I Am As Righteous As Jesus Christ
Zechariah 3:8b
"Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch." (See also Jeremiah 23:5 - Isaiah 4:2)
The Stump:
The shepherds of God's promises have been destroying and scattering God’s sheep. God’s anger is aroused by the “evil doings” of the descendants of King David. Four kings, each failed in his duty to “execute justice in the morning and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed” (Jeremiah 21:12a). These self-serving shepherds had allowed the Baals and pagan wickedness to overtake their flocks. Injustice, inequity and oppression have become the way of the people and now it shapes the very behavior of God’s people. His Divine judgment is presented as a necessary response to this intolerable situation. God almighty employs powerful enemies to conquer and destroy them. He pours out his wrath on the kingdom and scatters them off into exile. But God almighty is a just and merciful God, and in all his anger he assumes the role of shepherd personally and he vows to “gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them” (Jeremiah 23:3). And God announces a divine house-cleaning, and a “regime change” in Judah. A pouring out of his Spirit that will flow uninterrupted. And the Executive Branch that God promises is a fullness of righteousness reigning through Jesus Christ, the good shepherd for us all. Not only was God going to punish the bad leaders and provide better leaders, He was going to ultimately assume the role of the Chief Shepherd, the righteous Branch.
The Branch:
Here the anticipated Messiah is named the righteous branch, not only because he himself was righteous, but because he would make his own people righteous. Through his service he will gather to himself the exiles from the four corners of the earth, and sustain that united remnant kingdom. And he will be the fulfillment of all of God's promises.
“‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’” - Luke 1:32-33
Not only would God’s Righteous Branch come from the lineage of David and rule rightly, He would also bear fruit, and the Spirit of God would rest upon Him. And he comes to serve, ["my servant"].
John 10:11
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
The Sheep:
The returned exiles looked like any others, just ordinary people who had suffered and struggled like ordinary people do. But nothing about them was ordinary. God had set them apart as his people, they were the apple of his eye. Everything in their lives down to their daily struggles was very much part of God’s purpose. They were called to serve God’s purpose in this world as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a people belonging to God. They were in a position where their lives were not their own, but God’s, and for that reason they would face hardship and persecution. Satan will accuse them and make war upon them. He will send wolves among them to scatter and isolate them. He'll corner them in fear and devour who he can. Whatever their fate, they had to make the best of their lives for the glory of God. And the Father sends his Son, the Good Shepherd to watch over them. He protects them in faith and by the words of life. Their song of life and death is written in him. He is the door into sheepfold. In him they have life.
The Vision:
What Zechariah is witnessing here is none other than the high holy priest of Israel, Joshua. And by his side is the Branch, none other than the Angel of the Lord whom we know to be the Pre-Incarnate Christ! And yes, Satan is also there, always accusing and stirring up controversy. And the High Priest is wearing “filthy clothes”, his own humanity, literally meant to express the idea that he was covered in shit. Not merely his own unrighteousness, but representative of all humanity. He was literally covered in the stench of human depravity. And the Branch replaces that filthy cloak with his own righteous robes and crowns his head in a clean turban. He's cleaned him up. He's cleaned up his body and cleaned up his mind. This is the ultimate Holy and Righteous spa day. But I think it's critical to see that the High Priest is given a clean mind. His reality is no longer distorted. His mind is no longer confused by the filthy humanistic nature of the world that acts like a hallucinogen altering the thoughts of the people. God is covering him and purifying his mind. And making him righteous. God does that! The Branch does that.
God the Father rebukes Satan...completely shuts him down! Tells Satan to zip it. And he promises his righteous servant will come soon to serve as the Branch by which all God's people will be grafted into his kingdom. He promises all who are in Him will be saved from this filthy mess. Only The Branch is worthy and capable of removing our filthy sins.
How does he do so?
By shedding his own blood and giving his own life on the cross; He does so by rising from the dead as the Son of the living God (Romans 1:4); He does so by his ascension to highest heaven to take his rightful place at the right hand of the Living God to become the Judge of all. And he does so by the faith we put in him, confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing it in our hearts (Romans 10:9).
What Did Zechariah Witness?
I'm going to finish this devotion by letting the Apostle Peter explain what the prophet saw...
Peter told them: “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is ‘The stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone’. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’” (Acts 4:10-12)
...what Zechariah saw in his vision is the gospel you and I have heard and received by faith, for faith is the only way we can receive it, and experience it, and live it. The Lord who spoke in a vision to Zechariah and who spoke to Joshua the high Priest, also speaks to all of God’s people, or to anyone who would follow Christ. The message goes out for everyone’s cleansing. You need to be cleansed. I need to be cleansed. You need to get into heaven, I need to get into heaven, so we all need to accept Christ who loved us enough to die for us. And remember this vision when you're getting to thinking that you're not loved by God. You're not only loved, you're made righteous, as righteous as Jesus Christ.
God bless you and keep you now and forever.
Amen.