Jesus in Zechariah

After my Lent journey through the Gospels, I’ve been back in the minor prophets. This is the last lap in my trip through the Old Testament, which I started a long time ago.

I find the minor prophets hard slogging, especially in this time of family stress when what I feel like reading is comforting, soft, grace- and mercy-filled words But then, tucked in amongst the list of sins, indictments, judgements and pronouncements of doom are sweet surprises – familiar words that others have recognized, pulled out and made famous.

Here are such words from Zechariah:

9:9
Behold your King is coming to you
He is just and having salvation
Lowly and riding on a donkey
A colt, the foal of a donkey

This is the prophecy Jesus fulfilled on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

9:10
...His dominion shall be from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth...”

These words are engraved on the parliament buildings in Ottawa.

12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced...

The Holy Spirit is active here. It is from Him we receive the spirit of grace, the urge to pray and the knowledge of how to do it. It is from Him that we get the notion to look to Jesus.