Zechariah 8 – 14
This reading is one you need to really study closely and compare to Jesus’ story. It’s full of what happened and was written some 500 years before the coming of Jesus. Now skeptics can say Jesus was a story written to conjure up the masses against Rome. The only problem is if it was a “story” to get support, why did they not make Jesus more like a warrior? Also, one could say Jesus knew the scriptures inside and out and therefore formed His story to match as many as possible.
Interestingly if Jesus was a fraud, how would his story have survived without being discredited? That have been no historical documents found that imply Jesus is not who he said He is, other than rejecting Him as the Messiah. Nothing has been found that says He never raised any dead, or healed many, or walked on water, only rejecting the claim. Makes you wonder!
Verse 9:9 talks about his entrance to Jerusalem for Passover:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
This accurately describes an event which happens almost 550 years in the future. How can that be? How could this really be staged and produced for man to get sucked in. This verse is full of fulfilled prophecies.
Verse 11:10 caught my eye because it’s the first time I remember the people of Israel losing their “favor” with God:
And I took my staff Favour, and I broke it, annulling the covenant that I had made with all the peoples.
This is a warning to the people of Israel not to reject the coming Messiah or they will lose favor with God. The prophecy is fulfilled when Jesus enters the temple and sees what is going on. Interestingly the Passover was becoming commercialized, like Christmas has today, and it was a time to profit for herders and merchants. Look at 11:14 and think about what the staff of Union represents.
Verse 13:1 is not referenced as a prophecy showing the coming of Jesus, but it does show his redeeming qualities:
“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.
Is this the water that flowed from Jesus’ side when He was pierced on the cross? What came was the cleansing water and the redeeming blood! Did Zechariah know Jesus must die to fulfill the ultimate plan? I have been watching The Bible series off the History Channel, it’s great. Last night I watched them nail Jesus to the cross and wept. I understand the Messianic symbolism to this, but cannot comprehend why. What was done to an innocent man is abhorrent and difficult to understand even with the knowledge of the need for a blood sacrifice.
For more fun look at 11:4, 11:7, 11:8, 12:10 and 13:7 to see if you can tie them into the story of Jesus. Also, see if you can find any others. I think this is the most fun in reading the Old Testament, when you see the reality of God’s plan!