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| Chapter LIII.—Jacob predicted that Christ would ride on an ass, and Zechariah confirms it.
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Chapter LIII.—Jacob predicted that
Christ would ride on an ass, and Zechariah confirms it.
“And
that expression, ‘binding his foal to the vine, and the ass’s
foal to the vine tendril,’ was a declaring beforehand both of the
works wrought by Him at His first advent, and also of that belief in Him
which the nations would repose. For they were like an unharnessed foal,
which was not bearing a yoke on its neck, until this Christ came, and
sent His disciples to instruct them; and they bore the yoke of His word,
and yielded the neck to endure all [hardships], for the sake of the good
things promised by Himself, and expected by them. And truly our Lord
Jesus Christ, when He intended to go into Jerusalem, requested His
disciples to bring Him a certain ass, along with its foal, which was
bound in an entrance of a village called Bethphage; and having seated
Himself on it, He
entered into Jerusalem. And as this was
done by Him in the manner in which it was prophesied in precise terms
that it would be done by the Christ, and as the fulfilment was
recognised, it became a clear proof that He was the Christ. And though
all this happened and is proved from Scripture, you are still
hard-hearted. Nay, it was prophesied by Zechariah, one of the twelve
[prophets], that such would take place, in the following words:
‘Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; shout, and declare, daughter of
Jerusalem; behold, thy King shall come to thee, righteous, bringing
salvation, meek, and lowly, riding on an ass, and the foal of an
ass.’2116
Now, that the Spirit of
prophecy, as well as the patriarch Jacob, mentioned both an ass and its
foal, which would be used by Him; and, further, that He, as I previously
said, requested His disciples to bring both beasts; [this fact] was a
prediction that you of the synagogue, along with the Gentiles, would
believe in Him. For as the unharnessed colt was a symbol of the Gentiles
even so the harnessed ass was a symbol of your nation. For you possess
the law which was imposed [upon you] by the prophets. Moreover, the
prophet Zechariah foretold that this same Christ would be smitten, and
His disciples scattered: which also took place. For after His crucifixion,
the disciples that accompanied Him were dispersed, until He rose from the
dead, and persuaded them that so it had been prophesied concerning Him,
that He would suffer; and being thus persuaded, they went into all the
world, and taught these truths. Hence also we are strong in His faith and
doctrine, since we have [this our] persuasion both from the prophets, and
from those who throughout the world are seen to be worshippers of God in
the name of that crucified One. The following is said, too, by Zechariah:
‘O sword, rise up against My Shepherd, and against the man of My
people, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the Shepherd, and His flock shall
be scattered.’2117
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