Matthew’s grasp of the Old Testament isn’t all that sharp, and he tends to see Messianic prophecies where none exist, so you can’t just believe him whenever he claims Jesus is fulfilling some ancient promise. But in this case, Matthew is correct: there is a portion of Zechariah 9 that does apply to Jesus. The problem is that the language in that passage is very misleading.

“Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.

I will remove the battle chariots from Israel and the warhorses from Jerusalem. I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations. His realm will stretch from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” (Zech. 9:9-10)

Is Jesus really humble? No, He loves to exalt Himself. This donkey stunt is not at all His way of saying “I’m nobody special.” On the contrary, He knows that this passage from Zechariah is considered a Messianic prophecy, and He’s intentionally using it to ignite a bunch of fanfare in which He will be showered with praise, cheers, and applause. It’s highly ironic that while Zechariah 9 paints a picture of a king meekly riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey, Jesus is going to find a way to fulfill the technical actions while turning the whole moment into a glory fest. And what about this bit where Yahweh promises to remove all threats of war from Israel and Jerusalem? Is this really going to happen? Not hardly. And is Jesus going to bring peace to the nations? Not the kind of peace Yahweh is talking about in this passage. Yahweh is describing a king who ends up taking over the whole world and abolishing all war. Now there’s a laugh.