It’s Still All About Jesus

What if America’s greatest enemies were given citizenship? Suppose our nations leadership made an announcement: “ISIS, Al Queda, Hamas, and the government of Iran have all agreed to be included in our great nation. Not only are we no longer enemies, we now are going to fully include them by offering them full citizenship as citizens of the United States.”

I can imagine there would be some outrage. After all, they are enemies, not only to us, but to nations we have friendly relationships with. If most of us heard the president or someone else in public leadership make such an announcement as this, we might be outraged. We would question the leadership. We would wonder how they could quickly forget the war atrocities committed by these terrorists and those who support them. We would probably rally and shout, and argue about whose fault it is, and the talking heads on TV would have a conniption fit. It is hard for us to imagine how a bitter enemy could ever have anything to do with us. Yet, scripture tells us that from Adam forward, every person has started out an enemy to God. But God sent Jesus to die for us so that those who turn to Him can go from being enemies to being not only friends, but being His children, part of the family of God. This is one of the descriptions the Bible gives for the church, the family of God.

When it comes to enemies, God has chosen to make His enemies who turn to Him part of His family. And was there a greater enemy to God than me, before I bowed my knee to Him and surrendered? And after I surrendered, He not only caused the war to cease between me and Him, but put me back in the battle on His side, a battle not against flesh and blood but against powers, principalities, and rulers of this dark age.

The prophet Zechariah prophecies that God would make enemies into friends. This is not a universal promise that will be for all people. It will only be for those who turn their lives over to Him, putting down their arms and surrendering to HIm. This is hard to understand. If we think of those terrorist groups that have declared war on Christianity, against Israel, against, the US, and against anyone who refuses to convert to Islam, and if we try to imagine a situation where they surrendered, we really cannot imagine this could happen. But even more than that, we would think it foolish that a cease fire on the part of the terrorists would allow them to apply for full citizenship. We think this would be nuts. Yet, that is exactly what God has done for each one who has put faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We are given full citizenship into a Kingdom that is not of this world, a heavenly kingdom. So as we look at another prophecy from Zechariah, we will look at how shocking it must have been to the people of Israel who would have heard how God was going to make enemies into family.

Zechariah 9:1–8 ESV

The oracle of the word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrach and Damascus is its resting place. For the Lord has an eye on mankind and on all the tribes of Israel, and on Hamath also, which borders on it, Tyre and Sidon, though they are very wise. Tyre has built herself a rampart and heaped up silver like dust, and fine gold like the mud of the streets. But behold, the Lord will strip her of her possessions and strike down her power on the sea, and she shall be devoured by fire. Ashkelon shall see it, and be afraid; Gaza too, and shall writhe in anguish; Ekron also, because its hopes are confounded. The king shall perish from Gaza; Ashkelon shall be uninhabited; a mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of Philistia. I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites. Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.

So what does all that mean? Well, as many prophecies, there is much discussion about what the meaning of this section is. Clearly God is again telling us that He is in control or all situations. He is telling us He has knowledge of all affairs of men and nations, that He will bring justice to those who reject His rule. But also, He shows a great compassion, even for those who are enemies of His. Lets focus on verses 6-8:

Zechariah 9:6–8 ESV

a mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of Philistia. I will take away its blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth; it too shall be a remnant for our God; it shall be like a clan in Judah, and Ekron shall be like the Jebusites. Then I will encamp at my house as a guard, so that none shall march to and fro; no oppressor shall again march over them, for now I see with my own eyes.

What is Philistia? This was a longtime enemy of Israel. How many times do you see the Philistines mentioned in scripture? King Saul’s greatest enemy was the Philistines. Goliath was a Philistine. Israeli history was full of wars and battles with the Philistines. The feuding never stopped. In scripture, Philistine represents not only an enemy of Israel, but an enemy of God. In fact, it has been used a descriptor of someone who is considered to be uncultured or rude, or evil, they could be called a Philistine.

Certainly in the mind of every Israeli of the time of Zechariah, the possibility of Philistine being friendly with Israel, or experiencing a familial relationship with Israel under God’s protection, would have seemed just as crazy as it would seem to us to consider that ISIS would ever be invited to join the United States. Yet speaking of Philistine in verse 7, God is saying through the prophet that He will take away the blood from its mouth, and its abominations from between its teeth. God would cause them to no longer worship idols. That is what is meant here.

Blood in the mouth represents that these people would drink blood. God had prohibited this for HIs people, and it was considered an abomination. God would cleanse the people of Philistine, but it goes beyond that, too. Verse 7 says it too shall be a remnant for our God, it shall like a clan of Judah.

Now wait just one cotton picking minute! God, you cant do that! These are the enemy! You can’t include them in your covenant! You can’t include them as a remnant of your people! This is outrageous!

