Minor Prophets 11: Zechariah

Sermon Outline

Through Apocalyptic Imagery, Zechariah unveils Christ.

I. Zechariah writes in the symbolic style of apocalyptic literature.

II. An example is the image of the woman in the basket.

III. But easier to see is how our King riding into Jerusalem depicts Christ conquering our enemies.

IV. Even the last dark chapters of Zechariah promise us God’s peace in that humble king.

Sermon

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Let your hands be strong, you who in these days have been hearing these words from the mouth of the prophets who were present on the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, that the temple might be built.” (Zech 8:9)

I’ve discovered the Better Call Saul TV series on Netflix. It’s the gripping, suspense-filled story of ne’er-do-well lawyer Jimmy McGill. Each episode is full of twists and turns and flashbacks to Jimmy’s childhood and fast-forwards to his future. It keeps your head spinning.

And as if each episode isn’t enough to make you dizzy, Better Call Saul is actually the prequel to Breaking Bad, in which Jimmy shows up as a minor character. But interestingly, Breaking Bad was filmed first, even though it’s actually the sequel. Confused? I know I’ve been confused as I watch the program.

It’s also how I sometimes feel as I read Zechariah. Much of that confusion is because Zechariah is written in a style of literature called “apocalyptic,” and apocalyptic literature always deals in mystery. Ultimately, though, the purpose of apocalyptic literature is to reveal the mystery—in the case of Zechariah, to reveal the most important mystery:

Through Apocalyptic Imagery, Zechariah unveils Christ.

I.

Zechariah is number eleven of the twelve minor prophets and a contemporary of Haggai. His name means “Yahweh Remembers.” Zechariah did his work during the reign of Darius, king of Persia; Zerubbabel, governor of Judah; and Joshua, high priest in Jerusalem.

Zechariah’s ministry takes place from about 520 to 480 BC, and maybe a little later. Like Haggai, Zechariah exhorts the people of God to rebuild the temple that was torn down when they were exiled. He also encourages them by saying Yahweh will bless them if they “will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” (Zech 6:15).

If you’ve read the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, you’ll immediately see similarities to Zechariah. Revelation, too, is apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic means, literally, “to pull away the cover,” or “to unveil.” It’s a way of writing that hides from unbelievers what the writer really means but is supposed to be understood by believers. Basically, the message of apocalyptic Scripture is that the good guys, those who love and serve the Lord, win. The bad guys, those who don’t love and serve the Lord, lose.

But though believers are supposed to understand and be encouraged by apocalyptic Scripture, it’s written in highly symbolic terms. Zechariah has visions of different colored horses, horns, angels, lampstands, flying scrolls, chariots, thrones, crowns, and even a woman in a basket. You’ll find some of the same images in the Book of Revelation. The number 7, the number of perfection, shows up often as well.

If you lived when Zechariah’s apocalyptic Scripture was written, it would probably make more sense to you than it does today. A good Concordia Commentary and study Bible can help you figure it all out. We can’t go into all these visions in a short sermon, but let’s look at one of them. You can tell how times have changed from Zechariah’s day to ours by his vision of the woman in the basket.

II.

An angel shows Zechariah this vision in chapter 5. “What is it?” Zechariah asks (v 6). The angel explains that in the basket is all the wickedness in the land. The heavy lead cover is lifted, and inside is a woman. The angel pushes her head back down and closes the lid. Then two women with wings like storks come along and fly off with the basket. They take it to a new temple in Babylon, where they set it on a pedestal for idols.

I find it interesting that all of the wickedness in the land is symbolized by a woman, not a man. Maybe that’s because in Genesis, Eve is tempted by the serpent, and she in turn tempts Adam. Since she’s the one who started it all, maybe that’s why Zechariah puts a woman in the basket, closes the lid, and calls her Wickedness. And where is she taken? To Shinar, an old-fashioned name for Babylon, a city known for its idolatry and wickedness, a fitting place to dump the mother of original sin.

If you were a prophet writing in our day, there’d be a huge outcry if you used a woman to symbolize wickedness. It just wouldn’t be tolerated. So who or what would you put in the basket as symbolizing everything wicked today? And to what symbolic place would you send it so it could be disposed of? Would your symbol of wickedness be a politician or an entertainer or a corporate leader? Would you dump that symbol of wickedness into Hollywood, Beijing, or maybe Washington, DC? I’d love to hear your answers.

