Full Sermon Jesus Brings Peace to the Nations based on Zechariah 9:9-10

Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I. Jesus unexpected entrance and John 12:12-13. Things in life do not turn out the way we expect all the time. The entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem on the day we refer to as Palm Sunday was not what most people expected. Jesus did not ride into Jerusalem on a big and handsome horse. Jesus made His way into Jerusalem in an unexpected way. The people wanted to see Jesus come into Jerusalem and conquer the Roman soldiers. “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that means, “Save us, now.” John’s Gospel tells us, “The large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!’” (John 12:12-13). The people of Israel were thinking that Jesus was the special King of Israel that the prophet Zechariah had pointed to in his book of prophecies.

II. Read Zechariah 9:9. Zechariah 9:9 tells us, “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.”

III. Your King. Let us look more closely at that verse. Your King — This king was not any old king. This king was not the head of a big city or a big region in the world. This king is “your King.” Rejoice and shout aloud because your King comes to bring us forgiveness for every sin and wrong, direction at every turn in life, light for every time of darkness, and an anchor for every deadly storm. This King is too wise to be in error, too tender to crush and too merciful to ever cast us away. Behold your King!

IV. Righteous. Righteous—Your King is righteous which here means “success” and “victory.” “Righteous” also announces that this is a true King. Victorious and righteous kings were mostly not the kings during Israel’s history—a fact often pointed out by prophets. Most of the kings of Israel and Judah were evil and led their people to worship false gods. Behold your King comes to you, righteous!

V. Having Salvation. Having Salvation—Zechariah describes the coming King with the words “having salvation.” This king was not going to save people in the usual way. This king would bring salvation through His suffering. Behold your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation!

VI. Riding on a donkey. Riding on a Donkey—In the ancient Near East, horses and chariots brought victory on the battlefield, not donkeys! The King rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. Not a warhorse, not a stallion. He has no chariots, no army, no sword, no helmet and no spear. Behold your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey!

VII. What kind of peace is this? In fact, Zechariah says in 11:12 that the King will be sold for 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah says in 12:10 that the King will be pierced through with a spear and die. Zechariah says in 13:7 that the King will be struck and the sheep will scatter. This is not the kind of peace people wanted!

No wonder people—by and large—didn’t receive Jesus! By Friday Jesus was hanging under a sign pointing to the reason the Romans executed him. Mark 15:26, “And the inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’”

Looking for a king who had strength and power, people missed seeing that God offers a lasting, a much more enduring peace, through the King who is righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey!

VIII. God turned the darkness into the light and Zechariah 9:10. God turned death with great suffering into an empty tomb with great joy. God turned the shadow of the cross into real peace for all people. Zechariah 9:10 states, “I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” This is the kind of peace we all need! Because life sometimes seems like a big mess. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Evil things occur. The darkness seems to be winning.

Jesus Christ’s gift of peace, though, brings order out of chaos; goodness out of tragedy; hope out of despair. His peace puts life’s broken pieces back together again. “He will speak peace to the nations.” Jesus speaks peace to you. Jesus brings peace and hope to you in your darkest moments. Jesus brings peace and hope to you when life seems hopeless.

IX. “Behold, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey and delivering peace!” and Word and Sacrament. The Savior’s shed blood makes peace so that the baptized have peace with God (Romans 5:1) as well as the peace of God (Philippians 4:7). God delivers peace in simple ways in specific places. In the Gospel message proclaimed; in Holy Baptism; and in the Lord’s Supper. Through Word and Sacrament God begins to bring broken lives back together again.

X. Life does not turn out the way we expect all the time. Judas betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver. Peter used a sword in Gethsemane to cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. All the disciples left Jesus when He was arrested. Finally, by Friday, the Jews were crying out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” They wanted a different Savior!

There are times when we want a different Savior. A Savior who can instantly make right what is wrong, heal us miraculously, and make our lives easier.

(Words for new confirmands: Christopher, Jack, and Carter. You will be tempted to stay home from worship services now that you are confirmed. You will be tempted to join in the mean things some people do to others. You will be tempted to think you know everything about the Christian faith and have no need to regularly study the Bible. You will be tempted to give up on praying when your prayers do not seem to be answered. When you give in to some of those temptations, then repent in sadness and ask for forgiveness. Pray that God would help you grow in faith in Jesus as your Savior day after day. Trust that God is for you in Jesus Christ.)

XI. Being a follow of Jesus is a challenge. The reality is that Jesus suffers and dies. The reality is that we are called to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. The reality is that sometimes prayers are not answered the way we want, hopes do not become fulfilled, and depression rules our lives.

XII. Conclusion. There is so much we don’t have quite yet. But there is so much more that we do have right now! “Behold, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, riding on a donkey and delivering peace!” Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.