March 19, 2017 Temple Baptist Church, Jamestown, ND
TITLE: THE KING, THE SHEPHERD, THE SON, Zechariah 9:9; 13:7; 12:10; Mark
14:26-31 (Necessary Suffering #3)
A couple weeks ago Pastor Kalen, Fred, Kristy and I were privileged to attend a
Spiritual Formation retreat at Crystal Springs Camp. Our presenter, Kent Carlson, led
us to begin to consider what is behind our behavior, the dark self. This was not some
psychoanalysis, but more of a spiritual wrestling to understand ourselves and why it is
we respond in the ways we do. One question that stood out: Why do I have a Level
8 response to a Level 2 infraction? What is going on in me? Where is that coming
from? Can I be quiet before the Lord and think through my life, pausing to reflect on the
significant things that I remember? Do I live out of the absolute joy and security of my
true self as God’s child in Christ, or do I live out of some other motivation, my false self?
Throughout the weeks leading up to Easter we are examining passages in which the
gospel writers quote various OT scriptures as being fulfilled in Jesus’ suffering.
Frequently the words are used that the suffering Jesus endures is necessary to fulfill
God’s plan.
I don’t know anyone who wants to suffer. If someone does, we may label that person
as mentally ill. But how many of us avoid suffering because we tacitly believe that
suffering is wrong? We begin to realize this when we listen to the things for which we
pray.
Our focus must begin with Jesus. Today the central part of the message will be on a
short account in Mark, where Jesus quotes from Zechariah. We will surround that part
by two other references where Zechariah is quoted.
I encourage you to check out a message I shared here two and a half years ago:
August 31, 2014 in a series I did that summer, Minor Faith, Major Problems. The
message title was The King Is Coming, an overview message on Zechariah.
Zechariah seems to be one of the favored OT prophets quoted in the NT, especially the
gospels and Revelation. Pastor Kalen examined a couple references last week as they
related to Judas’ betrayal and his ultimate end.
When Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem the day we call Palm Sunday, we read that the
people welcome Him as Messiah, using the words of Psalm 118. How does He enter
the city? (Audience) On a young donkey which had not been previously ridden. Read
Matthew 21:1-11. John includes a similar account, quoting from Zechariah 9:9. Read
Zechariah 9:9-10.
•
Welcome the King Who came and is coming!
John and Matthew both see Jesus’ entry on the young donkey as a fulfillment of
Zechariah’s words. But typical for Zechariah there is a near fulfillment and a
fulfillment that points to a time yet future for us. Verse 10 speaks of a future peace,
a shalom, that is for the future return of the King.
Zechariah, one of the later prophets, is influenced by earlier prophecies. One seems to
be Jacob’s enigmatic prayer blessing his sons just before he dies. In his prayer for
Judah he says, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, not the ruler’s staff from
between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the
peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has
washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.” Genesis 49:10-11
Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem on a young donkey is recognized by the people as a
Messianic sign. Zechariah refers to Him as righteous, victorious (literally, the one who
has salvation), humble. Implied, although not quoted, is the next verse in Zechariah
that says He will bring peace to the nations.
Welcome the Righteous One, our Savior, the humble King Who brings peace to all who
will submit themselves to His rule.
•
Don’t let your failure cause you to forget our Shepherd, our Hope.
The second reference from Zechariah is one that Jesus quotes. Let’s look at the
account in Mark. Read Mark 14:26-31. It would appear from Luke and John that Jesus
shares these words while the disciples are still with Him in the upper room. Mark’s
focus is more on the topic, rather than the actual sequence of events.
Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7, part of a larger section in which God Himself strikes down
His shepherd, leading to the scattering of the flock, the little ones. In Zechariah there is
a refining process that happens with the death of the Shepherd. Many turn away, but
“those who call upon My name, says the LORD, I will call ‘My people,’ and they will say,
‘The LORD is my God.’” (cf. Zechariah 13:9)
John records that Peter is crushed by Jesus’ words that the disciples will abandon Him,
that he personally will deny three times that he even knows Jesus. Every time Jesus
mentions His death it seems to put the disciples in a fog. They are so shocked by
these words, that He the Messiah will die, that they do not hear what else He says.
In John Jesus talks about the necessity of His going away to prepare a place for them,
that He will come again, that He will send the Spirit to be with and in His own to guide
and empower so that they will not be left as orphans.
