March 24, 2024
“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”
Zechariah was one of the prophets sent to encourage the Jewish people who returned to Jerusalem from exile. Overall, his message is for people to hold on to hope. But what does that hope look like? In chapter 9 of his book, hope is a king who rides humbly on a donkey. Later Gospel writers would connect this prophecy to a king that does not conquer by force, taking prisoners of war. The King identified as Jesus conquers by love giving the people a stronghold of hope. On this Palm Sunday we celebrate that King and contemplate what it means today to be His “prisoners of hope.”
