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Blessings! Yujin

AI-Expanded Reflection

This entry is an administrative note, but it sits beside a reading worth mentioning. Zechariah 8–14 contains some of the richest messianic prophecy in the Minor Prophets: the king who comes "humble and mounted on a donkey" (9:9), quoted at Jesus' triumphal entry (Matthew 21:5); the thirty pieces of silver thrown to the potter (11:12–13; Matthew 27:9–10); and the promise that "they shall look on me, on him whom they have pierced," with mourning and cleansing to follow (12:10; 13:1; John 19:37). Zechariah ends with the vision of a day when "the Lord will be king over all the earth" and even the bells of the horses will be inscribed "Holy to the Lord" (14:9, 20) — ordinary things made sacred.

That last image is a fitting frame for a housekeeping post. The work of maintaining a website so that others can read Scripture safely is ordinary work, and Scripture treats such service as genuinely offered to the Lord: "whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Colossians 3:23).

God will pour out on David's house and Jerusalem "a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy," so that when they look on Him whom they have pierced, they will mourn as for an only child (a paraphrase of Zechariah 12:10).

Zechariah looks forward to a time at the end when the people of Israel, whose leaders rejected their Messiah and handed Him over to be crucified, will recognize the great wrong done to Jesus Christ and enter a period of deep mourning. This event is also described in Revelation: "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him" (Revelation 1:7).

On that day, they will recognize the error. When Jesus was condemned, the leaders who handed Him over thought they were on God's side. They thought Jesus deserved death for blasphemy, because He claimed to be God. But they will see that He was indeed God. That is why Zechariah prophesies, "they will look on me, on him whom they have pierced," with God as the speaker, even though the verse immediately shifts to the third person — "they shall mourn for him" — which foreshadows Jesus, the God-man, the second person of the Trinity. In a sense, God Himself was pierced. And the man Jesus was pierced.

What is more, they will realize that the Messiah was pierced not for His own sins but for theirs. Jesus had no sin. He paid the price for the sins of others who would put their trust in Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted; "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities"; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed (a paraphrase of Isaiah 53:4–5).

The prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah concerning the crucifixion of Christ are referenced in John's Gospel. One of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water; the one who saw it has borne witness, and his testimony is true, so that you also may believe. These things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," and again, "They will look on him whom they have pierced" (a paraphrase of John 19:34–37).

Zechariah's prophecy is wonderfully comforting. Even though Jesus was rejected, we recognize that God used His death for our salvation — even the salvation of us Gentiles. And praise God, I believe a time will come when the people of Israel as a nation will have their eyes and understanding opened, so that they too will recognize Jesus as their true Messiah.

Friends, let us remember that it was for our sins that Jesus died: "he was pierced for our transgressions." So we too should be deeply moved with conviction and daily filled with thanksgiving for the great salvation in which we stand by faith. Praise the Lord!

AI-Expanded Reflection

Zechariah 12:10 is one of the most remarkable verses in the prophets precisely because of the shift the comment notes. God speaks — "they will look on me" — and then the verse continues, "on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him." The mourning is compared to grief over an only child or a firstborn, the deepest sorrow a parent could know. And it is produced by God Himself: "I will pour out... a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy." Repentance is God's gift before it is the people's act. The next verse promises a fountain "opened for the house of David... to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness" (13:1).

The New Testament applies the verse both to the crucifixion (John 19:37) and to Christ's return (Revelation 1:7). Christians hold different views of how Zechariah 12 will be fulfilled — some, like the comment, expect a future national turning of Israel to Christ (often linked with Romans 11:25–26), while others see it fulfilled as Jews and Gentiles together come to faith through the gospel. Throughout the history of the church, it has been important to say plainly what the comment says at the end: responsibility for Christ's death belongs to all humanity, for "he was pierced for our transgressions." Peter preached the same at Pentecost, and three thousand Jewish listeners responded in repentance and faith (Acts 2:36–41).

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).

Remember, Zechariah is a contemporary of Haggai, and both of them prophesied words of encouragement to a fledgling post-exilic community in Jerusalem, who struggled to finish the rebuilding of the temple. Once finished, it looked disappointing compared to the former glory of Solomon's temple. They were still subjected to foreign powers and without any fortifications against the hostile nations that surrounded them. But Haggai reminded them that God was with them, as they trusted and obeyed Him. Zechariah also encouraged them with great promises of redemption and glorious restoration, which would even exceed their former glory.

