Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
Fear not is reassurance to Zion at the arrival of her King, who comes to her seated on a young donkey's colt. It was fulfilled when Jesus publicly entered Jerusalem as Israel's promised Messiah and heir to David's throne, after long refusing royal honors. His triumph was humble and not like that of earthly conquerors, with praise for deliverance and works of love rather than military victory. The entry manifested Him to the world as Redeemer just before His sacrificial death, so that after the crucifixion people would search the prophecies and recognize Him, and it faintly prefigured His future coming in glory. The crowds hailed Him expecting Him to take David's throne, free Israel from Rome and reign in an earthly kingdom, but within days He hung on the cross and their hopes collapsed until He rose.
Entry Into Jerusalem
These words belong to the time just before His betrayal and death, on the first day of the week when He resumed His journey from Bethany to Jerusalem to keep the Passover feast. Multitudes who had flocked to Bethany to see Him accompanied Him, eager to witness His entry into Jerusalem, and other companies on their way to the city to keep the feast continually joined them along the way. All nature rejoiced, with trees clothed in green and fragrant blossom.
Though the distance was short and He had always chosen to travel on foot, He sent two of His disciples to bring a colt, the foal of an ass, for Him to ride into Jerusalem. This choice puzzled His disciples. The colt was young, one on which no man had ever sat, and the disciples spread their garments upon it and set Him upon it.
Excitement ran high after the raising of Lazarus, which had drawn an enthusiastic crowd hoping to see Jesus. His fame as a prophet had spread over all the land, and the attention of the people was entirely engrossed in Him and His wondrous works, with all anxious to see and hear Him. They asked who the wonderful Teacher was and from whence He had come, whether Lazarus who had been raised from the dead would accompany Him to Jerusalem, and whether the great prophet would be crowned king at the feast. The priests and rulers saw they were losing their hold upon the minds of the people, and their rage against Him was increased, yet they were excited, restless and fearful that He might not come because He had read their purposes against Him, divined their thoughts, exposed their hidden motives and baffled their murderous designs, so they asked anxiously whether He would not come to the feast.
Unable to give costly gifts and having no royal standards to lead the procession, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments as a carpet in His path. They strewed leafy olive and palm branches in the way, cut down spreading palm boughs and waved them aloft as nature's emblem of victory. They hailed Him with a loud shout of triumph and hosannas in a joyful yet humble and triumphant welcome, celebrating His arrival as Zion's King on a donkey's colt.
King's Humble Triumph
“Fear not” is a reassurance to Zion, to the daughter of Sion, at the coming of her King. The entry seated on a donkey’s colt is the arrival of Israel’s promised King, Messiah and heir to David’s throne. He had long refused royal honors and never before permitted such homage, but now He publicly accepted it.
His triumph was humble yet triumphant, unlike the processions of earthly conquerors. He rode humbly while the people around Him were the trophies of His work of love whom He had rescued, healed and restored, and their praise celebrated deliverance rather than military victory. Riding on an ass and its colt fulfilled prophecy spoken about or more than five hundred years earlier, the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 that Zion’s King would come sitting on a young donkey.
The public entry manifested Him to the world as Redeemer before His death as a sacrifice for sin. It drew public attention to Him so that after His crucifixion people would search the prophecies and recognize Him as Messiah. Though He could have appeared with heavenly angels and God’s trumpets, He came in humility and continued to bear humanity’s burden until He gave His life for the world. The entry also faintly prefigured His future coming in glory as Zion’s King.
Mistaken Earthly Hopes
The crowd at Passover and the disciples themselves hailed Him as Messiah, King of Israel and King of Glory as He rode in, and they read His acceptance of homage He had never before permitted as proof that their glad hopes would now be realized. They believed He was coming to the capital to proclaim Himself King of the Jews, to assert royal power and to be acknowledged at Jerusalem as king. Their expectation was that He would take David's throne, free them from Roman rule, restore Israel's independence and reign in an earthly kingdom for national liberation.
Their shouting could not be silenced, for prophecy had to be fulfilled, so that if they had held their peace even the stones would have cried out. Yet the entry did not mean that earthly expectation would be fulfilled then. Within days those who had held that hope saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above mocking and taunting Pharisees instead of crowned, their high hopes collapsed and the darkness of death closed about them. That disappointment was greater than the later one, until He rose from the dead.
Even so, Christ was true to His promises, and sweet was the consolation He gave His people and rich the reward of the true and faithful.
