Zechariah: Jesus Is The One Pierced For Us
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ZECHARIAH: JESUS IS THE ONE PIERCED FOR US
Zechariah 12:10- 13:1 (ESV)
10 “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.
11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves;
14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
Today, with all the troubles in the world and the personal challenges people are facing, it is so easy for many to be anxious and discouraged at the same time. Perhaps, some feel that their lives are not getting better even in their best efforts, so they feel tired, hopeless, and are ready to give up. Honestly, I would not even be surprised if many of God's people share the same struggles.
Now, with this reality, the biggest challenge for us as believers is to be open and sensitive to people around us who are hurting or struggling and be God's source of encouragement to them. As believers, we all have this calling from God. Listen to these words in Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
If you notice, it is pretty clear that we should be encouraging one another every day. In other words, becoming an encouragement to others must be a constant practice for us; we should make it part of our daily habit to find someone to encourage. Let me highlight what William Barclay said in his commentary on the Book of Hebrews. He wrote:
One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement . . .. It is easy to laugh at men's ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time, a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.
So, let me ask you: When was the last time you have intentionally gone out of your way to encourage a friend or a loved one?
Last Sunday, when we studied the background of the Book of Haggai, we learned that the last three prophets of the Old Testament, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, were sent by the Lord to the first batch of the remnant who returned around 538 BC to rebuild Jerusalem. Pastor Jeru explained to us that upon returning, the people prioritize the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. However, while working on the temple, they became so discouraged and disheartened because they felt that even in their best efforts, the temple fell short in glory compared to the first temple, which King Solomon built. Since Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, the historical background would be the same. Perhaps, the main differences between the two books would be two-fold. First is the book's length because Haggai only has two chapters, while Zechariah has fourteen chapters. The second would be the focus. Haggai focused more on rebuilding the temple; the Book of Zechariah was more comprehensive because it included the rebuilding of Israel as a nation, politically and spiritually.
Before going further, let's consider more background information about the book of Zechariah:
The name Zechariah in Hebrew means "the Lord remembers." The prophet came from the priestly tribe, just like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and he was born in Babylon while the nation was in captivity.
The book of Zechariah is considered second to the book of Isaiah in terms of its Messianic prophecies. Despite its shortness in length, it contains many references to the first and second coming of Jesus Christ.
There are three critical personalities in the book we need to be familiar with:
1. Zechariah – He is the prophet who wrote the book.
2. Joshua – He is the first high priest who helped restore the priestly ministry after rebuilding the temple.
3. Zerubbabel – He was the designated governor and political leader of the first batch of people who returned from captivity to Jerusalem.
As the Lord would use Zechariah to encourage the returnees, there were three major parts in his exhortations:
I THE PRECONDITION OF REBUILDING
The task of rebuilding the temple and the nation was obviously beyond the capacity of the handful of people who just returned from captivity. But, as we have established earlier, they came back in 538 BC. Zechariah would begin his prophetic ministry around 520 BC. So, for the past 18 years, the people have struggled to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
To strengthen their hearts in fulfilling what God has called them to do, they needed to go back to God, who can help them accomplish their enormous task. Listen to Zechariah 1:1-4 (ESV):
1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,
2 "The LORD was very angry with your fathers.
3 Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.
4 Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.' But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD.
When you go back to verse 2, you will find the main reason the people struggled to rebuild their lives. The Lord withheld His help from them because of the sins that started with their fathers. And by then had also affected them.
How many of you have heard of the phrase, "Generational curse?" Meaning, the sins of parents can affect the lives of their children and grandchildren. Here is one verse to support this truth:
Exodus 20:3-6 (ESV)
3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
This familiar passage came out from the 10 Commandments, and the first two commands were about the sin of idolatry. What we need to highlight here are the words in verses 5-6 where God gave the warning about "Generational curse" - "visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me." However, while this curse is accurate, we should also magnify the other side of it, which is "Generational blessing" – "but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." Compared to the curse that can affect three to four generations, the blessings of God can overflow up to a thousand generations, which suggests limitless generations will benefit from the godly life of parents.
With the generational curse, one thing we need to emphasize is the transfer of guilt because the succeeding generations were also guilty of the same sins their parents and grandparents have committed. If you go back to the words Zechariah 1: 3 – "Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts." The point is that when their "fathers" abandoned the Lord, their departure continued and spilled over to the succeeding generations. So, the nation remained distant from the Lord, and the only way they can experience God's help and enablement is to return to Him.
The call to return is a call to repent. God clearly conveys that His people cannot remain in their sins and expect Him to help. They must first and foremost repent, so He can begin moving in their midst. Sin can always be the most significant barrier in us experiencing God's help and blessings.
Are there any unconfessed sin/sins that can hinder God's help in your life today? God clearly said these words through the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 59:1-2 (ESV)
1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Since life's troubles are often greater than we can handle, we don't want to be distant from God where we can't experience His help. We should consistently stay close to Him.
II THE PROSPERITY OF REBUILDING
Unlike the previous generations, the people who returned to Jerusalem recognized their need for God, so they humbled themselves and repented. We read these words in Zechariah 1:6 (ESV):
6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So they repented and said, 'As the LORD of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.'"
