The Guidance of the Word
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Key Verse: “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” Selected Scripture: |
WHEN OUR LORD JESUS made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem upon a humble beast of burden, he did so in fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy which had been written about five hundred years earlier. The Prophet said: “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.”—Zech. 9:9
Jesus offered himself to his people as their king knowing that they would reject him. He knew that his people could easily be led astray, and that the self-righteous religious leaders were only waiting for an opportunity to entrap him. He willingly submitted himself to the will of his Heavenly Father as the Lamb of God who would be killed only a few days later for the sins of the whole human family. The time had come to end his earthly ministry, as shown in the Levitical types of old.
Jesus had recently raised Lazarus from death as an illustration of the much grander work of restoration that would take place in the future Millennial Kingdom. This act, together with the many miracles of healing the sick and infirm, as well as opening the eyes of the blind, and the ears of the deaf, were pictorial of that blessed future time. But the leaders of Israel—our Lord’s own people—instead of rejoicing over their king and savior, conspired to murder the one who had come to save them.
Jesus proclaimed to them the seriousness of their rejection, telling them: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”—Matt. 23:37,38
The place where Jesus stood to prophesy Israel’s calamity was the very same one over which, a few years later, Roman soldiers under Titus marched for the destruction of Jerusalem, and the terrible carnage and suffering that followed. Thousands of Jews were massacred, while many more were crucified outside the very city that had rejected their savior, and had called for his crucifixion.
In due time, the bitter experiences that came upon the Jewish people will give way to rejoicing when our Lord, together with his bride of 144,000, will establish his rule of righteousness over the earth. (Rev. 14:3) The Prophet Zechariah said: “I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zech. 12:10) This will become a reality in fulfillment of Jesus’ mission to give his life in sacrifice for the whole human family.
As Jesus was proclaimed a king in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago, so he will be hailed by all as ‘King of kings’ and ‘Lord of lords’ in his kingdom.