11/2 Zechariah 9:9

⁹ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Some have said that the Maccabean leaders fulfilled this prophecy, but there is one problem. The prophecy goes on to say that his rule shall be from the River to the ends of the earth (Zechariah 9:10). Matthew cites the verse in Matthew 21:5 to say it was fulfilled in Jesus. His rule will be from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth. Even now that rule has covered the earth in the hearts of those who are His. One day it will be over all the inhabitants of the earth.

Concerning the above phrase, "righteous and having salvation." There is righteousness compared to others, and there is the ultimate righteousness, the LORD! There is salvation from our present evil foes, and there is salvation from our sinful nature and the immortal foe who is continually accusing us.

This king is humble. Humility is emphasized by the true greatness of the individual. If one knows very little and has never accomplished anything, humility is simply an acknowledgement of his or her condition. In One who is the Creator of all things and has infinite wisdom, and yet yields His will to the Father, we see the ultimate expression of humility. Matthew was right. This verse was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

Consider: In Jesus, we are righteous and have salvation. The source of our humility is knowing that our righteousness and salvation is from Him alone.