Zechariah 13

Last week we looked at how Jesus is the Good Shepherd that Zechariah predicted and that He was rejected and killed just as Zechariah said. This week we look at a couple more fulfilled prophecies from Zechariah.

Preaching in 520 BC, Zechariah predicted a great future for Jerusalem. He wrote: “The Lord will again comfort Zion and choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 1:17). He predicted a coming King who would be a Good Shepherd.

Prophecy: When the Shepherd is struck, the sheep will scatter (Zechariah 13:7).

Fulfillment: Jesus quoted this verse to His disciples and warned them they would fulfill it. They tried to avoid fulfilling it, but they did! (Matthew 26:26-35, 55-56, 69-75). … This is where Peter’s infamous three denials before the rooster crows experience comes in

Prophecy: On the day the Shepherd is pierced, a fountain of cleansing will be opened in Jerusalem (Zechariah 13:1).

Fulfillment: When Jesus was pierced with a spear, there was a flow of blood and water (John 19:34). The fountain of cleansing is the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7; Revelation 7:13-14). … The idea of blood being a cleansing agent is a bit disgusting until the history behind it is understood. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were told by God to sacrifice animals as a way of cleansing them of their sin. This is because, as Paul put it, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and that wage must be paid. In the Old Testament, it was paid for by the animal sacrifices. Now we have the perfect sacrifice of Jesus who died “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10) so that we don’t have to keep offering sacrifices. … Sin is like stains on clothes. Some are harder to get out than others. We tend to hold on to guilt for some things. This is a limitation we put on ourselves. The blood of Christ will clean even the most stubborn sin stains if we simply apply it. Part of that process is forgiving yourself and letting go of the sin. … Sometimes we hold on to stains that may have been caused by someone else’s sin. We keep bringing it up and holding it over them. Let the blood of Christ cleanse that stain too. Forgive the person and let it go. … Forgiving doesn’t mean you forget the sin. That’s a whole other sermon though.