When the Messiah comes, he will bring safety and stability to God’s people.
Read: Zechariah 9: 16 and 10: 2-4
The early church picked up two images that were fulfilled by Jesus in this part of Zechariah’s prophesy: the image of the good shepherd who rescues and cares for the sheep, and the image of the stone that was rejected by the builders but became the cornerstone, the source of stability for the whole building.
The image of the good shepherd is introduced in stark contrast to the shepherds that are currently supposed to be caring for the flock. It was a direct attack on the record of the actions of the spiritual and secular leaders of the nation of Israel at the time Zechariah was writing. God promises that because the people have been so let down by their leaders that he will come in person to care for his people.
In the New Testament this theme is picked up in John 10, where Jesus, “the good shepherd” cares for his sheep to the point of giving his life for them, to rescue them and give them security.
The image of the stone is a powerful one at this time, when the Temple was being rebuilt. The cornerstone was the most important stone upon which the strength and stability of the whole building depended.
Unfortunately, even though the Temple was rebuilt, its spiritual foundations continued to be as weak as the spiritual leaders in the nation. Jesus got pretty upset at the way the Temple was being misused when he visited Jerusalem towards the end of his life on earth. Eventually, in 70 AD the Temple was demolished by the Romans, never again to be rebuilt.
Jesus, however, the Messiah rejected by his own people went on to build not an alternative temple building but a “living temple” made up of everyone, both Jews and non-Jews who chose to follow him. The apostle Paul writes, in Ephesians 2:17-22,
“He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. [18] Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. [19] So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. [20] Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. [21] We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. [22] Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”
Do I always resemble Jesus, the good shepherd, in my relationships with others, or do I sometimes ill-treat people or use them selfishly for my own ends? Take a serious look at yourself, and ask for forgiveness and God’s help to do things differently. Maybe apologise to the person or people concerned…