Jesus in Zechariah

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Jesus In Zechariah:
Restoration of Hope

Zech 9:9 See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. NIV

The 4th word in the original Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament never translates into our English translations. The reason is because it’s not actually a word. This is simply a two letter expression. Interestingly it is the beginning letter and the last letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, (אֵ֣ת). Since it’s not actually a word it doesn’t get translated but has tremendous significance.

Jesus proclaims that He is the beginning and the end using the first letter and the last letter of the Greek alphabet in
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” NIV

Jesus is being revealed in these Old Testament Scriptures! We see this in Genesis 1 as the word immediately following the word “God”.

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God (אֵ֣ת) created the heavens and the earth. 

This word shows up in Zechariah as a clear prophetic picture of Christ who would be pierced and hanging on a cross.

Zechariah 12:10 They will look on me, (אֵ֣ת) the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. NIV

Like Haggai, Zechariah worked to awaken God’s people to stop being self-absorbed and give themselves to rebuilding their ruined temple. 

Unlike Haggai Zechariah was a prophet and a priest. His ministry went beyond a prophet’s concern for the ruined Temple to a priestly concern for their eroded self-identity that was also in ruins. 

The sacred history of God’s generals like Abraham, Moses, Esther, Samuel, David, Isaiah and more was now in jeopardy. God’s people had been oppressed and mocked for a century and they’d all but forgotten who they were.

Discouraging circumstances over an extended period of time can take a toll on your identity.

Successful accomplishments over an extended period of time can also take a toll on your identity.

If not finding your identity in Christ your accomplishments become your enemy robbing you of your peace. If you are number one in sales this week and your identity gets wrapped up in this accomplishment then the pressure to accomplish this next week becomes unbearable. If you win the State Championship this year and your identity gets wrapped up in this accomplishment the season is charged with unhealthy pressure next year.

Zechariah wasn’t talking to people who had had great success. Rather, God’s people had lost themselves in great discouragement.

Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers.” Zechariah’s name aligned with his purpose. He received 8 visions and preached 4 messages filled with hope that God would remember His promises to His people.

Zech 1:17 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion.’ ” NIV

God is still at work even if you grow completely discouraged. We must never stop serving in seasons of sadness remembering Ps 126:5, “Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.”

Don’t waste your passion on your past!  Neighbor - Your future is so bright you need sunglasses to dream!

When we look at ourselves we see what we have done. When God looks at us he sees what he has done.

Zechariah’s messages became like time capsules releasing inspiration through the ages empowering God’s people to live life from a different perspective!

Zech 4:6 …‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. NIV

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I'll try again tomorrow." Mary Anne Radmacher

The PAST is where you learned the Lesson. The FUTURE is where you Apply the Lesson. ~Unknown

We possess a God-given ability to be defined by eternal purposes rather than temporal pain.

GP4RL: Take your note card home and rehearse these verses daily.


DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS

You may download a printable pdf of the discussion guide here

ICEBREAKER: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Zechariah reveals Jesus through various prophecies that speak of his coming very specifically more than five hundred years before he was born. Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey is one of those prophesies. This was a common practice in ancient times. Kings would express that they could relate to “common people” by riding among the people on a donkey.

Zech 9:9 See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. NIV
 
Discussion Questions:
    1.    In what ways have you been transformed by this relatable King Jesus?
    2.    Who has been somebody you’ve known who has related with you to help you and
        how did they do that?
    3.    Who is somebody you have related to in efforts to help them and how did you do so?

Discouraging circumstances over an extended period of time can take a toll on your identity.

Successful accomplishments over an extended period of time can also take a toll on your identity.

Discussion Questions:
    1.    Read the last 2 statements again…How do they differ? How are they the same?
    2.    Share a time or situation when you were able to get beyond a self-absorbed state of mind.

Zech 1:17 This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘My towns will again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion.’ NIV

Zech 4:6 …‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. NIV

Discussion Questions:
    1.    What perspective ‘adjustments’ has God been making in your life?
    2.    Zechariah brings encouragement to a greatly discouraged people and so should we.
        What should this look like in our everyday lives?

GP4RL: Take your note card home and rehearse these verses daily.


