The Humble King

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Zechariah 9:9-10

Thus says the LORD:

Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,

shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king shall come to you;

a just savior is he,

meek, and riding on an ass,

on a colt, the foal of an ass.

He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,

and the horse from Jerusalem;

the warrior's bow shall be banished,

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

His dominion shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah is unique among the prophets in that he was the son of the Prophet Iddo (Zechariah 1:1) and many of his oracles contain exact dates between 520-518 B.C. Many of his visions detailed in the first six chapters of his book are echoed or simply copied in the visions of Revelation. His oracles found in the next two chapters detail the restoration of Israel after the Exile in Babylon and all the gentile nations being brought together in the newly rebuilt Jerusalem. The final four chapters, from which the first reading comes, look toward the Messiah by focusing on the restoration of the Davidic King and Kingdom under the leadership of a Shepherd figure. 

This reading will immediately bring to mind Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey amid cries of “Hosanna!” In both Zechariah and the Gospels, the image of a king riding on a donkey rather than a war horse is meant to spotlight his humility. It is also a clear reference to the first Son of David to rule over God’s People, King Solomon, who rode into Jerusalem for his coronation on one of King David’s mules (see 1 Kings 1:38). The coming Messianic King that Zechariah points toward will be a humble king who rules the nations in peace, just as Jesus promised rest to all who labor and are heavily burdened if they would come to him.

Jewish tradition has always viewed this passage as pointing ahead to the Messiah, and its fulfillment has two parts. First, the Messiah-King has already arrived astride a donkey, and five days later we hung him on a cross. Second, the Messiah-King has not yet returned at the end of time, this time riding on a white war horse (see Revelation 19:11) to establish his peaceful kingdom free from tears, death, mourning, wailing, and pain (see Revelation 21:4). 

We live in the tension between the two parts of this fulfillment, between the already and the not yet. We can begin to experience the fruit of the Spirit, peace, already now, but not yet fully. Now our peace is often an interior peace amidst the struggles and strife of daily living. Then the peace will also be external. Now Jesus rides humbly into our daily lives in ways that we can easily miss, not astride a war horse but in your spouse and your kids, in your coworkers and in a chance meeting with a stranger. Let us remember the lesson of Holy Week and not crucify the Lord when he shows up in a way different from what we want.