The King Who Comes Close
Some passages of Scripture feel like thunder in the distance; you hear them before you understand them. Zechariah is one of those books. To my absolute delight, it is full, I mean FULL of the word, “behold.” It is also full of visions and symbols — crowns and horses, lampstands and scrolls — but woven through the imagery is a heartbeat. The heartbeat of:
A Person.
A King.
A King who does not stay distant.
A King who draws near.
Zechariah writes to a weary people: a people who returned home from exile with hope in their hands and disappointment in their eyes. The temple was only a shadow of what it once was. Their joy was thin. Their faith was tired.
And into that moment of joyless and faith fatigue, God speaks:
“Behold!”
Behold, Your Intentional King!
It was close to 100 degrees, but since it was just after 4 pm, the breeze from the Levant Wind (easterly wind from the Mediterranean Sea) blew in, cooling us through our moisture-wicking hiking clothes. As we turned the corner from walking alongside the eastern Temple Mount wall, away from the Mount of Olives, our professor struck out ahead, his long legs causing us to walk double time to catch up. He was headed towards a gate we had walked through on one of our first days, but he turned and stopped short today. Beckoning for us to stand on the narrow sidewalk that led into the Lion’s Gate.
It was at this special location that he began to explain how this was the very gate through which Jesus rode a humble donkey during His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago. This road led from Bethany down the Mount of Olives right to this Gate, which was called the Sheep Gate back then- the very spot where sacrificial lambs were brought into the Temple area. It struck me in that moment that, not only did the King enter through these gates amid joyful praises, beautiful music, and heartfelt worship, but He also passed through the LION/LAMB Gate. Is it just a coincidence? I've come to understand that everything about our faith is intentional. We serve a King who acts with purpose and intention.