Fear not is reassurance to Zion at the arrival of her King, who comes to her seated on a young donkey's colt. It was fulfilled when Jesus publicly entered Jerusalem as Israel's promised Messiah and heir to David's throne, after long refusing royal honors. His triumph was humble and not like that of earthly conquerors, with praise for deliverance and works of love rather than military victory. The entry manifested Him to the world as Redeemer just before His sacrificial death, so that after the crucifixion people would search the prophecies and recognize Him, and it faintly prefigured His future coming in glory. The crowds hailed Him expecting Him to take David's throne, free Israel from Rome and reign in an earthly kingdom, but within days He hung on the cross and their hopes collapsed until He rose.
Entry Into Jerusalem
These words belong to the time just before His betrayal and death, on the first day of the week when He resumed His journey from Bethany to Jerusalem to keep the Passover feast. Multitudes who had flocked to Bethany to see Him accompanied Him, eager to witness His entry into Jerusalem, and other companies on their way to the city to keep the feast continually joined them along the way. All nature rejoiced, with trees clothed in green and fragrant blossom.
Though the distance was short and He had always chosen to travel on foot, He sent two of His disciples to bring a colt, the foal of an ass, for Him to ride into Jerusalem. This choice puzzled His disciples. The colt was young, one on which no man had ever sat, and the disciples spread their garments upon it and set Him upon it.
Excitement ran high after the raising of Lazarus, which had drawn an enthusiastic crowd hoping to see Jesus. His fame as a prophet had spread over all the land, and the attention of the people was entirely engrossed in Him and His wondrous works, with all anxious to see and hear Him. They asked who the wonderful Teacher was and from whence He had come, whether Lazarus who had been raised from the dead would accompany Him to Jerusalem, and whether the great prophet would be crowned king at the feast. The priests and rulers saw they were losing their hold upon the minds of the people, and their rage against Him was increased, yet they were excited, restless and fearful that He might not come because He had read their purposes against Him, divined their thoughts, exposed their hidden motives and baffled their murderous designs, so they asked anxiously whether He would not come to the feast.
Unable to give costly gifts and having no royal standards to lead the procession, the disciples and the multitude spread their outer garments as a carpet in His path. They strewed leafy olive and palm branches in the way, cut down spreading palm boughs and waved them aloft as nature's emblem of victory. They hailed Him with a loud shout of triumph and hosannas in a joyful yet humble and triumphant welcome, celebrating His arrival as Zion's King on a donkey's colt.
King's Humble Triumph
“Fear not” is a reassurance to Zion, to the daughter of Sion, at the coming of her King.
The entry seated on a donkey’s colt is the arrival of Israel’s promised King, Messiah and heir to David’s throne.
He had long refused royal honors and never before permitted such homage, but now He publicly accepted it.
His triumph was humble yet triumphant, unlike the processions of earthly conquerors.
He rode humbly while the people around Him were the trophies of His work of love whom He had rescued, healed and restored, and their praise celebrated deliverance rather than military victory.
Riding on an ass and its colt fulfilled prophecy spoken about or more than five hundred years earlier, the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 that Zion’s King would come sitting on a young donkey.
The public entry manifested Him to the world as Redeemer before His death as a sacrifice for sin.
It drew public attention to Him so that after His crucifixion people would search the prophecies and recognize Him as Messiah.
Though He could have appeared with heavenly angels and God’s trumpets, He came in humility and continued to bear humanity’s burden until He gave His life for the world.
The entry also faintly prefigured His future coming in glory as Zion’s King.
Mistaken Earthly Hopes
The crowd at Passover and the disciples themselves hailed Him as Messiah, King of Israel and King of Glory as He rode in, and they read His acceptance of homage He had never before permitted as proof that their glad hopes would now be realized. They believed He was coming to the capital to proclaim Himself King of the Jews, to assert royal power and to be acknowledged at Jerusalem as king. Their expectation was that He would take David's throne, free them from Roman rule, restore Israel's independence and reign in an earthly kingdom for national liberation.
Their shouting could not be silenced, for prophecy had to be fulfilled, so that if they had held their peace even the stones would have cried out. Yet the entry did not mean that earthly expectation would be fulfilled then. Within days those who had held that hope saw their beloved Master stretched upon the cruel cross above mocking and taunting Pharisees instead of crowned, their high hopes collapsed and the darkness of death closed about them. That disappointment was greater than the later one, until He rose from the dead.
Even so, Christ was true to His promises, and sweet was the consolation He gave His people and rich the reward of the true and faithful.