maxims of the spiritual realm; He declares whatworship He will accept, and
in what way alone His presence canbe approached.
3. Christ protects, defends, and counsels His subjects as a King. In the
primitive condition of societymonarchs were for the most part chosenon
accountof their possessing, in the estimation of their subjects, some special
kingly qualities. He who was the first to go forth with their armies, He who
would redeem them from the powerof the oppressor, He who was valiant in
fight, prompt in action, prudent in counsel, apt to rule, He by one consent
would be allowedto be advanced to the throne; and in this sense, Christever
vindicated His claim to be the King, and "Head over all things to His
Church." And He is King over all His spiritual subjects today. Forall the
purposes of guidance, help, comfort, and protection, He still reigns.
4. And Christ bestows honours, and gifts, and recompenses,as a King. Christ
gives as a King — pardons full and free, grace rich and abounding, crowns
bright and glorious.
II. CONTEMPLATE MESSIAHIN HIS CHARACTER — HE IS JUST. The
word is to be takenin its largestand highest sense, as comprehensive both of
the unblemished sanctity of His personalcharacter, and the perfect
righteousness whichwould distinguish His spiritual government. In all His
dispensations of grace and goodness, Christis ever just.
III. CONTEMPLATEMESSIAHIN HIS POWER — HAVING
SALVATION. He has that which is to procure salvation. His salvationsaves
from a greatdanger, it frees from a greatcondemnation; it was bought at: a
greatprice; it admits to great and glorious prerogatives. Note. also the mild
and gentle manner of Christ's spiritual administration. "He is lowly."
(Daniel Moore, M. A.)
The lowly King

I do not intend to expound the whole text at any length, but simply to dwell
upon the lowliness ofJesus. Yet this much I may say:Whenever God would
have His people especiallyglad it is always in Himself. If it be written:
"Rejoicegreatly," then the reasonis, "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee!"
Our chief source of rejoicing is the presence ofKing Jesus in the midst of us.
Whether it be His first or His secondadvent, His very shadow is delight. His
footfall is music to our car. That delight springs much from the fact that He is
ours. "Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of Zion....Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee." WhateverHe may be to others, He is thy King, and to whomsoeverHe
may or may not come, He cometh unto thee. He comes for thy deliverance,
thine honour, thy consummated bliss. He keeps thy company; He makes thy
house His palace, thy love His solace, thy nature His home. He who is thy King
by hereditary right, by His choice of thee, by His redemption of thee, and by
thy willing choice of Him, is coming to thee; therefore do thou shout for joy.
The verse goes onto show why the Lord our King is such a source of gladness:
"He is just, and having salvation." He blends righteousness and mercy; justice
to the ungodly, and favour to His saints. He has workedout the stern problem
— how can God be just, and yet save the sinful? He is just in His own personal
character, just as having borne the penalty of sin, and just as clearedfrom the
sin which He voluntarily took upon Him. Having endured the terrible ordeal,
He is saved, and His people are savedin Him. He is to be saluted with
hosannas, whichsignify, "Save, Lord"; for where He comes He brings victory
and consequentsalvationwith Him. He routs the enemies of His people,
breaks for them the serpent's head, and leads their captivity captive. We
admire the justice which marks His reign, and the salvationwhich attends His
sway;and in both respects we cry: "Blessedis He that cometh in the name of
the Lord!" Moreover, it is written of Him that He is lowly, which cannot be
said of many kings and princes of the earth; nor would they care to have it
said of them. Thy King, O daughter of Jerusalem, loves to have His lowliness
published by thee with exceeding joy. His outward state betokens the humility
and gentleness ofHis character. He appears to be what He really is: He
concealsnothing from His chosen. In the height of His grandeur He is not like
the proud monarchs of earth. The patient ass He prefers to the noble charger;
and He is more at home with the common people than with the great. In His
grandestpageant, in His capitalcity, He was still consistentwith His meek and

lowly character, for He came "riding upon an ass." He rode through
Jerusalemin state;but what lowliness markedthe spectacle!It was an
extemporised procession, whichowednothing to Garner-king-at-arms, but
everything to the spontaneous love of friends. An ass was brought, and its foal,
and His disciples satHim thereon. Insteadof courtiers in their robes, He was
surrounded by common peasants and fishermen, and children of the streets of
Jerusalem:the humblest of men and the youngestof the race shouted His
praises. Boughs oftrees and garments of friends strewedthe road, insteadof
choice flowers and costlytapestries;it was the pomp of spontaneous love, not
the stereotypedpageantrywhich powerexacts of fear. With half an eye
everyone can see that this King is of another sort from common princes, and
His dignity of another kind from that which tramples on the poor. According
to the narrative, as well as the prophecy, there would seemto have been two
beasts in the procession. I conceive thatour Lord rode on the foal, for it was
essentialthat He should mount a beastwhich had never been used before.
God is not a sharerwith men; that which is consecratedto His peculiar
service must not have been aforetime devoted to loweruses, Jesus rides a colt
whereonnever man sat. But why was the mother there? Did not Jesus sayof
both ass and foal, "Loose them and bring them unto Me"? This appears to me
to be a tokenof His tenderness;He would not needlesslyseverthe mother
from her foal. I like to see a farmer's kindness when he allows the foal to
follow when the mare is ploughing or labouring; and I admire the same
thoughtfulness in our Lord. He careth for cattle, yea, even for an ass and her
foal. He would not even cause a poor beasta needless pang by taking away its
young; and so in that processionthe beastof the field took its part joyfully, in
tokenof a better age in which all creatures shallbe delivered from bondage,
and shall share the blessings ofHis unsuffering reign. Our Lord herein taught
His disciples to cultivate delicacy, not only towards eachother, but towards
the whole creation.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
Palm Sunday lessons

H. J. Wilmot Buxton.
Today is this prophecy fulfilled in your ears. Foronce the Man of Sorrows
was honoured on the earth, for once the despisedand rejectedof men was
welcomedas a King, a Deliverer, a Prophet. But what did that processionon
the Mount of Olives really mean? It was a processionof sacrifice. As the
PaschalLamb was brought out solemnly on the first day of the week, so now
the true PaschalLamb was brought out to die. He was welcomedby the Jews
as the conquerorof the Romans; they did not understand that He was the
conqueror of sin and death. They greetedHim as King of Jerusalem, they did
not know that He was King of heaven and earth. How soonthe feelings of the
people changed, how short-lived were their praises. Let us learn our lesson
from the palms. Many people are willing to receive Jesus as a King and a
Deliverer, who rejectHim as the Man of Sorrows. If He were to tell you to sit
down on His right hand, to be proud of your religion, to condemn others, to
believe yourselves righteous, then you would cry, "Hosannah." But if He tells
you to learn of Him for He is meek, to judge not, to take the lowestseat, that
the servantof the Lord must not strive, that you must forgive your enemies,
that blessedare they that mourn, — then you cry, "Away with Him, crucify
Him." Learn from this to avoid a form of religion which is only lip service;it
is very easyto talk about sacredthings, but pious talk, remember, is not
religion. We must show forth our faith not only with our lips but in our lives.
Jesus is leading us, as He led the people on Palm Sunday, towards Jerusalem,
the vision of peace, and none shall enter there but those who follow Him.
(H. J. Wilmot Buxton.)
The coming of the King of Zion
R. Watson.
The prophet speaks notof one event merely, but of the whole of our Lord's
gracious conductto His people. The children of Zion are calledto be joyful in
their King; for He is ever coming to them "just and having salvation," and by

virtue of the blood of the ever-lasting covenant bringing the prisoners out of
the pit, and leading them all to a city of rest.
I. THE CHARACTER UNDER WHICH OUR KING IS PRESENTEDTO
US.
1. He is just. It is not punitive justice that is here intended, but
righteousness.(1)This characteris illustrated by His Divinity. He is just,
perfectly and unchangeably — perfectly because He is God; unchangeably,
because essentially. It is His nature to be just, and therefore He cannot be
otherwise. There is a holiness in the creature; but there is a peculiar holiness
in God.(2) This characteris illustrated by His incarnation. All that moral
perfection which is in God shone forth from Him. His nature was spotless;
and even His enemies gave witness to the immaculate purity of His life on
which keen-eyedenvy itself could fix no charge. The human nature of Christ
was spotless, because the Divine nature into which it was impersonated was
perfectly holy. No heresy canbe more pestilent than the assertionthat the
holiness of Christ consists in acts and habits, and not in nature. That only
which was perfectly uncontaminated could be united in one personwith that
which is ineffably holy.(3) By His death. As a sacrifice forsin. In this we see
the most illustrious proof of His essentialholiness, and His love of justice.(4)
By His work in the heart of men. His kingdom is in the heart. Whateverrule
He has over the outward conduct originates there. His work is to restore man,
and exhibit him again as createdanew in Christ Jesus.(5)By His conduct
towards His Church. "A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy
kingdom." By this sceptre He tries and governs His visible Church. He is
Judge in His Church even now, though the judgment which He administers is
not without mercy.
2. He has salvation.(1)He has it meritoriously. To save is an actto which the
benevolence ofHis Godheaddisposes Him; and "judgment is His strange
work." But guilty man is not merely an objectof benevolence. He is a subject
of moral government. What reasonofjoy there is in this consideration!The
salvationwhich we need, and which all need, is in His hands. He has
purchased the right to bestow it. The work is virtually accomplished, and
nothing remains for us but to apply to Him, and avail ourselves ofthat which

He has done on our behalf.(2) Salvation is the subject, of His official
administration. Does He give the Word? It is the promise and the rule of
salvation. Does He collecta Church, and denominate it His body? His Spirit
fills it, to discoverthe want of salvation, and reveal the means of obtaining it:
to inspire desire, to assistour efforts, to realise within us all that the external
Word exhibits to faith and hope. Does He perpetuate the ministry of the
Gospel? He is with His servants unto the end of the world, to make them the
means of conveying this salvation. Does He appoint His Sabbaths for
ordinances? In these the Church is made the deposit and source ofsalvation to
the world. The very sacraments are signs and seals ofsalvation.
II. THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF HIS KINGDOM. This is strongly
indicated by the circumstances connectedwith His public and royal entry into
Jerusalem. This event was intended to calloff His disciples and us from the
vain notion of a civil monarchy. They thought He was then assuming it; but
even then we see Him rejecting it. There is a tendency in man to look even
now, as formerly, for something more than a spiritual kingdom; a kingdom of
visible power, and glory, and splendour. He entered this to show that He was a
King; but He disappointed their expectationin the very circumstances ofthis
event, in order to show that His kingdom was not of this world. He rode upon
an ass, to denote that He was a peaceful sovereign. He returned by night to the
Mount of Olives, which He certainly would not have done, had He been about
to establisha civil reign. Children celebratedHis praises, not the men. The
true glory of Christ's kingdom is, that it erects its dominion in the human
mind and heart; spreads its light and power over all the faculties, and
principles of our nature; ordaining the praise of God out of the mouth; so that
everyone who is brought under its influence becomes the instrument of
instructing others, and subduing them to the service of the same Saviour.
III. THE EXTENT OF THIS SPIRITUAL DOMINION OF CHRIST.
1. His dominion is to extend "from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of
the earth."
2. The state of mankind, it is true, is deeply affecting. It is a state of
wretchedness anddanger. They are "prisoners," eastinto a "pit wherein is no

water." Allusion is to the ancient punishment of criminals, who were
sometimes thrown into a pit, and left to die of thirst; and sometimes, after
enduring the torments of thirst, were brought forth to execution.
3. Then there follows an address to the prisoners. "Turn you to the
stronghold, ye prisoners of hope." Only a few had returned from Babylon.
Zechariah addressesthose who were left behind. In how much higher sense
than the Jews are we prisoners of hope. Let such prisoners think of the blood
of the covenantof deliverance which has been shed.
(R. Watson.)
The coming King
James F. Montgomery, D. D.
"Rejoice, then, O Zion," city of God, built not of stones, but of souls of men.
"Shout, ye daughters of Jerusalem,"once as the stones of the desert, but now
a spiritual seedof Abraham. From yon sepulchre thy King cometh,
triumphant over death, and sending forth over all the world the messageof
reconciliation!Redeemedfrom bondage, we stand within the city of God, the
visible Church. But how much has still to be done ere the temple of God be
fully built — ere Christ be reflectedin His members on earth! How many
things have we eachto deplore! The distracting effectof worldly business,
want of energy, of love, of prayer. Hence little work for Him, and little fruit
from that work, and little comfort. Let us dwell on the truth, "Thy King
cometh."
1. In view of the factcommemorated today. His work of redemption was
complete and effectual(2 Corinthians 5:14). He took life unto the dominion of
death. Even while the disciples mourned, He was carrying on a work of grace
(1 Peter3:19). He died that He might rise againfor our justification.
2. He cometh to eachsoul, bringing help. In times of darkness or depression,
when trials seemheavy, or our work arduous, He reminds us that though we
see Him not, we are not beyond His care.

3. He cometh to establishHis kingdom, to bring perfected salvationto those
who wait for Him.
(James F. Montgomery, D. D.)
Joy in the King unrealised
G. Matheson.
I have read in one of George MacDonald's novels ofa born-blind lamplighter.
He illuminated the city at night; but had no sense of what he was doing. So has
it been with the land of Israel. She has presented the portrait to the gallery;
she has heard the plaudits of the spectators;and she has refused to join in
them. In all history there is nothing so unique. It is the enemies of this land
that have crownedher world-king; it is the Gentiles that have come to His
light. The lamplighter has been blind to the beauty of the throne she has
illumined. Palestine has lit up the scene;she has listened to the crowdshouting
their applause; and she has wonderedwhy. She has been like a deaf mute in a
concertroom. She has struck by accidentthe notes of a harp, and by accident
they have burst into music. The audience has cheeredthe performance to the
echo;but the performer knows not her triumph
(G. Matheson.)
The Prince of peace
Bishop Home.
This prediction is of the literal kind, and it was literally and most exactly
fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. The prophet doth not coldly inform Jerusalem
that her King should come to her, and that when He did come she ought to
rejoice. Wrapped into future times, he seems to have been present at the
glorious scene. Standing upon Mount Olivet, he hears the hosannahs of the
disciples, and beholds the processionapproachtowards the gates of
Jerusalem. Religion, then, hath its joys; a prophet calleth us to exult and

shout. The reasonassignedwhy Jerusalemwas calledupon to rejoice, was the
approachof her King. The prophets had promised her a king who should
overcome her enemies, and triumph gloriously. When the King came,
JerusalemdespisedHis appearance, and soonnailed a spiritual monarch to a
cross. Righteousness, salvation, and humility distinguish the personand reign
of Messiah. Righteousnessleads the way. This is the name whereby He shall
be called — "The Lord our righteousness."Salvationis the next signand
tokenwhereby to know the King of Zion. He was to execute that part of the
regaloffice which consistethin rescuing a people from their oppressors. And
if tidings of salvationare not tidings of joy, what tidings can be such? What is
deliverance from a temporal adversary comparedwith the salvationof the
whole world from the oppressionof the spiritual enemy, from sin, and
sickness, andsorrow, and pain, and death, and hell? This was the salvation
which Jesus undertook to effect;and His miracles declared Him equal to the
mighty task. Different to other kings the King Messiahwas to be in His
appearance and demeanour. He is "lowly." He appeared, in His first advent,
in a state of humiliation. The nature of His undertaking required it, and their
own law and prophets are clearupon the subject. The types and prophecies
are as positive for His humiliation, as they are for His exaltation:nor could
any one person accomplishthem all, without being equally remarkable for
lowliness and meekness,gloryand honour.
(Bishop Home.)
His dominion shall be from sea evento sea
The final triumph of Christianity
J. M. Sherwood, D. D.
I. This triumph is assuredby the PROMISESofthe Bible. They leave no
room for doubt.
II. THE DIVINE ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF CHRISTIANITY
RENDER IT CERTAIN. Christianity itself is on trial. If it fails to subjugate
the world; if it encounters systems of error, false philosophies, hostile forces,

effete civilisations, which it is inadequate to transform and vitalise with its
Divine life — then it will be demonstratedthat it is not of God, and its high
claims are false. A partial and temporary successwillnot suffice. Is must
conquer every race and clime and generationand form of evil and opposition
in all the world, or be itself defeatedand driven from the field.
III. THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS WHICH IT HAS ALREADY
ACHIEVED IS A GUARANTEE OF ITS COMPLETE ULTIMATE
TRIUMPH. Christianity is not without its witnessesand signaltriumphs in
human history. There is nothing comparable with it. It has shown itself, on
actualtrial of 1800 years, to be "the wisdom of God and the power of God
unto salvation." It has subdued kingdoms and changedthe face of the world.
Idolatry, superstition, false philosophy, cannot stand before it. It saves "the
chief of sinners." It elevates the most degradedpeople. Nothing in the heart of
man, or in society, canwithstand its power. It is moving steadily and rapidly
on to final conquests. "Christianitythus stands committed to the achievement
of universal dominion. Its Founder puts it forth into history as the universal
religion, foreordainedto universal prevalence."
(J. M. Sherwood, D. D.)
Universal bloom
As it has been positively demonstratedthat the Arctic region was once a
blooming garden and a fruitful field, those regions may change climate and
againbe a blooming garden and a fruitful field. ProfessorHeer, of Zurich,
says the remains of flowers have been found in the Arctic, showing it was like
Mexico for climate; and it is found that the Arctic was the mother region from
which all the flowers descended. ProfessorWallace says the remains of all
styles of animal life are found in the Arctic, including those animals that can
live only in warm climates. Now, that Arctic regionwhich has been
demonstrated by flora, and fauna, and geologicalargumentto have been as
full of vegetationand life as our Florida, may be turned back to its original
bloom and glory, or it will be shut up as a museum of crystals for curiosity

seekersto visit. But Arctic and Antarctic in some shape will belong to the
Redeemer's realm.
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Zechariah 9:9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion — To give still greater
encouragementto God’s people, the prophet, after uttering the foregoing
promises, was carriedon by the Divine Spirit, which influenced him, to
announce a still more remarkable instance of God’s specialkindness to them,
namely, the coming of their Messiah, orking, with reference to which this
passageis cited in two places of the New Testament, Matthew 21:5; John
12:15;so that we can have no doubt of the application. But, from comparing
these three texts, we may perceive that the evangelicalwriters were not over-
scrupulous of adhering to the exactwords of their original, whether they cited
from the Hebrew or from the Greek;but were satisfiedwith giving the true
sense ofthe passage, andtaking more or less of it, as circumstances seemedto
require. Behold, thy king cometh unto thee — He that is so often described in
the prophets as the king of Israel;that was known by that name among the
Jews in our Saviour’s time, and is repeatedly calledby the name of David
their king: see the margin. To him the kingdom did properly belong, and to
him the gathering of the people was to be, Genesis 49:10. He is just, and
having salvation— Or, He is righteous, and the Saviour, as the ancient
versions have it. He is that righteous branch, and the Lord our righteousness,
as he is describedby Jeremiah23:5; who was to execute justice and judgment
in the earth; and the righteousnessand salvation, that is, the Righteous One
and Saviour, promised Isaiah62:1. Unlike the proud and destructive
conquerors of the earth, he shall not enter with a mighty cavalcade ofhorse,
but shall come lowly, and riding upon an ass, andupon a coltthe foal of an
ass. Although it is certainthat the ancient Jews understoodthis prophecy of

the Messiah, yetthat this divine person, this king of Israel, should come unto
them riding upon an ass, which, notwithstanding that in former ages
patriarchs and judges thought it no disgrace to ride upon them, yet was then
lookedupon as below the dignity of any personof eminence, must, at the
uttering of this prophecy, have appeareda very mysterious and improbable
circumstance. But we who know that the only time when the Lord Jesus
entered publicly into Jerusalem, he thought proper, as an example of humility
and meekness,and of indifference to worldly pomp, to ride upon a young ass,
or colt; and that, at the same time, the whole multitude were seized with such
a sudden and extraordinary impulse of joy, that they spread their garments in
the way, and cut down branches of trees and strowedthem in the way,
shouting unanimously, HOSANNAH, BLESSED IS THE KING WHO
COMETHIN THE NAME OF THE LORD — we, that know this remarkable
circumstance, cannotbut be greatlystruck with this prophecy, as an
admirable instance of the divine prescience, anda strong proof of the truth of
Christianity.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
9:9-17 The prophet breaks forth into a joyful representationof the coming of
the Messiah, ofwhom the ancient Jews explained this prophecy. He took the
characterof their King, when he entered Jerusalemamidst the hosannas of
the multitude. But his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It shall not be
advancedby outward force or carnal weapons. His gospelshall be preachedto
the world, and be receivedamong the heathen. A sinful state is a state of
bondage;it is a pit, or dungeon, in which there is no water, no comfort; and
we are all by nature prisoners in this pit. Through the precious blood of
Christ, many prisoners of Satanhave been set at liberty from the horrible pit
in which they must otherwise have perished, without hope or comfort. While
we admire Him, let us seek that his holiness and truth may be shownin our
own spirits and conduct. These promises have accomplishment in the spiritual
blessings ofthe gospelwhich we enjoy by Jesus Christ. As the deliverance of
the Jews was typicalof redemption by Christ, so this invitation speaks to all
the language ofthe gospelcall. Sinners are prisoners, but prisoners of hope;
their case is sad, but not desperate;for there is hope in Israel concerning
them. Christ is a Strong-hold, a strong Tower, in whom believers are safe

from the fearof the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the assaults of
spiritual enemies. To him we must turn with lively faith; to him we must flee,
and trust in his name under all trials and sufferings. It is here promised that
the Lord would deliver his people. This passage also refers to the apostles, and
the preachers ofthe gospelin the early ages. Godwas evidently with them; his
words from their lips pierced the hearts and consciencesofthe hearers. They
were wondrously defended in persecution, and were filled with the influences
of the Holy Spirit. They were savedby the Good Shepherd as his flock, and
honoured as jewels ofhis crown. The gifts, graces, andconsolations ofthe
Spirit, poured forth on the day of Pentecost, Ac 2 and in succeeding times, are
represented. Sharp have been, and still will be, the conflicts of Zion's sons, but
their God will give them success.The more we are employed, and satisfied
with his goodness, the more we shall admire the beauty revealedin the
Redeemer. Whatevergifts God bestows onus, we must serve him cheerfully
with them; and, when refreshedwith blessings, we must say, How greatis his
goodness!
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
This custom prevailed among severalnations. Thus Virgil:
- scutorumque incendi victor acervos.
AEneid, viii. 562.
There can be no doubt, I think, that the prophet here has his eye on the
victories of the Messiah, andthat he means to say, that in those victories all
armor would be for fuel of fire; that is, that they would be achievedwithout
hostile arms. Applied to the Messiah, it means either that his victories would
be complete, or that in his victories all necessityof such armor would cease.
According to this, the passageteachesthatpeace should be introduced by him
without a conflict, and thus harmonizes with the numerous parallel passages
in which peace is representedas a characteristic mark of the times of the
Messiah, whencontention, war, and destructionshall cease;see Isaiah11:6-7.
Zechariah 9:9From the protection, which God promised to His people and to
His House, the prophet passes onto Him who was ever in his thoughts, and for

whose sake thatpeople and temple were preserved. He had describedthe
greatconqueror of this world, sweeping along in his course of victory. In
contrastwith such as he, he now exhibits to his people the characterand
processionoftheir king. "Rejoicegreatly." Notwith this world's joy. God
never exhorts man to "rejoice greatly" in this world's fleeting joys. He allows
us to be glad, as children, before Him; He permits such buoyancy of heart, if
innocent; but He does not command it. "Now" He commands His people to
burst out into a jubilee of rejoicing: they were to dance and shout for gladness
of spirit; "despising the poor exultation of this world and exulting with that
exceeding" yetchaste joy, which befits the true bliss to be brought by their
King and Saviour. Rup.: "This word, 'greatly,' means that there should be no
measure whateverin their exultation; for the exultation of the children of the
bridegroom is far unlike to the exultation of the children of this world." Cyril:
"He biddeth the spiritual Zion rejoice, inasmuch as dejection was removed.
For what cause ofsorrow is there, when sin has been removed, death
trampled under foot, and human nature called to the dignity of freedom, and
crownedwith the grace ofadoption and illumined with the heavenly gift?"
Behold, thy king cometh unto thee - He does not say"a king," but "'thy'
king;" thy king, thine own, the long-promised, the long-expected;He who,
when they had kings of their own, given them by God, had been promised as
"the" king ; "the righteous Ruler among men" 2 Samuel23:3, of the seedof
David; He who, above all other kings, was "their" King and Savior; whose
kingdom was to absorb in itself all kingdoms of the earth; "the King of kings,
and Lord of lords." Her king was to come "to her." He was in a manner then
"of her," and "not of her;" "of her," since He was to be "her king," "not of
her," since He was to "come to her." As Man, He was born of her: as God, the
Word made flesh, He "came to" her. "'To thee,' to be manifest unto thee; 'to
be thine by communion of nature' 1 Timothy 3:16; 'as He is thine, by the
earnestof the EternalSpirit and the gift of the Father, to procure thy good'
Hebrews 2:14. 'Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given' Isaiah 9:6." Of
this, His entry into Jerusalemwas an image. But how should he come? "He
shall come to thee," says an old Jewishwriting, , "to atone thee; He shall come
to thee, to upraise thee; He shall come to thee, to raise thee up to His temple,
and to espouse thee with an everlasting espousal."

He is just and having salvation - Just or righteous, and the Fountain of justice
or righteousness. ForwhatHe is, "that" He diffuseth. Righteousness which
God "Is," and righteousness whichGod, made Man, imparts, are often
blended in Holy Scripture. Isaiah 45:21;Isaiah 53:11;Jeremiah 23:5-6;
Jeremiah33:15-16;Malachi4:2. This is also the source of the exceeding joy.
For the coming of their king in righteousnesswould be, to sinful man, a cause,
not of joy but of fear. This was the source of the Angel's message ofjoy; "I
bring you goodtidings of greatjoy, which shall be to all people;for unto you
is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour" Luke 2:10-11.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
9. From the coming of the Grecianconqueror, Zechariah makes a sudden
transition, by the prophetical law of suggestion, to the coming of King
Messiah, a very different character.
daughter of Zion—The theocratic people is calledto "rejoice" atthe coming
of her King (Ps 2:11).
unto thee—He comes not for His owngain or pleasure, as earthly kings come,
but for the sake ofHis Church: especiallyfor the Jews'sake,atHis second
coming (Ro 11:26).
he is just—righteous: an attribute constantly given to Messiah(Isa 45:21;
53:11;Jer 23:5, 6) in connectionwith salvation. He does not merely pardon by
conniving at sin, but He justifies by becoming the Lord our righteousness
fulfiller, so that not merely mercy, but justice, requires the justification of the
sinner who by faith becomes one with Christ. God's justice is not set aside by
the sinner's salvation, but is magnified and made honorable by it (Isa 42:1,
21). His future reign "in righteousness,"also, is especiallyreferred to (Isa
32:1).
having salvation—notpassively, as some interpret it, "saved," whichthe
context, referring to a "king" coming to reign, forbids; also the old versions,
the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, give Saviour. The Hebrew is reflexive in
sense, "showing Himselfa Saviour; … having salvation in Himself" for us.

Endowedwith a salvation which He bestows as a king. Compare Margin,
"saving Himself." Compare Mt 1:21, in the Greek, "Himselfshall save His
people";that is, not by any other, but by Himself shall He save [PearsonOn
the Creed]. His "having salvation" for others manifested that He had in
Himself that righteousness whichwas indispensable for the justification of the
unrighteous (1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21; 1Jo 2:1). This contrasts beautifully with the
haughty Grecianconqueror who came to destroy, whereas Messiahcame to
save. Still, Messiahshallcome to take "just" vengeance onHis foes, previous
to His reign of peace (Mal 4:1, 2).
lowly—mild, gentle:corresponding to His "riding on an ass" (not a despised
animal, as with us; nor a badge of humiliation, for princes in the Eastrode on
asses, as wellas low persons, Jud 5:10), that is, coming as "Prince of peace"
(Zec 9:10; Isa 9:6); the "horse," onthe contrary is the emblem of war, and
shall therefore be "cut off." Perhaps the Hebrew includes both the
"lowliness"ofHis outward state (which applies to His first coming) and His
"meekness"ofdisposition, as Mt 21:5 quotes it (compare Mt 11:29), which
applies to both His comings. Bothadapt Him for loving sympathy with us
men; and at the same time are the ground of His coming manifested exaltation
(Joh 5:27; Php 2:7-9).
colt—untamed, "whereonyet never man sat" (Lu 19:30). The symbol of a
triumphant conqueror and judge (Jud 5:10; 10:4; 12:14).
foal of an ass—literally, "asses":in Hebrew idiom, the indefinite plural for
singular (so Ge 8:4, "mountains of Ararat," for one of the mountains). The
dam accompaniedthe colt (Mt 21:2). The entry of Jesus into Jerusalemat His
first coming is a pledge of the full accomplishmentof this prophecy at His
secondcoming. It shall be "the day of the Lord" (Ps 118:24), as that first Palm
Sunday was. The Jews shallthen universally (Ps 118:26)say, what some of
them said then, "Blessedis He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (compare
Mt 21:9, with Mt 23:39);also "Hosanna," or"Save now, I beseechthee."
"Palms," the emblem of triumph, shall then also be in the hands of His people
(compare Joh 12:13, with Re 7:9, 10). Then also, as on His former entry, shall
be the feastof tabernacles (at which they used to draw water from Siloam,
quoting Isa 12:3). Compare Ps 118:15, with Zec 14:16.

Matthew Poole's Commentary
Rejoice greatly:the prophet calls for such a joy as expressethitself in outward
gesture, as indeed the daughters of Zion did in their hosannas, whenthis had
its accomplishment.
Daughterof Zion; Jerusalem’s inhabitants, or the church.
Shout; proclaim aloud your joy at the news I now tell you. Before it was
daughter of Zion, now it is daughter of Jerusalem, both the church and state
among the Jews had greatcause to triumph at this.
Thy King; the Redeemer, expected, promisedMessiah, Sonof David, the only
restorerof your lapsed state.
Cometh unto thee; Christ comethto thee, to redeem and save thee; he cometh
for thee, as well as to time. He is just; the righteous One, who cometh to fulfil
all righteousness, andto be our righteousness.
Having salvation;designs to save, and hath that in his eye, that he cansave, it
is in his power; he can save us as he did save himself, by raising himself from
the dead.
Lowly; low and mean of state, and meek or lowly of mind.

