ZECHARIAH: Hope for Exiles

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Bold & Humble Zechariah 6:9-15 And the word of the LORD came to me: 10 "Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12 And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both."' 14 And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 "And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God." This passage is the hinge that leads us from prophetic visions to prophetic oracles in Zechariah’s prophecy. Zechariah goes from seeing visions to now being called to perform a sign-act. The purpose of this sign-act is to show us that Jesus fits into no one’s box, but he invites us to fix into His. Big Idea: Jesus embodies the boldness & humility which shape His temple. 1. The Stunning Character of Jesus Zechariah 6:9-11 And the word of the LORD came to me: 10 "Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah. 11 Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Newly arriving exiles most likely with gifts and resources from king Darius are instructed to make a crown for Joshua the High Priest - this sign-act captures the essence of the central visions about Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the heir to the throne of David Zechariah 6:12-13 And say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of the LORD and shall bear royal honor, and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both." - this develops both the prophecy of Jeremiah and Zechariah’s earlier vision of the Messiah as the Branch: Jeremiah 23:5 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

ZECHARIAH: Hope for Exiles

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Zechariah 3:8–9 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. [9] For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. The Messiah embodies the offices of king and priest in contrast to all other kings and priests - King Saul was dethroned by God for offering sacrifices (1 Samuel 13:8-14) - David prophesied that the Messiah (the promised “Son of David”) would be both king and priest: Psalm 110:1–4 The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” [2] The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! [3] Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. [4] The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” - the most startling implication of this sign is that the Messiah is none other than God Himself since the Temple is God’s palace - the New Testament proclaims Jesus is the King of Kings (Lion of Judah) and the Great High Priest (Lamb of God): Revelation 5:1–8 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. [2] And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” [3] And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, [4] and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. [5] And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” [6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [7] And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. [8] And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. This sign depicts the paradoxical blend of boldness (Lion) and humility (Lamb) that make Jesus so beautiful Jonathan Edwards: “The lion and the lamb, though very diverse kinds of creatures, yet have each their peculiar excellencies. The lion excels in strength, and in the majesty of his appearance and voice: the lamb excels in meekness and patience, besides the excellent nature of the creature as good for food, and yielding that which is fit for our clothing, and being suitable to be offered in sacrifice to God. But we see that Christ is in the text compared to both; because the diverse excellencies of both wonderfully meet in him.” - He is the just and the justifier, the exalted one and the servant, the sovereign one and the gracious one, the holy one and the merciful one, the jealous one and the compassionate one - if we don’t know who Jesus is, then we don’t know who we are 2. The Growing Culture of God’s People Zechariah 6:14-15 And the crown shall be in the temple of the LORD as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. 15 "And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the LORD. And

ZECHARIAH: Hope for Exiles

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you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God." - the identity of Jesus is now the identity of His people Revelation 5:9–12 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, [10] and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” [11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, [12] saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” - the character of Jesus is what shapes the growing character of the church - He leaves His indelible shape to the culture of the church 4 Marks of the bold & humble culture of God’s people: - we grieve with hope 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. * “Hope for Exiles” draws on the boldness and humility of Jesus: to be in exile is to not have arrived (we are humbled), to have hope is to know that Jesus has arrived for us (we are emboldened) - quick to hear, slow to speak James 1:19–20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20] for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. - speak the truth in love Ephesians 4:15–16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. - faithful witnesses of Christ 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Big Idea: Jesus embodies the boldness & humility which shapes His temple.