THE KING COMES
Zechariah 9:9-10

 Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.  Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in the book of Zechariah, chapter 9, verses 9 and 10, particularly these words: “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion.  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem.  See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey.”  This is our text.

 In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends.  Zechariah — the next to last book of the Old Testament — one of the 12 Minor Prophets.  Very seldom do we have readings from this book and yet Zechariah gives us great insight into the coming messiah.

 It might help us to understand the message better if we understand first of all the setting in which the words were written.  Zechariah was one of the prophets who helped the children of Israel in the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, sometime about 600 to 500 B.C.  The Hebrews had been set free from their captivity in Babylon to return to their homeland — and now they were trying to rebuild the temple — the center point of their worship of Jehovah — the one true God.

 This new temple was being built by a poor people, still under the domination of a foreign power — and it was nothing like the splendor and the glory of the original temple built by Solomon.  Some of the Older people might have still been around who saw the old temple — and all of the children had been told by their fathers about the glory and splendor of the first temple — and there was great disappointment because the new temple could not even be compared with the original.

 The words that God gives to Zechariah are a comfort to His people.  God knows their suffering.  God knows their hurt and their humiliation — and through Zechariah, God offers them comfort for the present and hope for the future. 

 God gave these promises to his people through Zechariah: “The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew.  I will give these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people.  As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing.  Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong.”

 Zechariah proclaimed comfort and hope for a captive and enslaved people.  The most comforting and hopeful promise God gave to His people in the Old Testament was the promise of a coming king — a special Son of David.  Many of the people thought this king would be a military ruler who would lead them out of slavery, and into another golden age like the days of David — But our text for today clearly points out that this king would be a Spiritual king — a King who would save His people from their sins.  This text also tells the details of an event which would come in the life of Jesus Christ, which you and I call Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate today.

 What are those words of Zechariah?  “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion.  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem.  See, your king comes to you.  Righteous and having salvation.”

 To a depressed people who were so disappointed that the temple they were building was not good enough for God — comes the words, “Rejoice greatly and Shout for joy.”  This was the exact opposite of what the people of Zechariah’s day wanted to do.  They wanted to hang their head in shame — what a miserable house they were building for God.  Surely, Almighty, All-powerful God would not dwell in such a miserable looking temple.  But the comforting words — the words of hope are, “Your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation.”  Oh, Israel, God does love you — he will come to you — and he will bring forgiveness.

 Today, we ask the same kind of questions.  Am I good enough for God?  I know my body is God’s temple, but is it pretty enough for him — is it decorated with enough good works?  Is the faith on which it is built firm enough to support God living in me?  And sinners that we are, we know our temple is not up to the perfect standards of God.  And yet even though we are sinful, even though we are not perfect — Zechariah’s words come to us as well, “Rejoice greatly and shout for joy — your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation.” 

 Our King forgives us our sins.  Our King washes us whiter than snow.  Our King makes us His temple and he dwells with us and in us —NOT because of what we are / NOT because of what we have done or not done / BUT because of his great love for us.  God’s grace and God’s love makes you and me a perfect temple in which He can live.

 Today is Palm Sunday.  It is a day when we remember the kingship of Jesus Christ in our lives.  But his kingship is so different from all other kings that it is hard for a lot of people to understand or even to accept.  You see Jesus doesn’t force his Kingship on anyone.  It was Zechariah who said that this king would ride into Jerusalem on the back of a Donkey — NOT in a war chariot — NOT on a great war stallion — NOT with an army of soldiers — BUT INSTEAD, He humbly enters on the donkey, / 5 days later, without making answer to a single charge, he is sentenced to death / he innocently dies on a cross / and the third day he awoke from the tomb to new life. 

 Jesus has earned the right to be our king.  He gave himself for us.  He gave His life on a cross for us.  He has the right to be our King — and through faith, we accept him as our king.  We SERVE Him — not because of fear, but because of his love for us and our love for Him.  We FOLLOW Him — not because we have to, but because he invites us to.  And we DO HIS BIDDING not out of servitude, but because pleasing our king and doing His bidding is fun, and rewarding, and peaceful.

 ”Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  He came to set us free.  He came to earn for us the forgiveness we could not gain for ourselves.  He came to be our Savior and King.  Let us dedicate ourselves to Jesus Christ our Lord and our King.  Let us sing with the children of Jerusalem, “Hosanna to the Son of David.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Amen.

 May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.  Amen.