Riding upon an ass;a beastof no state or price, an emblem of his outward
state.
And upon a colt the foal of an ass:in this some footsteps ofsovereignty
appearedin the colt’s taking and bearing him quietly, Luke 19:35.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem,.... By
whom are meant, not the inhabitants of Jerusalemin common; nor the
children in it, that said Hosannas to the son of David; but the church of God,
and true believers in Christ, who are calledupon to "rejoice" and "shout":
not merely in an external way, by showing marks of outward joy, but in a
spiritual manner, for which there was goodreason, as follows:
behold, thy King cometh unto thee; Aben Ezra says that interpreters are
divided about the sense ofthis prophecy; some sayit is Messiahthe son of
David; and others, Messiahthe son of Joseph. R. Moses, the priest, he
observes, thinks that Nehemiah the Tirshathite is meant; and he himself is of
opinion that Judas Maccabeusis intended; but Jarchi affirms that it is
impossible to interpret it of any other than the King Messiah;and this is the
sense ofmany of their writers, both ancient and modern. It is applied to him
in the Talmud; they say (r), he that sees anass in his dream, let him look for
salvation, as it is said, behold, thy king cometh unto thee, "riding on an ass".
R. Alexander relates that R. Joshua ben Levi opposedthese two phrases to
eachother, "in its time", and "I will hastenit", Isaiah 60:22 and gave this as
the sense to reconcile them: if they (the Israelites)are worthy, i.e. of the
coming of the Messiah, "Iwill hasten it"; if they are not worthy, it shall be "in
its time"; and that he also put these Scriptures together, and comparedthem
to that Scripture, "behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven", Daniel7:13 and also what is written, "poor, and riding on an ass";if
they are worthy, he will come with the clouds of heaven; if they are not
worthy, he will come poor and riding on an ass (s). In an ancient book (t) of
theirs, at leastso reckoned, it is saidthe King Messiahshallprevail over them
all (the nations of the world, and the Israelites);as it is said, "poor, and riding

on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass":and in severalother places ofthat
work, and other treatises in it (u), the text is applied to the Messiah;as it
likewise is in their ancient Midrashes or expositions. In one (w) it is observed,
"the Rabbins say an ox; this is the anointed for war, as it is said, "his glory is
like the firstling of his bullock", Deuteronomy33:17 an ass;this is the King
Messiah, as it is said, "poor, and riding on an ass";''
and again(x), on these words, "binding his foalto the vine, and his ass's colt
unto the choice vine", Genesis 49:11, this remark is made; this shall be when
that shall come to pass which is written of him, "poor, and riding on an ass".
And in another (y) of their expositions, the two Redeemers,Mosesandthe
Messiah, are comparedtogether;and, among the severalthings in which they
agree, this is one; as it is said of the former redeemer, "and Mosestook his
wife and his sons, and setthem on an ass", Exodus 4:20 so it is said of the
latter Redeemer(the Messiah), "poor, andriding on an ass".And thus it is
interpreted by many of their more modern writers (z). This is to be
understood of Christ's coming, not merely to Jerusalem, when he rode on an
ass, aftermentioned; but of his coming in the flesh, when he came to Zion, and
for her good;and which was wonderful, and therefore a "behold" is prefixed
to it; and is matter of greatjoy, which she is calledto show, because ofthe
birth of him who is her Saviour; and because ofthe good things that come by
him; and because ofhis appearing as a King, and her King; for, as he was
prophesied of as such, as such he came, though his kingdom was not of this
world; and as Zion's King, being placed there by his Father, and to which he
has a right by virtue of redemption, and is owned as such by his people in the
effectualcalling, and to whom all the following characters belong.
He is just: not only essentiallyrighteous as God, but just and upright in the
whole course of, his life as man; and faithful in the administration of his office
as Mediator; and the author and bringer in of righteousness to his people:
and having salvation; the salvation of his church and people; which he not
only had at heart, but had it to execute, being appointed to that service by his
Father, and having agreedunto it as the surety of his people, and was the
business he was coming into the world to do, here prophesied of; yea, he is

calledsalvation itself, as in a parallel text, Isaiah 62:11 the purpose of it was
purposed in him; God resolvedto save his people by him, and by him only; he
never intended to save any but in and through him; and the thing was not only
consultedwith him, but the scheme of it was drawn in him; God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto himself. The covenantof grace, in which salvation
is a principal article, was made with him; and he, as the surety of that
covenant, undertook it; and in the fulness of time being sent, came to effect it;
for which he was abundantly qualified, being God and man in one person, and
so had something to offer as a sacrifice for satisfactionto law and justice, in
order to obtain it; and could put a sufficient virtue therein to answerthe end,
being the mighty God; and having as Mediator a commissionfrom his divine
Father, he is become, by his obedience, sufferings, and death, the author of
eternal salvationto his people;and in him salvation is, and in no other; and in
vain it is to expect it from any other, or in any other way, than by him, Acts
4:12. Some render the word "saved" (a); as he was by his divine Father, when
he was raised from the dead, and not suffered to see corruption; see Hebrews
5:7 others, "saving himself" (b); when he raisedhimself from the dead, and
thereby declaredhimself to be the Son of God; and when he brought salvation
to his body, the church, which is himself, Isaiah 63:5
lowly; meek, and humble, as he appeared to be in the assumption of human
nature; in his carriage to sinners, conversationwith them, and receptionof
them; in his ministrations to his disciples; and in not seeking his own, but his
Father's glory. Or "poor" (c); as Jesus the Messiahwas;born of poor parents,
had not where to lay his head, and was ministered unto by others; See 2
Corinthians 8:9
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass;which was fulfilled
in Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 21:4 not that he rode upon them both, but on
the foalonly; for so it should be rendered, "upon an ass, that is, upon a colt,
the foalof an ass" (d). The Jews have a fable, that the ass Abraham saddled,
when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac, was the foal of the ass that was created
on the evening of the sabbath, that is, at the creation;and that the same Moses
sethis wife and sons upon, when he came out of Midian; and the same ass,
they say, Messiahthe sonof David was to ride upon at his coming (e); but one
of such a prodigious age surely could not be called a colt, or a foal; however,

this fable shows the convictionof their minds that this is a prophecy of the
Messiah, andthat they expectedthe Messiahto ride upon an ass, according to
it, as our MessiahJesusdid. And the Greeks have anotherfable, which
perhaps took its rise from this prophecy, that when Antiochus enteredthe
temple at Jerusalem, he found in it an image of a man in wood, with a long
beard, riding on an ass (f). And a like falsehoodis told by Tacitus (g), that the
Jews consecratedthe effigies of an ass in the inmost part of the temple;
because a flock of wild asses,as he pretends, directed them to fountains of
water, when in the wilderness, and ready to die with thirst; and yet he himself
afterwards says, the Jews have no images, neither in their cities, nor in their
temple: and from hence it may be arose the calumny castupon the primitive
Christians, who were sometimes confounded with the Jews, that they
worshipped an ass's head; and which is refuted by Tertullian (h).
(r) T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 56. 2.((s)T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 1. Vid. etiam ib.
fol. 99. 10. (t) Zohar in Gen. fol. 127. 3.((u) Zohar in Numb. fol. 83. 4. & in
Deut. fol. 117. 1. & 118. 3. Raya Mehimna apud ib. in Lev. fol. 38. 3. & in
Numb. fol. 97. 2.((w) BereshitRabba, sect. 75. fol. 66. 2.((x) BereshitRabba,
sect. 98. fol. 85. 3.((y) Midrash Kohelet, fol. 63. 2.((z) Jarchiin Isaiah 26.6.
Baalhatturim on Exod. fol. 88. 2. Abarbinel, MashmiahJeshuah, fol. 15. 4. R.
Abraham Seba, Tzeror Hammor, fol. 46. 2. Caphtor Uperah, fol. 81. 2.((a) "et
salvatus ipse", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius;"servatus",Calvin, De Dieu.
Schultens (i) observes, thatin the Arabic language, signifies large, ample,
spacious, and denotes amplitude of riches, power, knowledge, happiness, and
glory; and in this place the word describes a king endued with most ample
salvation, and brought into this amplitude out of poverty and straits, darkness
and misery. (b) "Servabitseipsum", Vatablus. (c) pauper, V. L. Calvin,
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator;"inops", Cocceius (d) "id est, super pullum",
Noldius. (e) Pirke Eliezer, c. 31. fol. 32. 1. Caphtor Uperah, fol. 81. 2.((f)
Diodor. Sicul. Excerpta, l. 34. p. 901, 902. (g)Hist. l. 5. c. 3, 4, 5. (h) Apologet.
c. 16. ad nationes, l. 1. c. 11. (i) Origines Hebr. l. 1. p. 18, 19, 20. & indicul. voc.
Hebr. in calce ejus.
Geneva Study Bible

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:behold,
thy King comethto thee: {m} he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and
riding upon a {n} donkey, and upon a colt the foal of a donkey.
(m) That is, he has righteousnessand salvationin himself for the use and
benefit of his Church.
(n) Which declares that they should not look for such a king as would be
glorious in the eyes of man, but should be poor, and yet in himself have all
powerto deliver his own: and this is meant of Christ, as in Mt 21:5.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
9. thy King cometh] The reference to Christ, the true King of Israel, is direct
and immediate. Even if the prophecy be placedbefore the exile, no event in
Jewishhistory answers, eventypically, to this prediction. After the exile no
Jewishruler bore the title of King. “The prophet here briefly shews the
manner in which the church is to be restored, namely, because a King will
come forth of the tribe and family of David, to bring all things to their pristine
order. And this line of argument constantly occurs in the Prophets, since the
hope of the ancient people rested, as ours does, on Christ.” Calvin.
unto thee] not only to thee locally, but for thy benefit. “He teaches us that this
King will not come for His own sake, as earthlyprinces rule after their own
lust, or for their own advantage:but that this kingdom will be sharedby the
whole people, because,that is, of the prosperous condition which it will
introduce.” Calvin.
having salvation]Rather, saved. The Jewishand Christian (LXX. σώζων;
Vulg. salvator)versions render actively, “Saviour.” But there is no need to
depart from the grammatical and usual (Deuteronomy33:29; Psalm33:16;
Isaiah45:17) meaning of the word. “He trusted in Jehovah that He would
deliver Him,” was not only a prediction of the taunt of His enemies (Matthew

27:43), but an exposition of the ruling principle of the mediatorial work of the
man Christ Jesus. And as the reward of that trust He was “saved.” Hebrews
5:7. At the same time, as Calvin (whose whole note on this verse is worth
consulting) points out, the active significationof saving others is really
included in the passive of being savedHimself. For inasmuch as the King
comes not for Himself but “for” Sion (see last note), He is “just and saved” not
for Himself but for her. “Siveniret sibi privatim, essetetiamsibi justus et
servatus, hoc est, utilitas justitiæ et salutis resideretpenes ipsum solum, vel in
ejus persona. Sedquum aliorum respectuvenerit, etiam in eorum gratiam et
justitia et salute præditus est. Ergo justitia et salus quarum hic fit mentio
pertinent ad totum corpus Ecclesiæ, neque restringi debent ad personam
Regis … Neque certe humanitus loquendo dicemus Regemesse salvumet
integrum, si expulsus sit a suo imperio; si deinde ab hostibus vexentur subditi,
vel pereant in totum.”
lowly] or meek. πραῦς. LXX. and Matthew 21:5. The sense, “afflicted,” which
the Heb. word will bear, and which Puseysays is necessarilycontainedin it,
does not seemto be the prominent one here; but rather the meekness and
lowliness (Matthew 11:29)of His characterand coming.
upon an ass]In keeping with and as an illustration of His “lowliness.” “In
itself it would, if insulated, have been unmeaning. The Holy Ghostprophesied
it, Jesus fulfilled it, to shew the Jews ofwhat nature His kingdom was.” Pusey.
So Calvin observes that the prophecy was at once metaphoricaland literal.
“Nampropheta intelligit Christum fore quasi obscurum hominem, qui sese
non extollet supra communem vulgi modum. Hic est genuinus sensus. Verum
est: sedtamen hoc non obstat, quominus Christus etiam ediderit hujus rei
specimen, ubi asinum illum conscendit.”
the foalof an ass]Lit. of she-asses;i.e. such as those animals bear. So
Jephthah is said(Jdg 12:7) to have been buried “in the cities of Gilead;” i.e.

(as the A. V. and R. V. supply) in “one of” them. Comp. Genesis 19:29;
Genesis 37:31. The clause is added to define more exactly the words, “upon an
ass:” even upon a colt, R. V. It was upon the colt that our Lord actually rode.
The Evangelist’s addition, “whereonneverman sat” (Mark 11:2), would seem
to indicate that it was chosen, rather than the mother, on accountof the
sacreduse to which it was to be put. Comp. Numbers 19:2; 1 Samuel 6:7;
Luke 23:53.
9–17. The Coming of the King
The greatevent for which all that had been foretold in the preceding verses of
the chapter, and indeed all the preceding history of Israeland of the world,
had been a preparation, and in which as purposed and promised by God was
the pledge of Israel’s preservationfor its accomplishment, is now announced
and its consequencesare unfolded. Sion is called upon to welcome with
exultation her just and lowly King, who comes to her in humble state
(Zechariah 9:9), whose kingdom of peace shall coverall the land and embrace
all nations (Zechariah 9:10), and who, mindful of His covenantwith her, shall
give deliverance to the captives of Israel(Zechariah 9:11-12). Using them, now
once more an united nation, as the instruments of His warfare (Zechariah
9:13), Himself fighting for them and manifesting Himself as their Protector
(Zechariah 9:14), He will make them victorious over all their enemies
(Zechariah 9:15), and will promote them to safetyand honour (Zechariah
9:16), magnifying His “goodness” andHis “beauty” in the prosperity with
which He crowns them (Zechariah 9:17).
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 9, 10. - § 2. Then shall the righteous King come to Zion in lowly
fashion, and inaugurate a kingdom of peace. Verse 9. - The prophet invites
Jerusalemto rejoice at the coming of the promised salvationin the Personof
her King; no mighty earthly potentate and conqueror, like Alexander the
Great, but one of different fashion (comp. Zephaniah 3:14). Thy King cometh

unto thee. St. Matthew (Matthew 21:5) and St. John (John 12:15) see a
fulfilment of this prophecy in Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalemon the
first day of the week in which he was crucified. All attempts to disprove the
Messianic import of this passagehave been unavailing. Even critics who refer
this part of Zechariah(ch. 9-11.)to an unknown author writing in the time of
Hezekiah, allow that it is replete with Messianic ideas,and can be applied to
no hero of Jewishstoryor event of Jewishhistory. There is no other "King"
of Israel to whom it can refer. Our blessedLord himself, by his abnormal
actions on Palm Sunday, plainly assumed the part of the predicted King, and
meant the people to recognize in him the promised Messiah(see the full
discussionof the subject in Dr. Pusey's notes, pp. 556, etc.). Thy King. A king
of thine own race, no stranger, but one predestined for thee. He who was
foretold by all the prophets, who was to occupy the throne of David, and reign
forever (Psalm2:6; Psalm 45:1, 6, 7; Isaiah 32:1). Unto thee. For thy good, to
bless thee (Isaiah 9:6). Just. Righteous in characterand in practice, ruling in
equity (Psalm 72:1-4, 7; Isaiah 11:2-4). Having salvation; Septuagint, σώζων,
"saving." Vulgate, salvator;so the Syriac and Chaldee. The genius of the
language requires the participle to be takenpassively, as it is in two other
passageswhere it occurs (Deuteronomy33:29;Psalm 33:16). The context has
seemedto some to demand that it be understood in an active sense, thus
contrasting him who came to save with the haughty Grecianconqueror, whose
progress was markedby bloodshed. But the usual meaning of the word
affords a satisfactorysense. The King who comes is "saved," endowedwith
salvation, either as being protectedand upheld by God (Psalm 18:50;Psalm
110:1, 2, 5; Isaiah42:1; Isaiah 49:8), or as being victorious and so able to aid
his people. In this latter view, the active sense is included in the passive. His
own deliverance is a sure sign of the deliverance of his people. Lowly;
Septuagint, πραύς, "meek;" Vulgate, pauper - meek and lowly, as Christ
himself says (Matthew 11:29),farremoved from warlike pomp and worldly
greatness.The word is also rendered "afflicted," and would then be in
accordancewith the description in Isaiah52:13-53:5;Psalm22:6. Riding upon
an ass. In illustration of his poor or afflicted estate;it is this, and not merely
the peace. fulness ofhis reign, that is meant by this symbolical action, as we
see by the following clause, where the youthfulness of the animal is the point
enforced. And (even, and that) upon a coltthe foal of an ass;such as she asses

bear, and one not trained; as the evangelistsays, "whereonneverman sat."
Christ satupon the foal. In old times judges and men of distinction rode upon
asses(Genesis 22:3;Judges 5:10; Judges 10:4); but from Solomon's days the
horse had been used, not only in war, but on all state occasions (Jeremiah
17:25); and the number of horses brought back on the return from Babylon is
speciallymentioned (Ezra 2:66). So to predicate of a King that he would come
to his capitalriding, not on a war horse, but on a young, unbroken ass,
showedat once that he himself was not to be considereda victorious general
or a worldly potentate, and that his kingdom was not to be wonor maintained
by carnal arms. This is signified more fully in the following verse, which
describes the characterand extent of Messiah's kingdom.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
"Who is left among you, that saw this house in its former glory? and how do
ye see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Haggai2:4. And now be
comforted, Zerubbabel, is the saying of Jehovah; and be comforted, Joshua
son of Jozadak, thou high priest; and be comforted all the people of the land,
is the saying of Jehovah, and work:for I am with you, is the saying of Jehovah
of hosts. Haggai2:5. The word that I concludedwith you at your coming out
of Egypt, and my Spirit, stand in the midst of you; fear ye not." The prophet,
admitting the poverty of the new building in comparisonwith the former one,
exhorts them to continue the work in comfort, and promises them that the
Lord will be with them, and fulfil His covenant promises. The question in
Haggai2:3 is addressedto the old men, who had seenSolomon's temple in all
its glory. There might be many such men still living, as it was only sixty-seven
or sixty-eight years since the destruction of the first temple. ‫ראׁשּנה‬ is the
predicate to the subject ‫,ימ‬ and has the article because it is defined by the
reflex action of the relative clause which follows (compare Ewald, 277, a). The
secondquestion, ‫ּומּו‬ ‫ּנּתא‬ ‫,ומר‬ et qualem videtis, In what condition do ye see it
now? is appended to the lastclause of the first question: the house which ye
saw in its former glory. There then follows with ‫,רוּוּנ‬ in the form of a lively
assurance, the statementof the difference betweenthe two buildings. ‫ּוּניּכ‬ ‫,ּומרו‬
which has been interpreted in very different ways, may be explained from the
double use of the ‫כ‬ in comparisons, which is common in Hebrew, and which
answers to our as - so: here, however, it is used in the same way as in Genesis

18:25 and Genesis 44:18;that is to say, the object to be compared is
mentioned first, and the objectwith which the comparisonis instituted is
mentioned afterwards, in this sense, "so is it, as having no existence,"in which
case we should either leave out the first particle of comparison, or if it were
expressed, should have to reverse the order of the words: "as not existing
(nothing), so is it in your eyes." Koehlergives this correctexplanation;
whereas if ‫ּומרו‬ be explained according to Joel2:2, its equal, or such an one,
we get the unsuitable thought, that it is not the temple itself, but something
like the temple, that is comparedto nothing. Even in Genesis 44:18, to which
Ewald very properly refers as containing a perfectly equivalent phrase, it is
not a man equal to Joseph, but Josephhimself, who is compared to Pharaoh,
and describedas being equal to him. Neverthelessthey are not to let their
courage fail, but to be comforted and to work. Châzaq, to be inwardly strong,
i.e., to be comforted, 'Ash, to work or procure, as in Ruth 2:19 and Proverbs
31:13, in actual fact, to continue the work of building bravely, without there
being any necessityto supply ‫רכּנומ‬ from Haggai1:14. For Jehovahwill be
with them (cf. Haggai1:13).
In confirmation of this promise the Lord adds, that the word which He
concluded with them on their coming out of Egypt, and His Spirit, will
continue among them. "The word" ('eth-haddâbhâr) cannot be either the
accusative ofthe object to the preceding verb ‛ăsū (Haggai2:4), or to any verb
we may choose to supply, or the preposition 'ēth, with, or the accusative of
norm or measure (Luther, Calvin, and others). To connectit with ‛ăsū yields
no suitable meaning. It is not the word, which they vowedto the Lord, at the
conclusionof the covenant, that they are to do now, but the work which they
had begun, viz., the building of the temple, they are now to continue. It is
perfectly arbitrary to supply the verb zikhrū, remember (Ewald and
Hengstenberg), and to understand the prophet as reminding them of the word
"fearnot" (Exodus 20:17-20). Thatword, "fearnot," with which Moses, not
God, infused courage into the people, who were alarmed at the terrible
phenomenon with which Jehovahcame down upon Sinai, has no such central
significance as that Haggaicould point to it without further introduction, and
say that Jehovah had concluded it with them on their coming out of Egypt.
The word which the Lord concluded with Israelwhen He led it out of Egypt,

can only be the promise which establishedthe covenant, to the fulfilment of
which God bound Himself in relation to the people, when He led them out of
Egypt, namely, the word that He would make Israel into His own property out
of all nations (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6; cf. Jeremiah 7:22-23, and
Jeremiah11:4). It would quite agree with this to take 'ēth as the accusative of
the norm, and also to connectit as a preposition, if this could only be shown to
be in accordancewiththe rules of the language. But although the accusative in
Hebrew is often used, in the relation of free subordination, "to express more
preciselythe relation of measure and size, space and time, mode and kind"
(cf. Ewald, 204-206),it is impossible to find any example of such an accusative
of norm as is here assumed, especiallywith 'ēth preceding it. But if 'ēth were a
preposition instead of ‫,ּנּתכא‬ we should have ‫,םככא‬ inasmuch as the use of
‫,ּנבּדר־תה‬ as a parallel to ‫,ּנּתכא‬ makes the words clumsy and awkward. The
thought which Haggaievidently wishes to express requires that haddâbhâr
should stand upon the same line with rūchı̄, so that 'eth-haddâbhâr is actually
the subjectto ‛ōmedeth, and 'ēth is simply used to connectthe new declaration
with the preceding one, and to place it in subjection to the one which follows,
in the sense of"as regards," quoad(Ewald, 277, d, pp. 683-4), in which case
the choice ofthe accusative in the present instance may either be explained
from a kind of attraction (as in the Latin, urbem quam statuo vestra est), as
Hitzig supposes, or from the blending together of two constructions, as
Koehler maintains; that is to say, Haggaiintended to write ‫ּוהו־י‬ ‫ּנבּדר־תה‬
‫,רםממּתי‬ but was induced to alter the proposedconstructionby the relative
clause ‫ּומּו‬ ‫ּוהּתי‬‫ּנׁשה‬ attaching itself to ‫.ר־תה‬ Consequently‛ōmedeth, as
predicate, not only belongs to rūchı̄, but also to haddâbhâr, in the sense ofto
have continuance and validity; and according to a later usage ofthe language,
‫םממ‬ is used for ‫,םוא‬ to stand fast (compare Isaiah 40:8 with Daniel11:14). The
word, that Israelis the property of Jehovah, and Jehovahthe God of Israel,
still stands in undiminished force;and not only so, but His Spirit also still
works in the midst of Israel. Rūăch, in parallelism with the word containing
the foundation of the covenant, is neither the spirit of prophecy (Chald., J. D.
Mich.), nor the spirit which once filled Bezaleelandhis companions (Exodus
31:1., Exodus 36:1.), enabling them to erectthe tabernacle in a proper
manner, and one well-pleasing to God (Luc., Osiander, and Koehler). Both
views are too narrow; rūăch is the divine powerwhich accompaniesthe word

of promise and realizes it in a creative manner, i.e., not merely "the virtue
with which God will establishtheir souls, that they may not be overcome by
temptations" (Calvin), but also the power of the Spirit working in the world,
which is able to remove all the external obstacles thatpresent themselves to
the realizationof the divine plan of salvation. This Spirit is still working in
Israel("in the midst of you"); therefore they are not to fear, even if the
existing state of things does not correspondto human expectations. The
omnipotence of Godcan and will carry out His word, and glorify His temple.
This leads to the further promise in Haggai2:6-9, which gives the reasonfor
the exhortation, "Fearye not."
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Zechariah 9:9 9
The Cross And The Crown
April 9, 2005 — by Herbert Vander Lugt
On the day we call Palm Sunday the Lord Jesus presentedHimself to Israelas
their King when He rode into Jerusalemon a donkey. Had He been astride a
spirited horse, He would have lookedmore kingly. But Zechariah had
prophesied He would come in the humble waythat He did.
Why? Kings of the Eastrode donkeys when on errands of peace. The horse
was used as a chargerin war.
The multitudes thought in terms of earthly prosperity and freedom from
Rome. So they cried, “Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:10). Yet a few days
later, the shouts of the crowdbecame:“Crucify Him!” (15:13).
Some who declare themselves admirers of Jesus do not recognize Him as the
Savior of sinners. But our deepestneedcannot be met until our sin problem is
overcome. Forthis reasonChrist rode into Jerusalemon a donkey with His

face settoward the cross, knowing full well the shameful and painful death He
would suffer there. Now, having paid the price for human sin, He is highly
exalted at God’s right hand and will come again as King of kings and Lord of
lords. His cross had to precede His crown.
If we want to be part of His heavenly kingdom, we must trust Him as our
Savior now.
If in heaven a crown you'd wear
And bright palms of victory bear,
Christ the Savior you must claim;
Find redemption in His name. —Anon.
There would be no crown-wearers in heavenhad Christ not been the cross-
bearer on earth.
Zechariah 9:9
Parades have traditionally been celebrations of greatachievements. In
American history, the greatestparades focusedon people such as pilot
Charles Lindbergh, the Apollo 11 astronauts, and war heroes. These
celebrations were markedby ticker-tape showers and adoring crowds lining
the streets ofa major city as bands and celebrities passedin review.
But the greatestparade of all time was quite different. It happened in
Jerusalem2,000 years ago.It was a simple one-man donkey ride. Instead of
tickertape, the way was lined with garments and palm branches.
Perhaps the most remarkable element of Jesus'ride into the Holy City was its
prophetic significance. In Zechariah 9:9, the prophet describedthe scene that
would unfold more than 500 years later. When Jesus rode that donkey into
Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy as He went, He was giving us one more reason
to shout, "Hosanna!" He was, and is, the promised Messiah. --J D Brannon
If we believe in Jesus'Kingship, we'll bow to Him in worship.

Zechariah 9:9
DonkeyMentality
June 19, 2006 — by David C. McCasland
A minister referred to Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalemand asked:
“What if the donkey on which Jesus was riding had thought all the cheering
was for him? What if that small animal had believed that the hosannas and
the branches were in his honor?”
The minister then pointed to himself and said: “I’m a donkey. The longerI’m
here the more you’ll come to realize that. I am only a Christ-bearerand not
the objectof praise.”
In recording Jesus’entry into Jerusalem, Matthew referred to the prophecy
of Zechariah: “Tellthe daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey’” (Matthew 21:5;
see Zechariah9:9).
On Palm Sunday, the donkey was merely a Christ-bearer, bringing the Son of
God into the city where He would give His life for the sins of the world.
If we could develop a healthy “donkeymentality,” what an assetthatwould be
as we travel the road of life. Instead of wondering what people think of us, our
concernwould be, “Can they see Christ Jesus, the King?” Ratherthan
seeking creditfor service rendered, we would be content to lift up the Lord.
O what can I give to the Master,
The One who from sin set me free?
I’ll give Him a lifetime of service
To thank Him for dying for me. —K. De Haan
A Christian’s life is a window through which others cansee Jesus.

Zechariah 9:9
One Hundred PercentRight!
We have … a more sure word of prophecy … 2 Peter1:19
It's amazing what canbe done with statistics. Bya cleverarrangement of
facts, framed in a shrewdly worded context, it is possible to make even a poor
situation sound good. Forexample, a weathermanonce boasted, "I'm 90
percent right—10 percent of the time!" His claim sounds quite impresive until
it is analyzed. He neededsuch a manipulation of statistics to cover up his poor
record. Such, however, is not necessarywith the Bible. Its predictions are 100
percent right. There's no need for double-talk when it comes to the Scriptures.
The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehemas prophesied by Micah
(Mic. 5:2); of a virgin (Isa. 7:14); at the time specifiedby Daniel (Dan. 9:25).
Infants in Bethlehem were massacredas foretold by Jeremiah(Jer. 31:15);
Jesus wentdown into Egypt and returned as prophesied by Hosea (Hos. 11:1).
Isaiahforetold His ministry in Galilee (Isa. 9:1, 2); Zechariah predicted His
triumphal entry into Jerusalemridipg upon a colt (Zech. 9:9); His betrayal
for 30 pieces ofsilver (Zech. 11:12);and the return of this money for the
purchase of a potter's field (Zech. 11:13). David lived 1,000 years before the
birth of Christ, and had never seena Roman crucifixion; yet in Psalm22, he
penned under divine inspiration a graphic portrayal of the death Jesus
suffered when He died upon a Roman cross. Isaiah53 also gives us a detailed
picture of our Lord's rejectionand death. These few prophecies alone should
impress the worst of skeptics with the reliability of the Bible.
Since these predictions have all been fulfilled to the smallestdetail, let us also
acceptwith confidence that which the Bible says about the future. Remember,
we have a sure word of prophecy which is 100 percentright—all of the time!
I'll trust in God's unchanging Word
Till soul and body sever;
For though all things shall pass away,
His Word shall stand forever! — Luther

Through the pages ofthe Bible, as through a window divinely opened, men
can look into the future of earth and the glories of Heaven. —T. Carlyle
Zechariah 9:9
Always Right
December21, 2003 — by Richard De Haan
A weathermanboasted, “I’m 90 percent right—10 percentof the time.”
That’s a ridiculous statement, but some people resortto that type of
doubletalk to coverup a poor record.
The Bible’s prophetic record, though, truly is accurate. Let’s look at a few
examples.
The Lord Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem(Micah 5:2) of a virgin
(Isaiah 7:14) at the time specified(Daniel9:25). Infants in Bethlehem were
massacredas prophesied(Jeremiah31:15). Jesus wentdown into Egypt and
returned (Hosea 11:1). Isaiahforetold Christ’s ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-
2). Zechariah predicted His triumphal entry into Jerusalemon a colt
(Zechariah 9:9) and His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12-13). Davidhad
never seena Roman crucifixion, yet in Psalm 22, under divine inspiration, he
penned a graphic portrayal of Jesus’death. Isaiah53 gives a detailed picture
of our Lord’s rejection, mistreatment, death, and burial. These few
prophecies (and there are many more) should impress us with the reliability
of the Bible.
Since these predictions have all been fulfilled, let us also acceptwith
confidence what the Bible says about the future. Remember, we have a book
of prophecy that is right—all of the time!

His Word shall stand forever! —Luther
You can trust the Bible—Godalways keeps His word.
ROBERT MORGAN
Jesus is Coming, and He Will Enter Jerusalemon a Donkey
Zechariah 9:9
All of this is predicted in Zechariah 9:1-8. But now we come to verse 9, and
this one verse gives us the secondmovement in the chapter. Jesus is coming,
and He will enter Jerusalemon a donkey.
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughterof Jerusalem! See,
your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Five hundred years later—one half a millennium—Jesus the King of the Jews
approachedthe city of Jerusalemfrom the East, from the Mount of Olives.
He sent two of His disciples to fetch a donkey, and the disciples brought the
colt of Jesus. Jesus mounted the little creature and rode up the precipitous
dirt road, toward the walls of the ancientcity, through the gates, as crowds of
worshipers threw palm branches to pave His wayand as young and old alike
cried, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessedis He who comes in the Name of
the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Two kings entering Jerusalem, and they are contrastedside by side—
Alexander the Great and Jesus Christ the Lord—both of them predicted in
advance by this young Jewishprophet who lived and preachedhundreds of
years prior to the events he described.

STEVEN COLE
Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice!Your King is Coming!
Excerpt from introduction:
You have probably had the experience that I have often had, where you are
looking for something in the closetorgarage, but you couldn’t find it because
you had the wrong conceptof what you were looking for. You thought that it
was in a square brown box, but it really was in an oblong yellow box. So you
staredright at it, and perhaps even moved it out of the way, but you missed it
because your mental picture of it was wrong. MostJews in Jesus’day missed
Him as their Messiahand King because they were expecting a different kind
of Savior. They thought that Messiahwould be a mighty political deliverer,
who would lead Israel to military victory over Rome. They were not looking
for a lowly Savior, riding on the foal of a donkey. They could not conceive ofa
suffering Savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice forsinners. And so,
tragically, they missed the coming of their King! Many people still miss Jesus
because ofwrong expectations. They’re looking for a Saviorlike Aladdin’s
Genie, who will grant their every wish, but it hasn’t happened. They want a
Savior who will instantly solve their deepestproblems, but those problems
have not gone away. Or, they expecta church where everyone always loves
one another. But a church member treatedthem wrongly, so they dropped out
in bitter disappointment. In order joyously to welcome Jesus as our King, we
need to understand properly who He is. Our text is one of the greatMessianic
prophecies of the Old Testament. Even most Jewishcommentators down
through the centuries have agreedthat this is a prophecy about Messiah
(Charles Feinberg, God Remembers [American Boardof Missionto the Jews],
pp. 167-168). Zechariah9:9-10 teaches us that…BecauseJesusChrist is King
and He is coming to reign, we who are subject to Him should rejoice greatly.
The news that a king is coming is not necessarilya cause for greatjoy. The
first part of this chapter predicts the coming of Alexander the Great, who
ruthlessly conquered Israel’s neighbors. The news of his coming would have
struck terror into the hearts of those in his path. He often slaughteredall the
men in a city and soldthe women and children into slavery. He was not
concernedabout the well-being of his subjects, but only about his own power

and dominion. It is also difficult to acceptthe news of a coming king because
there is a sense in which all of us want to rule our own lives. We can accept
governmental interference to a limited degree, as long as it doesn’t get too
close. Butif a king started trying to control every aspectofour lives—how we
do business, how we relate to others, including our families, and even how we
speak and think—we resistthe very thought! We certainly would not rejoice
at the news of the coming of that kind of king! But that is preciselythe kind of
King that Jesus is! He is rightfully Lord of all people and of all aspects ofall
people’s lives. Regarding this King, Zechariahexhorts, “Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your
king is coming to you.” The restof verses 9 & 10 describe this King and
explain why His coming gives cause for greatjoy. If we understand who this
King is and what His coming will mean for all the earth, we will rejoice
greatly at the news of His coming.
Question:"What does the Bible mean when it refers to a 'Daughter of Zion'?"
Answer: The “daughter of Zion” is mentioned severaltimes in the Old
Testament, usually in prophecy and once in poetry. “Zion” meant Jerusalem
and, later, Israelas the people of God. “Daughterof Zion,” then, does not
refer to a specific person. It’s a metaphor for Israeland the loving, caring,
patient relationship God has with His chosenpeople.
As a representationof the people of Israel, the daughter of Zion is described
in severaldifferent situations:
2 Kings 19:21: A people confident in the deliverance of their God. When
Assyria threatened Jerusalem, King Hezekiahwent to the Lord. In response,
God sent Isaiahto reassure Hezekiahthat Jerusalemwould not fall to Assyria,

and God consideredthe threatening insult to “the virgin daughter of Zion” as
a personalaffront to Himself.
Isaiah1:8: A hut, abandoned after judgment came to an evil family. Here,
Isaiahcompares the rebellion of Judah to a sick body in a devastatedland.
The daughter of Zion is left as a lone remnant—a shelter hidden in the
vineyard or a hut in a cucumber field that barely escapeddestruction.
Jeremiah4:31: A womanin labor, helpless before attackers.The steadfastness
of Hezekiah was rare in Judah—most kings encouragedrebellionagainstGod
instead of loyalty to God. Jeremiah warns that if the nation does not turn
awayfrom evil, God will punish them severely. And the people will be helpless
againstit—as helpless as a woman in labor.
Isaiah62:11: A people awaiting salvation. After the punishment of exile, God
promises restorationto Israel. He will rejoice over His chosenpeople again.
And in verse 11, He promises the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation
comes;behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”
Micah4:13: A bull that threshes his enemies. In verse 10, God warns that the
daughter of Zion will suffer as much as a woman in labor. But in verse 13, He
promises vengeance. The weak, powerlesswomanwill become a bull with
horns of iron and hoofs of bronze that will crush its enemies.
Zechariah 9:9: A land awaiting its king. This prophecy promises Israel’s
enemies will be destroyed, but also speaks abouta more permanent solutionto
the problem of sin. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Should in triumph,
O daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your king is coming to you; he is just and
endowedwith salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the

foal of a donkey.” Despite the consistentrebellion of the daughter of Zion
againsther Father, He promises to restore her and presenther with a
Deliverer-King in the form of Jesus.
Daughterimplies that God is a loving father. He cherishes and loves His
people, even while they reject Him. By using the metaphor “daughter of
Zion,” God showedhow He felt for the rebellious Israelites:frustrated, angry,
but always with an eye to the future when the relationship would be restored,
and He could once againreturn to them and welcome them into His arms
(Zechariah 2:10).
https://www.gotquestions.org/daughter-of-Zion.html
JOHN MACARTHUR
Let’s look at the Word of God, Zechariah chapter 9. People ask me very often,
mostly people who don’t know Christ, they say, “What’s wrong with the
world? Why is there all this injustice? Why is there all this turmoil? Why is
there all this war? Why all the disease and the pain and the agony? And why
is this chaos existing in the world?” There’s a very simple answer. The King is
absent and therein lies the chaos. The King is absent. Well, He came once.
And He came once and promised to right the world. He said He was the
MessiahofIsrael. He said He was the Prince of Peace.He saidHe was the
King of Kings. He said He was the Lord of Lords.
And He was going to take back this world from the usurper who had had it
for a long time whose name was Satan. And He offered His Kingdom to people
but they rejectedit, didn’t they? So He went awayand He said, “I’ll be absent
a little longer, but I’ll be back.” And so, we say very often as Christians, the
King is coming back. And when He comes back, warwill end, injustice will
end, anarchy will end, infusion will end. Pain and disease and all the other

things will be brought to a bare minimum. The world will be righted when
Jesus comes again. He will seize the reins of the government of the world and
He will rule with a compassionaterod.
There are two elements that we find in Zechariah’s prophecy and in all the
other prophetic books in the Bible that write about His return. One is positive
and one is negative. One says that He comes with greatsalvationand the other
says that He comes in greatjudgment. These two elements of the coming of
Jesus Christ were cause for the response ofJohn in the tenth chapterof
Revelation. In Revelationchapter10, we read, “I saw anothermighty angel
come down of heavenclothed with a cloud and a rainbow,” and John goes on
to describe this angelin verse 1.
And then in verse 2 he says, “And He had in His hand a little scrollopened.”
And by the way, that little scrollwas the title deed to the earth. The title deed
to the earth. Jesus was coming and He had the title deed to the earth. He’s the
King. He’s absentbut He has the right to reign and He’s going to come back
with that title deed and He’s going to take over the earth. In fact, as He
unrolls the title deed that is mentioned in the book of Revelation, you have the
unrolling of the sevenseals. But He unrolls that title deed and takes back the
earth.
John’s reactionis interesting. Look at verse 8. “And the voice which I heard
from heaven spoke to me again, and said, Take the little scrollwhich is open
in the hand of the angelwho stands on the sea and on the earth. And I went to
the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little scroll. And he said unto me,
Take it, and eatit up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy
mouth sweetas honey. And I took the little scroll out of the angel’s hand, and
ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweetas honey: and as soonas I had eaten
it, my belly was bitter.”
You say, “What is this?” The little scrollis a title deed. And John says when I
saw this vision, in my vision the angelsaid eat this. In other words, John, take
in the reality of the coming of Christ and His repossessionof the earth. And
John says first he said it would be sweet. Why? Because whenChrist comes
back, everything is made right and salvationreigns all over the earth and

Israelis redeemed. And an innumerable number of Gentiles are redeemed.
And the Kingdom is come. And Christ receives His due honor. But I hadn’t
eatenit very long before it became bitter because I realized that when Jesus
came, not only was all that goodgoing to happen but there were going to be
people eternally damned. There were going to be nations eternally destroyed.
And those are ever and always the two sides of the return of Jesus Christ. And
that’s why Christians are sort of mixed when they think about it. We rejoice
that He comes and yet, we are disheartenedwhen we see the world that He
comes to, and we know the judgment that awaits. Well, Zechariahis little
different from John. And as we approachZechariah 9 through 14, the last five
chapters of Zechariah, we find these same two elements of the return of Christ
are emphasized. That which is positive in the salvationof Israeland the
restorationof the earth and the Kingdom and all the glory that God deserves
and His Son is finally going to attain. And comparing with that, the terrible
fearful eternaljudgments that fall.
When Jesus comes the secondtime, the world will be arrayed againstHim.
The world will be determined to blast Him out of heaven. In fact, the book of
Revelationsays that as Jesus comes outof heaven, the armies of the world
who are already gathered on the field in the plain of Megiddo, fighting the
battle of HarMegiddo, will turn their guns to blast Jesus outof the sky. That
won’t be anything new. When He came the first time, He was met by the
threat of slaughter, wasn’tHe? Herod actually slaughteredevery baby to try
to destroy Him.
And so, when He comes the secondtime, there will be a similar challenge, only
this time, it won’t just be Herod set againstHim. It’ll be the armies of the
world amassedto destroyHim. And in contrastto His first coming, when men
succeededin killing Him, at His SecondComing, He will destroy His enemies
all over the face of the earth. And then and only after that judgment, He will
begin to minister healing to a sick world and the wonders of His salvationwill
come to pass. These are the two emphases of chapter 9. And the same two, as I
said, that flow all throughout the Bible.

The judgment work of Christ is not an easywork to speak onbecause, you
see, evenIsaiah in Isaiah28:21 calls it God’s quote “strange work,” becauseto
Isaiahit seems to be so contrary to the greatestattribute of God which is His
love, the supreme quality of His nature. But you see, God must be a God of
judgment because He loves.
You see, He loves so much that the day is coming when He’s going to protect
those who are the objects of His love from evil forever. And the only way He
can do it is to destroyevil, you see? So even that is an actof love. To protect
and preserve the full manifestation of His love to His people forever. And so,
He will come in judgment to destroy sinners and sin. But the other side of it is
that He will come to save. So much of the Bible talks about the judgment part
of it. You can’t deny it. It’s all over the Bible. The major prophets, the minor
prophets, they all talk about it.
I was thinking of Joel3:12, “Let the nations be wakenedand come to the
Valley of Jehoshaphat,” – which, incidentally, is a valley createdwhen Jesus
hits the earth. His feetland on the Mount of Olives and the earth splits and a
valley is made there, the Valley of Jehoshaphat. – “and the nations are
gathered,” – and He says – “There will I sit to judge the nations round about,
put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe, come get down for the press is full, the
vats overflow for their wickednessis great. Multitudes, multitudes in the
valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The
sun and the moon shall be darkened, the stars shall withdraw their shining,
the Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem, the
heavens and the earth shall shake, but the Lord shall be the hope of His
people and the strength of the children of Israel.”
There you see the two sides. The great judgment, but the Lord also is the hope
of His people. There are times in the New Testamentthat this judgment is
presented. Matthew 24, Matthew 25, Revelation14:14 to 20, many places. But
the other side of it, of course, is salvationand that’s presented, too. When
Jesus comes, itwon’t all be judgment, it’ll be salvationfor His people and the
fullness of that salvation, all it could possibly mean. Listen, for example, to
Luke 21:27, “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
powerand greatglory. And when these things begin to come to pass” – listen

– “then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption” What? – “draws
nigh.” It isn’t just judgment. It’s judgment on the ungodly and on sin, but it’s
redemption for those who are God’s own.
Paul in Romans chapter 11 verse 26 says that that’s the day in which all Israel
will be saved. “As it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Savior, or the
deliverer, and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob, for this is My
covenantunto them when I shall take awaytheir sins,” Romans 11:26 and 27.
So there’s a –there's a deliverer coming who shall remove sin and grant
salvation.
Dearweeping prophet, Jeremiah, talks about this day and what’s going to
happen when the children of Israelenter into the covenantof God in Jeremiah
31 in verse 3. The whole chapter, really. But verse 3, “The Lord hath
appearedof old unto me saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” – Listen – “Again I
will build thee and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel, thou shalt againbe
adorned with thy timbrels and shall go forth in the dances of those who make
merry.” There’s coming a day when salvationreturns. So, all throughout the
Old TestamentGodpromised the patriarchs and God promised the prophets
that what was most dear to them would come to pass. The salvation of their
nation, the wholeness oftheir nation, the healing of their nation, the eternal
place in God’s program was never forfeited.
Believe me, it’s reiterated in the New Testament, “Look up, your redemption
draws nigh.” That’s Israel. It’s reiteratedin Romans, “So all Israelshall be
saved.” It’s reiteratedin Revelation, “A hundred and forty-four thousand out
of every tribe in Israel,” says the seventh chapter, “shallbe missionaries to
reachtheir nation and the world.” And I’m convinced that Godwill not go
back on His Word to His friends, but that God will do what He has promised.
So, we come then to chapter 9 again. And we have to see these two sides in this
chapter: the side of judgment and the side of salvation. And we’re going to see
them in chapter 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. That’s why I took the time to coverit,
so you’d understand. Now remember, that as we look at chapter 9 and we see
the prophecy that is here – we’re just kind of finishing up what we started last

time. You remember that in this chapter I told you something very important
to remember. That normally, when the prophets of the Old Testamentgave a
prophecy that was a long time awayrelated to the end of the age, they would
usually give another prophecy that would come to pass somewhere along the
line of history before that time, as a kind of a pledge to keeppeople confident
that the ultimate fulfillment would take place.
In other words, rather than say something to those people then and then have
nothing betweenthem and the end of the age, the Lord would drop in a
historicalthing that would come to pass to keepfuture generations onthe
track that God really meant what He said. That’s exactly what you have here.
The chapter is trying to tell us that Jesus is going to come. And number one,
He’s going to judge the ungodly, and number two, He is going to save the
righteous and draw them – draw them into His Kingdom.
Now, that’s a long time from when this happened. And so, God drops in the
first eight verses, and they don’t discuss the coming of Christ. Whom do they
discuss? Rememberfrom last week?Alexander the Great. And Alexander the
Greatcame just a couple hundred years after this was written. But it kept the
succeeding generations aware ofthe fact that if the first part of Zechariah
came to pass, what’s the natural conclusion? So will the lastpart.
That’s how God repeatedly kept people on track with His prophecies. And so,
the first eight verses whichwe discussedlasttime, point out to us the
campaignof Alexander the Greatas he sweptthrough Syria, Phoenicia,
Philistia and Israel. And I told you last week – and it – it couldn’t be anybody
but Alexander. It absolutely chronicles whathe did. We have history to
support it, his own records. I told you that he went into Syria and knockedoff
Syria, came over to the coastline and took Phoenicia – which amounted to
Tyre and Sidon – moved south and took care of Philistia, all of the cities of
Philistia that are named in verse 5: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron.
But amazingly enough, after destroying the nations, he savedwhom? Israel.
And he spared them. And he, absolutelyto the T, fulfilled the prophecy
penned hundreds of years before the man was everborn, a prophecy written
in a book he never saw. It was God’s way of saying, “When you see Alexander

do this, know that just as that part came to pass, so will part two. And if I can
use a paganhuman being to judge nations and to save My people, wait and see
what I’ll do with the God-Man, Jesus Christ, in the end of the age.”
We left off at verse 8. After finishing off with Alexander, He turns to Christ in
the middle of verse 8, “I will encamp about Mine house because ofthe army,
because ofhim that passes by and because of him that returns.” Now that was
Alexander. God says I’ll encamp around My city, he’ll pass by on his wayto
Egypt, he’ll return back againand he won’t harm you. And then he turns to
the future in a sweeping jump in the middle of the verse and says, “And no
oppressorshall pass through them anymore, for now have I seenwith My
eyes.” And here there’s a leap into the end of the age. When Christ comes, He
says, there will never ever beyond that be an oppressorin the land of Israel.
We know that couldn’t be fulfilled by Alexander, could it? Because there were
plenty since then. Some even now. So He jumps into the future and He says
there’s coming a time when the other conqueror, the divine conquerornot the
human one, comes. And after Him there will never be an oppressoragain“for
now have I seenwith My eyes.” In other words, that means God says I have
seenall I am going to see of – of oppression. I’ve seenall I’m going to allow.
I’ve seenenough. And when Jesus comes, it will be over. And that introduces
us to the secondpart of the chapter, not the human conqueror, but part two,
the divine conqueror, verse 9. Now, watchthis comparison.
Verse 9, here we go. Are you ready? “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.”
Get happy, Israel. “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy King cometh
unto thee.” Stop right there. He says, “Hey, people, gethappy. The King is
going to come.” And, boy, you know, when Alexander came, he was hot stuff.
You know, the white chargerand the whole bit.
But look at the comparison. This is incredible. “He is just and having
salvation.” – Notice those two things? Justice refers to what aspectofHis
coming? Judgment. Salvation refers to the saving aspect. He is just and He
has salvation. The same two things. But look. – “lowly, riding on an ass and
upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” Riding on a donkey and a baby donkey. Some
conqueror. Something wrong here. With that humble statementis the

conqueror introduced. They would have reactedperhaps by saying, “I never
saw a conquerorin my life riding around on a donkey’s colt. Where’s the
white steed?” But this is a different conqueror.
Now I want to show you severalthings. First of all, His characterin verse 9,
His characterin verse 9, the characterofthis conqueror. You know, it’s
amazing as you look at the text because againstthe backgroundof the
invincible marching army of Alexander comes one who doesn’t inspire fear
and He doesn’t inspire dread and nobody’s shaking and nobody’s quaking.
But He inspires praise and apparently, as we shall see, He inspires peace. This
is a different conqueror. This is not a foreign tyrant, but Israel’s own king. He
is not cruel and oppressive, He is righteous. He is not slaying, He is saving. He
is not rich and powerful, He is poor and meek. And He doesn’t ride a steed,
He rides an ass’s colt.
But Zechariahsays, “Getecstatic!” That’s what the Hebrew says, ecstatic
rejoicing. Flip out, get happy, whoopit up. And he tells them why. There are
four elements to His character. “A” is His character, four elements. Firstof
all, He’s a King. “Beholdthy King cometh.” The absolute monarch. I love
this. “Thy King.” Israel’s King, Israel’s redeemer, the promised seedof
David, the Messiah, the One who is to reign, the One of whom Isaiahsaid,
“Unto us a child is born and the government shall be upon His shoulders.”
He’s the King.”
And so, it was announced at His birth. He’s the King. And so, it was
announced at His death, placardedon the cross, “Jesus ofNazareth, the
King.” And He was. Thoughthey said it in jest, He was the King. The King is
coming. People, listen, it’s going to be so goodfor this old world when the
King gets back, don’t you think? To make it all right, to fix it all up when He
takes it back from that usurper Satan.
Secondthing it says about Him, He’s not only the King but He is just. He is
just. His characteris royal and His characteris righteous. His characteris
royal and His characteris righteous. That means He deals justly, He deals
righteously. He will do what is right. No more will anybody sayyou can’t get
no justice, no more. He is righteous. Won’t it be great to have a world where

all decisions are made by one who is absolutelyrighteous and just? The
Scripture talks so much about that. I wish we had time to go into all the
thoughts that it has.
Third thing. He is not only royal, He is not only righteous, but it says He has
salvation. He is a Savior. He is a King. He is righteous. He is the Savior. He is
royal. He is righteous. He is redeeming. He comes to save. And what did the
angelsay when He was born? Thou shalt call His name what? Jesus. Why?
For He shall save His people from their sin. That’s why we come to the table,
isn’t it? He’s a Savior. We need a Savior, don’t we? Somebodyto save us from
our sins. Alexander was no Savior. Alexander wasn’teven righteous. He was a
puny king compared to Christ.
And then it says, lastly, in discussing His character, He is not only a King and
righteous and a Savior, but He is meek. He is meek. And it simply says
“lowly.” Do you see it there? Lowly, humble, quite different from Alexander.
The word in the Hebrew means “poor.” And the same Hebrew word is used in
an economic sense to speak of somebodywith no money. That sounds like
Jesus, doesn’tit? You know, when they crucified Him, they took all of His
belongings. You know what they had? One robe, that was it. “Foxes have
holes, the birds of the air have nests, Matthew 8:20 says, but the Sonof Man
hath not any place” – What? “to lay His head.
You know where His home was? The Mount of Olives, that’s where He went
every night and communed with the Fatherand slept under the stars. If He
stayed in a home, it was the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus or
somebody else who kept Him there. He had nothing. The word means poor in
the Hebrew language whenit refers to economics.Whenthe same word is
used to speak of somebodyelse other than economic, it has to do with them
being sick or wounded or afflicted. But the whole idea is of a personwho has
nothing. Who is miserable, who suffers alone. That’s Him. That’s Him.
Meekness.And Zechariah ties that meekness into a very explicit prophecy and
he says, “When He does come as King, just, Savior, lowly, it will be riding on
an ass on the colt, the foal of an ass.”

Now early in Israel’s history, very early, it was respectable to ride around on
a donkey. But by Solomon’s time, it wasn’t. See, Solomonbrought into Israel
horses. He was really big on horses. I’ve been to his stable. You say, “His
stable, is it still there?” Yep. You know where it is? It’s right on the shelf
overlooking the valley of Megiddo where Armageddon will be fought. That’s
where Solomon’s stables were. And I’ll never forget looking at them. They
were massive stables. And from that time on, nobles and soldiers and
important people rode horses and the donkey lostits dignity. You were really
admitting your poverty by putting around on a donkey.
Jeremiah17:25, “Then shall there enter into the gates of this city, kings and
princes sitting on the throne of David riding chariots and horses.”So
Jeremiah17:25 acknowledges thatkings and princes rode horses, not
donkeys. So, you see this would be a strange prophecy. The King is coming
riding on a donkey’s colt. Well, that’s an amazing prophecy. Did it happen?
Look at Matthew 21. Matthew 21, “And when they drew near to Jerusalem
and were come to Bethphage unto the Mount of Olives,” – which is, of course
eastof the city – “then Jesus senttwo disciples and said to them, Go into the
village opposite you and straightwayyou shall find an ass tied and a colt with
her. Loose them and bring them to Me.” – How did He know that? Just like
He knew everything. Just a part of the information that God has, total
information. – “When you find this little donkey with a colt, bring it. And if
anybody says, you shall say, The Lord has need of them. Straightway he will
send them.”
In other words, He says I’ll not only take care of the factthat the donkey’s
there, but I’ll take care of the questions the man might have. Justtell him the
Lord sent for them and we’ll work on his heart and he’ll let you go. “All this
was done that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophet” – What
prophet? Zechariah, we just read it. – “saying, Tellye the daughter of Zion,
behold, thy King comes unto thee meek and sitting on an ass and a colt, the
foal of an ass.” Justexactlyas was prophesied.
And He got on, verse 7, “Theyset Him on it. And a very greatmultitude
spread their garments in the way. They cut down branches from the trees,

spread them in the way. The multitude that went before that followedChrist
saying, Hosanna to the King of David, blessedis He that cometh in the name
of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.” Hosanna to the what? The King. He was
a King riding on a donkey, prophecy explicitly fulfilled.
Now go back to Zechariah. So Zechariah presents His character. Now that, of
course, if the first coming of Christ, wasn’tit? Look at verse 10. We move
from the first coming of Christ where we see His character, to the Second
Coming of Christ where we see His conquest, His conquest. This is absolutely
fascinating. Now watch. By the way, you say, “How can – how can the Old
Testamentjump from one to the other?” Simple, the Old Testamentwriters
didn’t see the church age, do you see? Theysaw the King coming. offering the
Kingdom and setting it up. The – the church is a mystery. Paul says “This is a
mystery which has been revealedto me which was hidden in the past.”
And so, the gap in here that’s two thousand years long now, the Old
Testamentprophets didn’t see. And so, immediately the King comes and it
moves to His SecondComing and it says, “I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalemand the battle bow shall be cut off and
He shall speak peaceto the nation and His dominion shall be from sea evento
sea and from the earth – or from the river rather, even to the ends of the
earth.” From the deep humiliation and affliction of Messiahat His first
coming, Zechariah moves to the glory and exaltation of His SecondComing.
Now the chariothere is a battle chariot. And the horse is an instrument of
war. The horse was used for war. So were chariots. And what he’s saying here
is, “I will bring an end to war. I will remove the need for chariots and horses
in Jerusalem.” Theywon’t have to fight anymore. “And the battle bow will be
cut off.” There’s no need for these things. Why? “He shall speak peace to the
nations, set up His dominion from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the
earth.” That’s basicallya quote from Psalm 72 verse 8. “From sea to sea”
means worldwide. He will rule the world, rule the whole world. And the river
here is the river Euphrates which was the easternborder of the land given
originally to Abram.

