Everyone has read this beautiful scripture, and noted its striking fulfillment in the gospels, but not all have remarked the characteristic differences in its citation in Matthew and John. Turning first to Matthew, we read, “Tell 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.” (Chapter 21:5) Passing by the expressive change from “Rejoice greatly” to “Tell ye the daughter of Sion,” we ask the reader to notice the omission of the words, “just, and having salvation.” Why are they not quoted? Because they would not apply to the Saviour’s then circumstances. He was going to certain and known rejection, and thus while it was ever true that He had salvation for them that put their trust in Him, He was not at that time going to bring salvation to the daughter of Zion. Nor did He present Himself to her then as the “just,” or righteous One; for had He at that time entered her gates in righteousness (as He will do when He establishes the kingdom), it would have been for her destruction. The Holy Spirit therefore led the evangelist to omit these words, and to retain “meek” or “lowly,” because it was descriptive of the spirit (although it is His abiding character) in which He, was about to present Himself for the last time, before the cross, to His beloved people. Taking now the citation, as it appears in John, it runs, “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.” (Chapter 12:15) Here, in addition to the omissions of Matthew, the word “meek,” or “lowly,” is also wanting. The reason of this is to be found in the character of John’s Gospel. He exhibits Jesus as the Son of God, and thus, consistently with this presentation of our “blessed Lord, he does not use the word “meek.” What perfect wisdom is displayed in these differences in the scriptures! And differences so profound, that the devout reader cannot fail to discern their divine origin. But a remark may be added on the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prediction. One part of it has been accomplished, Zion’s King did come, lowly, and sitting upon an ass; the rest will be fulfilled when He returns to Zion in glory. Then He will be seen as “just, and having salvation,” and then, too, the daughter of Zion will “rejoice greatly,” and the daughter of Jerusalem will “shout.” The whole church period therefore must be interposed between these two parts of the prophecy. Both would have been fulfilled at His first coming had He been received by the Jewish nation as their Messiah; and this teaches that His lowliness or meekness is expressive of moral character, and therefore abiding; not a feature merely of His earthly sojourn, when He was a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, but a trait of His perfect nature as Man; and hence He is as much the meek or lowly One, now that He sits at the right hand of God in the glory, as when down here He had not where to lay His head. Blessed Lord, how the knowledge of this endears Thee to the hearts of Thine own while—waiting for Thy return!
E. D.