The King We Need
The Sunday before Jesus was crucified, he made an odd request of His disciples.
“Go into that village over there… As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here” (Luke 19:30, NLT)
In the Ancient Near East, peasants – like Jesus – didn’t ride donkeys. Donkeys were the transportation of the wealthy – even of royalty. This is akin to Jesus saying, “Hey, go over there and borrow that unoccupied Ferrari.”
So, did Jesus instruct His disciples to steal a donkey?
Amy-Jill Levine writes, “I find it more likely that Jesus had friends in the area – especially if the colt is located in or near Bethany, two miles from Jerusalem, where his friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus live” (Entering the Passion of Jesus, p. 24).
That does seem more likely. Whether Jesus intended them to borrow a donkey from friends or had prearranged this pickup earlier, the disciples encounter no problems. They bring the colt to Jesus and He proceeds to ride into Jerusalem.
A crowd begins to gather, and they are going crazy.
Why? Why does a peasant from Galilee, riding on a donkey, bring forth this kind of response?
They know their Bibles. They know what the prophet Zechariah wrote five hundred years earlier.
Look, your king is coming to you.
He is righteous and victorious,
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—
riding on a donkey’s colt. (Zechariah 9:9, NLT)
He comes as a King. A humble King, but a King, nonetheless.
Everyone understood the statement Jesus was making. They understood that He was claiming to be not only a king, but the King.
They also knew the rest of Zechariah’s prophecy.
I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
Because of the covenant I made with you,
sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
from death in a waterless dungeon. (Zechariah 9:10-11, NLT)
Israel was occupied by Rome in Jesus’ day. They were not a free people.
Many a revolt had tried (and failed) to bring about the freedom they so desperately longed to enjoy. The crowd interpreted Jesus’ fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy as a declaration of war. They were banking on Him to “free [their] prisoners” from an unwelcome oppressor.
That’s exactly what Jesus intended to do.
But bondage to Rome was not His target.
Bondage to sin was.
Jesus did fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy, but so many missed it. They missed it because He wasn’t the kind of King they were expecting - or even wanted. But He was what they needed.
They wanted a military leader. They needed a servant.
They wanted Him to triumph over Rome. They needed Him to triumph over death.
They wanted Jesus to take up the sword. They needed Him to take up the cross.
So often, Jesus is not the King we want.
He is always the King we need.
Take a couple minutes today to read Matthew 21:1-10 and reflect on the claim Jesus was making in riding into Jerusalem. What kind of King do you want Jesus to be? What kind of a King do you need Him to be?