 “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 Some 550 years in advance, the prophet Zechariah was given a vision of the triumphal entry of the Messiah—The King of kings— into Jerusalem. He is the most powerful ruler ever, with more military might at His disposal than we could ever imagine or attempt to describe. And yet, we read that His coming to Jerusalem will be lowly and on a baby donkey. This was His choice—to humble Himself and to be meek and lowly. And in one week’s time, He would offer Himself in the same way to save humanity from sin. So many leaders have come and gone, then have been forgotten because they led with ruthless brilliance or vile violence. And yet, Jesus of Nazareth chose to be meek and lowly. He chose to be the suffering servant. He has captivated the hearts of His followers, not by overwhelming them, but by sacrificially serving them and sacrificing Himself to save them. This is why we follow King Jesus, who has captivated our hearts and lives by choosing to lay down His own.
In Zechariah 9, we read about three future kings who will enter the city of Jerusalem at different times. God provides Zechariah prophetic details about these three kings so we can see the differences in how they triumphantly entered Jerusalem.
The first king is Alexander the Great—brilliant and ruthless. The second king is Antiochus Epiphanies—vile and violent. The third king is unlike the first two. He is meek and lowly, yet He is the most important king of all—one whose reign will never end. Watch our study of Zechariah 9 as we consider these three kings and how they each chose different ways to enter the city of Jerusalem.  “Do not fear,
Let your hands be strong.” –Zechariah 8:13 God is a person. He is not a formula, or a plan, or a robot. He is not a religion. In fact, rote religion is not only repulsive to Him—it breaks His heart. Rote religion is the shallow, half-hearted plan to pacify God. We will do more out of a genuine heartfelt response to God’s grace, goodness, and love for us than what we are required to do by people’s plan to pacify God. Has your heart been completely captivated by God’s grace? Receive the encouragement in Zechariah 8—do not fear, let your hands be strong. God will return and restore, just as He promised. God will give you strength to endure, just as He promised. He will turn your fasting into His feasting. Are you relying on religion to earn your salvation? Respond to God’s grace with a thankful heart and turn to Him—He wants to have a relationship with you! Ask Him to remove all self-appointed, self-indulgent, and self-pity and replace it with the pure joy that comes from being in a real loving relationship with Him. |
From Pastor Dom...When I first gave my life to Jesus, there were friends in my life who helped me to grow in my understanding of God, through His word, and for those friends Archives
January 2026
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