As the ministry of Jesus became more and more well-known many people followed him because they were hoping that he would rise up to oust Herod and the Romans and become their king. He had indeed come to rule as their king, but he would be a different sort of king. He would not be a king who rises up to subjugate people but a king who stoops down to lift up others. Zechariah predicts this critical difference by signalling that this king would be the ideal king in God’s sight. He would not therefore be like the egotistical megalomaniacal kings of the ancient world who rode aloof on their great warhorses. No, this king would not come astride on a warhorse but would come, “lowly and gentle, riding on a donkey”. Have you ever seen a man riding a donkey? There’s certainly nothing grand about it. Most of us would rather ride through life on the ‘high horse’. We often ride into situations on the high horse trying to prove ourselves and force our way. This approach won’t bless anyone. You will only make others feel smaller. Have you been approaching conflict by riding in aggressively on the warhorse? When you do this, you only start a never-ending war. Jesus has called you to follow him and become a donkey-rider. You are called to be an instrument of peace. You can only do this by forsaking your bloated sense of entitlement and self-importance. Get off the high horse then and hop onto the donkey. Life is much more peaceful that way. Become a donkey-rider today.
Think about a situation in which you have taken a ‘warhorse approach’ and ask God to help you to change.
Read Zechariah 9:9-13 and Matthew 21:1-11
