Why We Believe

Bethlehem of Judah is an insignificant village outside of Jerusalem. That a great ruler should come from this location is significant as it portends the manner of the birth of Jesus (in a feeding trough among animals, cf. Luke 2:7). This ruler will also be a Shepherd of His people, like Jesus of Nazareth in the gospel account (John 10:11). This also points to the divinity of this ruler as it is YHWH Himself that is the master Shepherd of the shepherd boy who would be King David (Psalm 23:1) the ancestor of Messiah. Finally, his rule will be to the ends of the earth and he will bring peace. This is a picture of Christ Himself who will rule the world and bring peace during his millennial reign (cf. Revelation 20:5).

Zechariah

Zechariah was apparently from a priestly family being the son (Ezra 5:1; 6:14) or grandson (Zechariah 1:1) of Iddo.²⁴ The apparent discrepancy on whether Zechariah is the son or grandson of Iddo can be explained. It is common in the Old Testament to refer to a descendent of someone as a son even two generations removed.²⁵ Zechariah is contemporary to Haggai the Prophet and Ezra the priest (Ezra 5:1) in the Fifth century BC. Some liberal scholars postulate that chapters 9-14 were actually written long after Zechariah’s time, but according to Harrison there is at least equal evidence for the unity of Zechariah as to its disunity.²⁶ There is no evidence from historical record that there is a shortened form of Zechariah in existence. At any rate, it was certainly a united document by the time of the Septuagint (LXX) translation well before the time of Jesus.

Zechariah 3:8

This is the first mention of ṣemaḥ “Branch” in Zechariah, but not the first in the Old Testament. The first is in Isaiah 4:2 where the reference is to ṣemaḥ YHWH (“the Branch of the Lord”). There also appears to be a reference to the Branch indirectly in Isaiah 11:1. In Jeramiah 23:5 and 33:15 the mention here is ṣemaḥ ṣadîq (LXX anatolēn dikaian “righteous Branch”) which will be a King, a descendent of David, an obvious reference to the Messiah. In Zechariah 3:8 the Branch is the servant or subordinate²⁷ of the Lord. The fulfillment of this Branch in Jesus can be found in Matthew 1:2, the first of many references to Jesus as the Son of David. Jesus is subordinate to the Father in John 14:28. Jesus is also servant to the disciples in John 13.

Zechariah 6:9-15

This continues the discussion of the Branch whom we have come to know is the Christ, or Messiah. Again, He is the builder of the temple of the Lord. He is a King and also a priest. In the Old Testament the priests are always from the line of Levi but the King is from the line of David of Judah. However, we know of Melchizedek from Genesis 14:18 who comes seemingly from out of nowhere to greet Abraham. Abraham puts himself subordinate under Melchizedek (which means “king of righteousness”) and pays him a tenth of his wealth. The writer of Hebrews in chapters 5-7 picks up on the theme of Melchizedek and identifies him as Jesus the Christ.

Zechariah 9:9-10

The context of this passage is a prophesy about the future subjugation of Israel’s enemies. The King (Messiah) associated with Jerusalem rides victoriously and humbly on the colt of a donkey. This king speaks in first person²⁸ declaring a peace to the nations after eliminating warfare against Ephraim and Judah (Jerusalem). The rule of this king will be over the entire earth. This describes the messianic rule; the coming of the Kingdom of God described in Isaiah 61:2 as discussed in “Jesus and the Spirit.” When Jesus discussed this passage as recorded in Luke 4:18-19, He deliberately left out the phrase “day of the vengeance of the Lord.” Jesus recognizes that He, as the Messiah, comes in two phases; the first, to usher in the church age and the second to usher in the Millennial reign. It is this second phase that is being discussed here in Zechariah 9. However, before the second phase or Millennial reign, he must enter Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. This was clearly understood by the residents of Jerusalem as Messianic. Matthew pointed this out in 21:5. The residents of Jerusalem were clearly expecting Jesus to triumph over the nations when he arrived in Jerusalem. They were correct in seeing Jesus as the prophesized Messiah, but incorrect thinking he was ushering in the Messianic reign at that time.

Zechariah 12:10

They will look on me, whom they have pierced.²⁹ This passage in Zechariah 12 starts with the same opening (Heb. masaʾ “a pronouncement”) as the previously discussed prophesy in Zechariah 9 and is a continuation of the prophetic pronouncement. Verses 1-9 speak of a coming war and a besieging of Jerusalem. This event culminates in an epic battle in which the Lord will destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. In verse 11, this battle is identified as taking place in the valley of Megiddo. This will be fulfilled as discussed in I Thessalonians 5:1-3 “day of the Lord” and Revelation 16:14-16 as the final battle of Armageddon. The prophetic key here is the phrase “they will look on me, whom they have pierced” in verse 10.³⁰ First fulfilled at the cross (John 19:37) we can also understand that in the midst of the battle all Israel will recognize the pierced one as their Messiah. At this time the crucified Messiah will introduce the fulfillment of the final part of the prophetic passage in Isaiah 61 that Jesus had left out in his proclamation in the synagogue in Luke 4:19 “day of the vengeance of the Lord.”

Zechariah 13:7-9

The final prophetic passage discussed in Zechariah concerning Christ in the Old Testament refers to the killing of the Messiah, and the destruction of Jerusalem some 40 years later in 70 AD.³¹ This is confirmed by Jesus in Mark 14:27 when Jesus predicts his crucifixion. He is the shepherd and his disciples are his sheep. Not only will Peter deny him but his disciples will all flee for fear of their lives following the arrest of Jesus. The details of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Christ are absolutely astonishing.