VISION #4 – THE SERVANT, THE BRANCH, THE STONE – PART 3 (Zechariah 3:8-10)
INTRODUCTION:
From the third chapter of Genesis when the coming Messiah was first announced and on down through the pages of the Old Testament Christ was the central theme, the truth of His coming was announced during every period of Israel’s history. First, He was promised to be the seed of the woman, then the seed of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob looked for Him because it was prophesied that kings would come from their father Abraham, and the ultimate King would be like Melchizedek, who was a king of righteousness and who was also a priest of God most high. Jacob declared that the Messiah would be a descendant of his son Judah. When God raised up David to be king over Israel, even more information was given about the Messiah, the Davidic covenant included promises about the Messiah’s future reign. When Solomon became king, his reign was a foreshadowing of the Messiah’s millennial reign in that Solomon had peace during his reign and the citizens of his kingdom dwelt under their own vine and fig tree. Even when the nation turned away from God and worshipped idols, the prophets remained faithful in declaring the hope of the coming Messiah. The prophets as well as other Old Testament writings demonstrate the centrality of Christ within the redemptive plan of God. The Messiah is the One who fulfills all history and theology, prophecy, and covenant.
Since Christ is so central to the theme of Scripture it is fitting that this theme is found near the end of Old Testament history, in the book of Zechariah, whose prophecy assured Israel that God remembers His promises. So, it is not surprising that at the very center of the Zechariah’s eight-night visions, God focuses on the central figure of redemptive history, His Son, the Messiah. We have already learned in this fourth vision that Christ is the One who intercedes for, cleanses, and restores His people. In these final verses of this vision the Lord makes very clear that this vision was truly about the Messiah. Let’s pray and then look at these last three verses.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Zechariah 3:8-10. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God and follow along as I read.
Zechariah 3:8-10,
“‘Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ” (Zechariah 3:8–10, NASB95)[1]
THE SIGN (Zechariah 3:8a)
After calling Joshua to take up his duties as High Priest, the Angel of Yahweh continued to speak, and they were words spoken with an urgency. He declared, “Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you.” (Zechariah 3:8a, NASB95)[2] This phrase “now listen” is an imperative to stop whatever you are doing and give your full attention to what is about to be said. The Angel of Yahweh used this phrase to underscore the importance of the truth He was about to reveal.
Those being addressed by the Angel of Yahweh were Joshua the High Priest and his friends who were sitting in front of him. At the beginning of this vision, Joshua was standing before the Angel of Yahweh and was depending on the Angel to intercede for him, and to cleanse him. Joshua needed spiritual transformation and the very righteousness of Christ. As the High Priest, Joshua was the leader of all the priests of Israel, having the distinct privilege, once a year on the Day of Atonement, to offer the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat in the holy of holies on behalf of the priesthood and the entire nation. In this vision, Joshua had been clothed by the Angel of Yahweh in garments of a royal priest to accomplish this role. As Zechariah continues to see this vision, Joshua was seen with his friends who were sitting in front of him. This word translated “friends” can also be translated “companions” to indicate someone who is a peer. These “friends” are not to be confused with the angels that were involved in this vision earlier. Those angels were standing before the Angel of Yahweh doing His bidding. But these mentioned here are sitting before or in front of Joshua. The implication is that these “friends” or “companions” are fellow priests, who like Joshua represented the people of Israel by the fact that they were mediators from God to the people.
The Angel of Yahweh shows the significance of Joshua and his fellow priests by describing them by the words, “indeed they are men who are a symbol.” (Zechariah 3:8a, NASB95)[3] The word “symbol” might be better translated as a “wondrous sign.” Which refers to a miraculous act or a mighty work of God, either in history or the future. It might also be called a type. A type is a person, place, thing, or occurrence in the Old Testament that prefigures a person, place, thing, or occurrence found in the New Testament called the antitype. A type is an example, a copy, a shadow, a pattern. A type is not the important thing, it is pointing to the important thing, the antitype. This scene portrayed a future reality related to Christ’s return and the establishment of His earthly kingdom. Joshua, clothed in pure and festal robes with a royal and priestly turban prefigured the ultimate Priest-King, the Messiah. He demonstrated that the Messiah will not only be the great High Priest, but also the ultimate King of kings. The Priest-King Messiah will be the culmination of all of Israel’s leadership, both royal and religious.
The men sitting in front of Joshua prefigured the day when Israel and its priests will sit before the Messiah in eager devotion and humble submission to Him. Just as the Angel of Yahweh had stripped away Joshua’s filth and gave Him new clothes so that he would be fit to serve, the Messiah will redeem the priest and the nation when He returns. In this way, Joshua standing in front of his fellow priests provided a type of the future antitype, the Messiah when He will save and sanctify His people Israel. The fellow priests are the type of the future people of Israel that the Messiah will redeem.
