Advent Reading: Zech. 9:9 (underlined below)

Promise Made | As we have seen [1], God promised that the Messiah would come as a king in the line of David. Yet, Zechariah prophesied that he would not come on a stallion – as most kings did – rather, he would come on a donkey: Rejoice 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 [2].

Promise Kept | As Passover was approaching, Jesus sent two disciples to fetch a donkey: “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me” [3]. After His disciples found the animals, Jesus mounted them and rode into Jerusalem. As the crowd gathered around Him, they spread out their cloaks and palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” [4]

Promise Meant | By coming on a donkey, not a stallion, Jesus showed us the joy of God’s kingdom. His people were to “rejoice greatly” because, under the reign of Jesus, His people would be happy since He would not be like other rulers they knew – Nero (aloof) or Caligula (cruel, extravagant, selfish and sexually perverse). Instead, when Jesus came, the people shouted hosannas, the slave girls prophesied, the blind received sight, the lame walked, the deaf heard, the lepers were cleansed, and the dead were raised to life. By riding on a donkey – an animal of peace, not war – Jesus ushered in the peace of the kingdom of God [5]. By his blood, Jesus brought peace between God and humanity and between Israel and the nations [6].

Prayer | Lord, You could have sent Jesus as a Machiavellian dictator – to be feared rather than loved. Instead, you humbly and peacefully came on a donkey, as a lamb led to the slaughter. Thank you for establishing your kingdom of joy and peace so that we could stand in your presence. Thank you for choosing love and humility as the very essence of your character and cause us to walk in the truth of who you are. Amen.

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What is the non-advent reading for today? Is. 12:1-6 & Is. 17
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Footnotes
[1] 843 Acres, Advent: The Messiah Would Have a Particular Lineage (Part 2: A Throne). 3 Dec. 2010.  |  [2] Zechariah 9:9 ESV  |  [3] Matthew 21:2 ESV  |  [4] John 12:13  |  [5] See Zechariah 9:10  |  [6] See Ephesians 2:11-22, Colossians 1:15-23