The Triumphal Entry (Zechariah 9:9-10)
INTRODUCTION:
For the next two weeks we will be departing from the book of Romans and focusing on the triumphal entry and the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
As I said this morning we will be focusing on the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. According to the Gospels Jesus had slowly been making His way to Jerusalem for the Passover. In John 12 we read that Jesus arrived in Bethany six days before the Passover where He stayed in the home of Lazarus and Martha and Mary. On Sunday, the day after Jesus had arrived in Bethany, He and His disciples began to make their way to Jerusalem leaving Bethany at mid-morning or early afternoon. There were crowds of people with Jesus, those who were also traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover and crowds of people came out of Jerusalem to see Jesus when it was reported that He was coming. The city of Jerusalem would be overflowing as every male was required to come to Jerusalem for the Passover. The crowd coming out of the city and the crowd trying to get into the city made for a great crowd of people. Jesus sends two of His disciples ahead to borrow the foal of a donkey, so He can make His royal, messianic ride into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is the day in which we remember this historic ride which signaled the beginning of the final week of Jesus before His death on the cross. What was the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey? The Gospels of Matthew and John record a quote from the Old Testament prophesying this event. I want to look at this quote this morning and see what it has to do with the triumphal entry. The passage we will look at describes two events as one which is often the case in Old Testament prophecies, scripture speaks of two triumphal entries into Jerusalem and unfortunately the nation of Israel did not recognize the first one for what it was, but the second one they will recognize Jesus for who He is. Before turning to the Scriptures let’s pray.
SCRIPTURE:
If you are following along in your Bible this morning and I hope you are, turn to the Old Testament book of Zechariah, it is the second to the last book in the Old Testament. The last book is Malachi and right before it is Zechariah, so find Matthew and go back a few pages to Zechariah. Turn to Zechariah 9:9-10 our passage for this morning and follow along as I read.
Zechariah 9:9-10,
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:9–10, NASB95)[1]
THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY (Zechariah 9:9)
Zechariah 9:9 is the verse that Matthew and John quote in reference to what we call Palm Sunday or what is described in Scripture as the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. The Gospel writers and the Jews at the time of Jesus recognized this verse to refer to the Messiah and Jesus in fulfilling it very clearly announces that He is the Messiah of Israel. This was the most public display that Jesus ever made that pointed to the fact that He was the Messiah. The apostle John records these words for us at the end of his account of the triumphal entry in John 12:16, “These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.” (John 12:16, NASB95)[2] The crowds welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with great rejoicing; they welcomed Him as a king in the hope that Jesus would overthrow the Roman government and make Israel a great nation again. They failed to recognize that Jesus Christ had come to reign in their hearts and overthrow the one who held them in bondage to sin. Let’s look at this quote from Zechariah and see what it tells us about those welcoming Him into Jerusalem and what it tells us about the Messiah.
THE RECIPIENTS OF THE KING (Zechariah 9:9a)
The first two lines of Zechariah 9:9 record for us the recipients of this king and their response to His coming. Those welcoming Jesus into the city are the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem. Zion refers to Jerusalem as the city of God’s dwelling, the place where the temple stood. The daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem represent the nation of Israel, because Jerusalem was the capital city of the nation, her inhabitants represented the nation as a whole and Zion signified that they were the people of God. Zechariah tells us that the people are to rejoice greatly and shout in triumph at the coming of the Messiah. The Gospels record for us that this is exactly what happened. All four Gospels record that the people with Jesus and those coming out of Jerusalem to meet Him were shouting and rejoicing at His coming to Jerusalem. The words they shouted they knew from memory since childhood, words spoken or sung every year at Passover. They ascribe to Jesus the words of Psalm 118:25-26, a messianic psalm with titles that are reserved for the Messiah. They rejoiced saying, “O Lord, do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:25–26, NASB95)[3] The Gospels record that they shouted “Hosanna” which is a Hebrew expression that means “Save!” and it became an exclamation of praise. The One who comes in the name of the Lord is the Messiah; the people recognized that Jesus was publicly saying that He was the Messiah and they welcomed Him into Jerusalem as the Messiah but they did not recognize that the freedom that they needed was from the bondage of sin and only then could He deal with their physical bondage. The people should have realized this when the chosen animal to carry Him into Jerusalem was a donkey and not a horse. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states, “His peaceful entrance—riding on a donkey—was fulfilled when He presented Himself to Israel in the Triumphal Entry (Matt. 21:1–5). In the ancient Near East, if a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey instead of on a war stallion. Christ rode on a colt, the foal (lit., “son”) of a donkey.”[4] The people should have recognized this, if He was coming to give them freedom from the Romans He would have ridden into Jerusalem on a war horse, instead he came on the foal of a donkey offering them peace with God. What does Zechariah 9:9 say about the One who will be riding this donkey?
THE RIDER OF THE DONKEY (Zechariah 9:9b)
According to Zechariah the One riding the donkey is the king. Zechariah says, “Behold, your king is coming to you…” (Zechariah 9:9b, NASB95)[5] This is not just any king, this is Israel’s King, the Messiah. This was the promised Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne, the One who should be ruling over the nation of Israel. The One the prophets had repeatedly promised the people of Israel would come. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday and the people laid their cloaks and palm branches cut from the trees on the road before Him, they were proclaiming Him to be their King, they were acknowledging that He was David’s rightful heir. In fulfilling this prophecy Jesus was saying about Himself, “I am the Messiah, I am the Son of David, I am the promised One of God.” He was publicly proclaiming who He was, giving the people one last chance to accept Him.
