ONCE, as we read in the Gospels, the Lord Jesus entered into Jerusalem “riding on an ass, and on a colt the foal of an ass.” He came as the Son of David to take His inheritance had it been ready for Him. Alas! it was not ready and when He beheld the city He wept over it, saying, “If thou hadst known, even thou at least, in this thy day, the things which bong unto thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes” (Luke 19:4242Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. (Luke 19:42)).
Once again He will come, and this time from heaven, riding on a white horse, King of kings and Lord of lords, to judge and make war in righteousness.
At His first coming He had been the meek and lowly One, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Nevertheless, He had passed through the world as a Victor, but not in such conquests as men boast of. He had met and defeated Satan, not by putting forth His power as He could have done, but as the dependent One, using the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. All along the way which led Him to the cross of shame it was,
“By weakness and defeat,
He won the weed and crown,
Trod all our foes beneath His feet,
By being trodden down.”
This was a new kind of victory—the victory of the defeated. It seems too wonderful for words; here in the place of man’s disobedience and distrust of God, here where the enemy had sown these bitter seeds in the heart of every man, the Lord Jesus, in the most terrible circumstances possible, had gone through all with never a shadow of distrust, never a flaw in His perfect obedience. “In His humiliation, His judgment was taken away, and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth” (Acts 8:3333In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. (Acts 8:33)).
In His death on the cross, as made sin for us, the Lord Jesus was alone, none could be with Him or follow Him there, but, in resurrection and ascended on high, He has given the victory unto death to many of His saints, enabling them to lay down their lives most gladly for Him. And still He makes His people sharers in His victory, teaching them the same unfaltering trust in God, working in them that they may be here to do the will of God, and that they also may be victorious against all the power of the enemy, even as the apostle Paul wrote, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:3737Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37)).
We love to trace the pathway of the Lord; from the manger at Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary every detail was perfection. He could say, “I do always those things that please Him.” He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. We can never dwell too much nor too deeply on these words and ways of the Lord. No life-time, nor any number of life-times would be long enough to praise Him adequately; eternal days will surely mean eternal praise. But one wonders if the precious truth connected with His riding on the white horse has its due place in our hearts. He is now, and ever shall be, the highly exalted One, He shall yet come forth as the mighty conqueror, the Prince of the kings of the earth. We read in Psalms 45 “In Thy majesty ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things,” and again, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter.” Again, “He must reign until He hath put all enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:2525For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. (1 Corinthians 15:25)). In the scene in which He was despised and rejected it shall be manifest that all things in heaven and earth are subdued under Him.
Can you picture Zechariah writing those words concerning the King coming to Jerusalem (9:9), five hundred years before, and wondering of whom they spake? Or the Psalmist earlier still, writing of His sorrow and of His glory, and “searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Peter 1:1111Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. (1 Peter 1:11))?
Can you picture the earnest interest of the four Evangelists as they all told the story (Matt. 21:1-91And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (Matthew 21:1‑9); Mark 11:1-91And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? 6And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: (Mark 11:1‑9); Luke 19:29-3829And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. (Luke 19:29‑38); John 12:12-1512On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. 14And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. (John 12:12‑15)), each one giving sonic detail peculiar to himself? or the joy with which John would depict that scene of triumph in Revelation 19:11-1611And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11‑16)?
It is well for us to remember the greatness of our Lord and Saviour. He has a Name which is above every name, and the throne and scepter of the universe are His. Oh! that we may have better thoughts of Him. He endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies are made His footstool. He is coming again, no longer the lowly Rider on the ass’s colt, but the mighty Conqueror on the white horse―His eyes as a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns, with the white-robed armies of heaven following in His train.
“Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
Perhaps there may be a reader of these pages who, like the dumb creatures of which we have read, is standing, as Mark tells us, “tied by the door, without, in a place where two ways met.”
TIED―in bondage to sin and Satan,
AT THE DOOR—so near to the entrance into blessing,
WITHOUT—having no place in the City of God, no part in the communion of saints,
IN A PLACE WHERE TWO WAYS MET—even now at the parting of the ways, one leading to eternal life, eternal light, eternal love, the other leading to the blackness of darkness forever.
With all the urgency of which we are capable we beseech you to come at once to the Saviour, who can set you free, and set your feet in “the path of life,” in the power and gladness of His victory, so that you may henceforth yield yourself wholly to Him and to His most blessed service. It is no mean thing to be a Christian, but rather the greatest honor that could be put on anyone. All earthly titles fade into insignificance and are as nothing compared to this.
The Lord grant to writer and reader that this name may be more truly descriptive of us until He come.
L.R.