Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that
is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and
the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the
little ones.--Zechariah xiii. 7.
This verse, at the first reading, may appear involved in difficulty,
but a little attention will enable us to discover to whom it refers.
We hear a solemn call for a sword to awake. What sword? Surely it
can be none other than the sword of divine justice, which had so
long delayed to execute the punishment due to the violators of God's
righteous law. But against whom is it directed? Against fallen and
rebellious man? No, but against "my shepherd, and against the man
that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts." The next interesting
question which arises, is, Who is this Shepherd? We answer, Jesus.
In the Old Testament, the Messiah is often discovered to us, in the
character of a shepherd, and in the New, we find every description
fully realised in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who is the true
Shepherd of Israel. But why is the sword called upon to awake
against him? This may require a little history, but is easily
answered from the records of divine truth. Mankind in the person of
Adam their federal head, and since, each individual, distinctively,
has broken God's righteous law, not only the decalogue delivered
to Moses, but the law of nature; man owing all to his bountiful
Creator and Preserver, was, in point of common justice, bound to
render to his Lord the tribute of his love and gratitude. But who,
amongst the human race, can venture to stand forth, and appealing
to Omniscience itself, affirm, that he has "loved the Lord his God,
with all his mind, with all his soul, and with all his strength;
and his neighbour as himself?" No, it is in vain to endeavour to
conceal a truth God has declared so publicly; that by "the deeds of
the law, no flesh living shall be justified." Man having rendered
himself amenable to God's holy law, stands exposed to all its
awful consequences. But "be astonished, O heavens, and wonder, O
earth," to behold this great, this good shepherd, stand forth as the
voluntary surety of his flock, engaging to take all their guilt,
and its punishment, upon himself. Thus becoming responsible, for
all their mighty debt, having placed himself in their law room, the
sword of divine justice was called upon to execute its tremendous
punishment, (the punishment due to the whole flock) on the person of
their surety shepherd.
We would next direct our attention to the words, "The man that is
my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts:" and trace their application
to Jesus. For proofs of his humanity, see him a babe at Bethlehem;
view him labouring in the occupation of a carpenter; trace the
innumerable instances given in the records of the Evangelists, of
his humanity; behold him exposed to all the infirmities of our
nature; see him enduring hunger, thirst, weariness, reproach,
privations, pain, sorrow, and suffering; yes, as man he wept,
groaned, bled, agonised, and died. As God, behold him giving sight
to the blind, making the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the
lame to walk; cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, and all by
a word or touch; yea, at his command, the dead again sprang into
life, and devils themselves fled, or cried out for mercy at his
approach. When he issued his mandate, be it observed, there was no
exertion of physical power; and if he ever used outward means, they
were such as carried conviction to the mind of every beholder, that
the cure was not the effect of their application, but an exercise
of his power, who is truly "fellow to the Lord of Hosts." All the
essential attributes of God belong to Jesus: mark his omniscience in
the instance of Nathaniel,[92] "when thou wast under the fig-tree,
I saw thee." See him exercise his omnipotence at the lakes of
Tiberias and Gennesaret, in the two miraculous draughts of fish;
the one before, the other after his resurrection. In directing the
fish to bring the piece of money; in walking on the sea: and the
instances also, of his feeding five thousand persons from five
loaves, and seven thousand from four loaves and a few small fishes,
and it would appear that the fragments left, exceeded the slender
stock at the commencement of the repast. Behold his omnipresence
in the case of Lazarus, whom he declared to be dead although none
brought the tidings. Indeed the instances are numberless, in which
the unprejudiced mind may discover the deity of Jesus. It was
often manifested in his declaring the thoughts and motives, not
only of his immediate disciples, but of many who, under the guise
of friendship, were secretly endeavouring to draw from his lips
something which might give them a plea for seizing his person.
Yes, Jesus discovered himself to be the omniscient, omnipotent,
omnipresent, heart-searching God. Although his humanity and deity
are so closely united, yet they are easily to be discovered. See
the humanity sleeping, but behold the God arising and rebuking
the tempestuous winds and sea, which knew his voice and instantly
obeyed. Above all, behold his body carried from the cross to the
sepulchre, after having paid a debt, which the whole human race,
through the countless ages of eternity, were unable to discharge:
but it was fully cancelled by the man who is "fellow to the Lord of
Hosts," and as such see him bursting the bars of death asunder, and
arising, the triumphant Conqueror of death, hell, and the grave.
[92] John i. 47-50.
The latter clause of this prophecy was fulfilled, when Jesus was
seized and hurried before his unjust judges; then the shepherd was
smitten, and the sheep scattered, as those who have no keeper; for
all his disciples forsook him, and fled.
The mighty conflict is now past; for the sword of divine justice,
which had long slumbered, awoke; and, guided by the arm of
Omnipotence, was dipped in the heart's blood of Israel's chief
Shepherd: the man who is "fellow to the Lord of Hosts."