Zechariah 13

For God is love.

And today we are in the book of Zechariah, chapters 13 and 14.

Then we go to Psalm 147.

And we'll finish our reading in Luke's Gospel, chapter 15.

Father, thank you.

Help us to see.

Zechariah chapter 13.

Zechariah 13.

Yeah.

Now, the, the connection that you made to the w- the way it's written in Zechariah 13 and the way Jesus str- r- repeats it here, and then the, that this is the Father who does the striking, reminds me of the, the language of necessity that Jesus has used elsewhere when He's spoken about His upcoming death and resurrection, that it must be, it has to be, it's necessary.

You're right.

Why? For this very reason.

They will scatter like sheep.

And Jesus quotes again this Old Testament passage, Zechariah 13.

It starts in verse seven.

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me, declares the Lord of hosts.

Then I will purify the lips of the peoples that all of them may call on the name of YHWH and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

Zechariah 13 verse 9.

This third I will put into the fire.

I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.

Behind all three of these New Testament passages stands the prophetic hope of Israel's scriptures.

And few sections are more important than Then Zechariah 12 to 14.

These chapters present a dramatic vision of the nations gathering against Jerusalem.

God intervenes to defend the city.

Jerusalem is attacked, Israel turns in mourning, cleansing follows, and the Lord comes to reign.

But the New Testament also shows us that these prophecies have already begun to reach their fulfillment in Jesus.

When Jesus is arrested, he quotes Zechariah 13, "...strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." When Jesus' side is pierced at the cross, John quotes Zechariah 12.

They will look on him whom they have pierced.

The common way to scatter the sheep is by smiting the shepherds.

Zechariah 13, verses 7 and 8.

It is for the church's sake he is reviled and persecuted.

2 Timothy 2, verse 10.

And the truth is, to be honest, we have only touched the fringe of the fringe.

We focused in Leviticus 16, which really pictures Christ and his work When you look at the Day of Atonement in chapter 23 and you bring in other scriptures like Zechariah 13, on that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem to wash away sin and impurity.

You learn that the Day of Atonement also foreshadows Israel's future repentance as a nation so that all Israel will be saved.

There's lots more in there, but we hope you've heard some things to think about today.

He's taking the hit for someone else.

And he would have shown them Zechariah 13, where the Lord of hosts, God himself, cries out, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me.

That verse is chilling.

It really is.