First Reading Zechariah 9:9-12
Second Reading 1 Timothy 6:12-16
Gospel Reading Zechariah 12:9-11, 13:1, 7-9
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
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9And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
1On that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
7“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” says the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones. 8In the whole land, says the LORD, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive. 9And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “They are my people”; and they will say, “The LORD is our God.”
Obviously the second reading from the book of Zechariah is not from the Gospels. The beginning of Holy Week looks back—confirmation that Jesus is God’s fulfillment of ancient promises. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” As Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, he recalls this prophetic image. And, if we follow Zechariah’s train of thought, we hear the accompanying promises: “his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” and “And I will pour out a spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that, when they look on the one whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem anticipates his suffering, Israel’s repentance, and the ultimate restoration of Israel through the Messiah. The words of promise find expression through Jesus’ saving work in a way that may have been incomprehensible for Zechariah’s first listeners. But, thanks be to God, we know what they mean. We know that, despite challenge, suffering, mourning, and weeping, we can call on God, and God will answer. God will say, “They are my people,” and we will say, “The LORD is our God.”
Holy and Gracious God, write your word on our hearts, that in our hearing it may be retold through our lives, with hope and confidence for your saving love, in the work of Jesus Christ. Amen.
