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 foal of an ass.--Zechariah ix. 9.
We have so striking an accomplishment of this prophecy, that it is
scarcely possible to imagine one can be found, who is unwilling to
point to Jesus and exclaim, Zion behold your King.
Was it ever known that any other king, except Jesus, made such an
humble entry into the city of Jerusalem, or indeed any city. No,
his was altogether the reverse of such processions. Here was no
herald to proclaim his approach, no charger highly caparisoned
to convey the Monarch, no royal purple or glittering attire to
distinguish him from the throng, or dazzle the unthinking crowds.
In himself and attendants, all was, to outward appearance, mean and
contemptible. Yet the minds of this vast multitude, were for the
moment so struck with the truth of his Messiah-ship, that with one
simultaneous shout, they make the air resound with Hosannas to the
Son of David; "blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest." This is not the only instance of their
wishing to make him their king.[49] His disciples were impressed
with the common error, that he would establish a temporal kingdom.
After his resurrection we hear them saying, "Lord wilt thou at this
time restore the kingdom to Israel?" But no, his kingdom is not of
this world, else would his servants have been called on to fight for
it. The weapons of their warfare, are "not carnal but spiritual,
and mighty, through God, to pulling down the strong holds of sin
and satan." We do not hear that Jesus made one visit to the court
of monarchy, but many to the temple. The Roman authorities viewed
him with a jealous eye, and passed sentence on him for avouching his
kingly authority. It is worthy of remark, that the superscription
affixed to his cross, instead of declaring him an usurper, did,
in four languages, proclaim his innocence, and acknowledge his
authority--"Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." Yes, the meek
and lowly Jesus--Jehovah has set as king upon his holy hill of Zion;
he is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." He is just, for "behold a
King shall reign in righteousness." He not only has salvation, but
he is Jehovah's salvation, to the ends of the earth. To him "every
knee shall bow, and every tongue confess," that "he is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father." It was a striking display of his Godhead,
in directing his disciples where to find the colt, and in overruling
the mind of the owner, to let the animal go only on their saying,
"the Lord hath need of him." Yes, he is the Lord of the whole earth;
"the beasts of the forests are his, and so are the cattle on a
thousand hills."
[49] John vi. 15.