“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as ones mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
- Zechariah 12:10
There was a day, practically with not a cloud in the sky, but there was a storm of shouts. Crowds formed along the streets out of Jerusalem, following the trail of blood left behind by a man condemned. Beaten, cut up, and bleeding Jesus carried the cross and was led away to the place of the skull. Then He was pierced, first in the wrists, then in His feet, and one final time to ensure He was dead and gone, right through the side. Then sudden darkness went across the land, and the storm turned into the muffled mourning of Mary.
As we read Zechariah 12, it's hard not to picture Jesus when we get to verse 10. But before we jump straight to the messianic references, Zechariah wouldn’t have known about Jesus. Yet, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t picture the salvation coming through a king in Jerusalem. Instead, they get a different, apocalyptic image.
Jerusalem vs. Everybody:
Honestly, that sums up the first 9 verses pretty well. God with relaying to Zechariah imagery of the nations coming against Jerusalem. Granted, it's probably not everyone, but the surrounding nations in their time consisted of a lot of major world powers; Egypt, Greece, and Persia to name only 3 that they would have in mind. Let alone all the other smaller middle-eastern nations that have had beef with the Israelites since before they were known as Israelites.
God relays to them that they would not be defenseless. Instead, God is going to strike their enemies and the enemies' horses as if they spent the whole night drinking, they would be staggering if they even attempted to fight. The enemies would be blinded while God promises He would never close His eyes on Jerusalem. It’s not even about the Israelites fighting, it's about God protecting His people.
When the apocalyptic part ends though, we get to verses 10-14 and a great sea of mourning.
Jesus:
I know that while we have walked through Zechariah and last year we did Acts, sometimes it can feel that On Beautiful Feet is just another devotional that engages with Scripture. Yet, as I remind myself, I also want to remind you, On Beautiful Feet has always been about sharing the Gospel of Good News and Peace as expressed in Isaiah 52:7. These devo’s regardless of the book or chapter try to point there, and Zechariah 12, makes no exception as it shares more graphically the future messiah and even to an extent the mourning of Mary and the disciples.
Jesus is the only way for grace to truly come. While God could do whatever He wanted and get rid of sin, He chose a unique route and one where He is consistent. Any of the what-if scenarios that we make up would ultimately change who God is and how He has chosen to act. Grace through the piercing of Jesus, which provides it endlessly, literally a grace without limitation, is so mind-boggling to us that we find ways to weaken Him and His grace for us. We trade out what God has done with what we would do, and that is like piercing Christ yourself.
Jesus however allows for the pouring out of grace and is God’s plea for humanity to accept the mercy that is offered. Only when we realize the extent of what Jesus has done for us, and the fullness of what He offers, do we then look at the cross and mourn because of His death that should have never needed to happen. Yet, He did so anyway and in the fullness of love for us.
God too mourns the death of His Son. Often, we portray God as emotionless, or if there is any emotion it's anger. That may be true of the fictional gods in comics and books but the real God is full of compassion and grace. Jesus is mourned like when people mourn for the death of an only child and a firstborn.
Those two categories used poetically are also mentioned elsewhere about Jesus. Not only is He the One and Only Son of God but further He is described as the First-born of all creation! (Sidebar, theologically speaking the Son has always existed, there was never a moment that the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit existed without each other, they are One.) How I think of it though is this, that since the Son was born in human flesh, that is God’s child, His Only and since the Son has always existed and has authority over all He is the first or prime of all creation.
It’s critical that we mourn His piercing, and that we mourn our sinfulness, but never allow shame to keep us from the grace that is offered through His death. It truly is difficult to understand the extent of His grace. He has done for us what no one else could or even wanted to do. We would start measuring it out, maybe we would die for some people, but all? Have you ever hated someone? Chances are you wouldn’t die for them. We need Him outpouring.
We need to share the Good News now, yet there will be such an outpouring of grace and God Himself pleading for mercy on our behalf there will be people who come to Him that we never would have thought could. Because His grace is incomprehensible.
Final Blessing:
So go off and do good for those around you. Do the unexpectedly good thing to where other people question why and you can share with them the Good News and Peace that comes from Christ. The only Son and first born, pierced so that we may be saved.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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