Passion Week 1: A Donkey and A White Horse

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. - Zechariah 9:9 

Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday on the Catholic/Protestant calendar which inaugurates Holy Week or Passion Week. This week hundreds of millions of believers around the world will be reflecting on the events leading up to the death of Jesus on Good Friday and raising their voices in triumphant celebration on Resurrection Sunday.

On Palm Sunday we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He directed the disciples to a specific place where they could find a donkey and its colt. They brought Him the pair as He sat on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem to the east. He mounted the colt and rode down into Jerusalem to triumphal choruses of, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”. He rode into the city to triumph, although His triumph would not be as expected. His conquest would not be over Rome and the power structures of the day. He rode into Jerusalem with His eyes set on a hill outside the city wall called Golgotha where He was going to triumph over the sin of the world, and to a tomb in a garden where He would triumph over death, hell and the grave. 

They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." - Matthew 21:7-11 

The crowds lifted their voice in jubilation as Jesus rode through the city gate, welcoming the One who they hoped would redeem Israel from all her troubles. Five days later they would be shouting “crucify Him!”. He came in a way they didn’t expect. He didn’t do what they wanted Him to do. Have you ever worshipped Him passionately one day, only to accuse Him of inaction the next day? Oh how our unmet expectations pollute our worship!

Jesus, give us eyes to see that you are working for our good even when the answers don’t come in the way we expect.

Jesus chose a young donkey as His chariot of choice. The king of the universe was not riding a noble steed but a lowly donkey. His first entry into Jerusalem was to lay down His life as the suffering servant. He had no need to make a production out of it. He did not live for the approval of the crowds. He was sure of His mission and confident in His identity. Jesus rides in on lowly and humble things.

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. - Isaiah 66:1-2

He chose this donkey’s colt to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah. Why so specific? Why so much attention to detail? He fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 with detail and accuracy so that we would hold fast to the promise that He will fulfill verse 10 as well.

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 speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. - Zechariah 9:10 

The one who rode on the back of the donkey will ride on a white horse next time He stands on the Mount of Olives over Jerusalem. The one who crushed the power of sin on the cross, will remove the serpent and his seed from the earth forever. The one who came as a suffering servant the first time will come as a conquering king. He will rule over the nations from Jerusalem and end all wars. He will reign in righteousness and restore all things. 

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. - Revelation 19:11-13

Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east... - Zechariah 14:3-4 

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.