Our text for today is Zechariah chapter nine verse nine: “9Rejoice 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). This is our text.
Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Last week we looked at Jesus’ vicarious atonement for us. Today we move ahead to witness Jesus ride triumphantly into Jerusalem for the last time as by the end of the week He is captured, put on trial, judged, condemned and crucified.
Zechariah tells us, “9Rejoice 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). Zechariah tells us that King Jesus is riding into town. Jesus is indeed King. Certainly we recognize Him as our eternal heavenly King, but even more as we have been reviewing His history and life, He was born of the line of Judah, of the line of King David. Not only is Jesus our heavenly King, but He could have claimed His rightful place as earthly King as well, except that is not the reason He came to earth.
As a man, Jesus entered Jerusalem as a humble king, yet not claiming any kind of earthly kingship. Jesus had been preaching and teaching for about three years. Many people heard Him preach and teach. Many people believed He was a prophet. Many people believed that He was the Savior, although for some it was a social/political savior, but others our spiritual Savior.
So, on what we now call Palm Sunday, as Jesus entered into Jerusalem for what would be His final entrance, the crowds welcomed Him. The crowds welcomed Him and praised Him as if He were a king riding triumphantly into town. Those that had coats threw them on the road and others spread palm branches much like our world today when the red carpet is rolled out for a distinguished dignitary.
Again, this was the last time Jesus would enter Jerusalem, as this time He entered in order to go to the cross. Palm Sunday is the beginning of what we call Holy Week. Palm Sunday was the last cheer of support for the man Jesus, as later in the week we will hear the crowd, and probably many from this same crowd, shout to have Jesus crucified.
Jesus is King, yet Zechariah reminds us that He is the One having salvation, thus Jesus is also Savior Jesus. At the time of Jesus, because of the signs, wonders, and miracles He performed and because of His preaching and teaching, many were confused as to what type of Savior was Jesus. Many that gathered on Palm Sunday were looking for an earthly, social/political Savior and thus they missed the spiritual Savior Jesus. This missing of the spiritual Savior Jesus may be what lead to the Friday disowning of Him.
Although many missed the spiritual Savior Jesus some continued seeking the Savior from sin, the Spiritual Savior. Certainly among the crowd were those who saw Jesus for His true self, one to come and save them from their sins. These are the ones that probably were not there on Friday calling for His crucifixion.
But again, many in the crowd that welcomed Jesus were in the crowd on Friday to disown Him, for the reason that He was not the Savior, nor type of Savior for which they were looking. Many wanted to have the Roman rule thrown off so they might be their own people, governing themselves. They could not see their own sin and need for a spiritual Savior.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem His last earthly entry into Jerusalem as His purpose at this time was to go to the cross. The very reason Jesus was born was for this purpose, to live for us, to take our sins upon Himself, to suffer and die, paying the price for our sins and to rise again. It was in Jerusalem, the city that stoned and killed the prophets that Jesus came into town.
Isaiah rightly describes Jesus as the suffering servant. Jesus’ life was one of service, He came not to be served but to serve. He came performing signs, wonders and miracles. He came healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the thousands. He came changing water into wine. He came making the lame to walk, the blind to see and the deaf to hear.
Jesus’ life was one of suffering. He began His ministry by being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, yet never succumbing to His temptations. He was often ridiculed, mocking, and spoken evil against. He was called names, accused of blasphemy, even called the devil.
Most importantly Jesus lived His life as our substitute. Because we are conceived and born in sin, because we cannot be the people God demands us to be, because we cannot be obedient, Jesus came to be perfect and to be obedient for us, in our place. Yes, Jesus did obey all God’s Laws and commands perfectly.
Thus, Jesus’ life was one of fulfillment, fulfilling all God’s Prophecies concerning the Savior. As we have said several times, the odds of one person fulfilling two or three of the prophecies of the Old Testament would be great indeed, the odds of one person fulfilling them all would be even greater. As Jesus is the One person who fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament we know He is the Savior promised of old.
Who is Jesus? He is our prophet, priest and king. He is true God in human flesh. Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, to do for us what we could not do, live perfectly. God’s demand is perfection, we are to be holy as our Father in heaven is holy. We cannot be holy. We are conceived and born in sin so that every inclination, every intention of our heart is evil all the time. We are born spiritually blind, spiritually dead and enemies of God. Our desire is not to do what God would have us to do but to do just the opposite. We live in unrighteousness and Jesus comes in righteousness, for us.
Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, to do for us what we could not do, keep all God’s commands perfectly, never sinning. Jesus was tempted by the devil and never gave in, unlike our sinful nature that continually fails giving in to temptation and sinning. Jesus obeyed all the commandments of God, unlike our continual, daily breaking the commandments in thought, word and deed. And Jesus did not live in righteous perfection as an example so that we might do the same. No, He lived in righteous perfection because we cannot. He did it for us in our place. Yes, He does help us in our times of need, because without His help we would fail miserably all the time. But with His help we do succeed, sometimes.
Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, to do for us what we could not do, pay the price for our sins. The price for sin is death, physical death, and apart from faith in Jesus it would be eternal spiritual death. Because we cannot give our lives and still live, Jesus came to give His life, once for all, for us on the cross, paying the price for our sins. Jesus death paid the physical death penalty price and His suffering hell paid the eternal spiritual death penalty for us as well.
Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem began His trek to the cross paying the price for our sins so that we might have forgiveness, life and salvation. Our greatest need is forgiveness of sins. Without forgiveness we would remain in sin and we would be eternally condemned. But with forgiveness, as we know, is life and salvation. Jesus lived for us, took our sins, suffered and died paying the price for our sins, so that we might have forgiveness of sins. Yet, we know the rest of the history, death and the grave had no power over Him as He rose victorious over sin, death and the devil.
As we conclude the Wednesday mid-week services and move on to our Sunday celebration of this triumphant entry, Palm Sunday, we continue to prepare ourselves. Sunday begins Holy Week, the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. Thursday we will bear witness of Jesus celebrating His last Passover meal with His Apostles, eating the sacrificial lamb and then giving us a new meal of celebration and gift giving, that is giving us His Holy Supper wherein He is the meal, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, so that in our eating and drinking He becomes a part of us. Friday we will bear witness of His suffering and physical death on the cross and then we will wait through Saturday as we will look forward to once again celebrating His defeat for us of sin, death and the devil. And we will rejoice and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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