Good Friday - Zechariah - April 10, 2020

Yahweh Remembers – Good Friday

Part 1 – The Day

“Today’s the day.” We’ve all heard that sentence before. Our reaction to it depends on the day we’re talking about. Usually, we express our feeling on certain days with our tone and emphasis. If you’re going to the dentist’s office, you might say, “Today’s the day.” If you’re about to head out on vacation, you might say, “Today’s the day!” Birthdays are one of those days where you might get two different reactions, typically depending on the person’s age. A little kid obviously loves to hear their parents say, “Today’s the day! Your birthday!” Someone who’s turning 50 might have a different reaction. I think we’re all waiting to hear. “Today’s the day – the end of our lockdown.”

In our last Midweek Lenten service, Pastor Libby talked about “that day” from Zechariah 13:1, as compared it to another memorable day in our nation’s history. Today is the day that God talked about in that verse - Good Friday. This day, a couple thousand years ago, the fountain of spiritual healing and forgiveness was opened by God as His Son gave His life upon the cross. I wonder, what is our reaction to that day?

Before we answer that, consider this. Zechariah 13:1 is not the only reference by Zechariah to this day. In fact, Zechariah, often speaking directly for God, singles out a particular day 20 times in his book. All but three of those references come in chapters 11-14, with six present in chapter 12 alone.  

As we track the usage of “that day” through the context of Zechariah, there’s a consistency between chapters 12 and 13. We look at what God recorded about this day through His prophet because it helps us better see and trust what Jesus did on that day.

So, starting in chapter 12, what would happen on “that day” according to Zechariah?

·       God will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples (v.3). – People would resist Jerusalem. The world would find the inhabitants of Jerusalem offensive.

·       God will strike every horse with confusion and the rider with madness (v.4). – The enemies of God’s people would be conquered.

·       God will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile. They shall devour the peoples on the right and left (v.6) – Again, God’s people will be protected, their enemies defeated.

·       God will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem (v.8)

·       God will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (v.9) – Summary for the third time (protection for God’s people, disaster for God’s enemies).

·       There will be great mourning (v.11). This verse makes direct reference to the place where King Josiah was killed in battle. The book of 2 Chronicles tells us that there was great mourning in Judah when that happened.

·       A fountain will be opened for sin and uncleanness (13:1)

·       Idols will be cut off (13:2)

·       Prophets (false) will be ashamed (13:4)

The turning point in this context on “that day” is the servant who was pierced by the people in v.10 – the only Son, the firstborn. This is most clearly speaking of Jesus, who has God incarnate, yet also subject to pain, punishment, and death at the hands of sinful men. Like many of the other Old Testament prophets, and especially with the Messianic prophecies, there is a message about both the present and the future. Zechariah’s words about “that day” would fit with the original readers as God sought to protect His people, literal Jerusalem, from their enemies. But the magnificence of these prophecies is that they also apply to believers – to us, spiritual Jerusalem. God protects us today from threats to both body and soul. God shames the enemies that oppose His will on earth. And every promise given hinges on the work of Christ on the cross. Because the only Son was pierced – God Himself, the fountain is open, idols are discarded, and false prophets are exposed. And we, who both brought our Savior to the cross and who benefit from His mercy displayed thereon, can on this day gaze once more upon the one whom we pierced.

This is a day of great sorrow as we consider the enormity of what it meant for Jesus to suffer and die in our place. It is also a time of repentance and humility as we recognize that this sacrifice is not relegated to an event in a history, but it is something that continues to impact our lives today. The death of Christ has been given and accomplished, but the results and the application for you are eternal. The cross never fades from relevancy and therefore never can be obscured or overlooked for those who truly trust in Jesus. The fountain of forgiveness was unlocked on “that day,” but it remains open today and we need it daily just as much as any other generation or people.

Like any other Christian funeral, we gather today not simply to look back at what was, but to look forward to what will be. This is why “that day” in Zechariah eventually shifts of thoughts to the final day of our Lord’s judgment. As Jesus saw His destiny with complete clarity throughout His ministry, so also the believer sees the end of all things with the eyes of faith. We keep a constant finger on the pulse of eternity, knowing that there is more to life than this world. God has put that both in our hearts, but also in His Word.

And so, Zechariah’s final chapter begins by stating, “Behold the day of the LORD is coming!” You see, Good Friday is always inseparably connected to the Final Day. Jesus died upon that cross to bring you more than just hope and peace in your heart, but an eternal home in heaven. He said as much to His disciples as He approached Calvary, John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

“That day” for Zechariah was both the day of Christ’s death and the day of God’s eternal deliverance for you. With the crystal clarity of inspiration, Zechariah was blessed to speak of this day and now you and I are blessed to hear of it again this Lenten season.

So what is your reaction to “that day?” Do you think of it with great joy and enthusiasm, knowing your Savior’s love; or are you filled with somber melancholy, seeing once again the great cost your sins incurred? Well, like many other days, it depends on the perspective that you look from. But, instead of focusing too intently on your own reaction, perhaps it’s better to see Christ’s, as our reading from last weekend reminded us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NASB).

Let there be no doubt about what Jesus thinks of you, and how He regards “that day” on which He made you His own. In our second message, we will dig deeper into that special love of Jesus.