Rev. Don Campbell

Zechariah 8-14

THOUGHT FOR TODAY, September 22, 2019

“CHRIST IN ZECHARIAH”

We would not be amiss in calling the prophecy of Zechariah “The Gospel of Zechariah,” for it is filled with images of Christ, the Spirit, and the church. We will focus on three images which Zechariah presents of Christ.

First, the coming one was a priest-king, after the order of Melchizedek. Consider two passages: “Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both’” (Zechariah 6:12-13). Matthew and John record the entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15). The writer of Hebrews tells us that he was priest and king, after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:19-7:3).

Second, he was a shepherd-king who was smitten: “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zechariah 13:7). Jesus quotes these words, applying them to himself: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31).

Third, he was the crucified savior: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). Isaiah tells us that he was pierced for us: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 5 3:4-6). Luke tells us that when those who had crucified him, a centurion said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” When the crowds who had assembled to view the spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home beating their breasts (Luke 23:22-49).

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles and said, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:44-47).

CONNECTIONS

1. Many people have become Christians and lived faithfully to the end without having understood the prophets. Although not essential to salvation, what does Paul say about the value of all Scripture, including the Old Testament? (2 Timothy 3:10-17)

2. Did Jesus’ disciples grasp the significance of the prophecies without help? (Luke 24:27)