THE SERVICE OF THE MESSIAH (Zechariah 3:8b)
The Angel of Yahweh continued saying, “for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch.” (Zechariah 3:8b, NASB95)[4] With the word “for,” God was explaining that Israel will be cleansed and sanctified because of the Person and work of the Messiah. In the rest of this chapter, the Lord reveals wonderful truths about the Lord Jesus Christ, declaring, “…behold, I am going to bring.” The language of “behold” with the action of “I am going to bring” not only draws our attention to what the Lord is saying, but it also emphasizes the certainty and imminence of the Lord’s actions.
The Lord introduces us to His Messiah for Israel. In introducing Him, God used two titles. The first was “My servant.” Throughout Scripture, this title “servant” is used to refer to those whom God used in a special way to fulfill His purposes. This title servant was used to describe Abraham, Moses, Caleb, and David, all of whom were called God’s servants. But the ultimate usage of this title was in reference to the Messiah, especially in the book of Isaiah. The Messiah had the critical distinction of being the One who would accomplish God’s plan of salvation, by providing the perfect righteousness that God requires and that sinners desperately need. The servant of Yahweh would do this by offering Himself as the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. The title “My Servant” in Isaiah points to the crucial importance of the Messiah and His work of atonement, justification, and salvation. Because of His redemptive work, Israel could be cleansed, but not Israel only but any who would come to Him in repentance and faith.
The second title is “the Branch.” In the Old Testament, “the Branch” was used of the Messiah in four ways. First, the Messiah was called a Branch of David, which speaks of His place and position as King. Matthew picks up this theme and portrays Jesus as the King in his gospel. Second, this very verse her in Zechariah emphasized the Branch as God’s suffering Servant. The Gospel of Mark used this as it’s theme, portraying Jesus as God’s servant. Third, in Zechariah 6:12-13 the Messiah was called the Man whose name is the Branch, highlighting the Messiah’s humanity. The gospel of Luke emphasizes the Messiah as the perfect Man. Fourth, in Isaiah 4:2, the fact that the Messiah is God was declared in His title, “the Branch of Yahweh.” John’s Gospel portrays Jesus Christ as truly God and truly man. The rich theology that is found within this title “the Branch” can be seen in detail in the New Testament gospels.
Yahweh also called the Messiah “the Branch” because this title emphasized His incarnation and humility. Just as a branch sprouts from a plant, so the Messiah descended from the royal line as the lowly Branch. Though He is God, He would come as a baby. And as a humble, tender shoot, He would die for His people. The title “Branch” identifies Jesus as the humble, rejected priest, who would offer Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of His people.
With these two titles, God clearly declared the saving role of the Messiah. As the Servant of Yahweh, He would perfectly fulfill the work of atonement and justification. And as the messianic Branch, He would accomplish this salvation through His humiliation and sacrifice. He would give Himself up enduring the wrath of God against sin in the place of His people, to secure their eternal forgiveness, cleansing, and salvation.
THE SUPREMACY OF THE MESSIAH (Zechariah 3:9a)
The LORD continues to speak in the same urgent tone He had used as He began to speak wonderful truths about the coming Messiah. After speaking of Him as God’s Servant and as the Branch, the LORD gives the Messiah another title. He says, “For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes.” (Zechariah 3:9a, NASB95)[5] The stone is another common Old Testament title for the promised Messiah. Earlier Joshua stood before the Angel of Yahweh, the preincarnate Messiah. Here God says that the stone was set before Joshua, in this position were the Angel of Yahweh was indicated that the stone is the Messiah.
As I already noted this title was used for Christ both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. In Isaiah 8:14 the Messiah was called a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Later in Isaiah 28:16 He was called a stone of refuge. For those who rejected Him, He was a stone of stumbling, but for those who embrace Him in faith, the Messiah became a stone of refuge. This title also pertains to the Messiah’s sovereignty over the nations. In Daniel 2:24-35 and 44-45 the Messiah is described as the stone cut without hands that smashes the Gentile world powers. In the New Testament this title “stone” relates to the Messiah’s role in the church as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
As the great High Priest, the Messiah is called the stone because He makes His people a temple or a sanctuary, for which He serves as the foundation. The prophet Isaiah explained that the Messiah is both Israel’s sanctuary and its stone. In Isaiah 8:14, Isaiah wrote, “Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 8:14, NASB95)[6] Later in Isaiah 28:16, he wrote, “Therefore thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.’ ” (Isaiah 28:16, NASB95)[7] In much the same way, Psalm 118:22 declares, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.” (Psalm 118:22, NASB95)[8] The Old Testament declared the Messiah to be the foundation of Zion and even its central structure, the temple. Both Paul and Peter described our Lord as the cornerstone of believers who are built up into a temple for God as our Scripture reading declared this morning. In Zechariah’s day, the people were struggling to rebuild the temple. With the title ‘the stone” Zechariah reminded the nation that the Messiah will not merely build a temple but that He will make His people the temple, the very dwelling place of God. All this takes place only because the Messiah the stumbling stone was first rejected but then exalted as the cornerstone.