And so, from Israel’s land bordered on the eastby the Euphrates, extending
from that centerpoint, that there, as the Latins would sayterminus a quo.
From that point, all around the world will be the place where Jesus reigns.
And He will – He will bring peace so that there will be no more need for
battle. Now, here we are in the salvation part. This is God’s wonderful
redemption of Israel. No more war. He will rule and He will reign.
And then he takes it a step further. Verse 11, “As for thee also,” – that is
Israel– “by the blood of thy covenant, I have sentforth thy prisoners out of
the pit in which is no water.” You know, there’s a phenomenal thing here in
the Hebrew and that is this, that this is spokenof as if it already happened.
It’s a perfecttense. In other words, it’s just as goodas done in that day.
Becauseofthe blood of the covenant, I have already sentforth thy prisoners
out of the pit in which was no water.
You say, “Well, what does that mean?” Well, He says, first of all, because of
the blood of the covenant. “Well, what blood is that?” Well, you remember
back in Genesis 15? Godmade a promise to Abram. He said, “Abram,” –
before he was Abraham, He said – “I’m going to make a greatnation out of
you and I’m going to promise to bless that nation. Now I want to sealthat
promise, so you geta goatand a ram and a heifer and a pigeonand a
turtledove and you split the animals in half and then just kill the pigeon and
the turtledove. And lay half of the animals on this side and half of the animals
on this side, the dead pigeon on this side, and the dead turtledove on this
side.” That’s a messy bloody deal.
You say, “What’s God up to?” He got all doing – done doing that and God
just gave him a divine anesthetic, phish, put him to sleep. He’s zonked. And
the Bible says that God, speaking of Godas a smoking burning lamp and
furnace, Godpassedbetweenthose pieces, Genesis 15. Yousay, “What in the
world is that?” In the east, when people made a covenant, they made it in
blood. And the way they did it was to cut an animal in half and walk between
the bloody parts of the animal. That was the custom to seala promise.
And God – watchthis – God was not making a promise with Abram, so He
just put Abram asleepand said, “You’re not involved in this, kid.” God was

making a promise with God. Nobody went through those pieces but Him. He
vowed with Himself to bless his people. That’s unconditional because God
could never break a promise He made with Himself. Both parties are
incapable of violating it because both parties are one in the same God. And so,
He says it is because ofMy own covenant, the blood of that covenant, it may
even also include the bloodshed in the Mosaic covenant.
And certainly, ultimately it is the covenantthat is fulfilled most singularly in
whose blood? The blood of Jesus Christ. Becauseofthe blood that I that I
passedbetweenthen, because ofthe blood of the Mosaic covenant, becauseof
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the once for all offering, because ofthose
things, some pass, some yet to come, I’ll never violate My promise. It’s sealed
in blood.
You say, “Well,” – people – people always say– amillennialists always say
this, the people who don’t believe Israel has a place – they say, “Well, you see,
Israelblew it. You see, Israelisn’t worthy to be redeemed. Israelisn’t worthy
to be brought back. Israelforfeited their right.” Listen. It doesn’t say, “But
I’m going to bring you back because you’re so wonderful.” Or, “I’m going to
bring you back because you’ve just now and then been pretty good.” Or, “I’m
going to bring you back because Ifeel sort of sorry for you.” It says, “I’m
going to bring you back because Imade a promise with Myselfand I sealed
that promise in blood. And when I do that, I keepMy promise.”
And so, God says because ofthe blood of the covenant – now watchthis, “I
have already sent forth the prisoners out of the pit in which is no water.” You
remember Joseph, Genesis37? Where did they throw Joseph? Where did his
brothers throw him? In a pit. That was a common place to put people you
wanted to get rid of. You know what happened when they threw them in the
pit? Nothing. They died. And you know what they used to use for pits? Empty
cisterns and dry wells. And that’s exactly what you have here. A pit in which
there is no wateris a dry well.
And God says Israelhas been in a dry wella long time but because ofthe
blood of the covenantand because I have made a vow to Israel, they’re as
goodas out. And that’s a greatmessageto announce to the Jews, youknow

that? That your people are as goodas out of the pit someday. When the King
comes, Israelwill be freed from the pit of trouble, the pit of war, the pit of
suffering to know the liberty of the Kingdom of peace and the reign of the
Prince of PeaceHimself. And so, because ofthat he calls them prisoners of
hope in verse 12. “Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope.” Turn to
Me, is what He’s saying. It’s all going to come to pass. TrustMe, lean on Me,
ye prisoners of hope.
I spoke ata prison this week. And after I was done preaching – a couple of
men receivedChrist. And I walkedout into the chapelto talk with some of the
prisoners. And every prisoner I talked to, exceptfor one, said to me, “I’m
getting out in 12 months” and “I’m getting out in six months.” “I'm – I think
I’m going to get out in October.” “I – I think I” – You know why? Because
that – they had to have hope. It wasn’tenough just to be there and think they
would never getout.
Ahh, we say to Israel, “Israel, you may be prisoners in a terrible situation with
a PLO. You may be in a terrible situation with the Arab pressure. You may
have it really rough. But I’ll tell you one thing. You’re prisoners of hope
because one of these days you’re as goodas out of the pit. And when you get
out, everything that’s ever been withheld from you will be given back double
measure.” Is that in the Bible? It’s in the Bible, verse 12, “Eventoday do I
declare, I will render” – What? – “double unto you.” Not just blessing, double
blessing. After all, you’ve had double anxiety and double pain. I’ll render
double blessing. And they have had terrible pain, double pain.
Isaiah61:7 – I just thought of it – says, “Foryour shame, you shall have
double. And for confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in
their land they shall possessa double portion.” In other words, you had
double pain, I’ll give you double portion. That’s God’s promise. And so, He
says I’m going to save them. I’m going to take war from the earth, verse 10.
I’m going to give them salvationand bring them out of the pit. And I’m going
to double bless them, verse 12.
Now watchthis one. Just so we don’t lose our place in history, the Holy Spirit
stops here and gives us another one of those historical pledges. Are you ready

for this one? Verse 13, “WhenI have bent Judah for Me, and filled the bow
with Ephraim and raisedup thy sons, O Zion, againstthy sons, O Greece, and
made thee like the sword of a mighty man, and the Lord shall be seenover
them and His arrow shall go forth like the lightning and the Lord Godshall
blow the trumpet and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.” Now stop there.
Now that seems pretty obscure. But it isn’t.
Let me show you the picture here, it’s really clearif you just look a step at a
time at it. The Lord says, “Justto let you know I’m on your side, even – even
so you don’t doubt Me, even after Alexander. I’ve got anotherlittle token
along the path here that will show you I mean business. I will use Judah like a
bow.” And you know with a bow, you bend that bow. Judah is the bow and
Ephraim is the arrow. In other words, I’m going to use you as My weapons,
Oh Zion, againstGreece.
Now there’s only been one time in history when God ever used Israelto defeat
Greece. And that was in the period of time known as the intertestimental
period, the period of time betweenthe Old and the New Testament, that 400-
year period in there betweenthe last of the prophecies, Ezra – or the last of
the scribes, Ezra, and the first of the New Testament;those 400 years, the last
400.
In that period of time, Israelknew the domination of Greece.And only one
time in those years did they ever break that domination. It was under the
Maccabees. Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewishman and his sons starteda rebellion
againstthe – the yoke of Greece. Because thatrotten Greek ruler that had
been assignedto Israel by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes had so desecrated
the temple, he stuffed pork down the throats of the priests and he sacrificeda
pig on the altar. He was a terrible character. And they were so infuriated by
this that Godraised up a rebellious army and they literally fought against
Greece andprevailed.
And so that’s what you have here. God is saying some day I’m going to use
you to defeatGreece and make you like the swordof a mighty man. And the
Lord will be seenover them at that time and His arrows shallgo forth like the
lightning. And the Lord God will blow the trumpet and go with whirlwinds of

the south. If you ever lived in that part of the world, they say you watch for
whirlwinds coming from the south because they’re devastating deadly
whirlwinds.
And just like a devastating whirlwind, just like lightning cracking out of the
sky, just like a sharp arrow and a piercing sword, God says I’m going to use
IsraelagainstGreece. And the war lastedfrom 175 to 163 B.C. They fought
Antiochus Epiphanes and they won their independence. For them it was a
holy war. And here Zechariah says God will be your captain. Jehovahwill
blow the trumpet. He’ll call you to battle. He’ll send you out to victory. But
that’s only a touch. That’s only a token. That’s only a pledge on the path to
the final victory that awaits in the great and glorious future when Jesus
comes.
David Baron, the greatcommentator – written probably the most significant
book on the prophecy of Zechariah – says, quote: “Zion and Greece, as has
been well observedby another writer, are in this prophecy of Zechariah
opposedto one another as the city of God and the city of the world. And the
defeatof Antiochus Epiphanes and his successorsatthe hands of comparative
handfuls of despised Jews to which this passagemay refer primarily,
foreshadows the final conflict with world powerand the judgments to be
inflicted on the confederatedarmies who shall be gatheredagainstJerusalem,
not only directly by the hand of God but also by the hand of Israel who shall
then be made strong in Jehovahso that the feeble among them shall be as
David and the house of David shall be as God as the angelof Jehovahbefore
them.” And so, Baronis right. What you see here is just a tokenor a pledge.
It’s just a historical picture of the ultimate greatvictory God will win overthe
nations using Israeleven as His instrument.
Now, let’s go on to the final triumph in verse 15. “The Lord of hosts shall
defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue the sling stones;and they
shall drink and make a noise as though – as through wine, and they shall be
filled like bowls and like the corners of the altar.” You know, the “Lord of
hosts” is a greatterm. In the Hebrew, it literally translates the “Lord of
armies.” The Lord of armies is on their side. He is going to defend them like a

lion. He will devour. You see, it’s – it’s the Lord and Israel, one and the same.
And Israellike the lion of Godtakes their enemies and devours them.
You know, there’s an interesting picture here. I’ll just take a minute to – I just
remembered this. But the reasonthis symbolism is used so often in the Bible is
because whatyou devour is – I shall put it another way. When you devour
something, you take its strength – strengths and you make it your own, right?
Whateveryou eat, you take the strength of that which you eatand you make it
your own and turn it into your ownenergy. And that’s why this is so often
used. Israelwould literally take the strength of its enemies and turn it into its
own strength. To conquer a certain country was to – was to take all its
resources,allof its attributes, all of its strengths and make them your own.
And that is preciselywhat they would do.
The sling stones, it says, you’ll walk on them. The enemies in those days used
to hurl stones, sometimes with little slingshots, sometimes with greatbig
catapults. Have you ever seenWerner Keller’s book, The Bible as History?
He’s got diagrams of the kind of greatbig huge machinery they used to use to
throw boulders and crush walls and things. And he’s saying whether they’re
the little shots or the big stones thrown by the enemy, you’re just going to
walk on them. They’re just going to bounce off, fall to the ground. You’re
going to walk along.
And I like this one. “Theyshall drink and make a noise as through wine.” You
know what happens to people when they drink too much wine? They get loud.
Have you ever noticed that? And they getboisterous. And you’re going to be
like that. You’re going to know victory and the joy and the excitementand the
boisterous kind of things that go with it. The battle he’s really discussing here
is Armageddon. And the armies of the world may amass themselves against
Israel, but Israel’s going to wind up just walking over the stones, shouting
with joy.
And then an interesting thing. He likens them to bowls. He says, “And you –
you shall be filled like bowls and like the corners of the altar.” What are the
bowls here? Well, mizraq in Hebrew. This is a type of a bowl – now watchthis
– the type of a bowl used to catchup sacrificialbloodsplashed againstthe

altar. When they offered sacrifices, the blood was very meaningful to them.
And so, when it would splashon the altar, they would catchit in these bowls.
And then – this is an interesting thing – then they would take the bowls and
they would splash the remaining blood againstthe cornerof the altar so that it
would splatter on this side and splatter on that side. And they would do that to
all the corners so that the whole altar was splatteredwith blood. You can’t
imagine how ugly an altar finally became. Incredible, ugly thing.
But they were literally – he says, you will be like bowls that are used to
splatter blood all overthe altar. And what he’s really saying here is that Israel
is going to see the splattering of the bloodshed of the godless.See, bothparts
are here, people. I – that – that’s a terrible thing to think about, terrible.
There’s going to be so much blood, you’ll think you’re the bowls. Hey, read
Revelation14:20, the blood will be to what depth? The horses’bridles for 200
miles.
So you have the salvationon the one hand, and the peace and the Kingdom
and this terrible judgment of the godless onthe other hand. So we see the
characterof the coming King, a King righteous, a Savior, lowly. We see His
conquestin judgment. And lastly – I love this – we see His care, verse 16. And
here we turn to judgment to salvationagain. “And the Lord their God shall
save them in that day as the flock of His people, for they shall be like the
stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.” And we’ll stop there.
He says “the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His
people”. Now, all of a sudden, He’s a shepherd. A Shepherd King, saving His
flock. I’m not going to take the time to show you, but we’ll see it as we finish
the book of Zechariah. That Shepherd-King conceptis repeated in Zechariah.
Salvationis going to come. Salvationis going to come. Chapter 13, verse 1, “In
that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalemfor sin and for uncleanness.” There’sgoing to be a
purging.
You know what I think? You know what I think the theme song of the – the
theme song of the Kingdom is going to be? The Twenty-third Psalm. “The
Lord is” – What? – “my Shepherd, I shall not want.” That’s the theme song of

the Kingdom. The saved remnant, he says further, will be like the stones in a
crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land. “Lifted up” means sparkling in
Hebrew. The saved people are going to be like sparkling jewels in the crownof
the Messiah. Beautiful thought.
All the rebels will be purged out, Ezekielsays. And there will be godly people
left and they will become like jewels in the crownof the Messiah. Malachi
3:17, Malachisays that the Lord spoke and said, “Theyshall be Mine in the
day when I make up My jewels.” God’s people will be like the crownon His
head in the Kingdom. So we see a greatfuture for Israel. Great, great reality
of the coming King basedon the blood of the covenant.
And what is the response? There canonly be one response in the heart of
Zechariah. There canonly be one response in your heart and mine. And that’s
praise, verse 17. “Forhow greatis His goodness andhow greatis His beauty.”
And then they look into the Kingdom and see the plenty that’s there. “Grain
shall make the young men cheerful and new wine do the same thing to the
young girls.” In other words, look at the Kingdom. All supplies will be there.
We’ll have all we need for happiness. Oh, “how greatis His goodness, how
greatis His beauty.” In that day, beloved, there will be prosperity and there
will be joy like the world has never conceived.
There is coming a King. I hope you’ll be a part of His Kingdom. Who is that
King? I’ll tell you who it is. Who was it that rode on the colt, the foalof an
ass? The Lord Jesus Christ. Who will it be that comes back? The Lord Jesus
Christ. He came once in humility, He returns in honor. He came in meekness,
He returns in might. He came in poverty, He returns in power. He came in
shame, and He returns in sovereignty. And Zechariah says, “Be comforted,
Israel, somedayyour trouble will be over and salvationwill come and you’ll
reign with the King.”
And in case you doubt this, in 1977 in Panorama City. In case youdoubt this,
you better look back at Alexander the Great. That was signnumber one. And
you better look back at the – at the Maccabeanrevolutionin 175 B.C. That
was sign number two. And believe me, God kept the first two and I’m
confident He’ll keepthe last part, aren’t you? And it behooves us not only to

examine our own hearts as Peter saidknowing – “Seeing thatyou know these
things shall come to pass, what manner of persons ought you to be?” We
ought to examine our own hearts.
We also ought to go to those people around us and call them to be a part of the
Kingdom that is going to be brought by the King. Our messageshouldbe the
messageofthe apostle Paul, “Giving thanks unto the Father who has made us
fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who has delivered us
from the powerof darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear
Son in whom we have redemption even the forgiveness of sin.”
Beloved, we have that. And that’s the very message Godcalls us to pass on to
others. The only reasonyou and I will everenter that Kingdom – we’re not
Jews, but God’s going to let us be there if we love Jesus Christ. We become
spiritual Israel, spiritual seedof Abraham. He’s going to let us into His
Kingdom because we know His Son. I’ll tell you something. We have a lot to
thank Him for, don’t we? And when we come to this table tonight, this is our
way of saying, “Thank You, Jesus Christ. Thank You for dying on a cross so
that we could be in Your Kingdom.” Let’s pray together.
Father, we do pray that as we share in this bread and the cup that it might be
with hearts filled with love for You, hearts full of true worship. May no one
mock the cross by accepting it and then rejecting at the same time. Accepting
by saying, I want Christ and I want salvation, and then living in sin which
denies that very acceptance. Help us not to mock the cross by harboring the
sin that Jesus died to take away. Mayour hearts be pure as we partake in
Jesus’name, we pray.
RICH CATHERS
Let’s look at the Word of God, Zechariah chapter 9. People ask me very often,
mostly people who don’t know Christ, they say, “What’s wrong with the

world? Why is there all this injustice? Why is there all this turmoil? Why is
there all this war? Why all the disease and the pain and the agony? And why
is this chaos existing in the world?” There’s a very simple answer. The King is
absent and therein lies the chaos. The King is absent. Well, He came once.
And He came once and promised to right the world. He said He was the
MessiahofIsrael. He said He was the Prince of Peace.He saidHe was the
King of Kings. He said He was the Lord of Lords.
And He was going to take back this world from the usurper who had had it
for a long time whose name was Satan. And He offered His Kingdom to people
but they rejectedit, didn’t they? So He went awayand He said, “I’ll be absent
a little longer, but I’ll be back.” And so, we say very often as Christians, the
King is coming back. And when He comes back, warwill end, injustice will
end, anarchy will end, infusion will end. Pain and disease and all the other
things will be brought to a bare minimum. The world will be righted when
Jesus comes again. He will seize the reins of the government of the world and
He will rule with a compassionaterod.
There are two elements that we find in Zechariah’s prophecy and in all the
other prophetic books in the Bible that write about His return. One is positive
and one is negative. One says that He comes with greatsalvationand the other
says that He comes in greatjudgment. These two elements of the coming of
Jesus Christ were cause for the response ofJohn in the tenth chapterof
Revelation. In Revelationchapter10, we read, “I saw anothermighty angel
come down of heavenclothed with a cloud and a rainbow,” and John goes on
to describe this angelin verse 1.
And then in verse 2 he says, “And He had in His hand a little scrollopened.”
And by the way, that little scrollwas the title deed to the earth. The title deed
to the earth. Jesus was coming and He had the title deed to the earth. He’s the
King. He’s absentbut He has the right to reign and He’s going to come back
with that title deed and He’s going to take over the earth. In fact, as He
unrolls the title deed that is mentioned in the book of Revelation, you have the
unrolling of the sevenseals. But He unrolls that title deed and takes back the
earth.

John’s reactionis interesting. Look at verse 8. “And the voice which I heard
from heaven spoke to me again, and said, Take the little scrollwhich is open
in the hand of the angelwho stands on the sea and on the earth. And I went to
the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little scroll. And he said unto me,
Take it, and eatit up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy
mouth sweetas honey. And I took the little scroll out of the angel’s hand, and
ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweetas honey: and as soonas I had eaten
it, my belly was bitter.”
You say, “What is this?” The little scrollis a title deed. And John says when I
saw this vision, in my vision the angelsaid eat this. In other words, John, take
in the reality of the coming of Christ and His repossessionof the earth. And
John says first he said it would be sweet. Why? Because whenChrist comes
back, everything is made right and salvationreigns all over the earth and
Israelis redeemed. And an innumerable number of Gentiles are redeemed.
And the Kingdom is come. And Christ receives His due honor. But I hadn’t
eatenit very long before it became bitter because I realized that when Jesus
came, not only was all that goodgoing to happen but there were going to be
people eternally damned. There were going to be nations eternally destroyed.
And those are ever and always the two sides of the return of Jesus Christ. And
that’s why Christians are sort of mixed when they think about it. We rejoice
that He comes and yet, we are disheartenedwhen we see the world that He
comes to, and we know the judgment that awaits. Well, Zechariahis little
different from John. And as we approachZechariah 9 through 14, the last five
chapters of Zechariah, we find these same two elements of the return of Christ
are emphasized. That which is positive in the salvationof Israeland the
restorationof the earth and the Kingdom and all the glory that God deserves
and His Son is finally going to attain. And comparing with that, the terrible
fearful eternaljudgments that fall.
When Jesus comes the secondtime, the world will be arrayed againstHim.
The world will be determined to blast Him out of heaven. In fact, the book of
Revelationsays that as Jesus comes outof heaven, the armies of the world
who are already gathered on the field in the plain of Megiddo, fighting the
battle of HarMegiddo, will turn their guns to blast Jesus outof the sky. That

won’t be anything new. When He came the first time, He was met by the
threat of slaughter, wasn’tHe? Herod actually slaughteredevery baby to try
to destroy Him.
And so, when He comes the secondtime, there will be a similar challenge, only
this time, it won’t just be Herod set againstHim. It’ll be the armies of the
world amassedto destroyHim. And in contrastto His first coming, when men
succeededin killing Him, at His SecondComing, He will destroy His enemies
all over the face of the earth. And then and only after that judgment, He will
begin to minister healing to a sick world and the wonders of His salvationwill
come to pass. These are the two emphases of chapter 9. And the same two, as I
said, that flow all throughout the Bible.
The judgment work of Christ is not an easywork to speak onbecause, you
see, evenIsaiah in Isaiah28:21 calls it God’s quote “strange work,” becauseto
Isaiahit seems to be so contrary to the greatestattribute of God which is His
love, the supreme quality of His nature. But you see, God must be a God of
judgment because He loves.
You see, He loves so much that the day is coming when He’s going to protect
those who are the objects of His love from evil forever. And the only way He
can do it is to destroyevil, you see? So even that is an actof love. To protect
and preserve the full manifestation of His love to His people forever. And so,
He will come in judgment to destroy sinners and sin. But the other side of it is
that He will come to save. So much of the Bible talks about the judgment part
of it. You can’t deny it. It’s all over the Bible. The major prophets, the minor
prophets, they all talk about it.
I was thinking of Joel3:12, “Let the nations be wakenedand come to the
Valley of Jehoshaphat,” – which, incidentally, is a valley createdwhen Jesus
hits the earth. His feetland on the Mount of Olives and the earth splits and a
valley is made there, the Valley of Jehoshaphat. – “and the nations are
gathered,” – and He says – “There will I sit to judge the nations round about,
put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe, come get down for the press is full, the
vats overflow for their wickednessis great. Multitudes, multitudes in the
valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The

sun and the moon shall be darkened, the stars shall withdraw their shining,
the Lord shall roar out of Zion and utter His voice from Jerusalem, the
heavens and the earth shall shake, but the Lord shall be the hope of His
people and the strength of the children of Israel.”
There you see the two sides. The great judgment, but the Lord also is the hope
of His people. There are times in the New Testamentthat this judgment is
presented. Matthew 24, Matthew 25, Revelation14:14 to 20, many places. But
the other side of it, of course, is salvationand that’s presented, too. When
Jesus comes, itwon’t all be judgment, it’ll be salvation for His people and the
fullness of that salvation, all it could possibly mean. Listen, for example, to
Luke 21:27, “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
powerand greatglory. And when these things begin to come to pass” – listen
– “then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption” What? – “draws
nigh.” It isn’t just judgment. It’s judgment on the ungodly and on sin, but it’s
redemption for those who are God’s own.
Paul in Romans chapter 11 verse 26 says that that’s the day in which all Israel
will be saved. “As it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Savior, or the
deliverer, and shall turn awayungodliness from Jacob, for this is My
covenantunto them when I shall take awaytheir sins,” Romans 11:26 and 27.
So there’s a –there's a deliverer coming who shall remove sin and grant
salvation.
Dearweeping prophet, Jeremiah, talks about this day and what’s going to
happen when the children of Israelenter into the covenantof God in Jeremiah
31 in verse 3. The whole chapter, really. But verse 3, “The Lord hath
appearedof old unto me saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.” – Listen – “Again I
will build thee and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel, thou shalt againbe
adorned with thy timbrels and shall go forth in the dances of those who make
merry.” There’s coming a day when salvationreturns. So, all throughout the
Old TestamentGodpromised the patriarchs and God promised the prophets
that what was most dear to them would come to pass. The salvation of their
nation, the wholeness oftheir nation, the healing of their nation, the eternal
place in God’s program was never forfeited.

Believe me, it’s reiterated in the New Testament, “Look up, your redemption
draws nigh.” That’s Israel. It’s reiteratedin Romans, “So all Israelshall be
saved.” It’s reiteratedin Revelation, “A hundred and forty-four thousand out
of every tribe in Israel,” says the seventh chapter, “shallbe missionaries to
reachtheir nation and the world.” And I’m convinced that Godwill not go
back on His Word to His friends, but that God will do what He has promised.
So, we come then to chapter 9 again. And we have to see these two sides in this
chapter: the side of judgment and the side of salvation. And we’re going to see
them in chapter 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. That’s why I took the time to coverit,
so you’d understand. Now remember, that as we look at chapter 9 and we see
the prophecy that is here – we’re just kind of finishing up what we started last
time. You remember that in this chapter I told you something very important
to remember. That normally, when the prophets of the Old Testamentgave a
prophecy that was a long time awayrelated to the end of the age, they would
usually give another prophecy that would come to pass somewhere along the
line of history before that time, as a kind of a pledge to keeppeople confident
that the ultimate fulfillment would take place.
In other words, rather than say something to those people then and then have
nothing betweenthem and the end of the age, the Lord would drop in a
historicalthing that would come to pass to keepfuture generations onthe
track that God really meant what He said. That’s exactly what you have here.
The chapter is trying to tell us that Jesus is going to come. And number one,
He’s going to judge the ungodly, and number two, He is going to save the
righteous and draw them – draw them into His Kingdom.
Now, that’s a long time from when this happened. And so, God drops in the
first eight verses, and they don’t discuss the coming of Christ. Whom do they
discuss? Rememberfrom last week?Alexander the Great. And Alexander the
Greatcame just a couple hundred years after this was written. But it kept the
succeeding generations aware ofthe fact that if the first part of Zechariah
came to pass, what’s the natural conclusion? So will the lastpart.
That’s how God repeatedly kept people on track with His prophecies. And so,
the first eight verses whichwe discussedlasttime, point out to us the

campaignof Alexander the Greatas he sweptthrough Syria, Phoenicia,
Philistia and Israel. And I told you last week – and it – it couldn’t be anybody
but Alexander. It absolutely chronicles whathe did. We have history to
support it, his own records. I told you that he went into Syria and knockedoff
Syria, came over to the coastline and took Phoenicia – which amounted to
Tyre and Sidon – moved south and took care of Philistia, all of the cities of
Philistia that are named in verse 5: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron.
But amazingly enough, after destroying the nations, he savedwhom? Israel.
And he spared them. And he, absolutelyto the T, fulfilled the prophecy
penned hundreds of years before the man was everborn, a prophecy written
in a book he never saw. It was God’s way of saying, “When you see Alexander
do this, know that just as that part came to pass, so will part two. And if I can
use a paganhuman being to judge nations and to save My people, wait and see
what I’ll do with the God-Man, Jesus Christ, in the end of the age.”
We left off at verse 8. After finishing off with Alexander, He turns to Christ in
the middle of verse 8, “I will encamp about Mine house because ofthe army,
because ofhim that passes by and because of him that returns.” Now that was
Alexander. God says I’ll encamp around My city, he’ll pass by on his wayto
Egypt, he’ll return back againand he won’t harm you. And then he turns to
the future in a sweeping jump in the middle of the verse and says, “And no
oppressorshall pass through them anymore, for now have I seenwith My
eyes.” And here there’s a leap into the end of the age. When Christ comes, He
says, there will never ever beyond that be an oppressorin the land of Israel.
We know that couldn’t be fulfilled by Alexander, could it? Because there were
plenty since then. Some even now. So He jumps into the future and He says
there’s coming a time when the other conqueror, the divine conquerornot the
human one, comes. And after Him there will never be an oppressoragain“for
now have I seenwith My eyes.” In other words, that means God says I have
seenall I am going to see of – of oppression. I’ve seenall I’m going to allow.
I’ve seenenough. And when Jesus comes, it will be over. And that introduces
us to the secondpart of the chapter, not the human conqueror, but part two,
the divine conqueror, verse 9. Now, watchthis comparison.

Verse 9, here we go. Are you ready? “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.”
Get happy, Israel. “Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, behold thy King cometh
unto thee.” Stop right there. He says, “Hey, people, gethappy. The King is
going to come.” And, boy, you know, when Alexander came, he was hot stuff.
You know, the white chargerand the whole bit.
But look at the comparison. This is incredible. “He is just and having
salvation.” – Notice those two things? Justice refers to what aspectofHis
coming? Judgment. Salvation refers to the saving aspect. He is just and He
has salvation. The same two things. But look. – “lowly, riding on an ass and
upon a colt, the foal of an ass.” Riding on a donkey and a baby donkey. Some
conqueror. Something wrong here. With that humble statementis the
conqueror introduced. They would have reactedperhaps by saying, “I never
saw a conquerorin my life riding around on a donkey’s colt. Where’s the
white steed?” But this is a different conqueror.
Now I want to show you severalthings. First of all, His characterin verse 9,
His characterin verse 9, the characterofthis conqueror. You know, it’s
amazing as you look at the text because againstthe backgroundof the
invincible marching army of Alexander comes one who doesn’t inspire fear
and He doesn’t inspire dread and nobody’s shaking and nobody’s quaking.
But He inspires praise and apparently, as we shall see, He inspires peace. This
is a different conqueror. This is not a foreign tyrant, but Israel’s own king. He
is not cruel and oppressive, He is righteous. He is not slaying, He is saving. He
is not rich and powerful, He is poor and meek. And He doesn’t ride a steed,
He rides an ass’s colt.
But Zechariahsays, “Getecstatic!” That’s what the Hebrew says, ecstatic
rejoicing. Flip out, get happy, whoopit up. And he tells them why. There are
four elements to His character. “A” is His character, four elements. Firstof
all, He’s a King. “Beholdthy King cometh.” The absolute monarch. I love
this. “Thy King.” Israel’s King, Israel’s redeemer, the promised seedof
David, the Messiah, the One who is to reign, the One of whom Isaiahsaid,
“Unto us a child is born and the government shall be upon His shoulders.”
He’s the King.”

And so, it was announced at His birth. He’s the King. And so, it was
announced at His death, placardedon the cross, “Jesus ofNazareth, the
King.” And He was. Thoughthey said it in jest, He was the King. The King is
coming. People, listen, it’s going to be so goodfor this old world when the
King gets back, don’t you think? To make it all right, to fix it all up when He
takes it back from that usurper Satan.
Secondthing it says about Him, He’s not only the King but He is just. He is
just. His characteris royal and His characteris righteous. His characteris
royal and His characteris righteous. That means He deals justly, He deals
righteously. He will do what is right. No more will anybody sayyou can’t get
no justice, no more. He is righteous. Won’t it be great to have a world where
all decisions are made by one who is absolutelyrighteous and just? The
Scripture talks so much about that. I wish we had time to go into all the
thoughts that it has.
Third thing. He is not only royal, He is not only righteous, but it says He has
salvation. He is a Savior. He is a King. He is righteous. He is the Savior. He is
royal. He is righteous. He is redeeming. He comes to save. And what did the
angelsay when He was born? Thou shalt call His name what? Jesus. Why?
For He shall save His people from their sin. That’s why we come to the table,
isn’t it? He’s a Savior. We need a Savior, don’t we? Somebodyto save us from
our sins. Alexander was no Savior. Alexander wasn’teven righteous. He was a
puny king compared to Christ.
And then it says, lastly, in discussing His character, He is not only a King and
righteous and a Savior, but He is meek. He is meek. And it simply says
“lowly.” Do you see it there? Lowly, humble, quite different from Alexander.
The word in the Hebrew means “poor.” And the same Hebrew word is used in
an economic sense to speak of somebodywith no money. That sounds like
Jesus, doesn’tit? You know, when they crucified Him, they took all of His
belongings. You know what they had? One robe, that was it. “Foxes have
holes, the birds of the air have nests, Matthew 8:20 says, but the Sonof Man
hath not any place” – What? “to lay His head.

You know where His home was? The Mount of Olives, that’s where He went
every night and communed with the Fatherand slept under the stars. If He
stayed in a home, it was the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus or
somebody else who kept Him there. He had nothing. The word means poor in
the Hebrew language whenit refers to economics.Whenthe same word is
used to speak of somebodyelse other than economic, it has to do with them
being sick or wounded or afflicted. But the whole idea is of a personwho has
nothing. Who is miserable, who suffers alone. That’s Him. That’s Him.
Meekness.And Zechariah ties that meekness into a very explicit prophecy and
he says, “When He does come as King, just, Savior, lowly, it will be riding on
an ass on the colt, the foal of an ass.”
Now early in Israel’s history, very early, it was respectable to ride around on
a donkey. But by Solomon’s time, it wasn’t. See, Solomonbrought into Israel
horses. He was really big on horses. I’ve been to his stable. You say, “His
stable, is it still there?” Yep. You know where it is? It’s right on the shelf
overlooking the valley of Megiddo where Armageddon will be fought. That’s
where Solomon’s stables were. And I’ll never forget looking at them. They
were massive stables. And from that time on, nobles and soldiers and
important people rode horses and the donkey lostits dignity. You were really
admitting your poverty by putting around on a donkey.
Jeremiah17:25, “Then shall there enter into the gates of this city, kings and
princes sitting on the throne of David riding chariots and horses.”So
Jeremiah17:25 acknowledges thatkings and princes rode horses, not
donkeys. So, you see this would be a strange prophecy. The King is coming
riding on a donkey’s colt. Well, that’s an amazing prophecy. Did it happen?
Look at Matthew 21. Matthew 21, “And when they drew near to Jerusalem
and were come to Bethphage unto the Mount of Olives,” – which is, of course
eastof the city – “then Jesus senttwo disciples and said to them, Go into the
village opposite you and straightwayyou shall find an ass tied and a colt with
her. Loose them and bring them to Me.” – How did He know that? Just like
He knew everything. Just a part of the information that God has, total
information. – “When you find this little donkey with a colt, bring it. And if

anybody says, you shall say, The Lord has need of them. Straightway he will
send them.”
In other words, He says I’ll not only take care of the factthat the donkey’s
there, but I’ll take care of the questions the man might have. Justtell him the
Lord sent for them and we’ll work on his heart and he’ll let you go. “All this
was done that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the prophet” – What
prophet? Zechariah, we just read it. – “saying, Tellye the daughter of Zion,
behold, thy King comes unto thee meek and sitting on an ass and a colt, the
foal of an ass.” Justexactlyas was prophesied.
And He got on, verse 7, “Theyset Him on it. And a very greatmultitude
spread their garments in the way. They cut down branches from the trees,
spread them in the way. The multitude that went before that followedChrist
saying, Hosanna to the King of David, blessedis He that cometh in the name
of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest.” Hosanna to the what? The King. He was
a King riding on a donkey, prophecy explicitly fulfilled.
Now go back to Zechariah. So Zechariah presents His character. Now that, of
course, if the first coming of Christ, wasn’tit? Look at verse 10. We move
from the first coming of Christ where we see His character, to the Second
Coming of Christ where we see His conquest, His conquest. This is absolutely
fascinating. Now watch. By the way, you say, “How can – how can the Old
Testamentjump from one to the other?” Simple, the Old Testamentwriters
didn’t see the church age, do you see? Theysaw the King coming. offering the
Kingdom and setting it up. The – the church is a mystery. Paul says “This is a
mystery which has been revealedto me which was hidden in the past.”
And so, the gap in here that’s two thousand years long now, the Old
Testamentprophets didn’t see. And so, immediately the King comes and it
moves to His SecondComing and it says, “I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalemand the battle bow shall be cut off and
He shall speak peaceto the nation and His dominion shall be from sea evento
sea and from the earth – or from the river rather, even to the ends of the
earth.” From the deep humiliation and affliction of Messiahat His first
coming, Zechariah moves to the glory and exaltation of His SecondComing.

