Zechariah 3 and 4
Good morning. The scripture lesson for today is taken from Zechariah 3 and 4.
The scene in Chapter 3 is centred around Joshua the High Priest, one of the key leaders during the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. The other key leader in that time is Zerubbabel, the Governor of Judea, and he is the focus in chapter 4. Both of them were instrumental in the rebuilding of the Temple.
With this as the backdrop, let us get into the text.
God is forward-looking
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”
This is a vision, so we do not need to fuss over details like how come Satan is in God’s presence. The heart of the scene is Satan making accusations and God having none of it. “Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” In other words, I am aware of who he was but now he is a man who has been saved; that is all that matters.
This is something that we need to take to heart. A few weeks ago, someone texted me, likening himself to Judas and agonising over how he had mistreated his then girlfriend. He was not sleeping well and his studies were affected. My response was that it is good to mourn the past but God’s attention is on the present and the future. The past must only affect us in that we learn from it. We cannot change the past and so we must trust that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient and God has no interest in revisiting our sin. God says that our sin has been dealt with and that is all that matters. Lingering guilt is from Satan.
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
Angel, angel of the Lord, the Lord—there is no need to make fine distinctions. They all point to God. “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
Paul puts it succinctly: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Joshua had no part to play at this point. It is God who has taken away his sin and God who removed his filthy clothes and God who will put fine garments on him. In other words, it is God who has done the necessary to bring us to a fresh start.
We often excuse ourselves as lacking in strength, lacking in spirit, lacking the capacity to grow into Christ. Such thinking is wrong because it implies that God could not or would not do a good job in us. As we look to the next part where Joshua is told what he must do, it would be terribly wrong for Joshua to turn around and tell God, “No, I am not able to do what you ask”. God has made all things new and we should take this truth to heart and move forward in faith.
Walk in obedience and righteousness
The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”
What should we do with the new life that God has blessed us with? The answer is clear: walk in obedience and righteousness. If you walk this path you will reach the destination God has prepared for us. This is the way. When we fail, when we fall off the path, and we know we will, we pick ourselves up and return to the path that will lead to God. Satan will accuse us but God has already forgiven us.
Let me emphasise the simplicity of what God requires of us: Over time, Christian life can get very complex and we are often inundated by different messages as to what we need to do—evangelism, mission, bible study, prayer, social concern, Sunday School, CG. The material to prepare baptism candidates is a fairly thick book and quite daunting. We need to understand that all of these are avenues for us to live in obedience and righteousness. Fundamentally it is as we walk in obedience and righteousness that we will enter into the life that he has saved us to be.
The Branch
The rest of the vision in chapter 3 tells us how God can so freely forgive: a servant will come and through him sin will be wiped clean.
‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.’
The most logical interpretation is that “The Branch” is Christ. What is clear is God declaring that he will remove the sin of the land in a single day. The work of Christ in the future allows God to wipe away the sin of Joshua and save him from the fire.
Let us then move on to chapter 4. It begins with another vision that Zechariah saw but rather than explaining the vision, the angel went on to pronounce 2 oracles. We will examine those two oracles and then return to the vision.
Small things
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”
Remember that Zerubbabel was the Governor and, the way I see it, dealt with matters of security, finance, personnel, and resources. If Joshua is the clergy, then Zerubbabel is the laity.
“Might” is about force, like the might of an army. It could also refer to wealth that can get things done. “Power”, in this text, is more about abilities and even intellect. Both might and power then is about the human capacity to make changes.
But God now says that real change is going to come through him and not through human ingenuity and strength.
We can be clever and interpret the text to mean “not my own power but the power of the Holy Spirit.” I think, however, we should understand the text to mean that this is not God’s modus operandi. This is not his style. God’s greatest act is his Son sacrificed on a cross; can we then say that his church will triumph through the display of power and might?
Unfortunately, there is a strong desire in the modern church for might and power. We sing of the mighty name of Jesus—“what a powerful name it is”; “your name is power”; we celebrate the success of numbers and wealth; and we invoke the power of the Holy Spirit onto our circumstances. The church is often marketed in terms of power, leaving in the dust the picture of a man crucified.
I draw the lesson from Elijah’s experience in 1 Kings 18 and 19.
Elijah went head on against Jezebel’s prophets of Baal and challenged them to call on their god to rain down fire and burn up a sacrifice on Mount Carmel. They failed while he succeeded and then proceeded to invoke God’s judgement, killing the false prophets. The power of God was on full display. However, nothing changed, the country did not suddenly turn to God Almighty in repentance, and Elijah subsequently had to flee for his life.
