Rejoice, your King is coming!

Rejoice, your King is coming!                


“Rejoice, greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9 NKJV).


As Christians, we rejoice in reading the accounts of Jesus riding the foal of a donkey into Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. His Triumphal Entry into the city was prophesied by Zechariah, about 400 years before the actual occurrence. Then it is recorded in all four of the Gospels. We can read about it in Matthew 21:1-9, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.


My favorite is Matthew’s account: 


“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,” and immediately he will send them.’


“All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying; ‘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.”’

Illustration by Lesley James in book, 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford

“So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 11:1-9 NKJV).




The people were excited to welcome their Messiah—the promised One. They believed He would deliver them from the terrible oppression of the Roman government. In shouting “Hosanna,” which means “save now” they joyfully anticipated freedom now that this promised descendant of King David had finally arrived.     
             

But Jesus, (Yeshua, in Hebrew), had arrived on the scene to do more—much more. 


Have you ever wondered what the owner of the two donkeys thought when the disciples appeared and started untying them? I have. 


Mark says, “But some of those who stood there said to them, ‘What are you doing loosing the colt?’ And they spoke to then just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go” (Mark 11:5-6 NKJV).  

Illustration by Lesley James in book, 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford

Luke says: “But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, ‘Why are you loosing the colt?’ And they said, ‘The Lord has need of him.’ Then they brought him to Jesus” (Luke 19:33-35a NKJV). 



We have no indication that the owner of the donkeys knew Jesus or His disciples. Perhaps he did, but maybe not. That point really doesn’t matter. God was moving His plan along, working through every detail along the way. The disciples simply did as Jesus instructed. Likewise, as we follow through with Jesus’ instructions to us, He will work out details along the way.



Another interesting point about the colt is that he had never been ridden. Vessels and sacrifices used in worship were to be new, flawless, and often “first fruits,” depending on the occasion. The little donkey here had not been previously used (ridden) and was himself carried the Sacrifice.  

Illustration by Lesley James in book, 

The Lord Has Need of YOU, by Connie Wohlford

As we begin Holy Week today with Jesus Triumphal Entry, I encourage you to read in your Bible about the last few days of Jesus’ life. Here is where this phase of Jesus’ time on earth begins. Quite a bit happens in this one week, as you will see, starting here: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19:28, and John 12:12. Go ahead and read through to the end of each of the Gospels between now and Easter Sunday. Be blessed with me as we learn Jesus.  





Each day this week, I plan to post highlights from those amazing few days in history. Also, I will use some of the pictures from my book titled, The Lord has Need of YOU*. These illustrations are watercolor paintings by artist, Lesley James.



*The Lord Has Need of YOU can be purchased directly from me via email author@conniewohlford.com or through Amazon,  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1687536104/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0


©Copyright 2020 Connie Wohlford