Now the chariothere is a battle chariot. And the horse is an instrument of
war. The horse was used for war. So were chariots. And what he’s saying here
is, “I will bring an end to war. I will remove the need for chariots and horses
in Jerusalem.” Theywon’t have to fight anymore. “And the battle bow will be
cut off.” There’s no need for these things. Why? “He shall speak peace to the
nations, set up His dominion from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the
earth.” That’s basicallya quote from Psalm 72 verse 8. “From sea to sea”
means worldwide. He will rule the world, rule the whole world. And the river
here is the river Euphrates which was the easternborder of the land given
originally to Abram.
And so, from Israel’s land bordered on the eastby the Euphrates, extending
from that centerpoint, that there, as the Latins would sayterminus a quo.
From that point, all around the world will be the place where Jesus reigns.
And He will – He will bring peace so that there will be no more need for
battle. Now, here we are in the salvation part. This is God’s wonderful
redemption of Israel. No more war. He will rule and He will reign.
And then he takes it a step further. Verse 11, “As for thee also,” – that is
Israel– “by the blood of thy covenant, I have sentforth thy prisoners out of
the pit in which is no water.” You know, there’s a phenomenal thing here in
the Hebrew and that is this, that this is spokenof as if it already happened.
It’s a perfecttense. In other words, it’s just as goodas done in that day.
Becauseofthe blood of the covenant, I have already sentforth thy prisoners
out of the pit in which was no water.
You say, “Well, what does that mean?” Well, He says, first of all, because of
the blood of the covenant. “Well, what blood is that?” Well, you remember
back in Genesis 15? Godmade a promise to Abram. He said, “Abram,” –
before he was Abraham, He said – “I’m going to make a greatnation out of
you and I’m going to promise to bless that nation. Now I want to sealthat
promise, so you geta goatand a ram and a heifer and a pigeonand a
turtledove and you split the animals in half and then just kill the pigeon and
the turtledove. And lay half of the animals on this side and half of the animals
on this side, the dead pigeon on this side, and the dead turtledove on this
side.” That’s a messy bloody deal.

You say, “What’s God up to?” He got all doing – done doing that and God
just gave him a divine anesthetic, phish, put him to sleep. He’s zonked. And
the Bible says that God, speaking of Godas a smoking burning lamp and
furnace, Godpassedbetweenthose pieces, Genesis 15. Yousay, “What in the
world is that?” In the east, when people made a covenant, they made it in
blood. And the way they did it was to cut an animal in half and walk between
the bloody parts of the animal. That was the custom to seala promise.
And God – watchthis – God was not making a promise with Abram, so He
just put Abram asleepand said, “You’re not involved in this, kid.” God was
making a promise with God. Nobody went through those pieces but Him. He
vowed with Himself to bless his people. That’s unconditional because God
could never break a promise He made with Himself. Both parties are
incapable of violating it because both parties are one in the same God. And so,
He says it is because ofMy own covenant, the blood of that covenant, it may
even also include the bloodshed in the Mosaic covenant.
And certainly, ultimately it is the covenantthat is fulfilled most singularly in
whose blood? The blood of Jesus Christ. Becauseofthe blood that I that I
passedbetweenthen, because ofthe blood of the Mosaic covenant, becauseof
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the once for all offering, because ofthose
things, some pass, some yet to come, I’ll never violate My promise. It’s sealed
in blood.
You say, “Well,” – people – people always say– amillennialists always say
this, the people who don’t believe Israel has a place – they say, “Well, you see,
Israelblew it. You see, Israelisn’t worthy to be redeemed. Israelisn’t worthy
to be brought back. Israelforfeited their right.” Listen. It doesn’t say, “But
I’m going to bring you back because you’re so wonderful.” Or, “I’m going to
bring you back because you’ve just now and then been pretty good.” Or, “I’m
going to bring you back because Ifeel sort of sorry for you.” It says, “I’m
going to bring you back because Imade a promise with Myselfand I sealed
that promise in blood. And when I do that, I keepMy promise.”
And so, God says because ofthe blood of the covenant – now watchthis, “I
have already sent forth the prisoners out of the pit in which is no water.” You

remember Joseph, Genesis37? Where did they throw Joseph? Where did his
brothers throw him? In a pit. That was a common place to put people you
wanted to get rid of. You know what happened when they threw them in the
pit? Nothing. They died. And you know what they used to use for pits? Empty
cisterns and dry wells. And that’s exactly what you have here. A pit in which
there is no wateris a dry well.
And God says Israelhas been in a dry wella long time but because ofthe
blood of the covenantand because I have made a vow to Israel, they’re as
goodas out. And that’s a greatmessageto announce to the Jews, youknow
that? That your people are as goodas out of the pit someday. When the King
comes, Israelwill be freed from the pit of trouble, the pit of war, the pit of
suffering to know the liberty of the Kingdom of peace and the reign of the
Prince of PeaceHimself. And so, because ofthat he calls them prisoners of
hope in verse 12. “Turn to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope.” Turn to
Me, is what He’s saying. It’s all going to come to pass. TrustMe, lean on Me,
ye prisoners of hope.
I spoke ata prison this week. And after I was done preaching – a couple of
men receivedChrist. And I walkedout into the chapelto talk with some of the
prisoners. And every prisoner I talked to, exceptfor one, said to me, “I’m
getting out in 12 months” and “I’m getting out in six months.” “I'm – I think
I’m going to get out in October.” “I – I think I” – You know why? Because
that – they had to have hope. It wasn’tenough just to be there and think they
would never getout.
Ahh, we say to Israel, “Israel, you may be prisoners in a terrible situation with
a PLO. You may be in a terrible situation with the Arab pressure. You may
have it really rough. But I’ll tell you one thing. You’re prisoners of hope
because one of these days you’re as goodas out of the pit. And when you get
out, everything that’s ever been withheld from you will be given back double
measure.” Is that in the Bible? It’s in the Bible, verse 12, “Eventoday do I
declare, I will render” – What? – “double unto you.” Not just blessing, double
blessing. After all, you’ve had double anxiety and double pain. I’ll render
double blessing. And they have had terrible pain, double pain.

Isaiah61:7 – I just thought of it – says, “Foryour shame, you shall have
double. And for confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in
their land they shall possessa double portion.” In other words, you had
double pain, I’ll give you double portion. That’s God’s promise. And so, He
says I’m going to save them. I’m going to take war from the earth, verse 10.
I’m going to give them salvationand bring them out of the pit. And I’m going
to double bless them, verse 12.
Now watchthis one. Just so we don’t lose our place in history, the Holy Spirit
stops here and gives us another one of those historical pledges. Are you ready
for this one? Verse 13, “WhenI have bent Judah for Me, and filled the bow
with Ephraim and raisedup thy sons, O Zion, againstthy sons, O Greece, and
made thee like the sword of a mighty man, and the Lord shall be seenover
them and His arrow shall go forth like the lightning and the Lord Godshall
blow the trumpet and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.” Now stop there.
Now that seems pretty obscure. But it isn’t.
Let me show you the picture here, it’s really clearif you just look a step at a
time at it. The Lord says, “Justto let you know I’m on your side, even – even
so you don’t doubt Me, even after Alexander. I’ve got anotherlittle token
along the path here that will show you I mean business. I will use Judah like a
bow.” And you know with a bow, you bend that bow. Judah is the bow and
Ephraim is the arrow. In other words, I’m going to use you as My weapons,
Oh Zion, againstGreece.
Now there’s only been one time in history when God ever used Israelto defeat
Greece. And that was in the period of time known as the intertestimental
period, the period of time betweenthe Old and the New Testament, that 400-
year period in there betweenthe last of the prophecies, Ezra – or the last of
the scribes, Ezra, and the first of the New Testament;those 400 years, the last
400.
In that period of time, Israelknew the domination of Greece.And only one
time in those years did they ever break that domination. It was under the
Maccabees. Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewishman and his sons starteda rebellion
againstthe – the yoke of Greece. Because thatrotten Greek ruler that had

been assignedto Israel by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes had so desecrated
the temple, he stuffed pork down the throats of the priests and he sacrificeda
pig on the altar. He was a terrible character. And they were so infuriated by
this that Godraised up a rebellious army and they literally fought against
Greece andprevailed.
And so that’s what you have here. God is saying some day I’m going to use
you to defeatGreece and make you like the swordof a mighty man. And the
Lord will be seenover them at that time and His arrows shallgo forth like the
lightning. And the Lord God will blow the trumpet and go with whirlwinds of
the south. If you ever lived in that part of the world, they say you watch for
whirlwinds coming from the south because they’re devastating deadly
whirlwinds.
And just like a devastating whirlwind, just like lightning cracking out of the
sky, just like a sharp arrow and a piercing sword, God says I’m going to use
IsraelagainstGreece. And the war lastedfrom 175 to 163 B.C. They fought
Antiochus Epiphanes and they won their independence. For them it was a
holy war. And here Zechariah says God will be your captain. Jehovahwill
blow the trumpet. He’ll call you to battle. He’ll send you out to victory. But
that’s only a touch. That’s only a token. That’s only a pledge on the path to
the final victory that awaits in the great and glorious future when Jesus
comes.
David Baron, the greatcommentator – written probably the most significant
book on the prophecy of Zechariah– says, quote: “Zion and Greece, as has
been well observedby another writer, are in this prophecy of Zechariah
opposedto one another as the city of God and the city of the world. And the
defeatof Antiochus Epiphanes and his successorsatthe hands of comparative
handfuls of despised Jews to which this passagemay refer primarily,
foreshadows the final conflict with world powerand the judgments to be
inflicted on the confederatedarmies who shall be gatheredagainstJerusalem,
not only directly by the hand of God but also by the hand of Israel who shall
then be made strong in Jehovahso that the feeble among them shall be as
David and the house of David shall be as God as the angelof Jehovahbefore
them.” And so, Baronis right. What you see here is just a tokenor a pledge.

It’s just a historical picture of the ultimate greatvictory God will win overthe
nations using Israeleven as His instrument.
Now, let’s go on to the final triumph in verse 15. “The Lord of hosts shall
defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue the sling stones;and they
shall drink and make a noise as though – as through wine, and they shall be
filled like bowls and like the corners of the altar.” You know, the “Lord of
hosts” is a greatterm. In the Hebrew, it literally translates the “Lord of
armies.” The Lord of armies is on their side. He is going to defend them like a
lion. He will devour. You see, it’s – it’s the Lord and Israel, one and the same.
And Israellike the lion of Godtakes their enemies and devours them.
You know, there’s an interesting picture here. I’ll just take a minute to – I just
remembered this. But the reasonthis symbolism is used so often in the Bible is
because whatyou devour is – I shall put it another way. When you devour
something, you take its strength – strengths and you make it your own, right?
Whateveryou eat, you take the strength of that which you eatand you make it
your own and turn it into your ownenergy. And that’s why this is so often
used. Israelwould literally take the strength of its enemies and turn it into its
own strength. To conquer a certain country was to – was to take all its
resources,allof its attributes, all of its strengths and make them your own.
And that is preciselywhat they would do.
The sling stones, it says, you’ll walk on them. The enemies in those days used
to hurl stones, sometimes with little slingshots, sometimes with greatbig
catapults. Have you ever seenWerner Keller’s book, The Bible as History?
He’s got diagrams of the kind of greatbig huge machinery they used to use to
throw boulders and crush walls and things. And he’s saying whether they’re
the little shots or the big stones thrown by the enemy, you’re just going to
walk on them. They’re just going to bounce off, fall to the ground. You’re
going to walk along.
And I like this one. “Theyshall drink and make a noise as through wine.” You
know what happens to people when they drink too much wine? They get loud.
Have you ever noticed that? And they getboisterous. And you’re going to be
like that. You’re going to know victory and the joy and the excitementand the

boisterous kind of things that go with it. The battle he’s really discussing here
is Armageddon. And the armies of the world may amass themselves against
Israel, but Israel’s going to wind up just walking over the stones, shouting
with joy.
And then an interesting thing. He likens them to bowls. He says, “And you –
you shall be filled like bowls and like the corners of the altar.” What are the
bowls here? Well, mizraq in Hebrew. This is a type of a bowl – now watchthis
– the type of a bowl used to catchup sacrificialbloodsplashed againstthe
altar. When they offered sacrifices, the blood was very meaningful to them.
And so, when it would splashon the altar, they would catchit in these bowls.
And then – this is an interesting thing – then they would take the bowls and
they would splash the remaining blood againstthe cornerof the altar so that it
would splatter on this side and splatter on that side. And they would do that to
all the corners so that the whole altar was splatteredwith blood. You can’t
imagine how ugly an altar finally became. Incredible, ugly thing.
But they were literally – he says, you will be like bowls that are used to
splatter blood all overthe altar. And what he’s really saying here is that Israel
is going to see the splattering of the bloodshed of the godless.See, bothparts
are here, people. I – that – that’s a terrible thing to think about, terrible.
There’s going to be so much blood, you’ll think you’re the bowls. Hey, read
Revelation14:20, the blood will be to what depth? The horses’bridles for 200
miles.
So you have the salvationon the one hand, and the peace and the Kingdom
and this terrible judgment of the godless onthe other hand. So we see the
characterof the coming King, a King righteous, a Savior, lowly. We see His
conquestin judgment. And lastly – I love this – we see His care, verse 16. And
here we turn to judgment to salvationagain. “And the Lord their God shall
save them in that day as the flock of His people, for they shall be like the
stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land.” And we’ll stop there.
He says “the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His
people”. Now, all of a sudden, He’s a shepherd. A Shepherd King, saving His
flock. I’m not going to take the time to show you, but we’ll see it as we finish

the book of Zechariah. That Shepherd-King conceptis repeated in Zechariah.
Salvationis going to come. Salvationis going to come. Chapter 13, verse 1, “In
that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalemfor sin and for uncleanness.” There’sgoing to be a
purging.
You know what I think? You know what I think the theme song of the – the
theme song of the Kingdom is going to be? The Twenty-third Psalm. “The
Lord is” – What? – “my Shepherd, I shall not want.” That’s the theme song of
the Kingdom. The saved remnant, he says further, will be like the stones in a
crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land. “Lifted up” means sparkling in
Hebrew. The saved people are going to be like sparkling jewels in the crownof
the Messiah. Beautiful thought.
All the rebels will be purged out, Ezekielsays. And there will be godly people
left and they will become like jewels in the crownof the Messiah. Malachi
3:17, Malachisays that the Lord spoke and said, “Theyshall be Mine in the
day when I make up My jewels.” God’s people will be like the crownon His
head in the Kingdom. So we see a greatfuture for Israel. Great, great reality
of the coming King basedon the blood of the covenant.
And what is the response? There canonly be one response in the heart of
Zechariah. There canonly be one response in your heart and mine. And that’s
praise, verse 17. “Forhow greatis His goodness andhow greatis His beauty.”
And then they look into the Kingdom and see the plenty that’s there. “Grain
shall make the young men cheerful and new wine do the same thing to the
young girls.” In other words, look at the Kingdom. All supplies will be there.
We’ll have all we need for happiness. Oh, “how greatis His goodness, how
greatis His beauty.” In that day, beloved, there will be prosperity and there
will be joy like the world has never conceived.
There is coming a King. I hope you’ll be a part of His Kingdom. Who is that
King? I’ll tell you who it is. Who was it that rode on the colt, the foalof an
ass? The Lord Jesus Christ. Who will it be that comes back? The Lord Jesus
Christ. He came once in humility, He returns in honor. He came in meekness,
He returns in might. He came in poverty, He returns in power. He came in

shame, and He returns in sovereignty. And Zechariah says, “Be comforted,
Israel, somedayyour trouble will be over and salvationwill come and you’ll
reign with the King.”
And in case you doubt this, in 1977 in Panorama City. In case youdoubt this,
you better look back at Alexander the Great. That was signnumber one. And
you better look back at the – at the Maccabeanrevolutionin 175 B.C. That
was sign number two. And believe me, God kept the first two and I’m
confident He’ll keepthe last part, aren’t you? And it behooves us not only to
examine our own hearts as Peter saidknowing – “Seeing thatyou know these
things shall come to pass, what manner of persons ought you to be?” We
ought to examine our own hearts.
We also ought to go to those people around us and call them to be a part of the
Kingdom that is going to be brought by the King. Our messageshouldbe the
messageofthe apostle Paul, “Giving thanks unto the Father who has made us
fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light who has delivered us
from the powerof darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear
Son in whom we have redemption even the forgiveness of sin.”
Beloved, we have that. And that’s the very message Godcalls us to pass on to
others. The only reasonyou and I will everenter that Kingdom – we’re not
Jews, but God’s going to let us be there if we love Jesus Christ. We become
spiritual Israel, spiritual seedof Abraham. He’s going to let us into His
Kingdom because we know His Son. I’ll tell you something. We have a lot to
thank Him for, don’t we? And when we come to this table tonight, this is our
way of saying, “Thank You, Jesus Christ. Thank You for dying on a cross so
that we could be in Your Kingdom.” Let’s pray together.
Father, we do pray that as we share in this bread and the cup that it might be
with hearts filled with love for You, hearts full of true worship. May no one
mock the cross by accepting it and then rejecting at the same time. Accepting
by saying, I want Christ and I want salvation, and then living in sin which
denies that very acceptance. Help us not to mock the cross by harboring the
sin that Jesus died to take away. Mayour hearts be pure as we partake in
Jesus’name, we pray.

The King is Coming
Author: Ray C. Stedman
Readthe Scripture: Mark 11:1-25
We return now to where we left off in our series of studies in Mark. As
Chapter 10 ended, our Lord and his disciples were making their wayto
Jerusalem, towardthose climactic events of his lastweek there which
ultimately would issue in his death and resurrection. And now we find the
Lord and his disciples approaching Jerusalem.
There is a beautiful song which has been written in these last few years -- one
of many marvelous compositions which have come out of the greatspiritual
movement of our day: The King Is Coming. Perhaps you have heard it. I have
seenentire audiences greatlymoved as that song was sung. It would be very
fitting music for our study today, because this is the story of Jesus'
"triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, when the whole city became aware that the
King was coming:
And when they drew near to Jerusalemto Bethphage and Bethany, at the
Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, "Go into the
village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colttied,
on which no one has eversat; untie it and bring it. If any one says to you,
'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back
here immediately.'" And they went away, and found a colt tied at the door out
in the open street;and they untied it. And those who stoodthere saidto them,
"What are you doing, untying the colt?" And they told them what Jesus had
said; and they let them go. (Mark 11:1-6 RSV)

It is very apparent from this brief accountthat Jesus had made certain
prearrangements for this day. He knew that he was coming into the city and
that he was to fulfill prophecies which had been made hundreds of years
earlier. So he had made arrangements in advance for fulfillment of the
prophecy concerning this colt. Thus we do not need to see this as some
miraculous supply of his need. The coltwas tied where it was because he had
arrangedfor it to be there. When the word was given that the Lord had need
of it, this was all the owners required, because the Lord Jesus had made such
arrangements earlier.
If you recall, in one of our previous studies in Mark What About Divorce? we
saw that he had made a quick trip to Jerusalemabout three months earlier, in
what would be our month of January. It is very likely that he made these
arrangements at that time. For Jesus knew the day and the hour he was
coming into Jerusalem, and he knew what would be required of that moment.
As we saw in our studies in the book of Zechariah, in Chapter 9, Zechariah
had clearlydescribed what this would be like. The prophet had cried out,
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on an ass,
on a colt the foal of an ass. (Zechariah9:9 RSV)
Jesus knew that prophecy, knew that it would need to be fulfilled. So he had
made arrangements, I think, that on this particular day, he would be coming
into the city on a colt. He knew exactlywhat day this would be, for the book of
Daniel tells us that, almost five hundred years earlier, an angel had appeared
to the prophet Danieland had told him that a certain amount of time had
been marked out by God, and would be given over to the fulfillment of certain
climactic and dramatic events which concernedthe people of Israel.

And the time when this was to begin was clearlygiven. It would be when the
Persianking, Artaxerxes, issuedan edict for the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem. You will find that edict recordedfor us in the pages of Scripture,
in Chapter 2 of the book of Nehemiah. And when this heathen king issuedthe
edict, he unknowingly setin motion God's clock for the Jewishnation.
Daniel was told that four hundred ninety years must run their course before
all of God's events would be fulfilled, and the passageoffour hundred eighty-
three of those years would be markedoff by the arrival in Jerusalemof
Messiahthe Prince.
Many years ago there was a brilliant lawyer who servedfor a long time as the
director of England's famed ScotlandYard. His name was Sir Robert
Anderson. He was also an avid and devout Bible student. Sir Robert
Anderson, with his precise mind and his training in logic, analyzed the book of
Daniel and determined the exactdate when that decree of Artaxerxes was
issued: March28, 445 B. C. Counting from that date, and making the
necessarycorrections forcalendarerrors, he determined that on April 6, A.
D. 32, Jesus rode into Jerusalem-- exactlyfour hundred eighty-three years
later.
Now, if a man in the Nineteenth Century could take these Scriptures and
figure out the very date on which this event took place, surely the Son of God,
who also had the book of Daniel, and knew it very well, and was taught and
illuminated by the Holy Spirit as he read its pages, would know the day that
he was to come into Jerusalem.
So he made the arrangements to enter the city, and came riding down the
slopes of the Mount of Olives, riding on a donkey, on a colt on which no one
had ever sat, in fulfillment of the predictions of Zechariahand Daniel.
I find it interesting that all three of the Synoptic Gospels tellus that this was
an animal on which no one had ever sat -- a young donkey. When I was a boy
in Montana, some of us high schoolboys would try to break horses for
amusement. Some of the full-grown ones were a little too much for us to
handle, so we concentratedon the yearling colts on which no one had ever sat.
I can give you firsthand testimony that these animals do not welcome that

experience!And even at a year's age, they are quite capable of dumping you
along the wayside. Here is an animal that no one had ever sat on -- but Jesus
saton him, and he was quiet, responsive, and obedient, and carried him
through the streets ofthe city.
"Well," you say, "if Jesus arrangedall this, and workedit all out, doesn'tthat
mean that this is really not a fulfillment of prophecy at all?" Well, I think it is
true that he arrangedsome of it; but he did not arrange all of it. There were
things he could not have arranged:the response ofthe crowdas he came into
the city, the attitude of the rulers -- these were far beyond his control. Yet
when Jesus came riding down the slopes ofthe Mount of Olives, the crowd
welcomedhim and greetedhim just as the prophets of old had said they would
do, Verses 7-10:
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and threw their garments on it; and he sat
upon it. And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy
branches which they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and
those who followedcried out, "Hosanna!Blessedis he who comes in the name
of the Lord! Blessedis the kingdom of our father David that is coming!
Hosanna in the highest!" (Mark 11:7-10 RSV)
From other accounts we know they were not so much citizens of Jerusalemas
people from Galilee, who were in Jerusalemfor the Passoverfeast. Manywere
children. And yet, as they saw Jesus coming, they felt deeply moved to cry out
the very words that fulfilled Psalm118. You cannot read this accountwithout
seeing that these words must have been much in the Lord's own mind as he
went through this experience -- and, unaccountably, also in the minds and
hearts of these people. In this psalm David cries,
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone. (Psalms 118:22 RSV)
This is the day which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalms 118:24 RSV)
Blessedis he who comes in the name of the Lord! (Psalms 118:26a RSV)

Those were the very words that these people cried out, as Jesus rode through
the streets.
Luke adds something very interesting in his accountof this event. In the
nineteenth chapter of Luke's Gospelwe read, Verses 41-44:
And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, "Would that
even today you knew the things that make for peace![Notice his phraseology:
"eventoday," i.e., "eventhis day."] But now they are hid from your eyes. For
the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will castup a bank about
you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and dash you to the
ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone
upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation."
(Luke 19:41-44 RSV)
Amazing words, fulfilled to the letter forty years laterwhen the Roman
general, Titus, brought his armies and began a prolongedsiege of Jerusalem,
and eventually overcame it. And againstthe general's command the temple
was burned, and the goldof the temple's treasury ran into the cracks ofthe
stones. In their efforts to get at the gold, the soldiers pried apart the stones,
and literally left not one stone standing upon another. As he rode down the
mountain, Jesus knew all that was coming, and he wept because, as Luke
records, he says, "youdid not know the time of your visitation."
That is one of the most tragic sentences in the Bible. God had sent out
invitations to this greatevent five hundred years before, had told when it
would happen, had given an exacttime schedule, had told how to recognize
the King. But when he came, nobody in the city knew who he was, excepta
passelof Galatianpeasants and their children, who were there celebrating the
Passover. Whatan ironic twist! Yet that is often what happens with us. We do
not know the time when God is suddenly in our midst. In Verse 11 we read the
purpose of our Lord's visit:
And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked
round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the
twelve. (Mark 11:11 RSV)

That does not sound very significant, yet it tells us what he came to do. This
was an official visit of the King of Israel, an inspection tour of the heart of the
nation. He went into the temple, where the very heartbeat of the nation was
throbbing, representedin the worship that was lifted up to God. And he
lookedat everything. We know what he saw:commercialism, moneychangers,
exploitation, corruption, and injustice. He saw dirt, filth, and squalor, pride,
hypocrisy, and haughtiness. He saw that religious ceremonies were being
carried on without any meaning whatsoever. Buthe did not saya word. He
just lookedaround at everything. Nobody noticedhim, because he had been
there many times before. But they did not know this was an officialtour of
inspection by the King. God comes into our lives that way, doesn't he?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if Godlookedat us only when we came to church on
Sunday morning, if he would read our hearts only when we were sitting with
the Word of God open before us, and thinking all the nice things we should?
Would that not be nice? But he does not; he catches us in the bedroom and in
the kitchenand at the office -- and in our car! He comes in and looks around
at everything, and does not say a word.
In Verses 21 and following we getthe results of this inspection. Jesus did not
say a word when he lookedaround, but the next day he took, first, a symbolic
action:
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And
seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything
on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the
seasonforfigs. And he said to it, "Mayno one ever eatfruit from you again."
And his disciples heard it. (Mark 11:12-14 RSV)
As we will read in just a few moments, the disciples were surprised the next
day when they saw that the tree was withered clearto its roots. Many have
been amazed at this miracle. It seems so unlike Jesus. It is the only miracle in
the entire recordof Jesus'ministry which is a pronunciation of judgment and
condemnation and destructionupon anything. It seems so strange that it
would occur to a tree that did not have figs, when it was not the seasonfor

figs. This has bothered many people. Why did Jesus curse this tree that did
not have figs, when it should not have had figs?
I want to tell you that I puzzled over this problem for years, until I finally
decided to conduct some research. WhenI came to California, I planted a fig
tree -- just to see whatit would do, and to learn from it. I learned the answer
to this riddle from the fig tree in my yard. The first spring I watchedwith
interest as the barren limbs of that tree began to swell, the buds began to fill
out, and the leaves beganto appear. And to my astonishment -- I did not know
this about a fig tree -- little tiny figs appearedright along with the leaves. I
thought, "Well, that's strange:the fruit comes right along with the leaf. Fig
trees must be very unusual that way." So I watchedthese little figs grow and
turn from greento yellow, and begin to look as if they were ripe. One day I
sampled one. To my amazement, instead of being full of juice and pulp as a
normal fig would be, it was dry and withered inside, with no juice at all. I
opened another, and another, and found the same thing. I thought, "Oh, my
fig tree is a lemon!" But then, to my amazement, I saw that the tree beganto
bear other figs, and these began to swelland grow bigger. And when I opened
one, I saw that it was a normal fig, rich and juicy and filled with pulp. And the
tree has borne a greatcrop of figs ever since. So I learned something:a fig
tree has two kinds of figs -- one that I call "pre-figs," whichlook like figs but
are not figs, but which always appearfirst. I learned that if a tree does not
have those pre-figs, it will not have real figs later on.
This is the explanation for what Jesus found. It was not the seasonfor real
figs. But when Jesus lookedatthis tree, he found no pre-figs, and so he knew
that this tree would never have figs, but produced nothing but leaves. The life
of the tree had been spent producing its luxuriant foliage, so that it lookedlike
a healthy tree, but was not. And so he cursed it, and the next day it was
withered to its very roots. That tree was a symbol of the nation Israel, as we
will see, becausewhatfollows here is a dramatic acting out of the symbol of
that cursedfig tree. Verses 15-17:
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and beganto drive
out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the
tables of the money-changers and the seats ofthose who sold pigeons;and he

would not allow any one to carry anything through the temple. And he taught,
and said to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be calleda house of
prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers." (Mark
11:15-17 RSV)
Jesus took two very significantactions here which are tantamount to the
cursing of this nation, just as he cursed the fig tree when he found it with
nothing but leaves:
The first is that he cleansedit from all the false manifestations which had
crept in. He cleanedout the commercialismof this temple. This was the
secondtime he had done this. According to John's Gospel, three years before,
at the very beginning of his ministry, he had entered this temple and had
sweptout the moneychangers in very similar fashion. Now he does it again,
for the secondtime, and refuses to allow anyone to commercialize these
sacrificialofferings. Theywere selling animals as a "service" to the people.
And because they would acceptonly the official temple currency, money-
changers setup shop (another "service")where people could exchange
normal currency into temple currency. The money-changers and traders were
making an excessive profit at this business, and Jesus sweptthe whole mess
out.
But then he did something even more significant. Mark says, "He would not
allow any one to carry anything through the temple." If you refer to the books
of Leviticus and Numbers, you see that God had instituted a certainset of
rituals for that temple which necessitatedthat the priests would carry many
things through it. They had to bring the animals into the temple, bind them
upon the altar, and slay them. They had to catchthe blood of these animals
and carry it in basins into the holy place to sprinkle it on the altar of incense.
They had to take the bodies of the sacrifices,afterthey were burned, and
carry them back out again. So there was a continual processionof priests
through that temple all day long, carrying out the system of rituals which God
himself had given this nation.
But on this day, when Jesus came into the temple, he stopped it dead in its
tracks. "He would not permit any one to carry anything through the temple,"

which means that, as the authorized King of this nation, he rejectedits
worship and refused to acknowledge itas of any value any longer. Though the
Jews laterrestoredthis traffic, and kept it up for forty years more until the
temple was destroyed, never againdid those sacrificeshave any meaning
before God.
This representedthe cursing of the heart of this nation, because it had nothing
but leaves. It appearedto have life, but in reality did not. It appeared to offer
hope to men and women of the nations of earth. From all over the earth
people were coming to the temple at Jerusalem, hoping to find an answerto
the emptiness and the burden of their heart, but finding no help there at all.
So Jesus cursedthe nation.
The immediate result was the withering of the life of the nation. It is manifest
in these words: "And the chief priests and scribes heard it and sought a way
to destroy him." Now, they had never done that before. Every earlieraccount
of the oppositionto Jesus ofthe chief priests and scribes cited their getting
togetherto discuss what they ought to do with him. Now the matter is settled.
Now they intend to destroyhim, and need only to discuss how to go about it,
Verses 18-19:
And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and sought a way to destroy
him; for they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished athis
teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city. (Mark 11:18-19
RSV)
That was the point of no return for this nation. It was undoubtedly this act of
Jesus -- stopping the worship in the temple -- which resulted in his death
within the week. The scribes and the Phariseeswould no longerput up with
anything Jesus did or said from that moment on. This sealedhis death; but it
also sealedtheir destiny. They thought they were getting rid of him. But it was
he, as the King in all his majesty, who had pronounced sentence upon them
and had sealedtheir doom.
The next day, coming back into the city, Jesus begins to explain some of these
strange things. And here all that has happened in these tremendous events is
borne home to our ownhearts. We read, in Verses 20-22:

