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.
 He 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.
 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
  I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
  today I declare that I will restore to you double. ~ Zechariah 9:9-12
You might recognize this text as one that is quoted on Palm Sunday when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.
Jesus, the ultimate King, coming toward his kingdom in the humblest of ways.
How does Zechariah describe the coming king? What does a true king do?
Removes weapons of war.
Brings peace to the nations.
Sets prisoners free.
This doesn't sound like any king or queen or president or prime minister that I know.
Is this the kind of leader we look for? Hope for? Long for?
Call for?
Holy One, free me from the violence of our earthly leaders and teach me to model the peace for the nations that you long for. Amen