In the past, when the Lord addressed their sins, they defiantly continued in their sins rather than repenting. As a result, they ended up being overtaken by their enemies. Here's a sample of it:
Amos 4:6-9 (ESV)
6 "I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, yet you did not return to me," declares the LORD.
7 "I also withheld the rain from you when there were yet three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would have rain, and the field on which it did not rain would wither;
8 so two or three cities would wander to another city to drink water, and would not be satisfied; yet you did not return to me," declares the LORD.
9 "I struck you with blight and mildew; your many gardens and your vineyards, your fig trees and your olive trees the locust devoured; yet you did not return to me," declares the LORD.
When you read these verses, you will find the Lord telling them that He actively dealt with their sins, hoping they would return to Him. But notice how they responded – "yet you did not return to me," declares the LORD" (vs.6, 8,9). The tragic truth is the people could have prevented all those calamities in their lives. However, because they chose to harden their hearts, they kept suffering from multiple calamities.
Thank God that these Jews in Jerusalem during Zechariah's time were willing to humble themselves before the Lord and repent from their sins. This repentance will prove to be the best response because it will usher in God's promise of blessings to them.
Zechariah 1:16-17 (ESV)
16 Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.
17 Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'"
Remember, God told the nation in verse 3 that if they return to Him, He will also return to them. The Lord honored this promise when He responded to them in verses 16-17 – "I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy." And then He adds – "My cities shall again overflow with prosperity." These words imply that when they failed to repent in the past, God's presence left them. I know we are fully aware of this truth already, but let me state it again for us – Wherever the presence of God is found, there the prosperity of God will also abound. Therefore, I trust we always remain in the place where the presence of God can always be found.
Well, God will reinforce this promise of prosperity by giving them eight-night visions through the prophet Zechariah, which he recorded from 1:7 to 6:15. Allow me to enumerate them to you and explain the direct blessings briefly it will bring God's people:
A. The horseman among the myrtle trees (1:7-17) - God's anger against the nations and blessing on restored Israel.
B. The four horns and four craftsmen (1:18-21) - God's judgment on the nations that afflict Israel.
C. The surveyor (2:1-13) - God's future blessing on restored Israel
D. The vision of Joshua the high priest (3:1-10) - Israel's future cleansing from sin and reinstatement as a priestly nation
E. The golden lampstand and two olive trees (4:1-14) - Israel as the light to the nations under Messiah, the King-Priest.
F. The flying scroll (5:1-4) - The severity and totality of divine judgment on individual Israelites.
G. The woman in the basket (5:5-11) - The removal of national Israel's sin of rebellion against God.
H. The four chariots (6:1-8) - Divine judgment on Gentile nations.
God gave all these eight visions to encourage them to abide in Him. The message to them was pretty clear that their future as a nation is so much more significant when they placed Him in the center of their lives. We would certainly see in the book the vital link between their future prosperity and the coming of the Messiah. We would find this connection more clearer on my third point.
III THE PROMISE OF REBUILDING
Earlier, I told you that the book of Zechariah is second to the book of Isaiah regarding Messianic prophecies. In the book, you can find at least the following:
8 prophecies for the first coming of Jesus Christ
14 prophecies for the second coming of Jesus Christ
One of the most outstanding passages in the book about Jesus Christ was the key passage we read when we started this sermon, Zechariah 12:10- 13:1. These verses are where we find the central representation of Jesus in the book as the One pierced for our sins.
Without a doubt, this is a prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So how do we establish this truth from the passage? First, reread these words - "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)
Well, don't miss these three areas from the verse. First, it is God Himself who will be pierced ("when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced"). As we all know, Jesus Himself is God in the flesh who was crucified on the cross. How can God who is a Spirit be pierced? Well, God took a human flesh for Him to fulfill this prophecy.
Second, He is an only child. Jesus is the only Son of God whom the Father gave to save the world (John 3:16). This statement certainly highlights the intimate relationship between the Father and the Son of God.
Thirdly, He is the firstborn of God. This phrase is referred clearly by the apostle Paul in Colossians 1:15 (ESV)
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Many have misinterpreted the words "firstborn of all creation" to mean "first in creation." This interpretation is problematic because Jesus being God was never a product of creation. Therefore, the best interpretation of this word would be "Preeminence in position." The same usage is found in Psalm 89:27 (ESV)
27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
To appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we need to incorporate all these three perspectives. First, the One who was pierced for our sins is God Himself, the only Son of God and the highest person in creation. Why would He offer His life for us? If we base it on the book of Zechariah, this is the only way we will enjoy the prosperity or blessedness in life that God had promised.
Let me go back again in the idea that Zechariah was sent to stressed out and discouraged people, and God's way of encouraging them was to remind them of the coming Messiah whose work will ultimately bless them. Today, let's not lose sight of the same truth. If ever we are weary and discouraged, hang in there and abide in the Lord. There are so many blessings that await us in the coming days. Remember these words of Paul:
Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
-Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana