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Zechariah 9:9 - Palm Sunday and the Triumphant Procession.

Zechariah 9:9 (NLT) Rejoice, O people of 
Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! 
Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous 
and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a 
donkey - riding on a donkeys colt.  

INTRODUCTION

The triumphal entry of Jesus riding into 
Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) was predicted here more 
than 500 years before it happened. Just as this 
prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus came to earth, so 
the prophecies of his second coming are just as 
certain to come true. We are to be ready for his 
return, for he is coming! [Life Application SB] 

Five hundred years before the birth of 
Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus foretold the 
coming of the King to Israel Never before had 
the world seen such a triumphal procession No 
train of mourning captives, as trophies of kingly 
valor, made a feature of that scene. But about the 
Saviour were the glorious trophies of His labors of 
love for sinful man. There were the captives whom 
He had rescued from Satans power, praising 
God for their deliverance. [Remnant SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Five hundred years before the birth of 
Christ, the prophet Zechariah thus foretold the 
coming of the King to Israel. This prophecy is now 
to be fulfilled. He who has so long refused 
royal honors now comes to Jerusalem as the 
promised heir to Davids throne. 
   It was on the first day of the week that 
Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 
Multitudes who had flocked to see Him at Bethany now 
accompanied Him, eager to witness His reception. Many 
people were on their way to the city to keep the 
Passover, and these joined the multitude attending 
Jesus. All nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were 
clothed with verdure, and their blossoms shed a 
delicate fragrance on the air. A new life and joy 
animated the people. The hope of the new kingdom was 
again springing up. 
   Purposing to ride into Jerusalem, Jesus 
had sent two of His disciples to bring to Him an 
ass and its colt. At His birth the Saviour was 
dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. The 
manger in which He lay was a borrowed resting 
place. Now, although the cattle on a thousand hills 
are His, He is dependent on a strangers 
kindness for an animal on which to enter Jerusalem as 
its King. But again His divinity is revealed, 
even in the minute directions given His disciples 
for this errand. DA569 

   As the silenced Pharisees drew back, the 
words of Zechariah were taken up by hundreds of 
voices: 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. 
   When the procession reached the brow of 
the hill, and was about to descend into the 
city, Jesus halted, and all the multitude with 
Him. Before them lay Jerusalem in its glory, now 
bathed in the light of the declining sun. The 
temple attracted all eyes. In stately grandeur it 
towered above all else, seeming to point toward 
heaven as if directing the people to the only true 
and living God. The temple had long been the 
pride and glory of the Jewish nation. The Romans 
also prided themselves in its magnificence. A 
king appointed by the Romans had united with the 
Jews to rebuild and embellish it, and the emperor 
of Rome had enriched it with his gifts. Its 
strength, richness, and magnificence had made it one 
of the wonders of the world. 
   While the westering sun was tinting and 
gilding the heavens, its resplendent glory lighted 
up the pure white marble of the temple walls, 
and sparkled on its gold-capped pillars. From 
the crest of the hill where Jesus and His 
followers stood, it had the appearance of a massive 
structure of snow, set with golden pinnacles. At the 
entrance to the temple was a vine of gold and silver, 
with green leaves and massive clusters of grapes 
executed by the most skillful artists. This design 
represented Israel as a prosperous vine. The gold, 
silver, and living green were combined with rare 
taste and exquisite workmanship; as it twined 
gracefully about the white and glistening pillars, 
clinging with shining tendrils to their golden 
ornaments, it caught the splendor of the setting sun, 
shining as if with a glory borrowed from heaven. 
   Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast 
multitude hush their shouts, spellbound by the sudden 
vision of beauty. All eyes turn upon the Saviour, 
expecting to see in His countenance the admiration 
they themselves feel. But instead of this they 
behold a cloud of sorrow. They are surprised and 
disappointed to see His eyes fill with tears, and His 
body rock to and fro like a tree before the 
tempest, while a wail of anguish bursts from His 
quivering lips, as if from the depths of a broken 
heart. What a sight was this for angels to behold! 
their loved Commander in an agony of tears! What a 
sight was this for the glad throng that with 
shouts of triumph and the waving of palm branches 
were escorting Him to the glorious city, where 
they fondly hoped He was about to reign! DA575 

COMMENTARY

The Conquering King
   Often when Jesus performed a miracle, He 
would say something like this: Dont tell 
anyone. My time has not yet come. 
   But ultimately, His time did come, the 
time for Him to go and voluntarily die on the 
cross. And on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday, 
Jesus did something that we might call a real 
attention-getter: He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. 
   Now, it may seem odd to us that Jesus 
rode into Jerusalem on what we think of as a 
humble creature. From our perspective, perhaps an 
Arabian stallion would have been more appropriate. 
   However, the meaning was not lost on the 
Romans or the Jews. It was a perfect choice. In 
Roman culture, a hero returning victoriously from 
war would ride in on a donkey as the crowd laid 
out palm branches before him. For the Romans, 
Jesus effectively was declaring Himself a king. 
   Also, the Jews knew that when the Messiah 
came, He would be riding on a donkey. Speaking 
through the prophet Zechariah, God said, Rejoice, 
O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people 
of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. 
He is righteous and victorious, yet he is 
humble, riding on a donkey"riding on a donkeys 
colt (Zechariah 9:9 NLT). 
   This was something very significant, and 
the people understood it. Add to this the fact 
that Jesus was a wanted man. There was a price on 
his head. The leading priests and Pharisees had 
said that if anyone knew where Jesus was, they 
should report it immediately. 
   Jesus was playing His hand, if you will. 
To the Romans, He was declaring Himself as a 
conqueror. And to the Jews, He was declaring Himself as 
the Messiah. Jesus didnt enter Jerusalem as a 
helpless victim. He arrived as a powerful victor, 
marching bravely into battle. [Greg Laurie from 
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

TEXTS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Matthew 21:5 (NKJV) "Tell the daughter of 
Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, 
and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a 
donkey.' "  

John 12:15 (NKJV) "Fear not, daughter of 
Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a 
donkey's colt."  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/