Zecheriah's Shepherd King
Luke 19:35–38
"They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Although most of Jesus of Nazareth's recorded movements in the Gospels were on foot, there is a time that we see him on a donkey; he rides down from the Mount of Olives and enters into Jerusalem in the beginning of the week of his death. This is the "Triumphant Entry" account multiply attested to us in Mark 11, Matt 21, and John 12. Jesus' deeds are just as remarkable as his words in demonstrating his radical self-understanding that he is He, The Messiah, The Christ. Finally that after the many instances where he tells his disciples, his brothers, and his mother that His time has not yet come, we reach this point. This is simply the most dramatic, public, and provocative assertion of His messianic status. Leading New Testament scholar Dr. Craig Evans includes this event as one of those "living parables", acted out to disclose Jesus' true identity. Dr. Evans lists other examples in his work "Jesus and Zechariah’s Messianic Hope". The Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6, on a donkey, not a horse, no weapons, it was not a show of force that would threaten the Romans, although one day He will come on a white horse, Rev 19:11), has come and in this entry displayed Jesus' royal messianic self-consciousness and revealed who he took himself to be. He identified himself with the Shepherd-King predicted by Zechariah. Here, Jesus is deliberately and provocatively claiming to be the promised King of Israel who will inaugurate His dominion of peace. May the peace of the Lord, that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7) rest upon our hearts from this day forth, may love abound and as it overflows in us, may we share it with others— our family and friends, and with our communities. Let us usher in the Lord Jesus' reign of peace beginning in our own hearts and minds. And at that starting point within each one of us we proclaim, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Although most of Jesus of Nazareth's recorded movements in the Gospels were on foot, there is a time that we see him on a donkey; he rides down from the Mount of Olives and enters into Jerusalem in the beginning of the week of his death. This is the "Triumphant Entry" account multiply attested to us in Mark 11, Matt 21, and John 12. Jesus' deeds are just as remarkable as his words in demonstrating his radical self-understanding that he is He, The Messiah, The Christ. Finally that after the many instances where he tells his disciples, his brothers, and his mother that His time has not yet come, we reach this point. This is simply the most dramatic, public, and provocative assertion of His messianic status. Leading New Testament scholar Dr. Craig Evans includes this event as one of those "living parables", acted out to disclose Jesus' true identity. Dr. Evans lists other examples in his work "Jesus and Zechariah’s Messianic Hope". The Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6, on a donkey, not a horse, no weapons, it was not a show of force that would threaten the Romans, although one day He will come on a white horse, Rev 19:11), has come and in this entry displayed Jesus' royal messianic self-consciousness and revealed who he took himself to be. He identified himself with the Shepherd-King predicted by Zechariah. Here, Jesus is deliberately and provocatively claiming to be the promised King of Israel who will inaugurate His dominion of peace. May the peace of the Lord, that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7) rest upon our hearts from this day forth, may love abound and as it overflows in us, may we share it with others— our family and friends, and with our communities. Let us usher in the Lord Jesus' reign of peace beginning in our own hearts and minds. And at that starting point within each one of us we proclaim, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"
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