Your King Comes Lowly

Just and Having Salvation

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When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, Matthew said it happened so that the words of a prophet would come true (Matthew 21:4-5). Those words came from the prophet Zechariah.

A message for a small city. Zechariah lived hundreds of years before Jesus. God's people had come home from Babylon, and they were building God's house again in Jerusalem (Ezra 5:1-2).

Rejoice greatly! Zechariah wrote, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you” (Zechariah 9:9). God told His people to get ready to cheer.

He is just. The next words say, “He is just.” Just means always doing what is right. Jesus is the only King who never once did wrong.

Having salvation. The King would also come “having salvation.” He would bring rescue with Him. Jesus came to rescue people from sin.

Lowly. Then came a surprise: “Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” This King would not come proud or scary. He would come humble.

Not forgotten. Zechariah's people had come home from exile, and they had no king of their own. God had not forgotten them for one day. Their King was on the way.

A gentle King. Isaiah wrote that God's Servant would not break a bruised reed (Isaiah 42:3), and Matthew tells us those words are about Jesus (Matthew 12:18-20). A bruised reed is a bent, cracked stem. Jesus is gentle with people who feel weak and broken.

The Lord on high. A psalm says that though the Lord is on high, He still looks on the lowly (Psalm 138:6). The highest King of all came low to be near lowly people like us.

Salvation at the cross. The King came having salvation, and He brought it the hardest way. That same week He died on the cross for our sins, and on the third day He rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Come close. A proud king keeps people far away. Jesus is a King you can come close to, because He came close to us first. He is never too busy, and He never turns away someone who comes to Him honestly.

What to do. Come to Jesus humbly. Tell Him honestly what you have done wrong and what you need. The lowly King never sends away a humble heart.

Jesus' ride fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 (Matthew 21:4-5), and the whole verse tells us what kind of King He is.

The setting. Zechariah spoke to the people who had come back from Babylon while the house of God was being rebuilt (Ezra 5:1-2). Jerusalem was small, and no son of David sat on its throne.

The call to joy. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you.” The verse begins with a shout, and on the road from the Mount of Olives the crowds shouted.

Just. “He is just.” The coming King is righteous in Himself. Every other king of Israel had sins of his own; Jesus lived without sin.

Having salvation. He comes “having salvation.” He does not arrive to collect taxes or gather an army. He arrives bringing rescue.

The poor and the humble. The Hebrew word for lowly is 'ani (say: ah-NEE). It can mean humble, poor or afflicted, and it is often used of the needy people God hears. Zechariah's King stands among the lowly.

The bruised reed. Isaiah's Servant will not break a bruised reed or quench smoking flax (Isaiah 42:3). Matthew applies those words to Jesus (Matthew 12:18-20). The King is strong enough to crush, and gentle enough not to.

Every word kept. Jesus Himself sent for the animals (Matthew 21:2) and rode the colt into the city. By doing it, He was openly showing that He is Zechariah's King.

High, yet near. Though the Lord is on high, He regards the lowly, while He knows the proud from far off (Psalm 138:6). In Jesus the Lord on high came near the lowly, and He went on lowering Himself all the way to the cross.

Salvation brought. He came having salvation, and that week He won it: He died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

A King among the people. Jesus rode in on the open road, with crowds going before Him and following behind (Matthew 21:9). He still welcomes anyone who comes to Him.

Application. Pride keeps a person from receiving a lowly King. A proud heart wants a King who comes with power and makes a show. Come to Him with nothing to boast about, and receive His grace.

Not by Horses and Chariots

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In the very next verse, God said what kind of kingdom this King would bring (Zechariah 9:10).

No more chariots. God said He would cut off the chariot and the horse from His people, and the battle bow would be cut off (Zechariah 9:10). This King would not win by weapons.

Peace to the nations. Zechariah said the King would speak peace to the nations. His rule would reach from sea to sea, all the way to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10).

Horses and chariots. Long before, Pharaoh chased Israel with all his horses and chariots (Exodus 14:9). God saved His people anyway.

A warning for kings. God told Israel's future kings not to gather many horses for themselves (Deuteronomy 17:16). He wanted them to trust Him, not their armies.

Some trust in chariots. King David wrote that some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7).

Solomon and the mule. When David chose his son Solomon to be king after him, he said, “have Solomon my son ride on my own mule” (1 Kings 1:33). Solomon rode David's mule to Gihon, and there he was anointed king.

A noisy city. The people played flutes and rejoiced so loudly “that the earth seemed to split with their sound” (1 Kings 1:40). Many years later, all of Jerusalem was stirred again when Jesus, the Son of David, rode in (Matthew 21:10).

A greater Son of David. Solomon later gathered chariots and horsemen and brought in horses from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26-28), and his kingdom did not last forever. The angel said of Jesus, “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33).

Not of this world. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). He did not come to fight for a throne.

The real victory. Jesus won His greatest victory on the cross. Paul wrote that there He disarmed the powers of evil, “triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). Then He rose from the dead.

Peace with God. The peace Jesus brings starts with peace between us and God. Our sin made us God's enemies, but “we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10).

What to do. Do not put your trust in being strong, popular or rich. Trust the King who came in peace, and ask Him to help you make peace at home and at school.

In the very next verse God promised what kind of kingdom this King would bring (Zechariah 9:10).

Weapons removed. God says He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be cut off (Zechariah 9:10). The King's kingdom does not rest on military power.

Peace to the nations. The King will speak peace to the nations. The Hebrew word is shalom (say: shah-LOHM): peace, wholeness, everything set right with God and with others.

From sea to sea. His dominion will reach from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth. A King on a donkey's colt was promised a rule over the whole world.

Chariots in Israel's story. Pharaoh pursued Israel with all his horses and chariots (Exodus 14:9), and the Lord saved His people at the sea. The lesson was clear: victory belongs to Him.

The law for kings. God's law said a king must not multiply horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16). Israel's king was to trust the Lord, not his cavalry.

Psalm 20:7. David put it in a song: some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

David's mule. “Have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon” (1 Kings 1:33). Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah “had Solomon ride on King David's mule” (1:38), and Jonathan reported that “they have made him ride on the king's mule” (1:44). The ride made David's choice public.

A city in an uproar. After Solomon was anointed, the people rejoiced “so that the earth seemed to split with their sound” (1 Kings 1:40), and “the city is in an uproar” (1:45). When the greater Son of David entered, “all the city was moved” (Matthew 21:10).

Where Solomon fell short. Later Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen and brought in horses from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26-28), the very thing the law had warned against. Even the best son of David needed a better King.

The forever King. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight” (John 18:36).

Triumph at the cross. Jesus' real triumph came days later: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). Then He rose. Sinners who were God's enemies are “reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10), and that peace is offered to the nations.

Application. Think about what you lean on for safety: talent, friends, money, being liked. Bring your trust to the King of peace, and follow His way of peace with the people around you.

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