Mourning For The Pierced One

INTRO

Zechariah is one of the neglected books we should spend more time studying because these chapters contain so much of a message of the Messiah. Our phrase for Jesus in Zechariah is the Pierced One. When they look at Christ, they will realize they have pierced Him, and they will mourn (Zechariah 12:10). And they will realize the only way they can be set free from captivity is to look upon the One they pierced.

We’ll cover Zechariah 9—12 today, but let’s begin with a summary. Zechariah was a prophet who, along with Haggai, wanted Israel to rebuild the temple. In eight visions, God painted a picture for Zechariah that stressed the potential of Israel. Zechariah communicated that redemption was coming.

TEACHING

Zechariah 9:1-8: This oracle, or judgment, was against Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, and Sidon (vv. 1–4). In verses 5–8, judgment was pronounced against the Philistine cities of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod along the Mediterranean coast.

Zechariah 9:9–10: Verse 9 is one of the verses in the book that describes the Messiah. As J. Vernon McGee said, “It’s the triumphal entry of Christ when He came into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5).”¹ This verse describes Palm Sunday. John 12:15 says, “Fear no more, Daughter Zion. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.” When comparing Matthew 21 and John 12 with Zechariah 9:9, there’s something missing. Both the gospel passages omit: “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem!” This part will be fulfilled in Christ’s second coming. Like other prophets, Zechariah includes a lot of “already, but not yet” prophecies. With Christ’s second advent, peace will come to all nations, from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth (v. 10). We haven’t seen peace in all nations yet, but we will when Christ comes back.

Zechariah 9:11–17: Zechariah emphasized that when Jesus comes back to establish peace, He will release and restore His people. In this chapter, we see an incredible picture of God’s judgment against everybody else and a deliverance and redemption of His people found only in the King who rides in on a donkey.

Zechariah 10:1–8: Over the course of time, the ten tribes had been lost and Judah had been scattered—all of them like sheep without a shepherd (v. 2). But “the cornerstone will come from Judah” (v. 4). And from those that have scattered, He will gather them back and they will fight. This seems to be a reference to both the first and second coming. The prophetic word always proclaims that Christ is the answer. God promised to strengthen, deliver, and restore the houses of Judah and Joseph “as though I had never rejected them” (v. 6). By God’s grace and mercy, He gathers His people. The Cornerstone is Christ.

Zechariah 10:9–12: Again, though the people had been scattered through the nations, God promised to bring them back to the land. This chapter is all about God bringing His people back to the land.

Zechariah 11:1–6: In this chapter, you really begin to see Christ rejected by His people. In verses 1–6, we begin to see language about false shepherds. The false shepherds deceived people. J. Vernon McGee wondered if verse 6 might be a reference to Rome as the conqueror.²

Zechariah 11:7–14: The shepherd used two staffs to shepherd the flock: favor and union (v. 7). The word “favor” could imply beauty or grace. The word “union” could imply a bond. Verses 12–13 are clearly about Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. Matthew 26:15 said Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver for turning Jesus over to the chief priests. The same thing is written in Matthew 27:3–10 and Acts 1:17–20. This rejection of the King is recorded in Zechariah.

Notice the progression described in these three chapters. Zechariah 9 talked about the coming King. Zechariah 10 contained a reference to Christ as the Cornerstone. Now in Zechariah 11, Christ the King is rejected by His people.

Zechariah 11:15–17: Who is the false shepherd in these verses? Possibly these verses are talking about the antichrist.

Zechariah 12:1–5: This chapter is the climax! Verse 1 provides a wonderful picture of the Lord’s power. According to Wiersbe, verse 2 clearly spells out that Jerusalem will be attacked. In this instance, Jerusalem will be the cup that, when others attack her, they will start staggering. The nations will plan to swallow up Jerusalem, but as they’re swallowing her up, it will lead to their staggering and demise.³ Those who try to lift up Jerusalem will themselves be hurt (v. 3). In other words, God is clearly protecting Jerusalem—and it surely sounds like this happens “at the end.” The phrase “on that day” found in verse 4 is language used to describe the Day of the Lord. When this battle takes place, God will create confusion, madness, and blindness for Jerusalem’s enemies (v. 4). Wiersbe summarized: “Jesus Christ will demonstrate His great power as He defends His people and defeats His enemies.”⁴

Zechariah 12:6–9: The siege against Jerusalem will also involve Judah. On that day, God will make Judah’s leaders like a firepot and a flaming torch (v. 6). The power of God will be displayed through His people. Those who attack Judah will become like dry stubble that literally gets burned up. In fact, the Lord will save Judah first (v. 7). On that day, the Lord will defend Jerusalem (v. 8). Even the weakest one will be like David who killed tens of thousands (1 Samuel 18:7–8). The angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in battle (Isaiah 37:36). All of their enemies will be destroyed. Verse 9 summarizes everything—God will destroy the nations that come against Jerusalem. In these verses, we’ve seen the Battle of Armageddon described.

Zechariah 12:10–14: Then, after the battle is won, God will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on Jerusalem, and they will look at the One they pierced (v. 10). This is one of the most powerful statements in the Old Testament. Up until this point, the Jewish people have rejected Jesus. Now they will realize they crucified Jesus and will weep bitterly and mourn for Him. When this happens, a true revival like we’ve never seen in our lifetime will happen to usher in all that Christ has been talking about. The Jewish people realize they pierced the Messiah. Revelation 1:7 says everyone will see Christ when He returns, even those who pierced Him; they will mourn over Him. Paul wrote about this in Romans 11:25–27. Eventually, when all the Gentiles have heard the gospel, all of Israel will be saved. Somewhere in the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, the fullness of the Gentiles will happen. At that point, God will open the eyes of the Jews and soften their hearts, and they will see they were the ones who pierced the Messiah. Then, they too, will turn to Christ as their Messiah.

CLOSING

Zechariah 12 points to one of the greatest moves of God still to come—when the Jewish people cry out to Yeshua.