Thy King Cometh
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 50, “Holiness unto the Lord,” on Gospel Library
Start
Kings in Zechariah’s day rode horses and chariots to war. Zechariah saw a King coming to Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
Read Together
Chapters 9 to 14 look far ahead, to the Messiah’s life on earth and to his Second Coming.
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 10And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
What It Teaches
“Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). A king on a donkey comes in peace. Verse 10 says he would “speak peace unto the heathen.”
About five hundred years later, Jesus sent two disciples to bring a donkey and her colt, and he rode into Jerusalem. Matthew wrote that it happened “that it might be fulfilled” (Matthew 21:1–5). The crowds spread their clothes and branches on the road and cried, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:8–9).
Elder Ronald A. Rasband spoke about the people who welcomed him. “The multitude who paid tribute with palms hailed Him as the Messiah. That was exactly who He was.”
Elder Ronald A. Rasband, “Hosanna to the Most High God,” General conference, April 2023
Verse 11 adds a promise. “By the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.” After his death, the Savior visited the faithful spirits and set them free, and he sent messengers to preach the gospel to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:18–19; Doctrine and Covenants 138:18–19; 138:29–30).
Talk About It
The people of Jerusalem spread their coats on the road to welcome Jesus. How can we welcome him into our home this Christmas season?
Take to Church
Zechariah saw a lowly King riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus fulfilled that prophecy, and he still comes in peace to anyone who welcomes him.