In the verse cited above, God promises to open a fountain that would cleanse the people of God from their sins and their impurity. This verse stands in parallel to the promise of Zechariah 12:10, which describes the nature of the fulfillment:

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

This verse alludes to the crucifixion of the Messiah. He would be the One "whom they have pierced." Interestingly, God declared first that "they will look on Me". This is a personal reference to God. Yet, in the very next breath, He declared "they will mourn for Him." I see here a Trinitarian reference to the God-Man Jesus Christ.

And what is the "fountain" of Zechariah 13:1 that cleanses from sin and impurity if not the fountain of the blood that would flow from the hands, and feet and side, where the Lord Jesus was pierced. So the apostle John would write,

The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

So also the writer of Hebrews would declare,

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).

Now, the promise of forgiveness and cleansing in Christ, though experienced by the church now, will not be fully embraced and experienced by the Jewish nation until the time of the end. Note, that Zechariah prophesied that they will mourn for the one that they had pierced. His prophecy looked upon the crucifixion as a past event, so that they would realize what they had done after the fact, even long after the fact.

The nation of Israel still has not acknowledged to this day that Jesus is the Messiah. But one day they will, and they will mourn bitterly when they recognize that they crucified the very Messiah that was the center and pinnacle of all their hopes and desires:

And they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves (Zechariah 12:10–14).

The prophecy declares that there will be a bitter and great mourning over Christ. What is more, they will not simply mourn as a nation, but they will mourn as families and individuals as well, as every person embraces personal responsibility for putting their Savior on the cross.

I believe this will fulfill the prophecy of Paul in Romans 11:

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25–26).

This explains why the nation does not yet recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Revelation alludes to the prophecy of Zechariah as well:

Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him (Revelation 1:7).

Friends, we Gentiles have been given a very privileged opportunity to become members of the family of God. We are experiencing what the Jewish nation still does not see. Though ours is still a hope awaiting completion, we, nevertheless, have this glorious awareness of our redemption in Christ. Let us not let our concerns over the trivial difficulties of this life overshadow our witness in our incomparably great hope.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1 belong together because recognition of wrongdoing and provision for cleansing are both gifts of God. The Spirit of grace and supplication precedes the mourning, and the opened fountain answers the need that mourning acknowledges. The passage does not describe people producing an adequate quantity of sorrow in order to persuade a reluctant God to forgive. Divine grace makes honest recognition possible and provides the cleansing that sorrow alone cannot achieve.

The change between looking toward “me” and mourning for “him” in Zechariah 12:10 has prompted significant interpretive discussion. Christian readers connect the verse with Jesus especially because John 19:37 cites it at the crucifixion. That apostolic application is firmer ground for the connection than treating the pronoun shift alone as a complete proof of the Trinity. The doctrine depends on the wider biblical witness to Father, Son, and Spirit. The verse can contribute to that witness without being made to carry the whole argument by itself.

The fountain image concerns cleansing from sin and impurity. In Christian theology, Christ’s blood names his life given in sacrificial death, not a mechanical property of a physical substance. First John 1:7–9 joins cleansing to walking in the light, confession, and God’s faithfulness. Hebrews 10:10–18 emphasizes the sufficiency of Christ’s offering. Together they offer more than relief from a guilty feeling: they describe an objective saving work that enables truthful life before God.

The author expects a future widespread turning of national Israel to Christ. Romans 11:25–32 is central to that interpretation, while other Christians understand “all Israel” differently. Paul’s own purpose must remain explicit in either reading: Gentile believers are warned against arrogance. They stand by faith and depend upon the root that supports them; they do not possess a naturally superior insight that justifies contempt (Romans 11:17–24). Hope concerning Israel should therefore produce humility, prayer, and gratitude rather than religious triumphalism.

The language of responsibility for the crucifixion needs equal care. The New Testament identifies particular actors and also places the cross within God’s saving purpose (Acts 4:27–28). It does not authorize inherited personal blame upon Jewish people born centuries later. Jesus, his apostles, and the earliest believers were themselves Jewish. Christian confession that Christ died for our sins should deepen universal self-examination, not provide a religious rationale for hostility toward another people.

Zechariah’s movement from collective to household mourning also resists merely borrowed repentance. A community’s public statement cannot substitute for personal acknowledgment where an individual has done wrong. At the same time, personal repentance need not deny communal patterns that require repair. The practical response is to welcome both truthful sorrow and the cleansing God supplies, then let that grace shape relationships. The opened fountain gives hope precisely because exposed sin is not the final reality: God intends a people made clean enough to live in his presence and humble enough to receive others through mercy.

These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the Lord (Zechariah 8:16–17).