Yet, God said He would do this. He shows grace to His enemies. This likely does not include every single person in that area, but at least represents that the ones who would turn to God would be able to be part of His good plan. There would come a point in time when some would realize that God is God, they would realize His ways are best, and that He is the God who saves, even saving His enemies.

Are you still His enemy today? The Bible says that all of us start out as HIs enemy. Our sin nature, passed down from Adam, makes us His enemy. Yet, He offers a way for us to be on friendly terms with Him, through the death of His son, Jesus, who was raised again as living proof that those who put faith in Him will also be raised to eternal life. We often think of eternal life as this state of bliss and happiness, and good food and company. It is all that. But that is not the real reason God saves us. He doesn't merely save us to give us heaven. He saves us to reunite us to Him, to turn us from being His enemy to being His sons and daughters. So here we see this prediction through the prophet Zechariah, that God would take even those from Philistine who would put faith in Him, and include them in His remnant. He said Philistine should be like a clan of Judah. This is full inclusion!

So many times, a person in need of Christ is bombarded with thoughts of inadequacy, that they think they could never measure up. They think their sin is too great, they could never really be part of the family of God, but if God can take a nation of some of His very worst enemies, and make them like a clan in Judah, He can also take you and make you a full participant, fully included, in the family of God. There is a window of opportunity to all who still breath to receive this promise. No matter where you have come from, you can change the direction of where you are going. You can go from being God’s enemy to being HIs friend and a member of HIs family.

Let’s move on to the next verses in chapter 9, to a passage that will seem somewhat familiar to you:

Zechariah 9:9–13 ESV

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. 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. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior’s sword.

Here we have a passage of prophecy that the gospels tell us was fulfilled on the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. We call it Palm Sunday, and we celebrate it one week before Resurrection Sunday, or Easter Sunday. Jesus was entering Jerusalem, and the gospels record that he was on a donkey and the people were so excited that they brought Palm branches and worshiped Jesus as the King of Israel. You see, they recognized Him as the promise from God. Do you recognize Him today? Let’s see how John Records this:

John 12:12–15 ESV

The next day 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!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

There is so much to this passage that it will be hard to contain all of it in one sermon, but this is very significant. You see, even though just a few days later, people were shouting crucify him, on this day, many recognized Him as King! They saw that prophecy was being fulfilled before their very eyes! But the problem was that many of them knew the prophecy but did not really fully understand it.

The king was coming on a donkey. This is a very important point. Many people think this is all about Jesus being humble, and that is a part of it, but not all of it. You see, when a king came into the city, if they were riding on a war horse, it was a sign of power and war coming. But when the king came on a donkey, it was a sign that He was bringing peace, or coming in peace. Here was the Prince of Peace, riding on a donkey, and people were recognizing that He was someone special! He was the King! And yet, despite his coming on a donkey, in fulfillment of the prophecy, many people were expecting a military leader, who would free once and for all from all of the enemies, that nation Israel. But it was not that way. Jesus told Pilot, “My kingdom is not of this world. Otherwise, my disciples would fight for me.” And in their excitement about Jesus, the people waved Palm branches and showed “Hosanna!” Do you know what Hosanna means? We sing it in songs, in hymns, we see it in Scripture, but do we know what it means? Is it an acknowledgement of Him, a praise? What does Hosanna man? It means, “Do please save” or “Save, please!” It is called an emphatic for those English literature people in the crowd. It is a statement of urgent request. When we sing Hosanna, or shout Hosanna, we are pleading with God to Please Save!

This phrase had a history. It has to do with a Jewish celebration, and The Word Biblical Commentary puts it this way:

The cry “Hosanna” will have been linked with the palm fronds in the minds of the people. הושׁיעה־נא (hôši˓āh-nā) is a strengthened form of the imperative “save”! (“do please save!”), but it came to be a greeting and even an ascription of praise. Its occurrence in Ps 118:25 was known to every Jew.

In the Feast of Tabernacles the Hallel (see Pss 113–118) was sung each morning by the temple choir; when the cry “Hosanna” was reached in Ps 118:25 every man and boy in the temple shook the lulab (a bunch of willow and myrtle tied with palm), and the cry was repeated three times. So deeply was this ingrained in the minds of the Jews they actually called the lulabs hosannas.

It was therefore entirely natural for the crowd to repeat the cry of praise from Psalm 118 as they waved the palm leaves in welcome of Jesus. The greeting “Blessed in the name of the Lord is the coming one” originally applied to the pilgrims on entering the temple, but it came to have a particular application to the Messiah, as may be seen in the Midrash to Psalm 118 (244a) (see Str-B 1:150).

