December 26th

December 26th

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 donkey's colt. I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Because of the covenant I made with you, sealed with blood, I will free your prisoners from death in a waterless dungeon. Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. (‭Zechariah‬ ‭9‬:‭9-12‬ NLT)

In the middle of all the destruction and evil schemes of our readings today, there is hope. Hope proclaimed about a Savior. This prophesy was fulfilled by the one that gives hope, Jesus Christ. What kind of a King rides in to town on a donkey? Where are the trumpets? Where is the fanfare? Where is the pomp? Isn't that what kings do? We see in Jesus a different kind of a king. Here is the fulfillment of that prophesy:
So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on. As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. "Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!" But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!" He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!" (‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭35-40‬ NLT)
The praise that day was different than you might imagine. It seems as though it was almost involuntary. People lined the streets with palm branches and their outer garments. The King of Glory was coming into Jerusalem. Jesus himself says, that if the people stopped praising, then the rocks would cry out! Jesus knew the significance of this entry, and a lot of other people thought they did as well, but the next week would be confusing. This King would do something that no other king before or since, or will ever, do for his people. Did he defeat the Romans? No! He laid his life down on a Roman cross. He defeated the very thing that held us all captive. Sin. Death. The power of sin and death no longer has rule or dominion. Jesus conquered it once for all. That is the hope. We can live forever with our King. He rose from the dead so that death and the grave have no victory. He died and rose so that we might have life. As you gather with your families and celebrate a baby, think on a 33 year old that entered into Jerusalem, and freed us from the worst bondage, Sin and death!

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