“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, GENTLE, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY, EVEN ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A BEAST OF BURDEN’” (Matt. 21:5). Has the King come to you? He has indeed come to you if you have become like the daughter of Zion. She was the one that has been waiting for Christ, her King, to come to her rescue. She is the Zion that belongs to Heaven. She believed in Him. She proved her acceptance of Him. She laid her coats for Him and He sat on them; she spread her coats and laid the branches of the trees in the road, and He went on them. She went before and after Him singing praises and making declarations at His appearance. She was not like the Jerusalem which was of the earth i.e. the one that disobeyed God. She is of heaven i.e. the one that obeyed the King. Therefore, God accepted her through the King He sent. He sent Him at the time when she was overcome with tears, turmoil and captivity, which were her burden of life. She once had kings that were of the earth along with many people and the children that came after them. Yet, she was scattered and lacked peace.
Nothing completely took away the burden of life from her. Many kings appeared from her, each in his time, but none were able to deliver her from her plight. Even the likes of David and Solomon anointed by the priests by the command of God could not eternally remove the plight of her flesh. Though God fought her wars through David keeping them victorious and gave peace to her during the days of Solomon, these great kings still prophesied about the One who is to come and deliver her. She had the Law; it was unable to fully deliver her, because it made temporary amends. Therefore, she yearned for the perpetual peace and God heard her desire and fulfilled it with a promise. When the time appeared, God sent the true King in a manner that Israel had never seen nor understood. This paved the way for God’s wisdom to prevail. For when the manner in which a king comes is known or assumed, the wisdom of the flesh, which is weak and sinful, takes precedence. But when it is not known, the wisdom of the flesh is overcome by its ignorance; the hearts of men are made to listen, and the promise of God fulfilled. Remember the time when Israel mulled over a king. They demanded that they too like the nations around them may have a king that would rule over them. How foolish! They could not consider their God as the true King who is better than a thousand kings. Their grumbling caused God great grief and embitterment. When they saw the manner in which kings ruled over the nations, their wisdom of flesh took precedence. God also gave them their desire beginning with Saul. Nevertheless, the peace that comes from God faded.
When the demand made by Israel was ably realized by the godly who considered God as their king, God enabled them to see the deficit. He gave them the wisdom to foresee the burden free days. They prophesied of the true King that is to come. The manner in which the King, the Son of God, came had a stark difference to the manner in which a king normally comes. He came in contrast to the king who lives in a palace, mounts on a horse and whose burden the people bear. He Himself bore the burden or the heavy load. The burden He carried upon Himself is the sin of Israel and of the world. In other words, He was carrying the sin of those who would eventually become the heavenly Zion. God signified this when He made Him mount a donkey. And because He was carrying the sin of the world, He took away the burden of life. He was able to come in gentleness; He took away the distress of men. This noble work no other king of Israel was able to perform. Therefore, even the kings like David and Solomon had to prophesy of the true King, the Messiah or Christ. It is a trustworthy saying that He who carried the burden alone knows the worth of being gentle.
So far, the observation made is good and the knowledge pertaining to the intent of God for man is noted. But more importantly, for a believer to be unlike the disobedient should grasp the impact of the burden carried. It is easier to interpret the prophecy fulfilled than to actually live the prophecy. And, no man lived the prophecy except Christ. He who has the mind of Christ is nonetheless blessed with the opportunity to see the manner in which Christ lived the prophecy. He shall see the Christ that bore the weight of sin. He will understand His suffering. This is only possible by faith and each one has to believe Christ in such a manner that God blesses him with the mind of His Son. Then, you shall behold His gentleness. This gentleness toward you will be the reason for you to possess Him and everything that comes from Him. The one willing to perceive Christ like the daughter of Zion will reap the love of God through the gentleness of Christ. You will realize your burden removed. What an awesome advantage it is to us who believe Christ! On the contrary, this is the burden of life to the disobedient. “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt’” (Jer. 37:7).
The disobedient will always rely on everything else than that which comes from obeying God. It is their nature. Such relying eventually looks like the only way for them to overcome the burden of life. Yet, they will not find relief. That which they find will provide them with temporary amends for relief, but such relief will turn out to be a seeming relief. For the nature of burden causing sin in them is such that it never allows for perpetual peace. At this juncture the things they plan or call for assistance will fail them. Their burden becomes heavier. Because they have not obeyed God in as far as believing His Son, He will remove any relief they seek to come their way. It is for this reason that many churches are still under the burden of life. Had they hoped in the King like the daughter of Zion, they would have received the burden free days. But as such they have gone their separate ways seeking glory to themselves (church) than to Christ. What is the outcome? “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done” (2 Kings 23:32). O, what wickedness! Who can suffice such Christians? Will God contend with them? They do not heed His word. They demand glory for themselves like the Israel that demanded for a king. How far can they go? Only as far as their fathers that committed evil by performing perjury with God’s will. “The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel” (Judg. 5:5). They shall relive the Lord’s terrifying appearance and this time to their perpetual harm.
As the churches conduce among themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, the Christ that came bearing the burden in gentleness cannot come to them. For the nature of their evil deeds has become the proof of their unrighteousness. This came only by their unbelief. They have not believed in the King like those who called Him the prophet. Is not a prophet the mouth piece of God that also speaks peace? This King, the Christ, spoke of the peace that comes from God. The peace that comes from God stems from His righteousness in us and is an indication to the works of Christ toward us. This is God’s justification toward His believers which the present day churches must fervently seek to attain. In this way they will not glorify themselves, but allow God to glorify Himself through them. Then, shall they realize their burden removed. Until that time they are like those in captivity.
If you have realized the burden of your life, it will be well for you to implore God for redemption. He will take away your sin and make you burden free. The advantage is yours in the patience of God. Many have procured God’s redemption by seizing the advantage. They called on Him and satisfied Him. They found relief. Awake! Walk into the presence of your Father saying, “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us And Israel does not recognize us. You, O LORD, are our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Your name” (Isa. 63:16). Notice that God is the Redeemer; not of this day alone, but since the time that man began calling on His name. None that called on Him were ignored. He will redeem you as you call on Him. And behold your King will come to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, because He desires to remove your burden. He has counted your burden when God made Him mount the foal of a beast, but now is able to remove it from you through your seeking Him.
Know that sin is like the king that did not know Israel and the result of which was intense burden. “It was he who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive” (Acts 7:19). Sin mistreats you to deny you God’s peace. It does not want you to believe like the daughter of Zion and survive. It is vigilant in keeping you under the burden of life. It has already become successful in leading many Christians to disobedience. For this reason, the gospel message is God’s prerogative to the churches. Sin must be culminated from us if we should be relieved from the burden of life. The God and Savior who carried our burden and is gentle toward us can alone accomplish this. To such God we shall offer ourselves as an offering beyond any measure. “The allotment that you shall set apart to the LORD shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width” (Ezek. 48:9).