The messianic application is reflected in the question of John the Baptist to Jesus, “Are you the Coming One, or are we to look for another?” (Matt 11:3), and set more plainly in Jesus’ citation of Ps 118:26. The additional line, “even the king of Israel” (v 13) makes the messianic application of Ps 118:26 explicit, and could be due to reflection on Zech 9:9, which is cited in v 15.

Str-B H. Strack and P. Billerbeck, Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, 4 vols. (Munich: Beck’sche, 1926–28)

Beasley-Murray, George R. John. Vol. 36. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 2002. Print. Word Biblical Commentary.

Let’s look at that passage that is referred to from Psalm 118. Remember that when the singing of this Psalm during the feast of Tabernacles for to verse 25, all the men and boys would shake those branches, let’s see what it has todo with Jesus Christ and His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem:

Psalm 118:19–29 ESV

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar! You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

So God offers His enemies great opportunity. When Jesus came into Jerusalem, I think it is clear that many, but not all of the people saw Him as the Messiah who was here to fulfill the prophecies. Many of the people were so excited they didn't know what to do, so they use the ritual that is familiar to them. The feast of tabernacles and the singing of this Psalm was, to them, the perfect way to celebrate and honor Jesus as He entered town. So many people, it seemed, truly believed Him to be the Messiah. So what happened between then and just a few days later, when Jesus was put on trial? Well, keep in mind, that though the crowd shouted crucify Him!, this crowd did not represent everyone in Jerusalem. The city would be teeming with pilgrims there to worship and celebrate the Passover.

But when Jesus was crucified, it probably had a disturbing effect on those who thought He was there to save them. They did not understand the way God was operating among them. They didn't perceive that the real importance of Christ was to put away for good the sacrificial system and offer once and for all salvation to all who believed. They thought He should have raised an army and pushed the Romans out of Israel, and make peace through war, but this was not the way Christ would save.

So you can imagine how devastating it must have been for those who were shouting praise and recognizing Jesus as King when just a few days later He hung on the cross. And how many today seem to receive Him with great joy, but the moment things get tough, they feel dejected because they imagined that Jesus coming into their life would fix everything immediately, and yet this does not happen.

We celebrate the King, but when He doesn't make everything go immediately the way we hoped, in our hearts, we hold him to be less than He claimed. We don’t trust Him enough to go through the trials, and in our lack of trust, we sin. We expect life to be a bowl of cherries, and sometimes our faith brings us into trials we did not expect. How true it must be for some Christians in Syria who were martyred several years ago. Brought to the public square for execution. 2 women raped in public before being killed for their refusal to deny Christ. A 12 year old boy crucified on a cross, the son of a pastor, who refused to deny His Lord.

You can imagine that they had a moment of doubt in this ordeal. You can imagine they may have momentarily wondered if Christ was trustworthy, if He would really deliver them. And I believe, in those situations where in our own strength, there is no way we could boldly speak and have loving gentleness to our enemy, that the Holy Spirit gives a special, powerful anointing and empowerment.

The entire village was forced to come and watch these Christians be killed. The terrorists wanted people to be afraid. And yet, the testimony of this situation is that each one continued until they could no longer speak, to sing, pray, and proclaim Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I’m comforted by scripture that tells us the martyrs have a special place where God takes care of them beneath His throne:

Revelation 6:9–11 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Pray for the persecuted church, but be comforted by the words in the Revelation. They are being taken care of by Almighty God and He will bring justice. Our chapter for today’s study concludes with more promises of how God will help his people:

Zechariah 9:14–17 ESV

Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south. The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar. On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

Some of this language seems a little unusual to us, but the message is that God is going to take good care of those who are faithful to him. They will have food, security, and joy. The promise for all who put faith in Jesus Christ is beyond anything we can comprehend. God is great and greatly to be praised. He offers his worst enemies an opportunity for peace and friendship.

This offer is made to anyone who draws breath, but sadly, there is no chance to take hold of this promise after death happens. The window of opportunity is open, but for anyone of us, it may close at any moment, and we don't know when our window of opportunity will close. How sad it is that many people think they will live like hell now, and think there will be time to change their mind about the promises of God in their last moments. How foolish! The time for salvation is at hand.

Turn from your sins, and put faith in Christ today. Seek Him while He may be found. Jesus has come to earth. Jesus came into the world to testify to the truth. Truth brings salvation. The truth will set you free. The truth is that we are sinful by nature, and enemies of God. Only when we turn from our evil ways and put faith in Jesus Christ, who is the only way that we can restore our relationship to God, only then, will we be able to say with confidence that we are God’s children, though we were His enemies.

Then we can say we look forward to an eternity of blessing in His presence. Then we can have a calm and peaceful assurance in our soul that His Word is true. Then can we share this same truth with others, this good news, that when we finally realize that we are in desperate need of saving, we can call to God, “Hosanna!” Do please Save. Save, please!

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