Thursday 30th March
Read John 12:14-15
“Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written:
15 ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’” (NIVUK)
Maybe you noticed in yesterday’s reading that John has changed the quote from Zechariah? Where Zechariah 9:9 reads ‘Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion…’, John has written ‘Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion’. Sometimes these changes in the quotation of Scripture trouble people. They used to trouble me also. If scripture is infallible and unchanging, why does John feel comfortable changing the words, or worse, just get them wrong to begin with?
My suspicion is that John is so steeped in Scripture, so guided by the Spirit, that he is drawing together two traditions that describe the triumphal entry and approach to Jerusalem of the Messiah. He does this by merging two verses to make the fulfillment of scripture as clear as he can. He assumes and expects his readers will see what he is doing and more fully grasp and appreciate the significance of Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem. This is not an isolated act of merging or modifying scripture to make its meaning clear. The challenge is less to our ‘unchanging, immutable understanding of scripture’ and more to how steeped in scripture we ourselves are. It is constantly humbling how little I grasp.
John is likely drawing on both Zechariah 9 and Isaiah 40 in putting together this ‘written’ quote. Isaiah 40 reads:
“You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
he gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.” (Isaiah 40:9-11) (NIVUK)
The echoes with Jesus’ entry become clear when we read the passage in full. People raising their voices with a shout, without fear, acknowledging God has arrived in His fulness. Yet He arrives with gentleness and tenderness, cradling his people like newborns. In context, placing these passages together, Zechariah 9 and Isaiah 40, becomes the only responsible way to describe what was ‘written’ all those years ago. It is perfectly handled scripture. Be comforted that what was ‘written’ was fulfilled.
