“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! 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…. “As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.”
The words in this Prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a day we commemorate as the Triumphal Entry. Jesus was welcomed with palm branches, while riding on a donkey’s colt. The significance of this event remains with us till this day. The King of Glory, the King of the Kingdom of God, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world has come to us!
Jesus came to the world to bring to mankind something from God. Something which man desperately needs which we cannot accomplish ourselves. The effects of His coming are irreversible. The hopeless prisoners from the waterless pit, from a place of outer dryness, weakness and filled with the threat of death, shall be rescued. They were “prisoners without hope”, now they become “prisoners of hope”. Still prisoners, but before the coming of the Messiah, hopeless. When the Messiah has come, the hopeless prisoners are filled with hope. The hope of restoration, restored double, is here.
How can these “prisoners of hopelessness” be released from prison? By welcoming the King of Glory into their lives. The Messiah has come. He has brought hope to all who are dry and hopeless. But His salvation for us is not bestowed upon us passively. It requires us to exercise our will to choose Jesus, His ways and His words. It requires us to open our hearts to Jesus.
On this Palm Sunday, let all “prisoners without hope” open their hearts to the Messiah. Only you can choose to open your hearts. When you welcome this King of Glory into the dry and arid place in your life, He will restore double to you what the enemy has stolen from you!
The choice is yours.