Many apocalyptic texts in the Old Testament are seen by Christian theologians as being fulfilled in Christ and the Church. So maybe this vision of the woman in the basket represents the sins of the world. God gave this burden to Jesus, who carried it with him to the cross and the grave. All the sins of the world, including yours and mine, were left behind and gone for good when Jesus rose from the dead. You and I are freed from this burden and washed clean when we are baptized and joined by faith to the risen Christ.

III.

Much of Zechariah is read and understood this way by Christians. Otherwise, it just becomes an interesting and rather strange book that was relevant for his day, but that day is gone. And if that were true, his book wouldn’t be very helpful to you and me. But our church accepts the whole Bible as the Word of God, and we believe the whole thing has meaning and applies to us in every age.

That’s why we can read words like those in the ninth chapter and immediately see how they apply to us and our faith in Jesus as the Christ and Savior. Here’s a very familiar prophecy:

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.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall speak peace to the nations;

his rule shall be from sea to sea,and from the River to the ends of the earth.

As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

today I declare that I will restore to you double.

(Zech 9:9–12)

In the context, just prior to these words, are warnings of judgment on Damascus, Tyre, Ashkelon, and Ekron. After them are warnings of destruction against the Greeks. None of this seems immediately relevant to us. But the promise of a humble king coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey rings a bell. That, of course, is Christ entering Jerusalem, and then the temple the next day, in triumph.

But what about that other stuff we usually don’t read? Zechariah’s readers would be glad to know their traditional enemies of the past, and the new one coming over the hill, the Greeks, would all be defeated and Jerusalem and God’s people would one day dwell in peace and safety. But none of that happened in the near future for them.

So was Zechariah wrong? No! For God’s faithful people in every age, these names of local and regional enemies become symbolic of all the enemies of God and his kingdom. And what are our true enemies? Not Gaza, Damascus, or Greece. Rather, our true enemies are sin, death, and the devil. Christ, our humble King, conquered them all at his cross and the empty tomb. Because of Jesus Christ, no enemy anywhere is a threat to God’s people. Christ has won the battle for us. In Christ,

the chariot [is cut off] from Ephraim

and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

and he shall speak peace to the nations;

his rule shall be from sea to sea,

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

(Zech 9:10)

IV.

If you should decide to sit down and read Zechariah, prepare to scratch your head in confusion from time to time. The first small section makes great sense. Then there’s a long section of strange visions; we talked about the woman in the basket. There are hopeful and encouraging promises to Joshua the high priest as he continues to lead the rebuilding of the temple. There are assurances of blessing to Jerusalem and the people.

Then, in the last couple of chapters of the book, the tone suddenly changes and things become dark and threatening for Jerusalem. What’s going on? I think Zechariah is like a shoebox full of old snapshots. A few are in order, others not. The photographer took all the pictures but didn’t necessarily organize them chronologically. Maybe that’s what we see in Zechariah. Or maybe the last few chapters refer to the last of the Last Days and the coming of Christ at the end of the world. That, of course, will be a very sad day for unbelievers and the ungodly. But for the faithful, it will be wonderful.

In chapters 13 and 14, we read frightening words directed against the false prophets and enemies of God. We’re told that two-thirds of the earth will perish and only one-third of the earth will be left alive. What about that one-third? Here’s what Zechariah says:

And I will put this third into the fire,

and refine them as one refines silver,

and test them as gold is tested.

They will call upon my name,

and I will answer them.

I will say, “They are my people;”

and they will say, “The Lord is my God.”

(Zech 13:9)

This isn’t a threat; this is a promise of salvation! God’s people, those who welcome Jesus, their humble King, and obey his voice (Zech 6:15), have nothing to fear but will dwell securely in Jerusalem, the city of God’s peace (Zech 14:11). For, in words you may recognize as the text of a beloved Lenten hymn, “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” (Zech 13:1). “There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins, And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stains” (TLH 157:1). Even in a book of apocalyptic literature, that word of Christ is clear!

We pray: God, help me welcome Jesus as my King and Savior. By faith in him, forgive my sins. By your Spirit, help me obey your word. Then, when I see his face, welcome me into your heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.