As Alexander the Great marched through Persia, Zechariah painted a picture of a very different king.
A Different King
The conquest of many lands by Alexander the Great was marked by the cry of war and, of course, Alexander’s trusty warhorse, Bucephalus.
But years later there was to be an altogether different king. Riding through streets once trode by the aforementioned Alexander, but this time on a colt.
One king was met with swords; the other, palms.
One: the king of war. The other: prince of peace.
Ancient Rome and Samaria
So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.