Building God's House # 17: The Emblem of Suffering, Zechariah 13:7-9

Intro: What does the cross mean to you? For Christians the cross is the symbol of Christ’s sacrificial death to pay for our sins. It symbolizes Christ’s great love for us and reminds us of what He did on our behalf. It represents redemption, salvation, hope, & victory, and is a visual reminder of our faith and commitment. So powerful is the image of the cross that we hang replicas of the cross in our churches, on the walls of our houses, and even around our necks.

But could you imagine wearing a necklace in the form of a noose, a bullet, a hypodermic needle, or an electric chair- all common forms of execution that have been used in the U.S.That would just be gross, wouldn’t it? Yet the cross was a horrific form of execution, and we wear it unabashedly. Why? Because of what it means. Because of whom it symbolizes- our Savior Shepherd who was struck down on our behalf.

Zechariah 13:7-9, “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. 8And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: 9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’

There is an old song written by George Bennard- “The Old Rugged Cross”. In it, Bennard described the cross as “the emblem of suffering and shame.” We want to look at three aspects of the cross- the symbol of the Shepherd’s suffering, and of our salvation.

1. The Cross is a Symbol of DESERTION, vs. 7.

Notice that these verses are not like those around them. In your Bibles, each line is probably indented, setting them aside as something special. Whereas all of this is prophecy delivered by God through Zechariah, this is a message directly from the Lord, and it has a poetic quality to it.

The command is not to Zechariah, but to an inanimate object- a sword. The sword is personified, it is spoken to as if it had the same faculties as a human- “Awake,” or “wake up.” The sword is being used as a figure of speech to represent any instrument of death. And in this case, we know that it is representing the cross of Jesus Christ. How do we know that?

We know it because Jesus said so.In Matthew 26, after Jesus had celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the night that He was betrayed, the night before He was executed, after He instituted the Lord’s Supper for His followers, He and the twelve sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives, Matthew 26:31-32, Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

When Jesus took this Messianic prophecy upon Himself, He lay claim to the title of God’s Shepherd. Despite the disciples’ cries that they would never stumble because of Christ, or deny him, even if they had to die with Him, when Jesus was arrested, “all the disciples forsook Him and fled” (Matt 26:55).

“My Companion” can mean “man of my union” (JFB), “man who is close to me” (Bible Knowledge), “man who is my partner” (Cornerstone). This word only appears here & in Leviticus, where it refers to a neighbor, friend, or close associate; some even say that it can refer to a “near relative,”or “nearest kinsman.” These meanings make sense when you consider that the Man who is the LORD’s Companion, Associate, and Equal is His Son. Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30).

These close relationships are what makes the cross so tragic. Despite Christ’s union with the Father, when He was on the cross, He cried out with a loud voice- “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He felt the separation that sin brings between people & God. He was deserted by all His friends & felt abandoned by His Father.

Maybe you know what that feels like too. Perhaps you’ve had friends that deserted you because of Christ or had family members that cut you off because you are a Christian. On the cross Jesus prayed “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46),& if you are deserted by others, you must do that too. The cross is a symbol of desertion.

2. The Cross is a Symbol of TRIBULATION, vs. 8.

Based on the words of Jesus, we know we are looking at a Messianic prophecy, in fact this last section of Zechariah (9-14) is full of them. The Messiah is the most prominent theme in these chapters, but a close 2nd is the “Day of the Lord,” & these are closely connected to one another.

Because of the prominence of the phrase “Day of the Lord” or “in that day” (16 times in 44 verses), it is highly important to understand this text in light of the “Day of the Lord”. The “Day of the Lord” is a day of vengeance and judgment against God’s enemies but of vindication and restoration for God’s people. “The Day of the Lord” is an indefinite period of time that was inaugurated in the 1st coming of Jesus as Christ & will be consummated in the 2nd coming of Jesus as King. The “Day” signifies the beginning of the end. We have been living in the “last days” since Jesus ascended into heaven, this is why we say His return is imminent.

What the prophets saw were like mountain peaks, but they did not always see the valleys of time in between. We have that here. In vs. 7 we get a glimpse of the cross- the smiting of the shepherd & the scattering of the sheep, i.e., Christ’s disciples. The Lord’s hand turned against “the little ones” may refer to the persecution of Jewish Christians in the 1st century, OR to the dispersion of the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in AD 70. Various NT writers ministered to these Jews, e.g., Peter, 1 Peter 1:1, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia; James, James 1:1, James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.”

Vs. 8 may be telescoping the prophecy from the dispersion & destruction of AD 70 to the Tribulation that is the culmination of this present evil age. Notice the fractions- two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it… It’s been said that 2/3 of the Jewish nation perished in the Roman wars. It’s also said that 2/3 of the Jewish population died during the Holocaust.

The Complete Jewish Bible provides an alternative interpretive rendering of verse 8, it reads- “In time, throughout that land,” says Adonai, “two-thirds of those in it will be destroyed — they will die, but one-third will remain.”

Whether the text refers to one event, or to several events, or to the whole-time frame between the crucifixion of Christ & His 2nd Coming, I think the main point is that 1/3 will be left, i.e., a remnant will remain. Romans 11:5, Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. This remnant will be restored (vs. 9).

No matter what you believe about the who, what, when, or how of the tribulation, we have no right to believe that being a Christian will not cost us something. Jesus taught His followers they would have trouble- John 16:33, These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. The cross is a symbol of tribulation.

3. The Cross is a Symbol of RESTORATION, vs. 9.

Vs. 9 says that the LORD will bring 1/3 through “the fire,” fire signifies trials, persecutions, & tribulations. The “fire” acts as a rite of purification. Two illustrations are given- refining silver & testing gold.

ILL: Silver was refined through a process of breaking hardened rock, placing it in a fireproof melting pot, & subjecting it to intense heat. The silver would melt, the impurities (dross) were removed, and the process was repeated until the silver was pure.

ILL: Gold was tested in a similar process- fire was used to refine & purify it. Raw gold, mixed with impurities, was melted, & the impurities would rise to the surface, where they would be skimmed off. This process was repeated until the gold was pure.

God has always had a remnant that He has rescued from the fire. Romans 11:1-5, Isay then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

The LORD made a covenant with Israel to be His own special people, but they broke His covenant and lost their peculiar status with Him. Vs. 9 refers to a time when, after they are refined by fire, that relationship will be restored- They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

These phrases, “This is My people” and “The LORD is my God,” is covenantal language. E.g., It’s like me saying “This is my wife” & Becky saying, “This is my husband.”There is an intimate, covenantal relationship between the two of us that we don’t share with anyone else. The same thing is true of God and His people.

Even though Israel’s rejection of God's Messiah opened the way for us to become part of the people of God, now that Gentiles have been brought into the family, a way is opened for anyone who will turn to the LORD. Romans 10:12-13, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lordshall be saved.”

There can be no denying it, the Cross was a terrible thing, an extremely painful and horrific form of execution, the emblem of suffering and shame- a symbol of desertion, persecution, and tribulation, but that’s not all… The cross is a symbol of our restoration to God.

Our sin broke the relationship; our Savior restores the relationship. The Cross is the inauguration of the New Covenant promise that everyone who calls upon Christ receives a restored relationship with our Creator God. All we have to do, can do, is believe in His resurrection and confess His Lordship. Romans 10:9, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.