SUMMARY
The king riding into Jerusalem “on a colt, the foal of a donkey” has been applied by Christians to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples. More 21:5, John 12:15).
ANALYSIS
We often assume that kings rode horses; poor people rode donkeys, if they could afford them. However, the Bible mentions ruling elites (Judges 5:10, 10:4, 12:14) and even King DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More and his royal householdA household is a living unit comprised of all the persons who live in one house. A household would embrace all the members of a family, including servants and slaves. In the book of Acts, stories are told of various persons and their households, like... More (2 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More 16:1-2) riding donkeys. The key symbolism of a king riding a donkey rather than a horse is not lowliness, per se, but lack of fighting. Horses are for times of war (Deuteronomy 17:16; PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More 33:16-17; IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 31:1). Donkeys are for times of peace. The king, here in Zechariah, is “triumphant and victorious,” and has no more need to wage war. So he rides on an animal ill-suited for war. This coming king will reign in peace.
As the passage continues, the theme of removal of instruments of war intensifies. The chariot is cut off, the horse is removed. The battle bow is broken (Zechariah 9:10). Finally, the nations are at peace.
The irony of Palm Sunday is that JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More not only rode a donkey, but is described as “humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Matthew 21:5), even as the people hailed him as the son of the mighty King David, no doubt in the hope that he would exercise his power to drive out the Romans. Applying the Zechariah verse to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was clearly meant to exemplify the true nature of Jesus’ ministry – non-violence and rejection of military conquest.