Going Deeper:

The Message Bible Introduction of Zechariah:  

Zechariah shared with his contemporary Haggai the prophetic task of getting the people of Judah to rebuild their ruined temple. Their preaching pulled the people out of self-preoccupation and got them working together as a people of God. There was a job to do, and the two prophets teamed up to make sure it got done.
But Zechariah did more than that. For the people were faced with more than a ruined Temple and city. Their self-identity as the people of God was in ruins. For a century they had been knocked around by the world powers, kicked and mocked, used and abused. This once-proud people, their glorious sacred history starred with the names of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah, had been treated with contempt for so long that they were in danger of losing all connection with that past, losing their magnificent identity as God's people.
Zechariah was a major factor in recovering the magnificence from the ruins of a degrading exile. Zechariah reinvigorated their imaginations with his visions and messages. The visions provided images of a sovereign God that worked their way into the lives of the people, countering the long ordeal of debasement and ridicule. The messages forged a fresh vocabulary that gave energy and credibility to the long-term purposes of God being worked out in their lives.
But that isn't the end of it. Zechariah's enigmatic visions, working at multiple levels, and his poetically charged messages are at work still, like time capsules in the lives of God's people, continuing to release insight and hope and clarity for the people whom God is using to work out his purposes in a world that has no language for God and the purposes of God. 

Information from Insights for Living:

Zechariah was a priest in addition to a prophet. He, therefore, would have had an intimate familiarity with the worship practices of the Jews, even if he had never served in a completed temple. As a “young man” at the time of his first prophecies (Zechariah 2:4), his life more than likely extended into the reign of Xerxes I (485–465 BC), the king best known in the Bible for making Esther the queen of Persia (Esther 1:1).

Zechariah, a young man, especially when compared to his contemporary Haggai, came alongside the older prophet to deliver messages from the Lord to the Jewish remnant recently returned from Babylon. While Haggai’s overall message had more of a cautionary tone to it (pointing out the Jews’ sin and self-focus), Zechariah emphasized a tone of encouragement to the struggling Israelites trying to rebuild their temple.
Zechariah’s dated visions and messages in chapters 1–8 all take place in the same general time period as Haggai’s, beginning in October–November 520 BC with a call for the people of Judah to repent (Zechariah 1:1). He then received eight visions on the restless night of February 15, 519 BC (1:7), followed by four messages that he preached on December 7, 518 BC (7:1). Though his final messages in chapters 9–14 go undated, the mention of Greece in 9:13 suggests the prophecies came much later in his life, presumably sometime in the 480s BC, before Ezra (458 BC) and Nehemiah (444 BC) arrived to again revitalize the Jewish people.

What's the big idea?
Meaning “Yahweh remembers,” Zechariah’s name was appropriate to the purpose of his prophecies.2 His book brims over with the hope that God would remember His promises to His people, even after all the time they spent outside the land. The prophet used a simple structure of eight visions (Zechariah 1:1–6:15), four messages (7:1–8:23), and two oracles (9:1–14:21) to anticipate the completion of the temple and, ultimately, the future reign of the Messiah from Jerusalem. Like many of the prophets, Zechariah saw isolated snapshots of the future; therefore, certain events that seem to occur one right after the other in Zechariah’s prophecy actually often have generations or even millennia between them.


For a people newly returned from exile, Zechariah provided specific prophecy about their immediate and distant future—no doubt a great encouragement. Their nation would still be judged for sin (5:1–11), but they would also be cleansed and restored (3:1–10), and God would rebuild His people (1:7–17). Zechariah concluded his book by looking into the distant future, first at the rejection of the Messiah by Israel (9:1–11:17), and then at His eventual reign when Israel will finally be delivered (12:1–14:21).


How do I apply this?
Have you struggled with discouragement? Read Zechariah. While the book contains its share of judgments on the people of Judah and beyond, it overflows with hope in the future reign of the Lord over His people. It’s easy to get caught up in the oftentimes depressing events of day-to-day life, to lose our perspective and live as people without hope. The book of Zechariah serves as a correction for that tendency in our lives. We have a hope that is sure. How refreshing!