As they passedby in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered awayto its
roots. And Peterremembered and said to him, "Master, look!the fig tree
which you cursed has withered." And Jesus answeredthem, "Have faith in
God." (Mark 11:20-22 RSV)
Does that answernot strike you as strange? Manyhave read this passageand,
neglecting to read it in its context, have takenthis to be a kind of formula
Jesus is giving us which would enable us to work miracles. But if you read this
in connectionwith all the events of this passage,where it belongs, you will see
it is not that. He is not telling us the secretofhow to curse fig trees;he is
telling us the secretof how to live so as not to be cursed. This nation was
cursed because it had lost faith in God. It had substituted insteadan empty
procedure, a meaningless ritual, a performance only, which had an outwardly
religious glaze to it, but inwardly was unreal and hypocritical. They had lost
faith in God, and so the life of God which was in them was dried up and
withered.
This is what Jesus is telling us: "Have faith in God," means that this is the
way to live! This is the wayto have life full and rich and meaningful -- to trust
that the living God knows whathe is doing, to believe what he says, to obey
what he commands, and to open our life to him so that he may enrich us, and
flow through us, and make us a fruitful person, or a fruitful nation, as the case
may be. "Have faith in God." This is the answer. A nation or an individual
which begins to dry up this source of life, whose faith becomes full and dead,
is in danger ultimately of losing the capacityto have life within him. That is
what this nation did. Then Jesus wenton to saysomething even more
puzzling:
"Truly, I say to you, whoeversays to this mountain, 'Be takenup and castinto
the sea,'and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will
come to pass, it will be done for him." (Mark 11:23 RSV)
Once again, we extractthat out of context and read it as a magic formula for
doing amazing things. Imagine going around and commanding mountains to
lift themselves up and castthemselves into the sea!We say, "The secretis,
you've gotto believe that the thing is going to happen." That is like telling

someone not to think of pink elephants. If you tell somebody, "You can have
all the riches of the world given to you if, when you ask for them, you will not
think of pink elephants," do you know what will happen? They will never get
the riches, because under those circumstances it is impossible to stop thinking
of pink elephants!
But Jesus is not giving us a formula here for throwing mountains into the sea.
He is telling us that to have faith in God at times is difficult to do. He knows
that. There are mountains which oppose our faith and make it difficult for us.
There are obstacles to faith. This nation had experiencedthose obstacles, and
they were formidable, powerful obstacles. One was their slavery under the
Romans. Another was the apparent silence of God. All the many
circumstances whicharouseddoubt and fear in their lives were like a
mountain which opposedthe greatfactthat they were to have faith in God.
Jesus says, "Itell you, if you ask in faith, that mountain will be removed."
And then he goes on to tell us how:
"Therefore I tell you, whateveryou ask in prayer, believe that you will receive
it, and you will. And wheneveryou stand praying, forgive, if you have
anything againstany one; so that your Fatheralso who is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses."(Mark 11:24-25 RSV)
Now, do not remove that from its context! What Jesus is saying is, "The great
hindrance to having faith in God is pride, the pride which refuses to forgive.
That is like a mountain which fills up your whole life. All you can see is that
big mountain looming before you, and that is blocking the life of God in your
life. You have the powerto have that removed if, when you stand and pray,
you will forgive those who have offended you." Becausethe only thing that
stops us from forgiving one anotheris pride. We feel justified in wanting
others to forgive us, but also in feeling that we have to exacta price for the
hurt they have causedus. So, in many ways -- subtle, or direct and open -- we
insist that we will not forgive, that they have to pay for what they have done to
us. We are going to be avenged!We are going to have our revenge for what
has happened. Somehow, we are going to make them crawl, make them beg or
plead for forgiveness. "And that," Jesus says, "is a greatmountain which
needs to be removed, for it is blocking the flow of the life of God to your

faith." So when you stand and pray, life will flow from God when you are able
to recognize that you, too, need forgiveness. Godhas forgiven you. Like the
very person you are holding a grudge against, you need forgiveness also.God
has offeredit freely to you; give it just as freely to them.
You know, after thirty years of ministry, I can recite evidence by the yard that
this is true. The one thing above all else which seems to block the flow of the
life of God to an individual, to a church, or to a nation, is this unwillingness to
forgive, this holding of grudges, this desire to put somebodydown in order to
feel goodyourself, this unwillingness to setthese things aside and let God heal
all the hurts of life.
That is why Jesus puts his finger on this one thing. Is this not amazing? The
nation Israellost its life because it would not forgive the Gentiles, the Romans,
who had offended and grievedit. Instead, it gatheredits robes of self-
righteousness aboutit and lookedwith pride up to God and said, "I thank
God I am not like these other people." God says that is what ends the life of a
nation. That is what ends the life of a church. And that is what ends the
spiritual life of an individual, cuts him off.
May God help us, then, to forgive one another. This is no option, nor is it a
luxury; it is a necessityoflife.
As we go now to the Lord's table and partake of these elements, may they
speak to us abundantly of the ground of our own forgiveness:Another has
paid the price, Another has assumedour debt, Another has borne the hurt so
that we can be free. We can have all his love, and all his life -- freely, without
doing anything on our part to merit it. How much more then should we extend
that same mercy and love to all who have offended us, and forgive them, so
that the life of God may flourish in our midst, and we may grow strong
togetherin Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer
Our heavenly Father, thank you for these searching words from Jesus'lips.
How vividly do you demonstrate, Father, throughout the course of history, the
truth of these principles. How vividly you have demonstrated them in our own

lives in many ways. How many times we have refused the forgiving word, the
restoring act, and have delivered ourselves to the torturers, just as you have
said, Lord Jesus, to be tormented by fears and anxieties and worries and
pressures and doubts We have had to remain there, Lord, until we were ready
to forgive. Thank you for the forgiveness whichis ours in Jesus Christ our
Lord. As we celebrate this feasttogether, which speaks so eloquentlyof it,
may our hearts also extend to all who have injured us a forgiving word a
forgiving touch. May we love them, Lord, as you have loved us -- in our evil,
our self-righteousness.our pride and haughtiness and arrogance --and yet
have forgiven us Thank you, in Jesus'name, Amen.
His Dominion Shall Be from Sea to Sea
Palm Sunday
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: Zechariah9:9–10 Topic:The Supremacy of Christ
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and
riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass. I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut
off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from
sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
When Jesus enteredJerusalempublicly for the last time, he did it in a way
that very consciouslyfulfilled the prophesy of Zechariah9:9. He sends two of
his disciples to getthe young donkey to ride on, and Matthew tells us very
plainly in Matthew 21:4–5, "This took place to fulfill what was spokenby the
prophet." Then he quotes part of Zechariah 9:9, "Tellthe daughter of Zion,

Behold, your king is coming to you humble, and mounted on an ass, evenon a
colt the foal of an ass."
From Pre-EasterDarkness to Light
One other gospelwriter tells us that this was a fulfillment of prophecy,
namely, John. In John 12:15 he quotes part of Zechariah 9:9 and then
explains to us honestly that the disciples did not know what was going on at
the time. He says, "His disciples did not understand this at first; but when
Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that this had been written of him
and had been done to him." In other words, after the resurrectionof Jesus
and his Ascensionto the Fatherin heaven, a lot of things beganto fall into
place about what Jesus had really meant by the things he did and said.
It's like reading a goodnovel. In the early chapters you wonder why this
characterwas introduced and what that comment means and why the person
did this or that. But when the lastchapter unfolds, everything falls into place.
That's the way it was for the apostles afterthe resurrection. Lights went on
everywhere. There must have been a hundred ah-ha experiences. "Sothat's
what he meant when he said . . . "
"Destroythis temple, and in three days I build it again."
"If a seedfalls into the ground and dies it bears much fruit."
"The stone which the builders rejectedhas become the head of the corner."
"A little while and you will see me no more; againa little while and you will
see me."
"If David calls him Lord, how is he is son?"
And not only did the words and actions of Jesus shine with new meaning in
the light of the resurrection of Jesus, so did the Old Testament. Johnsays this
donkey actsimply went over their heads. But later the passagein Zechariah
9:9 flamed with personal significance when they realized that they had
witnessedits actualfulfillment in the life of Jesus.

Now where are you in your understanding of the prophets? Are you still
scratching your head in a kind of before Easterdarkness orare you standing
in the light with the apostles now that Jesus is glorified to the Father's right
hand? Well, the answeris, I suspect, both. There are things puzzling and hard
to catchon to in the prophets—partly because theyhave not happened yet and
we don't know the exact waythat they will. But also partly because we have
not gone back and pondered the prophets from the standpoint of what we now
know about their fulfillment in Jesus.
Zechariah's Future and Ours
That's what I want to do this morning. Let's let Zechariah tell us about the
meaning of Palm Sunday by going back to his prophecy and reading it in the
light of its fulfillment in Jesus. Ihope that you will see before we are done that
this is not irrelevant to our situation today in 1989 America. When God
inspired Zechariah 500 years before Christ to see his entry into Jerusalem, he
also inspired him to see thousands of years beyond that to another day of
worldwide reign and worldwide peace. It is very crucial we see how these two
visions are related—one in verse 9 and one in verse 10. Palm Sunday has to do
not just with Zechariah's future, but with our future too.
God's Goalfor Our Joy
First, let's look at Zechariah9:9.
The verse begins with a command to rejoice!"Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of
Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!" Zion is another name for
Jerusalem. So Zechariahis repeating himself for emphasis. And "daughter of
Zion" and "daughter of Jerusalem" meanthe people of Zion and Jerusalem.
The offspring of this holy city.
Of course you might say, "Well I am not part of the daughter of Jerusalem, so
this is not something for me to get excited about." Are you sure? You know
Paul said something very strange and wonderful in Galatians 4 about

Jerusalembeing the mother of all Christians. We don't have time to go into
that. But don't rule yourself out yet. This text is going to reach out and get you
included one way or the other before we are done with verse 10.
The point we need to geta hold of here is that God's final goal—God's plan
for his people—is joy. And he heightens the expectationof that joy by saying
its GREAT joy—"Rejoicegreatly[exceedingly], O daughter of Zion!" And he
heightens it again by saying that the kind of joy he has in mind is a shouting
joy. "Shout aloud [or shout triumphantly]"—it's a word used for trumpet
blasts and victory shouts.
I won't press this any further because "Irrevocable Joy" is the theme of next
Sunday's message.And because next Sunday evening is the Festivalof the
Resurrection. But let me saya week in advance that these two lines are one of
the reasons we needperiodic festivals in our lives. Paul says, "Rejoice
always." Butwe don't always go around shouting; we could more than we do!
But it helps to have some specialtimes made just for that kind of release.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
That is God's goalfor us and our destiny beyond all the misery and sin of this
world.
What God Will Do to Make His People Rejoice
Now the restof the text is the basis of this joy. What will God do to make the
daughter of Jerusalemrejoice?Here is where the prophecy begins.
The next line of verse 9 says, "Lo, your king comes to you."
A King That Makes People Happy Is Coming
One very important point is obvious from these few words, "Lo, your king
comes to you." It's obvious that when he comes, he will make the daughter of
Jerusalemhappy. Or to put it another way he is the kind of king who makes
his people shout for joy.

He is not a Nero who fiddles while Rome burns. He is not a Marcos who lives
in lavish luxury while his land languishes in poverty. He is not an Ayatollah
that shames his citizens. He is the kind of king that will make the daughter of
Jerusalem, the offspring of Zion, leap for joy. Children will sing hosanna. Old
men will dream dreams. Slave girls will prophesy. The blind see. The lame
walk. The deafhear. The lepers are cleansed. The poorhave good news
preachedto them. Zechariah commands the daughter of Zion to "shout for
joy," because the king is coming. So he must be the kind of king that makes
people happy.
Now how does he do that? Why is it such goodnews that this king is coming?
Why isn't it frightening and fearful?
He Is Righteous
The next lines give the answer. The RSV says, "Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he." Focus on these two words for a moment.
The NASB says, "He is just and endowed with salvation." The NIV says,
"Righteous and having salvation."
The first word is indeed "righteous" or"just." The reasonthe RSV often
translates this word with "triumphant" is because it is so often used in the
sense of"successfullystanding up for what is right." That implies victory for
the oppressedand the innocent. In other words God's righteousness does
imply victory because he is God. But I think we do best to keepthe meaning
"righteous" or"just" so that we don't miss the intention that God's victories
are accomplishedin his righteousness.
So the first thing Zechariah says about this coming king is that he is righteous.
He will stand victoriously on the side of right—on the side of the innocent and
the faithful—the ones who have waitedin faith and patience like old Simeon
and Anna—the ones who have stood true to God's word. "Blessedare those
who are persecutedfor righteousness'sake,for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." In other words, the righteous king coming from heaven will bless
those whom the world has cursed because they stoodfor the righteousness of
God. And so Jesus, justlike Zechariah, says, "Rejoicein that day and be glad,
for greatis your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12).

That's the first reasonthe coming of this king is goodnews. That's the first
way he makes people happy. He is righteous—he is not wicked. He stands up
for those whom the world thought were crazy in their commitment to love and
lowliness and justice. The tables will be turned, the righteous and the lowly
will be vindicated. And they will rejoice!
He Is Gentle and Humble
The secondwayhe makes the daughter of Jerusalemhappy is found in this
other word. The RSV translates it "victorious." The NASB, "endowedwith
salvation." And the NIV, "having salvation." The Hebrew word is literally
"saved." This form of the word is used two other times in the Old Testament.
Psalm33:16, "A king is not savedby his greatarmy." And Deuteronomy
33:29, "Who is like you, O Israel, a people saved by the Lord?" But to call the
coming Messiah"saved" is so strange that most translators just can't accept
it. How would it inspire joy and worship for the king if he were describedas
"saved"? It doesn'tsound strong and mighty.
What would your answerbe? Mine is: that's the whole point of verse 9. The
king is not coming mainly as a strong warrior but as a gentle peacemaker. He
is strong. But he is not strong in the sense of being bossyor hard or loud or
fierce or cruel. That's the point of the next two lines.
Humble, and riding on an ass,
on a colt the foalof an ass.
He is humble not arrogantor pushy. The word is often used for afflicted as
well as meek. And if he is afflicted and meek, it may not be so strange that he
would need to be rescuedor savedfrom some affliction or danger or attack.
He Comes as a Peacemaker
And riding on a donkey—whatdoes that mean? Well coming right after the
word "humble" it surely reinforces the idea of being lowly and meek. He isn't
mainly interestedin a big show that exploits the people for his own ego.
But the ass was not as despised then as it is now. In the Old Testamentkings
and kings'sons did ride now and then on asses. Butthey did not ride on asses

when they were going into war. Then they rode on warhorses. The ass was an
animal for peacetime—forwork time—not for war. What the donkey stands
for, then, is that this king is coming not only as a humble man, but as a
peacemaker.
In Luke 19:41, right after the entry into Jerusalemon the donkey, it says,
"And when he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, saying, 'Would that
even today you knew the things that make for peace!'" That shows, I think,
that his choice of a donkey to enter the city was like coming in under a white
flag—notof surrender, but of desire to make peace.
And if that weren't enough, just a few verses earlierin Luke 19:38 Luke tells
us that the people were shouting, "Blessedis the King who comes in the name
of the Lord! Peace in heavenand glory in the highest!" I think Luke wants to
make plain in the way he tells the story that Jesus was coming on the donkey
mainly as a peacemaker. And not just peace on earth betweenman and man,
but also peace in heaven betweenGod and man. "Peacein heaven!" they
cried. Let God in heavenbe at peace with his people!
So what Jesus meant when he chose that donkey to ride on was this: I am
meek and lowly in heart; I am approachable;you can find rest for your souls
here; I am not againstyou, I am for you; I did not come to condemn but to
save;I come on behalf of God, my Father in heaven, to reconcile you to him—
to make peace betweenyou and your Maker.
Now how did Jesus make peace betweensinful people and a holy God?
Colossians 1:20 says that he made peace "by the blood of his cross."Jesus
died to make peace betweenGod and sinners. Looking back from this side of
GoodFriday and Easterwe cansee all that in the words, "Lo, your king
comes to you; righteous . . . humble and riding on an ass." He is righteous,
which means he can be our righteous substitute and fulfill all that we have
failed to do. He is humble or afflicted, which means he is willing to be rejected
and despisedand beat up and killed for others. And he is riding on an ass,
which means that he wants to make peace not war, and that this is why he
gives himself up to death.
Does the King Needto Be "Saved"?

But now what about the word "saved" in the line that says, "Lo, your king
comes to you; righteous and saved"? I said that translators rejectit because
the contextseems to demand something more powerful, more regal. So they
say, "Having salvation," or "victorious." But is it true that the context
demands something powerful and regal? I suggestthat the contextpoints to
the possibility that this humble king bearing tidings of peace on a simple
donkey may indeed be treatedin such a waythat he needs to be saved—not
from his ownsin, but from ours. He will need to be savedfrom our scoffing
and our smiting and our murder. How do you get savedafter you've been
murdered?
Petergives the answerin a sermon preachedsevenweeks afterthe death and
resurrectionof Jesus. He says to a crowdin Jerusalem, "Youkilled Jesus by
the hand of lawless men. But God raisedhim up, having loosedthe pangs of
death because it was not possible for him to be held by it." In other words,
God savedJesus from the grave. He loosedthe pangs of death. So Jesus was
saved. (See Psalm16:10=Acts 2:27; Isaiah53:12.)
No, it does not sound powerful and regalin Zechariah9:9 when the coming
king is described as righteous and saved. But it is not supposed to. It's
supposedto sound humble and peaceable. Whatthe humility of Jesus means is
that he was willing to be so afflicted and so abused and so defeatedthat he
needed saving.
And because Godsavedhim from death and raisedhim up alive forever, he
can now save anybody. He comes to you this morning as a peacemaker. He
has laid down his life so that he might make you a genuine offer of
reconciliation. He doesn'twant there to be a barrier betweenyou and him. He
doesn't want hostility or indifference to stand in the way. He has come farther
toward you in his humility than you could ever go towardhim. And there is
still time in your life to hear Jesus say, "O that they knew the terms of peace."
Are We Included in This Hope?
Yet you may say again, am I included here? Is this not some strange 2,500
year old Jewishprophecy that really has no relevance to my modern life at

all? To give one lastanswerto that, we look very briefly at verse 10 to getone
point from all the things we might talk about. It says,
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
and his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Here is the one point for you personally this morning: this king, who came in
humility to Jerusalemabout 1,959 years ago riding on a donkey of peace, now
reigns in heavenand commands peace to all the nations. That means America
and that means you. His reign begins humbly in Jerusalem, but then it
spreads to all Judea and then to Samaria and then to the ends of the earth.
There is no people or tribe or tongue or nation excluded from his command to
make peace with God through Jesus Christ. And therefore I can, with great
confidence and eventhe authority of God's Word, say to every one of you
Gentiles this morning far away from Jerusalem, he is reaching out to you with
peace this morning. He loves peace and hates war. He loves peace and hates
hostility. He loves to bring near and hates it when there is distance and enmity
and bitterness and unbelief separating you from God.
I give you one last incentive to make peace with him this morning. It says,
"His dominion shall be from sea to sea." This humble, righteous, killed, and
savedand peacemaking king will one day, and perhaps very soon, come back
to the earth as ruler over all the nations. There will be a judgment and only
those who receivedthe terms of peace will enter his kingdom.
In the meantime king Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and
commands all men everywhere to repent and believe in him. You are very
clearly included in this word from God this morning and it is utterly
important that you settle things with God today.

ALAN CARR
Zechariah 9:9
THE KING IS COMING
Intro: Today is Palm Sunday. This is the day when Christian people around
the world commemorate the triumphal entry of our Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ into Jerusalem. It was on that remarkable day that Jesus was both
praised by His disciples and rejectedby the very people He had come to save.
For it was on that day that Jesus presentedHimself to Israelas their promised
Messiahand King, and it was on that day that they refused to believe on Him.
In less than a week the very people who should have welcomedthis King saw
to it that He was crucified.
This morning I want to preach about this King. I want to point out three
aspects ofthis King’s coming. Let’s take the time this morning to look at
three specialpassagesofScripture that talk about the coming of the King. I
want to preach for a while on this thought: The King Is Coming!
I. Zech. 9:9 THE PROPHECYOF THE COMING KING
(Ill. When Zechariahpenned these words, Jerusalemwas still in ruins. It had
been destroyedby the Babylonians in 586 BC. It is now about 520 BC and a
few Jews have returned to the devastatedcity and have begun the process of
rebuilding the city and the Temple of God. But, Zechariah does not focus on
the tragedyof a broken city. He looks downthe telescope oftime and sees a
day when Jerusalemwill be visited by The King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
The prophet sees the day when Messiahwill come and Jerusalemwill be filled
with His glory. Notice three elements of Zechariah’s prophecy regarding this
coming King.)

A. This Is A PowerfulProphecy – “He is just, and having salvation” -
Zechariah writes to tell the people that the most anticipated event in human
history is going to come to pass in Jerusalem. Eversince Adam and Eve
sinned in Eden, Gen. 3, hopeful men had been looking by faith to a day when a
Redeemerwould come and pay man’s sin debt, Gen. 3:15. For thousands of
years men had been approaching altars, bringing with them the blood of
animals to covertheir sins, looking aheadto a day when a Redeemerwould
come to take awaysin forever. Zechariah tells them that there One Who is
coming Who will do more than coversin, He will save people from their sins!
That was the promise of the angelwho announced the birth of Jesus to
Joseph, Matt. 1:21. Thatwas the pronouncement made by John the Baptist,
John 1:29. And, that was just what Jesus did when He came to this world. He
went to the cross and did what millions of gallons of animal blood had not
been able to do. He paid the entire debt of sin owedby mankind, Heb. 10:11-
14; 9:11-14.
B. This Is A Precise Prophecy – Zechariah told his readers exactlyhow they
would be able to recognize this King when He came to them. He would come
to them riding “upon a colt of an ass.” Daniel,in his book, adds to this
prophecy, Dan. 9:24-27. In these verses, God's plan for the nation of Israelis
on display. God will finish His work with Israelduring a 70 week period.
1. These are weeksofyears and not days - Dan 9:27; Dan. 12:11
2. This is a 490 yearperiod.
3. A generalchronologyis:
a. They will begin with the order to rebuild Jerusalem - v.25a (Fulfilled in
Neh. 2:1-6, by Artaxerxes, on March14, 445 B.C.)
b. The next phase covers 69 weeksofyears broken down into two portions,
v.25b
1. It took 7 weeks ofyears, or 49 years to rebuild Jerusalem. All of this
during times of greattrouble. (Ill. Nehemiah)

2. From that time, there were 62 weeks ofyears, or 434 years until Messiah
was to come. If takenliterally, these 483 years leading up to the coming of
Messiahwouldequal 173,880days. Ending on Sunday, April 6, 32 AD, or the
exactday Jesus enteredJerusalemon the donkey!
c. After Messiahcomes,there are severalprophetic events that will take place:
1. Messiahwillbe cut off - The crucifixion! (Ill. This is why the Jews
refused Him, and still do - 1 Cor. 1:23; (Ill. Hidden from the Jew - Matt.
16:21)(Notice:Not for Himself - 1 Cor. 5:21!)
2. Jerusalemwill againbe destroyed - Matt. 24:1-2. Fulfilled in 70 A.D. by
Titus the Roman general.
3. There will be a greatwar that will engulf Israel - Eze. 38-39. Russia and
her allies will invade Israel.
4. 69 weeks,or483 years of the prophecy have been literally fulfilled, there
is one week, or7 sevenyears remaining.
What does all this mean? Jesus, the King came exactly as the Old
Testamenthad said He would. He also came at the exactmoment that Old
Testamenthad said He would. He fulfilled this prophecy to the letter!
(Ill. What are the odds that one man could fulfill the prophecies fulfilled
during the earthly life of Jesus? "Thefollowing probabilities are taken from
PeterStoner in Science Speaks(MoodyPress, 1963)to show that coincidence
is ruled out by the science ofprobability. Stoner says that by using the modern
science ofprobability in reference to just eight prophecies, (Note:Over 300
prophecies were fulfilled to the letter, just during His first advent!) ‘we find
that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and
fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017."
That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.In order to help us
comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that
"we take 1017 silverdollars and lay them on the face of Texas. Theywill cover
all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the

whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he
can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say
that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one?
Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing eight
prophecies and having them all come true in any one man."
Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, we find the chance that any one
man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157the power, or 1 followed
by 157 zeros!)
What does this mean? Jesus is Who He claims to be!
C. This Is A PersonalProphecy – “thy King cometh unto thee” – Zechariah
tells his readers that this coming King was coming for individuals. As we have
noted over the lastseveralSunday morning services, Jesusministered to
people. The individual was on His heart and at the very heart of His ministry.
Note such verses as Luke 19:10;John 3:16, “whosoever”. In the great
parables of Luke 15, Jesus is seenlooking for the sheep, the silver and the son,
one on one! He came for you! Ill. Acts 16:31!
II. Luke 19:28-40 THE PRESENTATIONOF THE COMING KING
(Ill. When the King that Zechariah and Danielsaw did finally come, He came
with all the proofs necessaryto declare that He was the One the world had
been looking for. As Luke describes the events of the day when the King
presentedHimself to His people, we can see the He had all the credentials He
needed to prove He was Who He claimed to be!)
A. v. 37 He Came With The Right Authentication – “Mighty works” – These
two words describe the ministry of Jesus to the letter. From His miraculous
conceptionthrough all the greatthings He did, the life of Jesus was a life of
miracles. Of course, this was to be the calling car of the coming King. Isa.
61:1-2. In the early part of His ministry, Jesus claimedto be the fulfillment of

those verses, Luke 4:16-32. Notonly did He claim to be the Messiah, He
proved it by healing the sick, casting outdevils, raising the dead, and
displaying His authority over nature. Jesus authenticatedHis claim to be the
Messiahby the miracles He performed.
B. v. 37-38 He Came With The Right Announcements – “beganto rejoice
and praise God with a loud voice…” – Not only was the life of Jesus
authenticated by the right works, it was also proven by the right words. His
disciples praised Him just as Zechariah had said they would. The angels that
announced His birth proclaimed Him to be the One, Luke 2:9-11. Even the
devils and demonic spirits knew Who Jesus was while He walkedhere, Mark
5:6-8. Besides that, Isaiahhad said that the Messiah’s coming would be
precededby the ministry of a “forerunner,” Isa. 40:3-5. John the Baptist was
the fulfillment of this prophecy, John 1:19-31. All the evidence says that He is
Who He claimedto be!
C. v. 39-40 He Came With The Right Adversaries – As Jesus is entering the
city as the King, His enemies know exactly what is happening! They knew
about the words of Danieland Zechariah. They knew that Jesus was
presenting Himself that day, in their presence as the King of Israel! However,
they had no intention of believing this Man, and in less than a week, they join
with their enemies, the Romans, and demand His death on a cross! Of course,
the Old Testamentprophets said it would be this way, Isa. 53:3; Zech. 13:6.
And, it was! When the King came to His Own people, they refusedto receive
Him as their King, John 1:11. (Ill. Luke 22:2; John 5:18; John 7:1; John
19:15.)
D. He Came With The Right Accomplishment – Isaiah had said that when
Messiahcame, He would give His life for His people. Isa. 53:1-12. And, that is
exactly what Jesus did. His Own people rejectedHim and demanded His
death in the cross. So, He was condemned to die and He went to Calvary and
died on the cross. He died a horrible, excruciating death to make a way for
you to be saved. When Jesus died on that cross, He made a way for
“whosoeverwill” to be saved, Rev. 22:17. When He cried “It is finished,”
John 19:30, it really was! The debt of sin had been paid forever and a new

and living way had been openedto God. Hew died for you so that you might
live in Him, 2 Cor. 5:21.
(Note:Friends, you caneither receive Jesus, oryou can rejectHim, but you
need to know that He is Who the Bible says He is! It has been proven in more
ways than you and I canimagine. Jesus is the King of Kings! He is the Savior
of men. He is the ONLY way to God, John 14:6!)
III. Rev. 19:11-16 THE PROMISE OF THE COMING KING
(Ill. This greatKing came and died just like the prophets saidthat He would.
However, that was not the end of His story! Three days after He died on that
cross, He arose from the dead, Matt. 28:1-6. Of course, this is just what the
Old Testamentsaidwould happen, Psa. 16:10. (Ill. You can’t keepa God-
Man down!) After He arose, He went back to Heaven, Acts 1:9-11, with the
promise that He would come againsome day! Let me tell you now, when He
comes then, He is not going to come like He did the first time! Nothing will be
like it was then!)
A. v. 11a The Promise Of His Appearing – Even before the King went away,
there was the promise of His return. He said so Himself, John 14:1-3. Paul
talkedabout His coming again, 1 Thes. 4:16-17. His coming should not catch
men off guard since it has been so well announced, but it will, Rev. 1:7. (Ill.
Are you ready for His coming? Ill. His coming will be in two distinct stages:
Rapture and glory! You need to be ready for the first part, because He will
not send an announcement of warning, He will just come, Matt. 24:44.)
B. v. 11-16 The Promise Of His Authority – The first time He came, He was
indistinguishable from the other men of His time, Isa. 53:1-2. When He came
the first time, He did not have a home or a place to lay His head, Matt. 8:20.
When He came the first time, men mockedHim, rejectedHim and put Him to
death. But, when He comes the next time, things are going to be different!
You see, He isn’t coming as “the lowly Nazarene”;He is coming as the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords. This time He isn’t coming to redeemman, He is

coming to rule over men, Rev. 2:27. He will not be mockedthis time, but He
will put all of His enemies under His feet. Men will not put Him to death this
time, but with the word of His mouth, He will subdue and destroy the enemies
of God!
C. v. 16 The Promise Of His Adjudication – Verse 16 tells that this coming
King is the “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”. He is the ruler of
rulers. As a ruler, He will occupy a throne and He will govern. He will reign
in righteousness, perfectionand glory on this earth for 1,000 years, Rev. 20:1-
10. At the end of that period, Satanand all of his followers will be castinto
Hell forever! Then, Rev. 20:11-15 tells us that this King will sit upon a great
white throne and that He will judge the lost and will condemn eachone to the
lake of fire forever. Notice Rev. 20:15, “And whosoeverwas notfound written
in the book of life was castinto the lake of fire.”
I point that out to saythis: This King Who came in peace, love and
grace to give His life on a cross to save lost souls will one day return as a
ruling Monarch. In that day, all those who have refused His gift of salvation,
will be castinto the lake of fire. In other words, the very One Who could be
your Savior today will be your judge on that day! No amount of pleading or
praying will change His mind. The day of grace will have passedforever and
you will be eternally lost. You will be forever separatedfrom God, from
savedloved ones, from everything of beauty and pleasure. You will be cast
into a place of eternal punishment, eternaldeath and eternal horror.
Friend, the best thing you cando today is to come to Jesus Christand
be saved. If you have never been saved, today it the day when you need to do
just that! Today, He will receive you and He will be your Savior, John 6:37.
If you wait and die lost, then the One Who could have savedyou will be the
One Who will condemn you!
Conc: I have tried to show you today that Jesus is Who the Bible says that He
is! He is the Son of God. He is the Lamb of God. He is the only Way to God.
Do you know Him as your personalSavior? Has there ever been a moment in
your life when you calledon Him by faith and were saved from your sins?