Elijah became depressed and discouraged and God took care of him and then showed him in a vision that he is to be found, not in the strong wind, not in the earthquake, not in the fire, but in a still, small voice, a gentle whisper. When Elijah claimed that he is all alone, God told him that he has 7000 men who have not turned to the false god, Baal.
The spirit of man is not moved by might and power. Quietly God was at work.
If not might and power to effect change and realise the will of God, then what? In God’s eyes, faithful men. What God seeks is often not what we think is significant.
“If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”
The power of a changed life lived in obedience to God. I believe that God primarily wants us to express our faith in obedience and righteous living, rather than in big accomplishments and successes. This, I believe, is the way. Yet we hanker after big, showy efforts.
And then we read in the second oracle in chapter 4:
Then the word of the Lord came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
Small things. Zerubbabel was only the governor of a vassal state; no real power. He was not a priest. Yet God stood behind him and his seemingly small efforts that others looked down upon.
The teaching of our Lord Jesus also emphasises this truth: In the parable of the talents, the commendation of the master is this: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
In the allegory of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25)
Small steps, so small that they didn’t even mean much to the sheep. Yet Jesus recognised them.
On the other hand: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7)
Our eyes are often fixated on big and showy accomplishments. We are enamoured of gifted and charismatic men and women who can accomplish much. And we overlook the small, humble people, on their knees in prayer. Remember the woman who gave two copper coins. Do we understand God’s perspective? Do we know what he truly seeks in us? We long for God to mightily revive us and establish his presence with signs and wonders, but we fail to heed his word to walk in obedience and righteousness. We seek the storm, but he is the still, small voice.
Two: The clergy and the laity
We return to the vision that Zechariah saw in the beginning of chapter 4:
“I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”
Some of us may remember in Revelation the vision of Jesus walking among seven golden lampstands which are the seven churches. In chapter 3, God told Joshua, “then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.” My house and my courts, my church, my work. I think, broadly, this is what the golden lampstand represents.
Finally, at the end of the chapter, after the oracles, Zechariah asked again about the vision, this time zooming in on the two olive trees and then further to the branches there.
Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?” He replied, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I said. So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”
Who are these two? I think, within the context, they point to Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel the Governor, the two key people involved in the rebuilding of the temple. The two supply the golden oil to the lampstand; they serve the Lord of all the earth and contribute to his work.
But, however you interpret the vision, you have to note the repeated word “two”. Why two?
I think that the vision implies that both Joshua and Zerubbabel have their place in serving God; therein the emphasis on two. The clergy (Joshua) cannot claim superiority but the administrator (Zerubbabel) cannot sideline the clergy; both serve the Lord side-by-side.
Many modern churches have pastors who act like the CEO of the church. This, I believe, is a bad mistake. No doubt there are occasions that necessitate a one-man-show but I believe that prolonging such a situation would be detrimental.
Peter, in responding to complaints about fair food distribution, had this to say:
“It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6)
The clergy’s core responsibility is spiritual. They are Christ’s under-shepherds and they represent him to the congregation; not to lord it over others but in word, deed, care and concern, they show to us all what it is like to follow Christ; they embody Christ to us. Nothing is more important. Unfortunately, modern churches demand their pastors to serve the tables—to officiate meetings, to resolve disputes, to spearhead initiatives, to organise and motivate the congregation; you get the drift.
On the other hand, the laity is not seen as equal and so they play a subordinate role and leave everything on the Pastor’s desk. Or, they take the role of the CEO and sideline the clergy’s focus on the spiritual as impractical and focus their attention on strategies and programmes to shape the congregation into their vision of a successful church.
Zechariah’s vision is one of complete harmony: two trees, one is not the other, but both focused on serving the Lord of all the earth. Pastors and laity, both playing their role for the glory of Christ who is the head of the church.
The pastors are not here today to listen to this sermon and so, perhaps, God intends this message for all of us to consider how we can give space to our pastors to fulfil their calling and encourage them as they focus on their spiritual ministry in prayer, in love and care, and in drawing us deeper into God’s truth so that we may walk in obedience and righteousness.
We should also consider how we as laity can fulfil our role in God’s house as well, not in might or power, not in grand gestures or the latest church growth strategy, not by throwing money around, but in the expression of our own spirituality, yielding to the Spirit who fills us all and obey our Lord’s command to love one another and the Scriptural imperative to love our neighbour.
Let us pray.