Friends, there is much about the Messiah in the latter chapters of Zechariah, which I encourage you to investigate on your own; however, today, I would like to consider these instructions to the returning exiles. After telling the returning exiles to build the temple again and offering them protection from the nations so that they would not be completely overrun again, God encourages them to focus on the following things as they seek to regain the LORD's favor:

1. "Speak the truth to each other": This reminds me of what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4, "Speak the truth in love." For better or worse I have taken this principle to heart. While political correctness might be used with unbelievers, this should not be the case with believers. We should speak freely and frankly with one another without bitterness or fear of reprisal. Otherwise, we become no different from the world.

2. "Render true and sound judgment in your courts": Again there is an appeal to truth. It is when decisions are based on wrong principles that they become destructive. The soundness of judgment speaks of the integrity of the truth. In other words, is the truth based on worldly principles or the revealed Word of God? This reminds me of Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 4: "Do not go beyond what is written."

3. "Do not plot evil against each other": It is not merely the deed that is in focus here but also the intent. God instructs against plotting evil. Evil thoughts and plans should not even enter our hearts and minds. The New Testament in many places echoes this command and extends it further by teaching us to love one another as Christ loved us, and even to love our enemies. Rather than doing them evil, we are commanded to do them good.

4. "Do not love to swear falsely": Once again the instruction returns to the matter of truth. Normally in Hebrew things that are mentioned three times indicate not only emphasis but chief importance. This latter command parallels the first. So, the first command, "Speak the truth to each other" is written negatively: "Do not lie to each other." It would remind the reader of the command in the Decalogue (i.e. "Ten Commandments") "You shall not bear false witness." Jesus and the apostles would also reaffirm this principle in the New Testament. Moreover, the way this command is expressed here makes it very relevant to our times. It reads, "Do not love..." If we read this, "Do not love to lie," it may sound a bit harsh, but it could also imply "Do not love to make promises that you know you cannot or will not keep." As the elections are just around the corner, politicians feel the pressure to make any number of promises, most of which they likely will not keep. The Bible teaches against this. As politicians continue to do this, the people's trust in government will continue to erode. And as the leadership is, so the people often become. People's trust in one another will also erode. As this happens, the society will inevitably self-destruct as everyone turns on one another. This is why Paul writes to the church: "If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other" (Galatians 5:15). The church is not immune from this type of self-destructive tendency. Let us be watchful of ourselves.

Finally, friends, TODAY is the last day to register to VOTE for the 2012 presidential/congressional elections. If you have not registered, shame on you! You have taken for granted the freedoms we have in this country. The more we fail to exercise this freedom, the more society will suffer spiritual and moral atrophy under abusive and inept leadership. Yes, God is in control, but we are all accountable for our actions. We are not called to hasten the end through passive disengagement. We are called to be light (gospel herald) and salt (moral compass) to the world.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Zechariah 8 places these commands within a promise of restoration. God announces his intention to do good to Jerusalem and Judah, then describes the kind of common life that fits that promise. Truthful speech, sound judgment, refusal of malicious plotting, and integrity in oaths are not techniques for manipulating divine favor. They are the practices of a people being restored to fellowship with a truthful God. Grace creates a future in which the community must learn to live differently.

The judicial setting gives the commands particular weight. Decisions at the city gate affected property, reputation, vulnerability, and access to justice. A false statement was not merely a defect in personal politeness; it could deprive another person of livelihood or protection. Likewise, plotting evil describes the inward planning that precedes outward injury. The passage therefore joins institutional integrity with the motives of individual participants. A community cannot maintain just procedures if its members cherish deceit, and personal sincerity cannot compensate for procedures that systematically silence the weak.

The original’s emphasis on frank speech is useful, but truthfulness should not be confused with saying every thought without restraint. Ephesians 4 joins truth with love and speech that gives grace to hearers. Candor can become a cover for anger, just as tact can become a cover for evasion. The test is whether the words are accurate, necessary, and directed toward the other person’s good. Gentleness is not a form of dishonesty, and believers owe truthfulness to unbelievers as well as to one another.

The claim about threefold repetition in Hebrew should be qualified. Repetition can create emphasis, but there is no universal rule by which any three related statements establish a fixed hierarchy of importance. Here the actual convergence of speech, judgment, and oaths makes truth a clear theme without requiring such a rule. The concern about promises also applies beyond politics: churches, families, and workplaces depend on people stating honestly what they can and intend to do.

The closing voting reminder belongs specifically to the original 2012 setting and should not be read as a current registration deadline. Its broader appeal is for responsible participation rather than passive disengagement. That application should avoid equating one civic act with the whole measure of a person’s devotion. Zechariah’s demands reach every day: refuse a convenient falsehood, correct an unfair account, keep a commitment, and make decisions that can withstand truthful examination. Such ordinary integrity helps restore the trust without which neither a congregation nor a wider society can flourish.