Here’s the bottom line. It all comes down to this: If you died today and
stoodbefore God up in Heaven and He lookeddown and you and you looked
up at Him and He said, “Why should I let you in to My heaven?” Whatwould
you say? Are you saved? Are you sure? Are you serving? Are you thankful?
If you need Him, He is here for you! You come if He is calling!
BARRY HORNER
BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING!Zechariah9:9
INTRODUCTION
A. Before I was a Christian, as a teenagerI nevertheless had a keeninterest in
the Bible, especiallythe areas of apologeticsandprophecy.
1. My confidence in the truthfulness of the Bible was confirmed.
2. My father also wiselyencouragedme in these pursuits, exceptthat he
explained that beyond these absorbing matters, Jesus Christ was the great
and glorious theme of the Word of God.
3. So let me no discourage you in these peripheral areas oftruth. But
remember that Jesus Christ himself must be the end of our apologetic and

prophetic enquiries, even as He himself declaredin John 13:18; 14:28-29;
16:4.
a. Application. You may believe the Bible to be true; but unless Jesus Christ is
your Savior and Lord, you will perish! (John 3:36).
b. Application. You may believe in Jesus Christ’s secondcoming; but unless
He is your Saviorand Lord, you will perish! (Rom. 1:18).
B. In our reading of Zechariah 9:1-10, did one verse stand out above all
others? Mostlikely it was v. 9, because we easilyremember its precise
fulfillment in the Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalemat the
commencementof passionweek describedin Matthew 21:1-5, that is on Palm
Sunday.
1. Certainly the fulfillment of this prophecy directs us to Christ.
2. But do you understand the context of Zechariah 9:9, and not simply pluck it
out of its setting? We often rashly do this.
3. Yet to understand the prophetic significance ofvs. 1-8, 10, is only to enlarge
our understanding of this Savior, by way of His stark contrastwith a notable
worldly potentate.
C. Zechariah, the largestof the minor prophets, is the secondmost important
of the messianic prophets in the Old Testamentafter Isaiah.

1. “Zechariah” means “Jehovahremembers,” and this is especiallytrue in this
book concerning God’s love for Israel. He may severelyjudge His people
under the Gentile heel, and scatterthem for centuries. But He will not forget
them. They shall eventually return to their land and enjoy the righteous reign
of Messiah.
2
2. Chapter 9 commences the secondmajor sectionof Zechariah. It is
addressedto exiles from Babylon who have just completedthe secondand less
glorious temple.
3. However, Godhas not only remembered Israel, but also Israel’s enemies, in
particular Syria, Phoenicia, Philistia.
JESUS CHRIST, KING OF KINGS, EVEN ALEXANDER – ZECHARIAH
9:1-9
A. The destructive power of the kingdom of Alexander the Great, vs. 1-8.
1. Introduction. In vs. 1-8 we have a description of God’s sovereignjudgment
on three of Israel’s most constant enemies, Syria, Phoenicia, and Philistia.
Mostevangelicalcommentators agreethat here we have a prophecy of
Alexander the Great being used to accomplishthis end. Let us learn more
about this remarkable military genius and world conqueror.
2. Alexander the Greatwas the precocious sonofKing Philip of Macedonand
Olympias, his tempestuous red haired wife.

a. Born in 356 B.C., at the age of 13 he tamed the legendaryBucephalus, a
black stallion that he jealouslyregarded.
b. Tutored by Aristotle, he became a skilled commander who took over the
kingdom when his father was assassinated, and then expanded it by
conquering all of Greece andThrace, at the age of 20!
c. At the age of22 he led an army of 40,000 into Asia Minor to challenge the
might of Persia that had so pillaged Greece.
d. At the Battle of Granicus in 334 B.C., Alexander routed a Persianarmy,
losing under 200 men compared with the loss of 19,000 Persians.
e. At Gordium, he cut the mysterious Gordion knot, so qualifying, according
to legend, to be the conquerorof Asia.
f. In 333 B.C. at the Battle of Issus, Alexander defeateda Persianarmy ten
times the size of his own, and so gainedentrance to the land of Israelhaving
passedthrough the Cilician Gates.
3. In Zechariah 9:1-8, we now view the campaign of Alexander as he sweeps
south, conquering all before him through Israeland as far as Egypt.
a. In vs. 1-2a, Syria is captured, especiallythe prize of Damascus. So
rapacious is Alexander that Israel’s only hope is to turn to the Lord.

b. In vs. 2b-4, Phoenicia is captured south along the coast, andis
overwhelmed. Sidon also quickly surrenders, but the rich, insular, island city
of Tyre resists.
3
(1) Tyre was a fortress island, two miles around, and half a mile from the
shore, with walls 150’high. It had earlier resisteda siege by Nebuchadnezzar
for 12 years.
(2) Furious at the proud resistance, Alexanderwas held back for 7 months. He
askedthe Jews in Jerusalemfor help. They refused claiming allegiance to the
Media/Persianempire. Alexander swore he would pay them back severely.
(3) Eventually Type was overthrown, v. 4, by means of an earthen causeway
built across the channel. Thousands of Tyrians were slaughtered. Evidence of
the causewayremains even to this day.
c. In vs. 5-7, Philistia is captured, including Ashkelon, Ekron, Ashdod, and
resistantGaza. Some cleansing from raw paganism will result.
d. In v. 8, Alexander heads north-east and returns to Jerusalemwhere the
high priest and Jewishleaders are full of fear. But Josephus, the Jewish
historian, tells a remarkable story of what took place at this tense
confrontation.
(1) Jaddua the high priest calledfor prayer meetings seeking God’s merciful
intervention.

(2) Jaddua then had a dream in which God told him to dress in his priestly
robes, the priests in white garments;then they should open the city gates and
go out to meet Alexander.
(3) The processionsurprisedAlexander, exceptthat he remembered a dream
back in Macedonia where it was revealedthat he would conquer Asia and
meet this priest of God.
(4) Therefore Alexander surprised his troops when he dismounted and bowed
before the high priest, explaining that he worshipped God, not man.
(5) The Jews then showedAlexander from Danielhow the Greeks would
conquer the Persians, probably Daniel8:3-9. He in turn offeredsacrifices to
God in Jerusalem, and establisheda favorable relationship with the Jews.
Hence: “I will camp around My house because ofan army, because ofhim
who passes by and returns,” v. 8.
(6) Alexander then continued his conquest even as far as India, returning only
because ofweary soldiers. Having takenNineveh at the Battle of Arbella in
331 B.C., Babylonwas subsequently conquered. There he restedand indulged
himself, and then suddenly died of a fever, aged32!

4
B. The saving power of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, v. 9.
1. Introduction. What then is the connectionbetweenv. 9 and vs. 1-8? It is the
connectionof stark contrastbetweentwo kings and two kingdoms, two
radically different world views.
a. Alexander the Greatis the representative ruler of this present world and
age. His weapons are carnal;his boasting is in human achievement; his
subjects submit to fear.
b. Jesus Christ, the King of Israel, is the head of the righteous kingdom of the
world to come. His weapons are spiritual; his boasting is in the powerof
heaven; his subjects submit to mercy and grace.
2. In v. 9, the emphasis is upon: “Behold, your king cometh.” He is radically
different from and superior to Alexander. This King is also greaterthan
Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, the Temple.
a. On Palm Sunday it was the intention of Jesus Christ to present himself as
the greaterKing, the King of Israel, but even more, the “King over all the
earth” (Zech. 14:9).
b. On Palm Sunday, Christians are reminded that a greaterthan the kings of
England, the presidents of the U.S., the tsars of Russia, the Kaisers of
Germany, the emperors of China and Japan, has come to establishHis
kingdom, and he will come againto consummate it, when it will have no
rivals.

3. Look at the greatcontrasts that this prophetic verse offers.
a. This King of Israelbrings rejoicing, not terror.
b. This King of Israelbrings salvation, not servitude.
c. This King of Israelbrings justice, not paganGreek culture.
d. This King of Israelcomes riding on a donkey, not as a tyrant astride
Bucephalus the warhorse.
e. This King of Israeldied and rose againto an endless life, aged33;not as
Alexander who died aged32 due to drunken debauchery, and still is dead! A
greaterthan Alexander has come!
4. Look at the greatcontrastthat v. 10 declares.
a. This King Jesus will ultimately eliminate war, and “speak peaceto the
nations,” and His kingdom will be “to the ends of the earth.”
5
b. Alexander’s kingdom was immediately divided at his death amongsthis
four chief generals. Eventhen it was subsequently conquered by Rome.

Alexander could only conquer by force, and that temporarily. And likewise
with Rome.
CONCLUSION
A. How utterly foolish it is to trust in any mere mortal in this life. Even the
“Alexanders” of this world rise, bloom, fade, and fall (Ps. 37:35-37).
1. They spreadand prosper like “a luxuriant tree,” v. 35.
2. They decline and decay into humiliating insignificance, v. 36.
3. But “the blameless man, . . . the man of peace,” willendure, just as the
kingdom of Jesus Christ (Rev. 11:15).
B. Psalm2:4-6 indicates God’s estimate of the Alexanders and Napoleons and
would-be potentates of this world; they are of little import.
1. God watches andwaits as “the kings of the earth take their stand,” v. 2.
2. God “sits in the heavens and laughs, scoffs,” v. 4.

3. God “has installed His King upon Zion,” v. 6.
4. Then God invites the wise:“Do homage to the Son, that He not become
angry, and you perish in the way,” v. 12.
PHIL NEWTON
A Messianic King
Zechariah 9-10
March 9, 2003
Biblical prophecy serves to keepGod's people focusedin faith upon Him even
in dark days. The forward look of these prophetic words, often filled with
poetry, metaphors, imagery, and symbols, were offeredto a particular people
so that they might trust the Lord in present and future. The poetic language
often perplexes us when we try to read it as a narrative. It is not narrative at
all, but brilliant poetry to deliver truth that will anchor troubled hearts.
This particular poetic prophecy has the centralmessianic motif but it also
explains the events that would unfold prior to the Messiah's coming. We must
remember that this was the 5th century BC. Much world history awaited
unveiling. The details given show remarkable accuracy.
I. The Stage is Set vv. 1-8

Introduces the conquest of Alexander the Greatwho was making his way to
India as a conquering lord.
1. Conquered lands
Syria v. 4
Phoenicia vv. 2-4
Tyre had been impregnable - Assyrians besiegedit for 5yrs and the
Babylonians for 13 yrs, but to no avail; Island fortress, 150 ft high walls with
25' of earth filling it. They consideredthemselves insolatedfrom attack. But
Alexander conqueredit in 7 months. He built what was called a "mole," a
causewayof earth (still standing) stretching �mile in the sea to the island.
Then he threw down its walls and threw them into the sea. "...Tyre was
literally scrapedflat, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel, who had said:
'They will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw
your stones, timber and rubble into the sea...Iwill make you a bare rock, and
you will become a place to spreadfishnets. You will never be rebuilt' (Ezekiel
26:12, 14). Tyre has not been rebuilt to this day, and the causewayof
Alexander remains, a monument to the truth of prophecy and the folly of
human pride" (Boice 193).
Philistia vv. 5-7
Uh oh! This spelledbad news for the lands of the Philistines south of Tyre.
Note the reference to their practice of eating raw or semi-raw sacrificialmeat
and drinking blood is eliminated. Yet in God's kindness, He would leave a
remnant for Himself (v. 7; Acts 8:40, 9:32-43).

2. Jerusalemspared v. 8
Quote J. M. Boice pp. 193-194,explanationof dreams.
"The remarkable thing about the first sectionof this rehearsalofjudgment
againstthe gentile world powers is that it accuratelyforetells the conquestof
the easternMediterraneancoastlands by Greek armies under the command of
Alexander the Great. Alexander, the young commander of the Macedonian
forces, crossedthe Hellespont into Turkey shortly after the death of his father
Philip in 336 BC. He defeatedthe armies of the frontier governors ofKing
Darius at Granicus and later overwhelmedthe armies of Darius himself at the
decisive battle of Issus in 333 BC. After that he marched south against
Damascus, Tyre, and Sidon, and the cities of Philistia, preciselyas Zechariah
foretells in 9:1-8" (Boice 193).
II. MessiahComes v. 9
1. Cause for rejoicing
Considerthe scene ofcontext.
2. The Messiahdescribed
(1) Just
Reference to the righteousness characterizing His rule. It is only by just rule
that people know true peace.

(2) Dispenses salvation
"endowed" points to His ownership with the right to save whom He will; "He
can grant salvationto an undeserving people because he is just. He places
himself under the law and takes upon himself the sin of man and its penalty"
(MichaelBentley 173).
(3) Humility
In contrastto Nebuchadnezzarand Alexander, He is humble. His humility
visualized in the scene of the triumphal entry. What other king in history
answers the descriptionof this verse?
(4) Conquers v. 10
Thus bringing peace where there had only been war and extending the
borders of His kingdom from sea to sea. Globalreign of Christ pictured -
6:12-15, 8:20-23.
III. Back to Israel's Immediate Future vv. 11-13
Prophecydeals with the Maccabeanrule. Alexander died and his kingdom
divided into three parts: Greece with a variety of rulers, Easterlands
including Judah with the Seleucid rulers, and Egypt with the Ptolemy rulers.
The Seleucids were ruthless, climaxed by the reign of Antiochus Epiphanies
(175-163BC). He abolishedsacrifices, abolishedSabbath, destroyedTorah
scrolls, forbade circumcision, erectedpaganaltars, proclaimed Zeus as god to

be worshiped in temple (December167), offeredswine's flesh on altar - the
abomination of desolation(Daniel11:31. 12:11).
Verse 13, Judah, though vastly outnumbered, struck back through
Mattathias, who in Modeinin the hill country, killed both a Syrian officer and
a Jew involved in offering sacrifice to false gods. Revoltbegan! His five sons
joined him with Judas Maccabees (the Hammer) being the leader at
Mattathias'death. The revolt succeeded, lasting as a dynasty for another
century until ended by Pompey in 63 AD.
IV. Shepherd Prophecy 9:14-10:12
1. The shepherd as Savior 9:14-17
Verse 16 points to a greaterdeliverance, apparently taking a prophetic leap to
that time of Christ's secondcoming. Biblical prophecy is not coveredwith
tight chronologyas a historical record, rather it focuses upon key events and
their effects in God's kingdoms and His people. Ultimately, this prophecy is
for the whole church.
2. The shepherd as provider 10:1-2
This passagegives contrast: The diviners are liars that leave the sheep
wandering; the shepherd gives richly, not so that His flocks will have lives of
ease, but so they'll be enabled in their labors to know divine provision.
3. The shepherd as leader 10:3-5

(1) Purifies false leaders v. 3
(2) Identifies His heritage in Judah
a. Cornerstone (Isaiah28:16; Psalm118:22-23;Acts 4:11, I Peter2: 4-5;
Ephesians 2: 19-22)
b. Tent peg - two uses showing two images:
i. Holds the people together
ii. One upon whom all the value hangs
c. Bow of battle - conqueror, Revelation19:11-16
4. The shepherd as gatherer 10:6-12
The remnant will be multiplied so that the people of God, though very few at
that time, will enlarge to innumerable proportions. The imagery depicts
scenes ofwondrous enlargementof the church - Jew and Gentile alike.
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bearer on earth.
Zechariah 9:9
Zechariah 9:9
DonkeyMentality

see Zechariah9:9).
A Christian’s life is a window through which others can see Jesus.
Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9
Always Right
examples.
of the Bible.

PULPIT COMMENTARY
Zechariah 9:9 9
Savior now.

bearer on earth.
Zechariah 9:9
Zechariah 9:9
DonkeyMentality

see Zechariah9:9).
A Christian’s life is a window through which others cansee Jesus.
Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9
Always Right

examples.
of the Bible.
Zechariah 9:9, Zechariah9:10
The advent of the King.

The accessionofa sovereignis a time of rejoicing (cf. Solomon, 1 Kings 1:40).
But there may be disappointment. The early promise may fail, and the first
joys end in bitterness. Not so with Messiah. The better he is known, the more
he is loved. The longer experience of his reign, the greaterthe satisfaction.
I. THE GREATNESS OF HIS NATURE. Son of man. Son of God. Dignity
commanding the highest homage.
II. THE BEAUTY OF HIS CHARACTER. Everything in him that is true and
fair and good. He is altogetherlovely.
1. Just. Fulfils all righteousness.
2. Merciful. Stoops to the lowest. Kind to the poorest. Equitable to all.
3. Humble. Meek and lowly.
III. THE GLORY OF HIS REIGN.
1. Empire spiritual. His kingdom is "within." He writes his Jaws upon the
heart.
2. Basedonthe free convictions and love of the people. His subjects do not
bow the knee in form, but in truth. They honour him not with mere lip service
or state ceremonials, but with the homage of the heart.
3. Characterizedby righteousness andpeace. "Salvation" is brought by him
to all. He not only pardons the rebel, but converts him into a loyal subject. He
not only emancipates the slave, but binds him forever to himself in grateful
devotion. He not only rescues the lost, but unites them with all the redeemed
in one holy and loving brotherhood.
4. Destinedto universality and immortality. Of his kingdom there shall be no
end.—F.
CHARLES SIMEON

THE ADVENT OF JESUS A GROUND OF JOY
Zechariah 9:9. 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 foalof an ass.
THERE is scarcelyany circumstance relating to the life and death of Christ
which was not made a subject of prophecy many hundred years before he
came into the world. Even things the most improbable in themselves were
predicted, that by their accomplishment the truth of his divine missionmight
be more fully manifest. That the words before us do indeed relate to him, is
certain; because the voice of inspiration assures us that they were fulfilled
when he enteredinto Jerusalemriding on the foal of an ass. In discoursing on
them we shall consider,
I. The description here given of Jesus—
In his office he is the “King of Zion”—
[The whole universe is under his dominion, seeing that he is “King of kings,
and Lord of lords.” But he is in a more eminent manner King of Zion, because
all the members of Zion are his subjects willingly and by an unfeigned
surrender of themselves to him. They gladly receive his laws;and he
constantly affords them his protection. As the Church in the wilderness was
under a visible theocracy, so is the Church in all ages,and every individual in
the Church, really, though invisibly, under the care and government of Jesus
[Note:Ephesians 1:22.].]
In his characterhe is the best of princes—
He is just—
[His justice appears in every law which he has enacted, and his righteousness
in every part of his administration. There are indeed many things in his
government, which we are not at present able to accountfor; but the day of
judgment will clearup all the presentobscurities, and manifest, that every the
minutest occurrence was orderedby him with unerring wisdom, goodness,

and truth. It will then be seenthat “righteousnesswas atall times the girdle of
his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins [Note:Isaiah 11:5.].”]
He is powerful—
[Earthly kings may be just, yet not be able to screentheir subjects from the
injustice of others. But Jesus “has salvation” in his hand for all those who call
upon him. Does sinoppress us? he can deliver us both from its guilt and
power. Does Satanassaultand buffet us? “His grace shallhe sufficient” for
the weakestofhis people. Does “the fear of death keepus in bondage?” He
can make us triumphant both in the prospectof it now, and in a happy
resurrectionat the last day.]
He is lowly—
[Great powerand dignity are too often the means of engendering pride in our
hearts. The kings of the earth would think it a degradationto converse
familiarly with their meanest subjects;but our Almighty Monarch possessesa
lowliness ofmind, which makes him accessible to every subject in his
dominions. There is not any moment when we may not enter into his presence,
nor any complaint which we may not pour into his bosom. His earis ever open
to hear, and his hand ever stretched out to relieve, his needy suppliants. The
same lowliness which induced him, at his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to
ride upon a young ass, with no other furniture than the clothes of his poor
disciples, when he might as easilyhave commanded all the pomp and
splendour of an earthly monarch, still actuates him in his exalted state. There
is no office to which he will not condescendfor the benefit of those who wait
upon him.]
From this description of Jesus we may well be prepared to hear,
II. The exhortation to rejoice in his advent—
The advent of such a prince is a proper ground of joy for all people—
[When first he came in the flesh, the event was announced by angels as glad-
tidings of greatjoy to all people. And all the multitudes who surrounded him
at the time referred to in the text, were penetrated with the liveliest joy. And is

there not now as much cause for joy as on either of those occasions?Are not
the greatends of his advent better understood now than at his incarnation?
and the nature of his kingdom more clearly seenthan at the time of his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem? Surely then our joy should far surpass all
that could be experienced at those seasons. How should poor captives now
rejoice to hear that there is one proclaiming liberty to the captives and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound! If an earthly king were coming
not only to redress all the grievances ofhis people, but to relieve all their
wants, and enrich them with all that their hearts could desire, would not all
exult and leap for joy? Would not every one be impatient to see him, and to
receive his benefits? Why then should not all rejoice in the advent of Him,
who is come to bind up the broken-hearted, and to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness?]
But the “daughters of Zion” in particular should rejoice in this event—
[The daughters of Zion are the true members of the church, who have been
begottenby the Word and Spirit of God. These are addressedby the prophet,
and are bidden to exult and “shout” for joy. Well does the prophet selectthem
as the persons to whom he should direct his exhortation. “Let them give
thanks whom the Lord hath redeemed.” Theyknow the glorious characterof
their prince. They have found both his laws and government to be “holy and
just and good.” Theyhave experiencedhis power to save, “to save to the
uttermost those that call upon him.” They have continual proofs of his
lowliness, being admitted daily to the most intimate fellowship with him.
Should not they then rejoice? “Surelythe very stones would cry out against
them it they held their peace.” “Behold” then, believers, your King, even he
whom you have chosento reign over you, is come. He now waits for you.
“Arise, lo! he calleth you.” Go, enter into his presence-chamber, andreceive
the blessings whichhe is come to bestow.]
Application—
[Are there any who feelno disposition to rejoice in this event? Alas! too many,
like Herod and the Pharisees, cannotjoin in the generalchorus. Let them not,

however, imagine themselves relatedto the church of God: they are daughters
of the world, but not daughters of Zion; nor need they have any other
evidence of their alienation from God, than their want of joy in the Lord. How
base is their ingratitude! that the Lord of glory should come down from
heaven for them, and they have no hearts to welcome his arrival: that they
should be gratified with the company of an earthly friend, and have no delight
in communion with Jesus. Surely if they were to have all the curses of God’s
law inflicted on them, who servednot the Lord with joyfulness and gladness of
heart on accountof the temporal benefits bestowedupon them [Note:
Deuteronomy 28:45;Deuteronomy 28:47.], they must have a far heavier
condemnation, who so despise the condescensionandlove of our incarnate
God. Mark then the alternative to which ye are reduced; ye must begin now
that joy in the Lord which ye shall possessforever, or, by continuing
insensible of his mercy, continue destitute of any interestin it to all eternity.
Choose ye now whether ye will have life or death: remember, however
necessaryit may be at other times to weepfor your sins, it is to joy that we
now invite you; not to carnaljoy, but to that which is spiritual and heavenly.
We unite with the Apostle in saying, “Rejoicein the Lord alway, and again, I
say, Rejoice.”Methinks suchan exhortation should not be slighted, especially
when your present joy is to be a certain prelude to eternal happiness: but if ye
will still despise the mercies of your God, behold this King cometh shortly to
judge the world; behold he cometh riding upon the heavens with myriads of
the heavenly host: know too that he is just and powerful; but his justice will
condemn, and his power punish you. Go to him then in this day of salvation,
welcome him in this the acceptedtime; so shall you, at his secondcoming,
behold his face with joy, and join the choir of heavenin everlasting
hallelujahs.]
Chuck Smith
Sermon Notes for Zechariah9:9
"THY KING COMETH"

Intro: Man has tried many forms of government. Eachsystemhas its flaws.
Our democratic form has become so bulky and expensive it's becoming
increasinglymore difficult to support it. A monarchy is the most efficient
form.
I. THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL.
A. They beganas a theocracy.
1. Mosesin touch with God led the people.
2. People conscious thatGod was ruler.
B. Periodof Judges.
1. Basicallysame system, Godruling through an appointed man. No dynastics
established.
2. During this period attempt to make Gideon king.
C. The people finally insisted upon a monarchy.
1. God viewedit as a rejectionof His rulership.
2. There was a deteriorationof the monarchs.
3. The nation finally fell to Babylon.
D. The nation had been without a king for a hundred years when Zechariah
wrote this promise.
1. During this time nation ruled in part by high priest.
2. This was to continue for 500 more years, before prophecy was fulfilled.
3. The people were againlooking for a king.
II. THE PROBLEMS OF A MONARCHY.
A. Potentialof greatness, but depends on monarch.
B. If monarch bad, it could be horrible.

1. Monarchs were not always fair.
a. They had their favored setso others had to suffer.
b. They could rule with wrong motives.
c. "He is Just."
2. The monarch could be ruled by self interest.
a. History has countless stories ofsuch.
b. Their primary concernis their own lukery, they care little for the people
they rule.
c. The results were disastrous for the common people.
d. The people became slaves.
e. Having salvation.
3. Monarchs were oftenarrogant and proud.
a. They would not admit to a mistake thus the people would have to suffer
intolerably.
b. They had no concernfor the people's feelings.
c. "Lowly."
C. What ideal traits for a king.
1. Just.
2. Having salvation.
3. Lowly.
III. THE KING REJECTED.
A. This promised king came.
1. The events of Palm Sunday.

2. The religious rulers conspiredto kill Him.
a. He was a threat to every corrupt system.
b. Jesus is a threat to every corrupt system.
c. When any man or system tries to getrid of Jesus Christ you canbe certain
they are corrupt. Their corruption is threatened by Jesus.
B. The rejectedKing establisheda spiritual Kingdom.
1. Though the nation rejectedHim as their king, many individuals bowed
their knee before Him.
2. He establishedHis throne in the hearts of man.
a. No longer ruled by cruel tyrant of my own lust.
b. No longer ruled by selfish ambitions.
3. His reign is just, free, lowly.
4. World not seenthe last of Him.
C. He shall come again in powerand greatglory.
1. Rule the nations.
2. Destroyall the opposition.
3. Those who desire to live in love and peace in a righteous kingdom shall live
and reign with Him on this earth.
CHARLES SPURGEON
The Lowly King

“Rejoicegreatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you. He is just and having salvation, lowly,
and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Zechariah 9:9
I DO not intend to expound the whole text at any length, but simply to dwell
upon the lowliness ofJesus. Yet this much I may say–wheneverGodwould
have His people especiallyglad, it is always in Himself. If it is written,
“Rejoicegreatly,” then the reasonis, “Behold, your King comes unto you!”
Our chief source of rejoicing is the PresenceofKing Jesus in the midst of us!
Whether it is His first or His SecondAdvent, His very shadow is delight. His
footstepis music to our ears.
That delight springs much from the fact that He is ours. “Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion…Behold, your King is coming to you.” WhateverHe may be
to others, He is your King, and to whomeverHe may or may not come, He
comes to you. He comes foryour deliverance, your honor, your consummated
bliss. He keeps your company–He makes your house His palace, your love His
solace,your nature His home. He who is your King by hereditary right, by His
choice of you, by His redemption of you and by your willing choice of Him, is
coming to you–therefore shout for joy!
The verse goes onto show why the Lord, our King, is such a source of
gladness–“He is just and having salvation.” He blends righteousness and
mercy–justice to the ungodly and favor to His saints. He has workedout the
stern problem–how canGod be just and yet save the sinful? He is just in His
own personalCharacter, just as having borne the penalty of sin and just as
clearedfrom the sin which He voluntarily took upon Himself. Having endured
the terrible ordeal, He is savedand His people are savedin Him. He is to be
saluted with hosannas, whichsignify, “Save, Lord,” for where He comes He
brings victory and consequentsalvationwith Him! He routs the enemies of
His people, breaks for them the serpent’s head and leads their captivity
captive. We admire the justice which marks His reign and the salvationwhich
attends His sway–andin both respects we cry–“Blessedis He that comes in the
name of the Lord!”

