A Sermon by Rev Alexander McPherson
Zechariah 6:12,13. And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the Man whose name is The Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord: even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
The symbolic visions given in Zechariah, chapters 1-6, were given to people who needed them. The returned exiles soon realised that the rebuilt temple would be nothing like the old. The work was halted for 13 years and, when it was resumed, there was little heart for it among the people. So Haggai and Zechariah were sent to stir them up. Zechariah’s first four chapters were for the encouragement of the godly. The house would be finished and made glorious by the Messiah (Zec 4:9, Hag 2:7). Chapter 5 was a warning to the worldly, and in chapter 6 there is a return to the subject of the temple and the Messiah.
Some Jews had come from Babylon bringing offerings to help with the temple. Zechariah was to go and take part of the precious metals, make crowns, and set them on Joshua’s head, saying, as he did so, the words of our text. The act was symbolic, the words prophetic. At the first return from Babylon, Joshua was the high priest, and Zerubbabel, a prince of David’s line, was the civil leader and representative of the kingly office. Now, in what Zechariah did here, there is a prediction that the Messiah would be both a priest and a king. That held out great hope for needy sinners. It holds out hope to us in our day of small things.
1. This description of Christ. From the first, the prophecies of Christ had related to a man. He was to be a descendant of Eve, Abraham, Judah and David. When Christ did come, His humanity was no surprise to the Jews. It was His deity that perplexed them and His mission as He described it, in contrast to their preconceptions. So this command to “behold the Man” presented no difficulty.
The name “Branch” did. It was a familiar enough name, for Jeremiah had used it twice when speaking of Christ (23:5,6; 33:15,16). What did the name mean though? A still earlier prophecy by Isaiah explains it: “There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Is 11:1-5,10). So, long before the throne of David decayed, God’s
1Notes prepared by Mr McPherson for preaching. He was latterly the minister of the Perth congregation.
messenger foretold its being cut down to the roots and, from that unpromising condition, the Messiah would spring up as a Branch that would grow up to earth-shadowing majesty and grace.
Encouragement here for the poor, cast-down Jews in their day of small things! It is ever on such a day that the Lord begins to work. Let the temple, inferior though it will be, be built, and its courts will be honoured by the Branch, who will proceed to build a greater temple still. Just as this temple was anything but grand at its first appearance, so the Messiah will be lowly at His first appearance. And in both cases great things will follow.
Are God’s people discouraged today? Do they see the Church contracted and weak? Let them ask whether there have been precedents. Of course, there have been. We have just referred to two, and there are many others in both Old and New Testament times. Ask then if all the predictions of Christ’s coming have been fulfilled. And are there not other prophecies about our New Testament era still to be fulfilled? Yes, our poor day is but one episode in the whole era. Take heart and take heed to what our text says.
2. The offices Christ discharges. Not only was the person of the Messiah a matter of interest to Israel, but also the offices He would discharge. In prophetic Scripture, three offices were linked with His name. He was to be a Prophet like Moses (Deut 18:18,19); He was to be the Priest of Psalm 110 and the King of Psalm 2, in the line of David. Now, priests and kings could also prophesy (in particular, they could teach), but never had the offices of priest and king been combined. Uzziah and Saul had tried, disastrously. But this prophecy says that in Christ they are combined – “a priest upon His throne”.
We cannot tell how much of this fact was understood in Zechariah’s day, but we know that the Jews of Christ’s time, including the disciples, failed to grasp it and connect it with His sufferings and glory (as Priest and King). When Paul came to explain Christ more fully to Hebrew Christians, he directed their minds back beyond Moses and their national religion to Melchizedek and showed that he was a wonderful type of Christ and was a priest and king.
What Zechariah foretold came true. Christ was and is a Priest. Men know that they need a priest; that is why priests are found in all ages and places. Men are conscious of sin and the distance it has put between themselves and God. So they have used mediators, human priests, to sacrifice and intercede, to represent them in worship and to be channels of divine blessing.
In Old Testament times this was done in some cases at God’s command, and in many more cases in defiance of Him in false worship. In these New Testament times, many heathen still use priests, and Romanism has made use
of this idea. But God has declared that Christ is now the only Priest, who by one sacrifice for sins for ever has redeemed God’s elect. For them He finished transgression, made an end of sins, and brought in everlasting righteousness (Dan 9:24). Christ, the Branch, is a Priest, a Great High Priest, the only true, efficient Priest.
You need this Priest. Has He absolved you from all your sins? Have you gone to Him guilty, defiled, helpless and lost? Or are you putting off going? Or do you feel that there is no need? Remember that, if we say we have no sin, we make God a liar (1 Jn 1:10). There is but one Priest; beware of unbelief and of hardening your heart.
But Christ is also our King, a Priest on a throne, a crowned Priest, a Priest with a sceptre. Because He has atoned for sins, He “is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb 8:1). There He rules the universe. In His providence He orders events so that the individuals He redeemed will be effectually called, sanctified and kept. He rules the nations for the sake of His Church, and that includes days of small things. As Priest He intercedes for His people and as King He blesses them. Well may they say, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom 8:33,34). Is He your priestly King?
In this combination of offices, the Saviour has all the power He needs to give effect to the scheme of redemption (“the counsel of peace”). Through faith in Him, His people are justified and at peace with God. Thus He has made peace on their behalf and has given them peace and will give them peace for ever. Is He doing this for you? If not, what will become of you?
3. The work Christ is doing. Twice we are told: “He shall build the temple of the Lord”. It is not a temple of stone; He stated that such a temple would be thrown down and implied that it would never be rebuilt. No, His temple would have men for the stones, built upon Himself, the chief cornerstone. “Upon this rock will I build My Church.” “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
Remember that this was said to disheartened men engaged in rebuilding a ruined temple. They were thus encouraged to think that, whatever deficiencies there might be in their own work, the Messiah’s work would more than make up for them.
In fact there would be no comparison. Christ’s building, being spiritual, would be real and eternal. The spiritual sanctuary would make a real dwelling place for God; and while He was adored and praised by many hearts, these hearts would be rested and satisfied as is no other way.
Christ has been, and is, building. He is making sinners willing to have Him as their Saviour, to be taught, redeemed and ruled by Him. The moment they close in with Him, they become part of the holy temple. Have you closed in with Him? Do you know “the Man whose name is the Branch”, who though He was rich, became poor and a curse and lifeless and lay in a grave, to atone for sins and gain an eternal throne? I do not ask whether you know about Him, but whether you know Him as Saviour and love Him as the King of glory. To lack this knowledge will result in Him denying knowledge of you.