People had certain expectations about what the Messiah would be like. How did they respond when the reality was quite different?
Read: Zechariah 9: 9-10
There are some incredible contrasts in this passage. The image that is being used is that of a conquering king or a triumph parade. In those times, when a nation had been conquered the victorious king or general, mounted on a warhorse, would process into the capital of that country, often preceded by captured prisoners, to reinforce the fact that the country was now under new management.
Contemporary Jews were expecting just such a conquering warrior, who would rescue them from their Roman oppressors. They were so wrong.
The gospel writers did not hesitate to make the link between this prophesy and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Messiah and part of the royal line of King David, Jesus was proclaiming that he had come to win back the nation of Israel and indeed the whole world from not the Roman empire, but from the empire of evil that had dominated them for so long, and to bring the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God.
This King was righteous…he would look after the wellbeing of his people…and humble. No warhorse for him, but rather a donkey a symbol of humility and peace. Nothing could be further from the actions of many people down through the years who have sought to co-opt Jesus and Christianity for war and conflict.
Israel was expecting a Messiah of the conquering variety, who would fight to free his people. Instead, they got a Messiah of the humble and peaceful variety, who sought to win the hearts, minds and lives of people everywhere.
What a host of contrasts: war versus peace, Israel’s agenda versus God’s plan, empire of evil versus Kingdom of God…two radically different kinds of power.
And in case there was any doubt, in the Sermon on the Mount, alongside several of the unexpected reversals in Jesus’ upside-down kingdom we have, “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.” (Matthew 5: 5). Perhaps this looks forward to a future day, when God is eternally present on a renewed earth, but this in no way diminishes the humble power of Jesus or his followers.
Are their relationships that I have where I act more like a conquering dictator than a humble leader…maybe in my family, my work, or as a church leader? What steps can I take to be more like Jesus in those relationships?
Pilgrim Traveller 