What does it mean to behold something? To gaze, to ponder, to treasure, to notice? Beholding something is not passive. It is more than giving something a cursory glance. No, beholding is an active response. It’s pausing what we are doing to truly take in what is before us.
Behold is a command. It requires our attention. Scripture uses the word behold in several instances in reference to Jesus. In the Old Testament, the prophet Zechariah says, “Behold, your king is coming to you” (9:9). He is not only announcing a future reigning king, but a coming messiah. He gives them a reason to behold, to “rejoice greatly” and “shout aloud.”
But Zechariah’s prophecy goes further than just declaring Jesus will be born. Zechariah is telling the people, “Look! This is good news — be excited about it!” and he tells them what this coming king will be: “righteous and having salvation.” This is not any ordinary king coming — it is a king who will be righteous and bring salvation.
In the gospels we see this prophecy fulfilled in Jesus. Before His crucifixion, when Jesus is entering Jerusalem, he is directly fulfilling Zechariah’s words. The prophecy was that Jesus would arrive “humble and mounted on a donkey.” Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12 all recount how Jesus entered the city riding on a donkey. While we call this the triumphal entry, and we celebrate it on Palm Sunday, Jesus knew He was entering the city not to rule over the people but to lay down His life for them.
But we know the real triumph in this entry was that Jesus was bringing salvation.
When He was on trial, and Pilate presented Him to the Jews, we again hear the command to behold. Pilate gives the people their king, but they refuse to behold Him. Instead, they reviled Him and demand His death.
This indictment was not the end of His reign. His atoning death, which paid the penalty for our sins and satisfied God’s wrath against us, was the means by which our King’s reign was proven to us. When He defeated death by rising from the grave three days later, He showed His reigning power over both life and death. Seeing this, knowing this, and believing this is how we can truly behold our King.
Written by Randi Walle. Randi serves at the Editor & Communications Manager of the Charis Fellowship and the Communications Director at Grace Polaris Church in Westerville, Ohio.