Year of the Bible: Part Nine of TwelveSample

The King Who Weeps

Today, we're looking at a second perspective on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. By New Testament times, most Jews eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek)—the Anointed One. There were many views on what the Messiah would be like.

Most expected the Messiah to be a royal military leader who would overthrow Israel's enemies and be honored by the Jewish religious leaders as king. Jesus entered Jerusalem to the acclaim of the crowds. At last, it seemed, the Messiah would make His move and lead the Jews in a liberation war against the Romans. Then, He would establish His kingdom.

The crowd expected a political and military conquest, but Jesus was much more than a military hero. He did not come to deliver Israel from the Romans but to rescue all humanity from captivity to evil and death and reconcile humanity to God. The prophet Zechariah had prophesied: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey" (9:9). The mention of a donkey in this prophecy fits the description of a king who would be "righteous and having salvation, gentle." Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace.

Jesus was moved with compassion when He looked over the city and wept, saying, "If only you could recognize that this day, peace is within your reach! But you cannot see it." His perspective was vastly different from theirs. If only they had understood what they were about to witness!

Question: Have you ever had different expectations for how God should handle a situation? What did you learn?

Prayer: Ask God to show you His heart in a situation you are facing, and ask Him how He would like to move on your behalf.