Moreover, it is written of Him that He is lowly, which cannot be said of many
kings and princes of the earth. Nor would they care to have it said of them!
Your King, O daughter of Jerusalem, loves to have His lowliness published by
you with exceeding joy. His outward state betokens the humility and
gentleness ofHis Character. He appears to be what He really is–He conceals
nothing from His chosen. In the height of His grandeur, He is not like the
proud monarchs of earth. The patient donkeyHe prefers to the noble charger
and He is more at home with the common people than with the great. In His
grandestpageant, in His capital city, He was still consistentwith His meek and
lowly Character, for He came, “riding upon a donkey.” He rode through
Jerusalemin state, but what lowliness markedthe spectacle!It was an
extemporized processionwhich owednothing to Garter-king-at-arms, but
everything to the spontaneous love of friends.
A donkey was brought, and its foal, and His disciples sat Him on it. Instead of
courtiers in their robes, He was surrounded by common peasants and
fishermen and children of the streets of Jerusalem–the humblest of men and
the youngestof the race shoutedHis praises!Boughs of trees and garments of
friends strewedthe road instead of choice flowers and costlytapestries–itwas
the pomp of spontaneous love, not the stereotypedpageantry which power
exacts of fear. With half an eye, everyone can see that this King is of another
sort from common princes and His dignity of another kind from that which
tramples on the poor.
According to the narrative, as well as the prophecy, there would seemto have
been two beasts in the procession. Iconceive that our Lord rode on the foal,
for it was essentialthat He should mount a beastwhich had never been used
before. God is not a sharerwith men–that which is consecratedto His peculiar
service must not have been, before, devoted to lower uses. Jesus rides a colt
where no man ever sat. But why was the mother there? Did not Jesus sayof
both donkey and foal, “Loose them, and bring them unto Me”? This appears
to me to be a token of His tenderness–He would not needlesslyseverthe
mother from her foal. I like to see a farmer’s kindness when he allows the foal
to follow when the mare is plowing or laboring–and I admire the same
thoughtfulness in our Lord. He cares for cattle, yes, even for a donkey and her
foal. He would not even cause a poor beasta needless pang by taking away its

young! And so, in that procession, the beastof the field took its part joyfully,
in token of a better age in which all creatures shallbe delivered from bondage
and shall share the blessings ofHis unsuffering reign.
Our Lord herein taught His disciples to cultivate delicacy, not only towards
eachother, but towards the whole creation. I like to see in Christian people a
reverence towards life, a tenderness towards all God’s creatures. There is
much of deep truth in those lines of, “The Ancient Mariner”–
“He prays best who loves best
All things both greatand small.”
Under the old Law, this tenderness was inculcatedby those precepts which
forbade the taking of the mother bird with her young and the boiling of a kid
in its mother’s milk. Why were these things forbidden? There would seemto
be no harm in either of these practices, but God would have His people
tender-hearted, sensitive and delicate in their handling of all things. A
Christian should have nothing of the savage abouthim, but everything that is
considerate and kind. Our Lord rode through the streets of Jerusalemwith a
donkey and the foal of the donkey–forHe is lowly in heart and gentle to all.
His is no mission of crushing power and selfishaggrandizement–He comes to
bless all things that are and to make the world, once more, a Paradise where
none shall be oppressed. BlessedSavior, when we think of the sufferings of
Your creatures, both men and beasts, we pray You to hastenYour Second
Advent and begin your gentle reign!
Now, this riding of Christ upon a donkey is remarkable if you remember that
no pretender to be a Prophet, or a Divine Messengerhas imitated it. Ask the
Jew whether he expects the Messiahto ride thus through the streets of
Jerusalem!He will probably answer, “No.” If he does not, you may ask him
the further question, whether there has appearedin his nation anyone who,
professing to be the Messiah, has, atany time, come to the daughter of
Jerusalem“riding upon a colt, the foalof a donkey.” It is rather singular that
no false Messiahhas copied this lowly style of the Son of David! When Sapor,
the greatPersian, jestedwith a Jew about his Messiahriding upon a donkey,
he said to him, “I will send Him one of my horses,” to which the Rabbi

replied, “You cannotsend Him a horse that will be goodenough, for that
donkey is to be of a hundred colors.” Bythat idle tradition, the Rabbi showed
that he had not caughtthe idea of the Prophet at all, since he could not believe
in Messiah’s lowlinessdisplayedby His riding upon a common donkey.
The rabbinical mind must necessarilymake simplicity mysterious and turn
lowliness into another form of pomp. The very pith of the matter is that our
Lord gave Himself no grand airs, but was natural, unaffected and free from
all vainglory. His greatestpomp went no further than riding through
Jerusalemupon a colt, the foalof a donkey. The Muslim turns round with a
sneerand says to the Christian, “Your Masterwas the rider on a donkey–our
Mohammed was the rider on a cameland the camelis, by far, the superior
beast.” Justso, and that is where the Muslim fails to graspthe prophetic
thought–he looks for strength and honor–but Jesus triumphs by weaknessand
lowliness!How little real glory is to be found in the grandeur and display
which princes of this world affect! There is far more true glory in
condescensionthan in display.
Our Lord’s riding on the foal of a donkey was meant to show us how lowly
our Savioris and what tenderness there is in that lowliness. When He is
proclaimed King in His greatFather’s capital and rides in triumph through
the streets, He sits upon no prancing charger, suchas warriors choose for
their triumphs–no, He sits upon a borrowed donkey, whose mother walks by
its side! His poverty was seen, for of all the cattle on a thousand hills, He
owned not one and yet we see His more than royal wealth, for He did but say,
“The Lord has need of them,” and straightwaytheir owner yielded them up.
No forced contributions supply the revenue of this Prince–His people are
willing in the day of His power. He is your King, O Zion! Shout to think that
you have such a Lord! Where the scepteris love and the crown is lowliness,
the homage should be peculiarly bright with rejoicing. None shall groan
beneath such a sway, but the people shall willingly offer themselves. They
shall find their liberty in His service, their restin obedience to Him, their
honor in His Glory!
Now, my Brothers and Sisters, you may forgetthe hosannas of that Day of
Palms, for I beg you to confine your thoughts to the considerationof the

lowliness ofour Divine Lord and Master. “Behold, your King comes unto
you… lowly, and riding on a donkey.” Let us think for a few minutes upon the
displays of the lowliness ofour Lord Jesus Christ. Then upon the causes of
that lowliness and, thirdly, upon certain lessons to be learned from that
lowliness.
First, then, let us think of THE DISPLAYS OF LOWLINESS MADE BY
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. You do not need me to remind you how
devoutly we worship Him as God over all, blessedforever. Yet while on earth
He veiled His Godhead and laid bare His lowliness!His sojourn here below
was full of the truest greatness, but it was a grandeur, not of loftiness, but of
lowliness;not of glory, but of humiliation! Our Lord was never more glorious
in the deepestsense than in His humiliation. Because ofit, “He shall be
exalted, and extolled, and shall be very high.”
First, think of the lowliness ofChrist in even undertaking the salvationof
guilty men. Man without sin, as God first made him, is certainly a noble
creature. It is written, “You have made him a little lowerthan the angels.”
But, as a sinner, man is a base and dishonorable being only worthy to be
destroyed! In that character, he has no claims to be regarded by God at all. If
it had pleasedthe Divine Supremacy to blot this rebel race from existence,
God might readily have repaired the loss by the creationof superior beings!
And it was lowliness ofthe most tender kind which led our Lord, who took not
up angels when they fell, to take up the seedof Abraham.
If it were possible for some tall archangelto espouse the cause ofants upon
their hill in yonder forest, it would be a wondrous stoop. Yet it would be
nothing comparedwith the condescensionofthe eternalGod in bowing from
His lofty Throne to redeemand sanctify the sons of men! We are frail
creatures at the best–born yesterday, we die today. We are as greenleaves in
the forestfor a while and then our autumn comes and we fade and the wind
carries us away. Forsuch short-lived things the Lord of Glory came to this
sin-shadowedglobe!Were He not of a lowly mind, He had never found His
delights with the sons of men, nor would He have thought upon the woes of
poor and needy ones.

Herein, in the next place, He showedHis lowliness–thatHe actually assumed
our nature. I cannottell that story, it is too wonderful! A free Spirit
voluntarily encasesitselfin human clay! A pure Spirit willingly becomes a
partakerof flesh and blood! This is marvelous lowliness!The Strong is
compassedwith infirmity; the Happy assumes capacityfor suffering; the
infinitely Holy becomes one of a race notorious for its iniquity! This is a
triumph of lowliness!The greatGod, the Infinite of Ages, unites Himself with
a human body! He is born into our infancy; He grows up into our youth; He
toils through our manhood; He accomplishesa life like our own! This is a
miracle of lowliness!I think the angels still gaze into these things and wonder
at the Word made flesh!
It is particularly said of our Incarnate Lord that He was “seenofangels” and
that leads us to believe that angels watchedHim with intense curiosity and
ever-growing interest–wondering whatit could possibly mean that He, who
made and ruled the heavens, should be born of a womanand made under the
Law! They wondered that He should eatand drink, and sleepand sigh and
suffer like the creatures ofHis hands–and should, indeed, be such as they
were!Surely they talk of it now with hushed voices and astonishedhearts–and
will so talk of it throughout the ages. Made lowerthan His angels are, His
angels must feela solemn awe at such a Divine descentof love! This lowliness
was such as only God could display–let us worship, in the Personof our Lord,
a condescending Love as unique as the Personwho exhibited it.
Furthermore, when our Lord found Himself below, in the fashion of man, He
manifested His true lowliness by carrying out to fulfill the part of a servant.
He had taken upon Himself the form of a servant by becoming Man, but it
was no matter of form with Him. He became actually obedient! Having put on
the livery of service, He executedthe lowestoffice. Neverservantin a king’s
kitchen did menial work so thoroughly as He. In His greathouse there are
vessels to honor and to dishonor and He selectedto be used for the lowest
offices–He made Himself of no reputation; He became a servantof servants–
all they that saw Him laughed Him to scorn!“He was despised, and we
esteemedHim not.” If anybody was needed to talk with a fallen woman, He
was soonseensitting on the well. If anyone was needed to win a publican, He
was speedily at the house of Zaccheus. If any man must be slandered as

having a devil and being mad, He is ready to bearthe worstreproach! He
could truthfully say, “You call Me, Master, and Lord: and you say well; for so
I am,” yet He, their Masterand Lord, had washedtheir feet and proved that
He was meek and lowly of heart!
Brothers and Sisters, it is a wonderful thing that the Lord of All should have
become the Servant of all–it is so wonderful that many have lost their wayin
thinking of it. They have been unable to graspthe idea of Godheadcombined
with servitude, Majestyunited with obedience. Indeed, it is only by faith that
we can realize that He that built all things yet became so poor a thing as
Mary’s Son, so sad a Being as the Man of Sorrows, so lowlya Personas the
“despisedand rejectedof men.” Yet so it was and herein He showedthe truth
of His own statement, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” He wore the yoke,
Himself and, therefore, can experimentally say, “Take Myyoke upon you, and
learn of Me…and you shall find rest unto your souls.” This is He who breaks
not the bruised reed and quenches not the smoking flax! This is He who
“endured such contradiction of sinners againstHimself.” His life was one long
proof of meekness and lowliness–andin nothing did He fail! He exhorts us to
conquer by the same persevering methods, for He has proved that gentleness
and meekness willprevail.
Still, let me keepyou thinking upon the lowliness of your Lord when I bid you
remember His life-long poverty. He does not advise His disciples voluntarily
to espouse poverty unless it is for His sake and then they do well. Times have
been and may be again, when Believers must forsake allthings for His cause.
But in His day, some of His disciples ministered Him of their substance and,
therefore, had substance. He did not command these to renounce that
substance and become poor, though I doubt not that, when persecutioncame,
many of them gladly did so for His sake. Notto all did He put the test, “Sellall
that you have,” but it was necessaryto His own personalwork that He should
become poor, that His people might be made rich. And this He cheerfully
endured. He was laid in a borrowedcradle in the stable where He was born.
He dwelt in His life-work in borrowed houses and lived upon the charity of
His followers. And when He rested, it was in a borrowed bed, for though the
foxes had holes, He had nowhere to lay His head.

He preached from a borrowedboat and when He fell asleepand died, He was
buried in a borrowedtomb, for He had no foot of land for a possession. He
endured poverty as if He were born to the manner, for He was quite at home
among the poor and lowly, receiving sinners and eating with them. Truly, a
dignity surrounded Him far more real than that which has been conceivedto
hedge a king and yet, in His poverty He never seemeduneasyand the society
of the poor and unlearned never grieved Him. He was with the poorestas one
of them and they knew it and, therefore, they loved to gather about Him. He
was so sweetlyand tenderly their associatethat the common people heard
Him gladly.
Remember that He might have left that poverty at any moment. He that could
turn waterinto wine might have quaffed full many a delicious draught had He
so willed. He that could multiply bread and fish needed never to have
hungered. A word from Him might have createdpalaces more wonderful than
the dreams of Aladdin and wealth greaterthan the abundance of Solomon, for
nothing was impossible for Him! If He had willed to make Himself the object
of His own life, He could have surrounded Himself with every luxury but,
instead thereof, “though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, that
you, through His poverty, might be rich.” In this He magnified His lowliness.
But I think I see more of His lowliness at times in His associates thanin
anything else because men may be very poor and yet they may be very proud.
I think I have seenit sadly so. I have known men without a penny with which
to bless themselves, as full of caste feeling as the wealthiestpeer! They are
working men, it may be, but they think themselves superior persons of
remarkable gifts and eminent respectability. We are a little overdone with
superior persons just now. I come across them almost everywhere in this
department and in that and, of course, I look up to them with such respectas I
can. But sometimes a little more reverence is askedof us than we can
conveniently bestow. In this age we have to be careful not to trench upon the
dignity of certain persons and yet He who was, in all respects, superiorto us
all, never played the superior persononce in all His life! He saton a welland
talkedto a woman–andHis disciples, we read, marveled that He spoke to a
woman.

It is not to “the women,” as we get it in our Authorized Version, but the
RevisedVersion puts it more correctly, “they marveled that He was speaking
with a woman.” They thought that such a One as He should not speak to any
woman, for they were tinctured with the exclusiveness ofthe period. I do not
suppose that it occurredto our Lord that He was doing anything remarkable
in speaking to a woman, for He was born of woman and He never disowned
the tender ties which come of such a birth. To some men it would be a great
come-downto speak familiarly to anyone if he did not keepa carriage. Even
in our churches the silly caste feeling will intrude and Brothers and Sisters in
Christ hardly think a poor saint to be their equal! Our Lord had no pride of
manner about Him, for His lowliness was in His heart. We read that the
publicans and sinners gatheredround Him–even women of ill-fame listened
with tearful eyes to His teaching!
Oh, no, we never mention them, of course!We call them, “outcasts,” andtreat
them as off casts–yetJesus hada kind word for them. What a congregation
He often had, of those whom the Pharisees abhorred!Yet He never said to one
of them, “Be gone!” His rule was to welcome all, saying, “Him that comes to
Me, will I in no wise castout.” Those publicans were certainly very mean
characters–theycollecteda hateful tax for the foreignerand squeezedout an
extra portion for themselves, but the Savior never said to a single publican,
“Be gone!” Quite the contrary, He gave the publican an honorable place in
His parable–He made one of them an Apostle–and He went to abide in the
house of anotherwho receivedHim joyfully! He did not merely speak a good
word to these degradedpersons, but He actually satat table with them as a
Friend. “Horrible, was it not?” So the Phariseesthought. “Glorious,”saywe,
as we reverence that Divine Humility which scornednothing that lived and
especiallynothing in the form of man or woman! “This Man receives sinners,”
was said in disdain! Let it be thundered out in a hymn as glorious as the song
of the seraphim who continually cry, “Holy, holy, holy!” Never was purity
more pure than when its incarnation bowedto become “a Friend of publicans
and sinners.”
He did what was still more amazing–He receivedlittle children. Now, I can see
some reasonfor talking with grownup men and women, even if they are
debasedand depraved, but as for those boys and girls, what can be done with

them? When they heard the children crying, “Hosanna” in the Temple, the
Pharisees demandedof Him, “Do You hear what these say?” As much as to
say, “These boys and girls–are these Your admirers? Do You find Your
followers among children?” He had a lowly answerfor them, but it was one
which silencedthem. These hosannas came ofour blessedLord having said,
“Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is
the Kingdom of God.” He acceptedchildren as the pattern of the kind of
people who enter His Kingdom–He Himself was calledGod’s Holy Child Jesus
and He was at home with children because ofHis perfect guilelessness and
gentleness. Proudmen seldomcare for children, nor children for them–but
our Lord, in His true lowliness of heart, loved children and they loved Him.
I wish we had a longer time in which to set out all the lovely lowliness ofour
adorable Christ, but I must only gather a few ears where I would have
preferred to have reapedsheaves. Our Lord’s patient bearing under
accusationsthat were so foul and false, was anotherproof of His lowliness. “I
hear,” says a man, “that a calumny has been whispered againstme, and I will
drag it to light. I will have it out, let it costwhat it may. Who dares breathe
upon my character? He shall feel the law and know that he cannot defame me
with impunity.” Some professing Christians appear to lose their balance when
misrepresented–the lamb roars like a lion and the ox eats flesh like the
leopard! Churches have been torn and families ruined to avenge a hasty
word! Is not that spirit the opposite of the mind of our blessedMaster? They
said He was a drunk and a wine-bibber–the charge must have grievedHim,
but He did not become angry and threaten His accusers.It was most
important that His Charactershould be cleared. He smiled to Himself as He
thought, “I will not contradict the accusation, foreverybody knows that it is
not true.” They saidthat He had a devil and He did condescendto answerthat
and confounded all His accusersby making them see the absurdity of the
charge, for if the devil was in Jesus fighting againstthe devil, then the devil
must have become divided againsthimself and his kingdom would sooncome
to an end!
Towards the end of our Lord’s life, His enemies gatheredup their charges and
flung them in setform before Pilate’s judgement seat, but He answeredthem
never a word–“He was led as a sheepto the slaughter;and like a lamb dumb

before her shearer, so opened He not His mouth.” In silence He maintained
His lowliness!Oh, if He, who could speak as never man spoke, hadspoken–if
He had defended Himself with His own irresistible oratory–withsuch a
subject as Himself to speak upon, He might have made them all go out of the
judgment hall, as once He had scattered them when His client was a woman
takenin adultery! He might have turned the crowdagainsttheir rulers, had
He chosen, or divided their counsels by setting Pharisees againstSadducees!
But He sought not Himself. He was content to ask, “Which of you convicts Me
of sin?” “Forwhich of those works do you stone Me?” And when He came to
His end, He had no harsher word for them than, “Father, forgive them!”
To crown all, you know how our Well-Beloveddied. He laid down His life for
us–dearestpledge of lowliness!The deceasewhichHe accomplishedat
Jerusalemwas no famous death in battle amid the roar of cannon and the
blast of trumpet, shaking Heaven and earth with tidings of victory! His was no
death amid the tears of a nation who prepare for their beloved Prince a more
than royal mourning. No, He dies with malefactors!He dies at the common
gallows!He dies amid a crowd of scoffers where felons castcontempt upon
Him as He hangs betweenthem! Hear how the ribald throng challenge His
Divine Sonship and says, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the
Cross!” The bearing of such disgrace and the endurance of such scornwas the
utmost proof of a lowliness of spirit which we humbly admire and feebly
imitate–but which we can never equal.
II. I shall but occupyyou one or two minutes while I try to explain THE
CAUSE OF THIS LOWLINESS.
His supreme lowliness ofCharactergrew out of the actual lowliness ofHis
heart. He never aimed at humility, nor labored after it–it was natural to Him.
Of all sickening things, the pride that mimics humility is the most loathsome!
Not a particle of that nauseous vice was found in our Lord. He never puts on
an air, nor strikes an attitude, nor plays the humble part. But He is meek and
lowly and all can see it. He is never other than He seems to be and He always
is and seems to be the meekestof mankind. His inmost heart was seenand
seento be all lowliness.

Why was He so? I conceive that He was so lowly because He was so great. A
little man feels the necessityof magnifying himself and, therefore, becomes
proud. Pride is essentiallymeanness. It is the little man that cannotafford to
be little. Some of us are too low to be lowly, too mean to be meek. True
greatness is always unconscious andnever seeks to make a display. It
magnifies a man when he can sink himself for the goodof others. No one knew
how to descendso gracefully as our Lord, for His greatmind knew well the
ways of self-denial. A man who is greatlyrich is not ashamedto be seenin
well-worn clothes in those same places where the pretentious bankrupt would
not venture except in his newestattire. He who has a small estate puts a
diamond ring upon his finger and holds it so that it sparkles in the light–to let
all people see that he is a man worth something! But your eminent men of
wealth scornsuch display. Truly greatmen are humble. I have often heard it
said of men of large substance, “He is singularly unassuming! You would
never dream that he is a man of property.” So, too, of men of genius have we
heard it said, “He gave himself no airs; he was as modest and friendly as the
leastof us.” Justso, and that very much accounts for his high standing. He
that is somebody to others is nobody to himself. He who was more than all,
even our Lord Jesus Christ, was, therefore, for that very reason, lowlyof
heart.
He was lowly, next, because He was so loving. Mothers are frequently proud
of their children, but, I think, they are seldom, if ever, proud to their children.
No, if they love them, they do not think that it is any condescensionto kiss
them, or washthem, or carry them in their bosom. I never heard of a father
who thought that he was very humble-minded because he allowedhis boy to
climb upon his knees and hold on with his arms about his neck. Those whom
we love, we elevate to an equality with ourselves or, rather, we go down to
them. Love is a charming leveler! Jesus had so much love that He could not be
anything but lowly towards His little ones. You never yet heard even a
blasphemer impute pride to God! Though our blood has chilled when we have
heard the High and Mighty One arraigned for this and that by arrogant
tongues, yet we have not known profanity to run in that line. It would be too
absurd to impute pride either to God, or to His Ever-BlessedSon, Jesus
Christ. The reasonfor this evident freedom from pride is the factthat “Godis

Love.” The fullness of Divine Love blinds the eyes which look in distrust upon
it. God is patient, for He is loving–Christ is lowly of heart because His heart is
made of love.
Moreover, once more, our blessedMasterwas so absorbedin His great
objective that He was necessarilylowly. The man who is driving at a great
objective has no time for the affectations ofself-adulation. He has no time in
which to think of how he appears to others. He does not stand at the glass to
arrange his beauties–the idea would be too absurd! He cannot be too
particular about how he puts that poetic word, or how he mouths that
polished sentence–his onlydesire is to deliver his message andto impress men
with the matter in hand. Earnestness carriesthe speakerbeyond the orator’s
rules of self-display. His rhetoric is melted down by his enthusiasm. A great
oratorcan readily be made to appearridiculous by the comic critic who coolly
looks downfrom the gallery upon him–but what does he care? His theme so
absorbs him that he has forgottenall elegance ofattitude and gesture–and
only cares to make his point.
He would make himself a fool 10,000times deep if he could but win his case
and bless his country thereby. He cares for nothing but his subject and his
aim. So is it pre-eminently with our Lord–He pursues His course carelessof
man’s esteem. He burns His way, His zeal eats Him up! He is straitened till
His work is accomplishedand, therefore, He has no thought about the
maintaining of His dignity. His greatness andHis intense devotion forbid
anything approximating to pride and, by force of nature, He is meek and
lowly in heart. Because He has a great objective to achieve and that objective
has absorbedHis whole Self–He must walk in all lowliness ofmind. Blessed
Master, teachus this wayof lowliness!Fire us with an ambition for Your
Glory which shall shut out every thought of pride!
III. What are the LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THIS LOWLINESS
of our Lord?
The lessons are, first, Brothers and Sisters, let us be lowly. Did I hear one say,
“Well, I will try to be lowly”? You cannotdo it in that way. We must not try
to act the lowly part–we must be lowly–and then we shall naturally act in a

humble manner. It is astonishing how much of pride there is in the most
modest. Of course I do not mean in those who saythat they are perfect. No, I
leave them to their ownvainglory. But in us poor, imperfect creatures, whata
deal of pride there is! How we condemn pride! We feelthat it would be well if
all were as humble as we are! We boastthat we detest boasting!We flatter
ourselves that we hate flattery! When we are told that we are amazingly free
from pride, we feel as proud as Lucifer, himself, at the consciousness thatthe
compliment is right well deserved! We are so experienced, so solid, so
discerning, so free from self-confidence that we are the first to be caught in
the net of self-satisfaction!Brethren, we must pray God to make us humble! If
we become lowliestof the lowly, it will not be much of a condescensiononour
part–we shall only come down to the point which we ought never to have left.
Downin the dust is the fit place for such poor mortals as we are! What right
have we to be anything else but meek and lowly?
Alas, we can be very proud in many ways!Let me give you a case ortwo in
point. Yonder is one that is called to suffer and he rebels againstit. Listen to
his complaint–“Whyshould I be calledto endure such greattrials? What have
I done that I am thus tried?” Do you not, at once, detectthe great, “I”? Very
different is this from the lowly prayer, “Nevertheless, notas I will, but as You
will.”
“But, then, persons have spokenevil of me! I do not deserve to be treated
thus.” Clearly it is especiallywrong for any one to speak amiss of such an
excellentbeing as you are! There lies the grievance. Becauseyou are so good,
it is horrible wickednessto malign you. You reply, “But, really, it was so
malicious and the charge was so absurd and unreasonable.” Justso. People
ought to be peculiarly careful not to hurt your feelings, for you are so
deserving and praiseworthy. Is not self-esteemthe spring of half our sorrow?
We are so wonderfully goodin our own judgement that we claim the box seat
of the coach–andthe chief seatin the synagogue.If we were really lowly of
heart, we would say, “I have been treated very badly, but when I think of how
my Lord was treated, I cannotdream of complaining. This severe critic
cannot see my excellencesbut I do not wonder, for I cannot see them, myself.
He has been finding fault with me and his charges were nottrue but, if he had
known me better, he might have found more fault with me and have been

nearer the truth. If I do not deserve censure in this way, I do in another and so
I will cheerfully bear what is measured out to me. Yes, if it is in no sense my
due, I will give my back to the smiters, as my Masterdid.” Oh, that the Lord
would make us meek and lowly in heart–and we would submit to wrong
rather than resist evil!
“But surely,” cries one, “you do not want me to associatewith sinners?” No,
dear Friend, I do not want such a goodperson as you are to go near them at
all! I could not so degrade your honorable self. Moreover, if you did go near
them, you would aggravate them by your self-opinionatedgoodness. Ifyour
perfections are not quite so full-blown as usual, I would, however, suggestthat
you might do sinners goodby kindly speaking to them–and that to gather up
your skirts in fearand trembling lestyou should be defiled by their presence
is not the most excellentway. When you are afraid lest the wind should blow
from a sinful person towards your nobility, you act the fool, if not the
hypocrite–perhaps both! Why, you would have been in Hell, yourself, if it had
not been for SovereignGrace!You, fine ladies and prime gentlemen, you
would have been as surely castawayas the vilest of mankind if it had not been
for Infinite Compassion!It ill becomes us to boast, since we have enough sins
of our own to plunge us in despair were it not for the love of the lowly Savior
who bore our sins in His own body on the tree. O Lord, stamp out our pride
and make us lowly in heart!
Lastly, let us learn to say to the despondent and timorous, words of cheer.
Since the Lord Jesus Christ is so meek and lowly–poor, trembling, guilty one,
you may come to Him! You may come to Him now! I was sitting, the other
night, among some excellentfriends, who, I suppose, were none of them rich
and some of them poor. I am sure it never enteredinto my head to think how
much money they owned, for I felt myself very much at home with them until
one of them remarked, “You do not mind mixing with us poor folk?” ThenI
felt quite ashamedfor myself that they should think it necessaryto make such
a remark. I was so much one with them that I felt honored by having
fellowship with them in the things of God–and it troubled me that they should
think I was doing anything remarkable in conversing with them.

DearFriends, do not think harshly of any of us who are ministers of Christ!
But you will think harshly of us if you conceive that we think it a coming
down to associatewith any of you! We are in heart and soul your Brothers–
bone of your bone–your truest friends whether you are rich or poor. We
desire your good, for we are your servants for Christ’s sake!Above all, do not
think harshly of our Lord and Masterby supposing that it will be a strange
thing for Him to come to your house, or to your heart! It is His habit to
forgive the guilty and renew the sinful. Come to Him at once and He will
acceptyou now! Jesus is exceedinglyapproachable. He is not hedged about
with guards to keepoff the poor or the sinful. Your room may be very
humble–what does He care about that? He will come and hear your prayer.
Many a time Jesus has had no room to pray in, but–
“Coldmountains, and the midnight air
Witnessedthe fervor of His prayer.”
Do you complain that you cannot arrange your words correctly? What is that
to Him? He looks more at the sincerity of your heart than at the grammar of
your language!Let your heart talk to Him without words and He will
understand you. Do you complain with shamed face that you are such a
sinner? You are not the first sinner that Jesus has met with, nor will you be
the last. You are heavy-laden with sin–but He knows more about the weight of
sin than you do. That terrible load of guilt worries you–but it pressedHim
down even more terribly when it brought Him into the dust of death. It makes
you weepto think of sin–but it causedHim to sweatgreatdrops of blood. You
feel that you cannot live under so crushing a burden! He did not live under it,
but gave up the ghostin agony! Do not crucify your Lord afreshby suspecting
that He is proud and will, therefore, pass you by. Do not insult Him by
dreaming that He will reject you for your insignificance or unworthiness!
Come, and welcome, to Him who will delight to bless you! Come to Him at
once, without further question or hesitation!Come just as you are!Fall at His
pierced feetand trust the merit of His blood–and the goodLord will accept
you on the spot, for He has said, “Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast
out.” God bless you by leading you all to love this lowly and loving Lord! Even

at this present moment I pray that you may take that step which will secure
our meeting in Heaven to adore eternally our King, so meek and lowly, who
will then dwell in the midst of us and lead us to living fountains of water!
PORTION OF SCRIPTUREREAD BEFORESERMON–Matthew
11.HYMNS FROM “OUR OWN HYMN BOOK”–878,765, 384.

Jesus was a king on a donkey

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