Zechariah 9:9
“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Devotional
They hailed Him as a king.
“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” they cried (Mark 11:9).
Cloaks and palm branches lined His path (Matthew 21:8)—the welcome of a conqueror.
But this King did not come to seize power.
He came to lay it down.
He rode no warhorse.
He wielded no sword.
He came on a donkey—just as the prophet foretold (Zechariah 9:9).
A sign not of conquest, but of peace.
They wanted freedom from Rome.
He came to bring freedom from sin and death.
He knew what lay ahead—
betrayal (Luke 22:21),
false accusation (Matthew 26:59–60),
scourging (John 19:1),
mockery (Mark 15:16–20),
the Cross (John 19:17–18).
Still, He did not turn back.
“For this purpose I have come to this hour,” He said (John 12:27).
He embraced His path with unflinching resolve.
He could have summoned angels. Instead, He chose the cross.
This is true strength:
To endure without complaint.
To suffer without bitterness.
To obey without hesitation.
Prayer
O Eternal Lord,
You entered the city not with might, but with meekness.
Not to claim a throne—but to carry a cross.
You saw the betrayal, the scourge, the nails—
and still, You advanced.
Strengthen me, O Christ, to walk the path You walked.
Let not applause puff me up,
nor suffering make me retreat.
Train my soul in obedience.
Let my strength be found in surrender.
As You rode in righteousness and peace,
may I carry my cross with honor—
steady, silent, and faithful
until the kingdom comes.
Amen.