Sermon Devotional: Finding Enduring Peace

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.”
Zechariah 9:9 NLT

As we conclude our Lenten journey, on this Palm Sunday we enter Holy Week and prepare our hearts for the devastating lows and the magnificent highs of these most precious seven days. In Zechariah 9, we find a prophecy concerning a coming king.

Zechariah and Haggai were prophets during the reign of Darius I in Persia (521-486 B.C.). Life was hard during Zechariah’s time. The first Jewish exiles had returned to the area the Persians called Yehud and were struggling to organize. The landscape was decimated and had lost around 70 percent of its population. Jerusalem, including the temple, lay in ruins. The countryside was plagued by drought, and weak Jewish leaders faced pressures from both the Persians and local peoples in the area. Worship of other gods was everywhere. Into this context, Zechariah proclaims that the people of God should “rejoice!” Their king is coming, and he is righteous and victorious, humble and bringing peace.

On the first Palm Sunday, Jesus fulfills this prophecy as he enters Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey (Mt 21:1-11; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:28-40; Jn 12:12-19). The cultural context into which Jesus comes is still hard for the people of God. They have waited long years for this prophecy to be fulfilled. They have been scattered and gathered again and again. And they have struggled to have hope that the words of the prophets of old would eventually be fulfilled.

They expected a king who would overthrow the oppressive Romans. They expected a king who would ride into Jerusalem on a war horse. Instead, King Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt in humility and bringing peace. On that first Palm Sunday, Jesus is a righteous and soon-to-be victorious conqueror—of sin and death. Rather than bringing retribution or vengeance, Zechariah says “he will proclaim peace to the nations” (Zec 9:18). This would not be just a local peace between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, but a universal peace extending from “sea to sea” (Zec 9:10).

On the first Palm Sunday, the people celebrated Jesus the King who rode on a donkey. Perhaps they excused the donkey’s colt as a logistical error and assumed that Jesus the conquering King would still do what they hoped. Days later, Jesus the King is convicted, scourged, and crucified and thereby provides them with all they need for an enduring peace that is beyond their understanding.

Jesus is still the Coming King who will eternally rule and reign in all righteousness. The people of God continue to wait with eager anticipation. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Consider –
╬   The people of God are a waiting people. When have you prayed and waited for God to rescue you only to have the story turn out differently than you hoped?

╬   God tells the ancient Israelites to “Rejoice, people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!” Even in the midst of unresolved struggles, do you find comfort and peace knowing that God’s timing, God’s ways, and God’s purposes are always perfect? Can you “Rejoice” and “Shout in triumph” even before God’s victory is clear?
 
╬   Lord, our Lord—we give thanks that you are the King who has come once for all. Forgive our narrow imaginations of who you are and of what you are doing. Come quickly, our Prophet, our Priest and our Coming King. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.