Sunday of the Passion: Old Testament, Zechariah 9:9-12      

Zechariah 9:9-12

The human heroes of the Bible are nearly always showcased in unheroic ways. And all of them are sinners so that even at their best they are immensely flawed. But the hero of the Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ, chooses to be seen as one of those he came to save. His identification with sinners is complete, down to their skin. And yet He remains pure. He remains as the only one above reproach in all the Bible.

One of the prophecies I love most (sorry for the personal intrusion) is our Lord’s entry into his city for the final week of his earthly life. He is a King. He is THE King of Israel. At the close of the week in question he is enthroned, but not on an honored seat. So his entry into the city is a royal procession, but he rides in, not on a grand stallion, but on a donkey. A colt, the foal of a donkey.

It’s a lowly entry but it calls to future hope. In fact  Zechariah 9:12 calls all who will trust in this Monarch “prisoners of hope.” As we hope, we are still in captivity. Captivity to a sinful nature that holds us temporarily, but truly. But there is an accomplished liberation provided by the one mounted on a beast of burden. The One who rides will carry a burden of rough-hewn wood in just days. But the true burden is the sin of those aforementioned prisoners.

The King rides in to cheers. The King is enthroned before crowds who jeer and assassins who gamble for his robes. The King gives up his spirit for his prisoners of hope.

A future friend will write of him: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Prisoners of hope. Free indeed.