Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, have mercy. Cleanse me. Still my mind. Help me to listen as you speak.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah had spoken of a day when the Messiah would arrive, not on a warhorse but a donkey. The people who cheered for Jesus as he entered Jerusalem had spent their entire lives under Roman rule. They couldn’t wait for this young prophet to fulfil Zechariah’s promise and rid them of Pilate and his cronies.
Disappointment set in before long, though; rather than driving out the foreign rulers, Jesus picked a fight with his own people. Within days of his triumphal entry, he was facing a judicial court.
Jesus would go on to tell a friend who jumped to his defence to put his sword away. He would refrain from calling on legions of angels to defeat his enemies. His refusal to exert power and resort to violence has split opinion ever since. Some see it as the pinnacle of ethics, others as opening the floodgates to oppression and injustice. It is what it is. Jesus came to serve, not to be served, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Lord, give me the courage to trade my warhorse in for a donkey.
This reflection was written by Michael Pfundner, Bible Society's Publishing Support Manager
Read the Bible 
Processing...