In part one on this series of posts on Zechariah 3, we looked at the history and time frame in which this vision was given to Zechariah. In case you need refreshing, this vision is given at a time when the Israelites are being returned to the land promised to Abraham, and they are rebuilding the walls and the temple, as well as the city of Jerusalem.
As Jesus Himself says, He is the One whom people who study Scripture seek to find, and He is the one who is the ultimate fulfillment of all Scripture. So, when we read something like this, we ask ourselves, how do we see Jesus here? And in this case, there are several distinct things that point us to Jesus. First, and perhaps foremost, is the position of Joshua. He is the high priest. He is the one who speaks to God on behalf of the people, who intercedes for them, who makes sacrifice for them. While Joshua himself served in that role, we also see that every person who has held such an office was also pointing to the One who truly fulfills the role, that of Jesus.
It's also interesting to note that Jesus (in Hebrew, Yeshua) and Joshua are essentially the same name. You could say that the difference in their names is like the difference between an adverb and a participle. The name Jesus carries the meaning of one who saves. The name Joshua carries the same meaning. The one who fills the priestly role is one who saves God's people. In the case of human high priests, they do so through offering sacrifice on behalf of the people. In the case of Jesus, He does so through the sacrifice of His very own life.
That points us to an important way in which we also see Jesus in this vision. Joshua, the high priest, is given new clean robes in place of the filthy garments he was wearing. Satan's accusations against him revolved around the fact that Joshua was a sinful human being. But in being given new garments, he is being clothed in Christ Jesus, and in His righteousness.
That event took place, as we hear in this chapter, in basically a single day. Perhaps this carries the meaning that it will happen rather quickly, though the possibilty that it refers to a specific single day can also be applied. That day would be the day in which the ultimate sacrifice was offered, by the one who is the Branch from the stump of Jesse. In a single day, that which we call Good Friday, Jesus took the sin of the land and removed it. He carried it in His very own flesh and blood into death, that its sting and guilt might die.
Very few visions or pictures from the Old Testament paint as vivid a picture of Jesus as this one. While it points to Jesus, it also carries deep meaning for us, as we will reflect on in this next post on this chapter.
As Jesus Himself says, He is the One whom people who study Scripture seek to find, and He is the one who is the ultimate fulfillment of all Scripture. So, when we read something like this, we ask ourselves, how do we see Jesus here? And in this case, there are several distinct things that point us to Jesus. First, and perhaps foremost, is the position of Joshua. He is the high priest. He is the one who speaks to God on behalf of the people, who intercedes for them, who makes sacrifice for them. While Joshua himself served in that role, we also see that every person who has held such an office was also pointing to the One who truly fulfills the role, that of Jesus.
It's also interesting to note that Jesus (in Hebrew, Yeshua) and Joshua are essentially the same name. You could say that the difference in their names is like the difference between an adverb and a participle. The name Jesus carries the meaning of one who saves. The name Joshua carries the same meaning. The one who fills the priestly role is one who saves God's people. In the case of human high priests, they do so through offering sacrifice on behalf of the people. In the case of Jesus, He does so through the sacrifice of His very own life.
That points us to an important way in which we also see Jesus in this vision. Joshua, the high priest, is given new clean robes in place of the filthy garments he was wearing. Satan's accusations against him revolved around the fact that Joshua was a sinful human being. But in being given new garments, he is being clothed in Christ Jesus, and in His righteousness.
That event took place, as we hear in this chapter, in basically a single day. Perhaps this carries the meaning that it will happen rather quickly, though the possibilty that it refers to a specific single day can also be applied. That day would be the day in which the ultimate sacrifice was offered, by the one who is the Branch from the stump of Jesse. In a single day, that which we call Good Friday, Jesus took the sin of the land and removed it. He carried it in His very own flesh and blood into death, that its sting and guilt might die.
Very few visions or pictures from the Old Testament paint as vivid a picture of Jesus as this one. While it points to Jesus, it also carries deep meaning for us, as we will reflect on in this next post on this chapter.
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