Zechariah goes on and describes for us what this king is like. First, Zechariah says He is just, or some translations say righteous, either is correct. This word describes both His character and His reign. He is not and will not be like all other earthly kings because He is righteous, in other words, He is without sin, sinless, so there is no sin to corrupt His character or His rule. He is holy, One set apart for God. Zechariah goes on and states that this King is endowed with salvation. What does this mean that this King is endowed with salvation? The NIV states that He possesses salvation which might be easier to understand. Having salvation designates this King as a deliverer, One who can deliver people out of bondage, One who is able to offer salvation to those who have no hope of being saved. Throughout the Old Testament the Messiah who is promised to the people of Israel is described as a deliverer or savior. However, the people of Israel failed to see His two-fold purpose when it came to His title of deliverer. They were so focused on the promise of the King who would deliver them from their earthly oppressors that they failed to see that He would first need to deliver them from their spiritual oppression and that is why they rejected Him.
But because of their rejection a wonderful thing has happened, suddenly God in His sovereignty and foreknowledge shifts for a time from dealing with Israel as a nation and begins dealing with individual hearts, offering salvation not only to the Jew, but also to the Gentile. This is the great mystery that Paul reveals in Ephesians 2 and 3, that salvation is offered to all mankind. Zechariah goes on and tells us that this King was humble and mounted on a donkey, Jesus came humbly to offer peace, peace with God. He came humbly in obedience to the will of God the Father, knowing that this ride would start a cascade of events that would end in His crucifixion. His humility is an offer of peace with God. This peace can be yours and you receive this peace with God when you come to Him in repentance agreeing with Him that you are a sinner and that there is nothing that you can do to make yourself favorable to God, but in faith you believe that Jesus did something for you, that He paid the penalty for your sin when He died on the cross, He died as your substitute, He suffered God’s wrath against sin and was buried and on the third day rose from the dead triumphant over death proving that the penalty for sin had been paid in full. When we believe this our sins are forgiven and we have peace with God and the promise that we will one day be in heaven for the rest of eternity, Jesus resurrection assures us that we too will have a resurrection body like His own. Do you have this peace, do you have this assurance? You can by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation is a free gift offered to us by the Prince of peace, by the King endowed with salvation, all we must do is accept the gift in faith and we will have peace with God.
THE SECOND TRIUMPHAL ENTRY (Zechariah 9:10)
As I said at the beginning of this message Scripture speaks of two triumphal entries and I believe that Jesus will one day ride through the gates of Jerusalem again as the conquering King. Before that triumphal ride He will vanquish all who oppose Him and Israel. In Zechariah 14:2-4 we read of the time just before the second triumphal entry, the prophet writes, “For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.” (Zechariah 14:2–4, NASB95)[6] This is the precursor to the second triumphal entry, the Messiah will return, and He will execute judgment on all who oppose Him. The first triumphal entry Jesus came humble and offering peace, but the second triumphal entry He will come in all His glory and in judgment. We get a better picture of His coming in Revelation 19:11-16, the apostle John writes, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’” (Revelation 19:11–16, NASB95)[7] He will come the second time on a war horse, and he will judge those who refused His offer of peace that He offered at His first coming. He would not be faithful and true if He did not call to account those who refused to receive His offer of salvation. On that day they will see Him, and they will know Him for who He is, but it will be too late because the time of judgment will have come. Just as in the days of the flood, the people had time to repent and turn to God until God shut the door on the ark, then it was too late, the time of judgment had come and everyone was swept away in the flood, except those in the ark, Noah and his family. Now is the day of salvation. When Jesus comes, He will step off His horse on the Mount of Olives like Zechariah prophesies and judgment will be executed and God’s people will be saved. Then I think Jesus will again ride into Jerusalem as the conquering King and Zechariah 9:10 will be fulfilled, “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; And the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10, NASB95)[8] Jesus will rule from Jerusalem, the implements of war will be done away with and His rule of peace will be over all the earth. What a glorious day that will be.
CONCLUSION:
Where will you be when Jesus makes His second triumphal entry? I know where I will be because I have received His offer of peace with God given at the first triumphal entry. I will be one that returns with Him when He comes to judge the earth. How do I know this? Both in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19 tell of my return with Him. The end of Zechariah 14:5 says, “Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!” (Zechariah 14:5b, NASB95)[9]I am one of His holy ones because I have been justified, declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:14 says, “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:14, NASB95)[10] Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ are His holy ones, are part of His armies that will come with Him when He comes and we will rejoice greatly with shouts of triumph as He enters triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem to set up His kingdom over all the earth. You can know that you will be there too if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ and have had your sins forgiven and have found peace with God. It is not too late, we are living in between Zechariah 9:9 and 10, today is the day of God’s grace and today is the day of salvation. Do not delay in receiving God’s gift of salvation, because the day of judgment is drawing near.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Zechariah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1563). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.