God’s Word for You
Zechariah 9:9 He is our Savior
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Wednesday, August 10, 2022
In the previous verses, Zechariah showed us that the Lord’s desire is to bring new people into his kingdom, even old enemies of Israel like the heathen Philistines. In the beginning of the chapter, a hint was given that kingdoms such as Tyre and Sidon would soon fall. This reveals, for the careful reader, the what and the when of the coming of God’s kingdom. But how would people know the King himself when he came? What about the identity of God’s Messiah, the Christ?
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
When a passage in Hebrew says “daughter of” a place, then all of the inhabitants are usually meant. The phrase expresses the relationship of parent and child, often with the idea of a relationship broken in some way: “the splendor has departed from the daughter of Zion” (Lamentations 1:6). In this passage, what was broken is mended. The daughter of Zion is the child of faith; the one who puts his or her trust in Christ.
Behold, your King is coming to you.
He is righteous and he is the Savior,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
A king is coming. What king? The King who is the Savior! He is not a king who comes with violence, or because he deposed another king. He comes without armor, without power, without anger, without wrath, without weapons of any kind. He does not come with a battalion of lawyers, lackeys, or boot lickers. He comes with kindness, compassion, justice, righteousness, salvation, mercy, and gifts. An earthly king claims things from his people; this King gives his people gifts.
His description is “the Savior.” This is the Hebrew word yasha, which sounds like it might be part of the title Messiah, but Messiah really means “anointed.” Yasha is part of the name of Jesus, a name that means “the Lord saves.” He carries out this action with mercy on those he saves, but saving for his own sake, because he is absolutely merciful. He is the one “who guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3). He says: “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). So in the title “Savior,” we see that our salvation has nothing at all to do with any righteousness in ourselves, for he brings our righteousness himself and clothes us with it, the way a rescuer lays a blanket over the shoulders of the miserable wretch he has saved.
And how does this glorious King, our Savior and the giver of our righteousness, come to us? Humbly, on a donkey’s back. For although a royal person might ride a donkey or mule, as Absalom did (2 Samuel 18:9) and David and Solomon (1 Kings 1:33,38,44) as well as David’s other sons (2 Samuel 13:29), they were all followed by an entourage, with horses pulling chariots and other men mounted on mules or donkeys. This King was coming like a common man with no one mounted behind him, no chariots, no war-wagons, no catapults. Instead, he had crowds of common folk shouting his praises, but Zechariah doesn’t mention them. What is startling is that Zechariah mentions both a donkey and a colt, and Matthew tells us that both a donkey and her colt were used (Matthew 21:2-7). He came on a lowly animal, a borrowed animal, with his feet nearly dragging on the ground. But he came.
The King came to send the apostles and the teachers of the church (Matthew 28:19; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 1:17).They present the means of grace (the gospel, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper) to God’s people, along with the absolution or forgiveness of sins (John 20:22-23).
He came to gather the church from all nations through the preaching of the gospel and the proper administration of the sacraments. He commanded: “Be shepherds over the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
He came to give regeneration and justification, that is, the forensic, court room declaration that our sins are forgiven through his blood shed on the cross and new birth in his resurrection from the dead, “for no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:3).
He came to give renewal and sanctification, that is, the means through which we thank him for his saving gifts (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 107:22; 2 Timothy 1:3).
He came pouring out many gifts: “He led captives in his train and gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-5).
He came bringing protection to preserve the godly. He interceded: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one” (John 17:17; Matthew 28:20).
He came to rule in the midst of his enemies, “for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25; Psalm 110:2; Hebrews 1:13).
He is our King. He is righteous. He is our Savior.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.