ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 19, 2020
Scripture: Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Thought for the Day: I always laugh when I read this passage because it is too often read literally, and folks are trying to determine how the king is riding a donkey, a colt and a foal of a colt. People picture a trick rider, leaping from one animal to the next. It is a spectacular image and would have drawn plenty of attention, but the Prophet is using a poetic parallelism. You repeat the same thing as a way of emphasizing and offering slightly different perspective. What should be noticed is how the king is riding victoriously, yet with humility – riding, not on some majestic stallion associated with royalty, but on a small donkey. It appears to me as if Zechariah is telling his readers that the one you have been waiting for is coming, yet not quite the way you were expecting. Don’t impose upon God’s gift to the world your preconceived ideas that might limit what you will be able to see and receive.
Prayer: Encourage me to be humble, Lord God, so as to not impose what might be misguided expectations that would hinder my ability to see your glorious presence revealed. Amen.
