Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)
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Verse 9Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Verse 10He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Verse 11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Verse 12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Devotion
Today begins week-long celebrations of Independence. While we join these celebrations, as Christians we also live in the paradox of our confession of captivity to sin, and the truth that human sinfulness results in the captivity of many of our neighbors to forces outside their control.
Zechariah proclaims that the people should exult because they soon will be free, and redefines their captivity through the phrase “prisoners of hope.” Rather than seeing themselves as captive to oppressors, Zechariah declares they are held captive by hope in one coming to set them free. We confess this one to be Christ Jesus, who set us free by the cross and empty tomb.
How might confessing and living “captivity to hope” change our lives? How might we change the lives of neighbors held captive by sin, poverty, racism, sexism, or fear? How might we declare utter dependence on God’s grace and work?
Prayer
Victorious God, you set us free each day from the power of sin and death. Renew your people again, that we might be set free to be your prisoners of hope for the entire world. Amen