In this vision, God also said that on that one stone are seven eyes. The symbolism of seven eyes refers to God’s omniscience, that He sees and knows everything perfectly. The stone with seven eyes reveals two truths for us that will be made more clear in the next night vision. The truths are that the Messiah is God Himself, all-knowing and all-seeing, and that He is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah describes a sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit with the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-2). The book of Revelation also makes this association, describing the Messiah as, “And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.” (Revelation 5:6, NASB95)[9] This sevenfold anointing shows that the Messiah is the ultimate and unequalled great High Priest and King of Israel. As such, the Messiah is authenticated and empowered by the Spirit of God to accomplish His mission as the stone, to make His people a holy sanctuary.
THE REDEMPTION OF THE MESSIAH (Zechariah 3:9b)
God continues to describe the stone, and again uses the word behold to draw attention to the work that God promised to do through the messianic Stone. The LORD of hosts declares, “Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it.” (Zechariah 3:9b, NASB95)[10] During the history of Israel, a craftsman engraved the names of the tribes of Israel on two stones of the High Priest’s uniform. These engraved names symbolized the High Priest’s role as mediator for the nation. In the same way, God declared that He would engrave on Christ, the Stone, the names of the elect to show the certainty of their salvation. Paul made this clear in Romans 8:30 where he wrote, “…and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:30, NASB95)[11] The redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ is particular. The names of the elect are engraved on His heart, and He will secure their salvation by an unbreakable chain of redemption.
So, in the future, Christ will accomplish the full deliverance of those He came to save. Yahweh of hosts further revealed to Zechariah, “…and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” (Zechariah 3:9c, NASB95)[12] The word translated “remove” means complete elimination, while the word “iniquity” not only refers to one’s wrongdoing but to all the guilt and harmful consequences that result from sin. Just as the Angel of Yahweh cleansed Joshua from His filthy clothes and iniquity, so in the future Yahweh will erase the stain of sin from His people. God’s purifying work will be so great that even the land will be cleansed, a point on which the next verse elaborates. Such atonement does not come by Israel’s merit or accomplishment; rather, God explicitly stated that He (“I”) will take away the transgressions of His people, accomplishing their salvation solely through the Messiah’s priestly work of sacrifice.
This redemption will take place in one day, God said. The basis for this great salvation is what God did in one day at Calvary, when the Lamb of God took away the sins of the world. But the specific “one day” that God describes here is described in even greater detail in the prophets and later in the book of Zechariah. This will be that day when the nation that rejected their Messiah looks on the One whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son (Zechariah 12:10). Zechariah declares, “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” (Zechariah 13:1, NASB95)[13] While there have been thousands of festival days in Israel’s history, there will be one day in the future when the entire nation, every Jewish person within the surviving remnant, will be saved. That will be the greatest single day of Israel’s history. On that day, it will be unmistakably clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is the One depicted in this passage; the Servant who perfectly fulfills God’s promises, the Branch who suffered and died for sin, and the Stone who mediates for His people and makes them into a dwelling place of God.
THE RESULTS OF THE MESSIAH (Zechariah 3:10)
“In that day” builds upon the previous verse, it refers to a day in the future when Israel will repent, believe, and be forgiven. At that time, God will not only grant forgiveness but also provide all the blessings of salvation. Those wondrous benefits will come through the atoning work of the great High Priest, the Messiah.
“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ ”” (Zechariah 3:10, NASB95)[14] To invite his neighbor is to call them to have fellowship and join in celebration. The description tells us that the Israelites will be at peace with one another and with the nations around them. This has not been the case throughout Israel’s history. But when the Lord Jesus Christ returns and establishes His earthly kingdom, Israel will experience lasting tranquility with no more enemies. They will enjoy peace and fellowship with one another and with other nations. This peace and joy will not only characterize the nation as a whole but will also be experienced by each person individually, by every one of you. When the stain of sin is removed from Israel, and the Prince of peace rules the world, the earth will enjoy true peace.
This verse states that a man will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and his fig tree. This was the phrase used during the golden age of Solomon which was characterized by peace and prosperity on both a national and international level. This sitting under a man’s own vine and fig tree is a symbol that all is at peace. The same is true in Zechariah, the use of vine and fig tree anticipates a future time of renewed creation, a time that will surpass the golden age of Solomon. This will take place during the millennial kingdom when One greater than Solomon will reign and rule, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ and such peace and prosperity will only be possible because of Christ’s priestly work for His people, by which He removed their sins and reconciled them to God.
CONCLUSION:
Zechariah’s fourth night vision showed to Israel a spectacular drama focused on their great High Priest. Though Satan is relentless as an accuser, Christ stands always ready to intercede for His people. Christ secures His people’s justification because He has cleansed them and clothed them in His righteousness. The Messiah is no ordinary priest, he is the Servant, the Branch, and the Stone. As the God-man, He is both divine and divinely empowered. And as the perfect Priest-King, He is able to redeem and reign. In the middle of these eight visions, God focused the attention on the most important figure of history. By featuring the Messiah as the centerpiece of Zechariah’s visions, the Lord emphasized that Christ’s saving work is at the center of God’s redemptive plan. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ secured salvation not only for His people in the nation of Israel but also opened the way for each of us to come to Him in repentance, believing that He died and rose again on our behalf, and we will be forgiven. If you are already forgiven, know that your name is engraved on the Savior’s heart.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.