I began the message referencing how our false self often is behind our beliefs, our
actions, the way we see God, others, ourselves.
Imagine with me that you have been with Jesus for three years, night and day,
listening, learning, living. You were there acclaiming Him as King with the others. You
were with Him as He drove out those buying and selling in the Temple, effectively taking
over the temple courts, verbally fencing with the priests, the keepers of the faith and the
leaders of the people. No one can match His wisdom and words. The tension is
building between Jesus and the leaders, but also within your close group. Some
think they should be first. You share together in the sacred Passover remembrance.
One of your group leaves. Jesus, Who called Himself the Good Shepherd, now quotes
from Zechariah that the Shepherd will be killed, that it is part of God’s will that He be
killed and the flock scattered. Then He says they will fall away, all of them. He says
something else, but all you hear is His words that you will abandon Him. Doesn’t
He know that you have given up everything to follow Him? Doesn’t He know that you
have pledged your loyalty to the end?
If you have never failed, either you are incredibly unaware or lying. Either way you
are living apart from reality. When we begin to come face to face with our failures – our
words, our thoughts, our motivations, our past and present – we can dwell on what we
should have or shouldn’t have done in that relationship, in that situation, in that context.
All we see on our paper is the red check marks. We hear and see nothing else,
because our identity is based on performance and ego. We are ashamed. We’ve
failed. We are unworthy.
Read Mark 14:27-29. Peter only hears part of what Jesus says and objects to it. The
other day my son Mike and I got into a discussion about TSA precheck. Both of us are
stubborn people and it took some time before we each heard what the other was
saying. Peter doesn’t hear verse 28. “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to
Galilee.” 14:28 There is an AFTER: raised, Galilee, hope.
Are you letting your failure or the failure causing you to forget or miss the Shepherd, our
Hope? The thing right now that is getting in the way of hearing the Good Shepherd, our
Hope, is ______________________.
•
Mourn for those who do not know the Son. Share Him.
John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion includes another quote from Zechariah of looking
upon the one they pierced (John 19:37). The entire verse reads: “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 one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one
weeps over a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10
In Revelation 1:7 John writes of a future day. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail
on account of him. Revelation 1:7 John speaks of a future judgment for all who reject
Jesus, but there is an earlier reaction.
Forty days after Jesus death’ Peter shares his message on the day of Pentecost
regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter concludes his message with these words.
“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord
and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this they were cut to
the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Acts 2:36-37
Peter calls for them to repent, to indicate their repentance and desire to follow Jesus by
being baptized in His name, which both is a sign that their sins are forgiven and that
they themselves receive the Holy Spirit.
The section in Zechariah after 12:10 describes the intense mourning of the people,
concluding with this verse: “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house
of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”
Zechariah 13:1
We see the partial fulfillment in the response on the day of Pentecost. For all who will
acknowledge their sin and Jesus’ complete sufficiency, God offers cleansing, a new life,
cleansing. But there is another side. Those who reject Jesus will one day fulfill these
words anew. Our task is first, to personally receive the Good News of Jesus,
realizing our own sin and the Only One Who can remove it. Second, we are to
share this Good News of Jesus through our lives, our relationships, our words,
that we join God in His mission as the Holy Spirit brings conviction, repentance
and faith to others.
That begins with a sober realization that lives matter for eternity, that our personal
mourning over our own sin lead to the action of faith in Christ alone. Then our mourning
turns to others, which leads to our sharing about the Hope within, the Hope of Jesus
Christ.
Conclusion. The King. The Shepherd. The Son. Each points to the suffering, the
necessary suffering of Jesus for us, for the world. He was acclaimed, then
abandoned and finally assassinated, all according to the plan of God laid out by several
OT writers, including Zechariah. Is He your King, your Shepherd, the Son of God
Whom you worship? If so how are you joining God by looking for ways that He is
already at work, so that you can share with others about His good work in you? (Pray)
NEXT STEPS: Review the outline and all texts. Share with another which point seems
most pertinent. Read Mark 14:26-31 three times aloud. What do you hear? Discuss
whether you focus more on protesting that you will not fail, dwelling on/in that failure or
hearing the hope Jesus offers. Share where you sense God is working in your life. In
the life of another. Pray for each other. Prepare for worship next week by spending
time in Psalm 22 (also Luke 18:32; 24:25, 46; John 19:24, 28).