Wednesday July 12th, 2017 Zechariah 9:9-12
?triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (verse 9)
One of my brothers bought a clunker of a vehicle hand-painted in a style that made that old beater look like a mural on wheels. Once he was asked to pull the car over so people could photograph his mobile mural! Many of us grew up thinking that our vehicles were extensions of our personalities and social status. Others are convinced our vehicles are nothing more than a means of transport.
The prophets’ word pictures of heroic warriors and triumphant kings include horses and donkeys. Horses connoted military might, like driving an army tank down Main Street. Kings, like David, rode on donkeys, perhaps the equivalent of a limousine. You might think riding a donkey is a humble act until you recall that almost everybody walked.
When Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem, we expect a conquering king like those from our history or the prophets’ visions. Jesus the king speaks of a realm unlike any we’ve witnessed; a realm in which caring for the poor and the “least of these” is the same as caring for Jesus himself (Matthew 25:40). Thanks be to God, who in Jesus overturns our expectations!
Lord God, thank you for a kingdom of love that conquers all. Amen. — BSC
Contributed by You are What You Drive
One of my brothers bought a clunker of a vehicle hand-painted in a style that made that old beater look like a mural on wheels. Once he was asked to pull the car over so people could photograph his mobile mural! Many of us grew up thinking that our vehicles were extensions of our personalities and social status. Others are convinced our vehicles are nothing more than a means of transport.
The prophets' word pictures of heroic warriors and triumphant kings include horses and donkeys. Horses connoted military might, like driving an army tank down Main Street. Kings, like David, rode on donkeys, perhaps the equivalent of a limousine. You might think riding a donkey is a humble act until you recall that almost everybody walked.
When Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem, we expect a conquering king like those from our history or the prophets' visions. Jesus the king speaks of a realm unlike any we've witnessed; a realm in which caring for the poor and the "least of these" is the same as caring for Jesus himself (Matthew 25:40). Thanks be to God, who in Jesus overturns our expectations!
