Zechariah 11:11
It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Zechariah 11:10-13
Zechariah will no longer be the shepherd. The flock detested him and so he quit. To signify that he was done, he broke his staff called Favor. The oppressed or poor of the flock realized then that this act was the “word of the Lord”. Zechariah says that all that happened “on that day”.
This prophecy has now moved from describing the ministry of the Messiah while he walks the earth to the specific day when the Messiah breaks the staff called Favor and revokes the covenant. This specific day is crucifixion day. On that day, the oppressed knew that Jesus was the word of God.
“The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, ‘This man truly was the Son of God!’” (Matt 27:54, NLT).
“But the other criminal protested, ‘Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom’” (Luke 23:40-42).
The criminal hanging beside Jesus knew he was from God. The Roman officer and the soldiers knew Jesus was the Son of God. He didn’t even die like everyone else. It was obvious if you were looking that Jesus was the Messiah. All the people who we would consider to be poor in spirit who watched Jesus die knew that he was the word of God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14).
On that day, everything changed. Jesus broke the staff called Favor. God would no longer show Favor on Israel. The Old Covenant has been revoked but a New Covenant replaced it. This New Covenant was for all people of all nations to have access to the Father.
When Jesus died, Matthew records for us a few things that immediately happened:
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” (Matt 27:51-53).
The death of Jesus was so significant that the dead came to life to be a witness of it. But even more significant was that the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Matthew says it was torn from the top to the bottom. In other words, God tore the curtain in half.
The temple was the place where the Old Covenant was carried out. The animal sacrifices that God required for the forgiveness of sins were performed there because the temple was where the priests could find access God. Behind the curtain was the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelled. God only allowed the high priest to pass through the curtain into the Holy of Holies once each year to atone for the sins of Israel.
This veil was approximately 60 feet high and four inches thick. It was fashioned from blue, purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen. It was designed to separate man from God. You would not accidentally see behind this curtain or stumble through it. If you went into the Holy of Holies, it was very much on purpose.
When Jesus died, the veil was torn from top to bottom. No human nor even a group of humans were going to tear the veil. To cut the veil in half would have been a significant undertaking. So there is no mistaking that God tore the veil. Much like the breaking of the staff called Favor, by tearing the veil, God was signifying that He no longer resided in the Holy of Holies. He has moved out. The Old Covenant is revoked.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands” (Acts 17:24).
God would now live in the hearts of His people. This was such a big deal that it’s hard to over-emphasize the significance of this moment in history. The moment Jesus died, God revoked the Old Covenant and established a New Covenant through the blood of Jesus.
“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear” (Heb 8:13).
In my opinion, the most significant moment of Jesus’s ministry came in the Upper Room. We hear people say that Jesus never claimed to be God when in fact he did many times. But the thing he did in the Upper Room was such a bold claim that at that moment he either had to be God or he was for sure a lunatic.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’
“Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” (Matt 26:26-29).
Jesus changed the meaning of Passover right then and there! That would be like me saying that from now on, everyone is to celebrate my birth at Christmas instead of Jesus’s birth. That’s beyond crazy – unless it’s true. I am not the Savior of the world, so if I were to suggest that we change the meaning of Christmas to be about me, you should lock me up. But when Jesus changed the meaning of Passover to be about him, he had the authority to do it because he was God. God was ending the Old Covenant of animal sacrifices and establishing a New Covenant through the sacrifice of His Son.
“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Heb 9:15).
“On that day” Jesus changed everything at the cross and the oppressed of the flock knew it. When Jesus changed the meaning of Passover, his followers should’ve walked out of the room. But they didn’t because they knew he was the Word of God.
Christ in the Old Testament 
Leave a comment