Lesson: Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 6:9-15; John 19:1-5
Golden Text: “And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands” (John 19:2-3).
INTRODUCTION. Suffering is a word that some Christians dread and allow to hinder their faith. But suffering connects us with the Saviour, and is a necessary part of exalting Him. I Peter 4:13 says, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” Suffering is not pleasant but it is rewarding. In this week’s lesson we will discuss how the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah point to Jesus’ future role as the King and Priest of Israel. We will also examine the suffering He experienced at the hands of the Romans.
THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH (Jeremiah 23:5-6). During the days just prior to Judah’s captivity by Babylon, corruption was a common among prophets, priests and kings of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah pronounced woe upon the “pastors” or shepherds who had scattered God’s flock (see Jeremiah 23:1-2). These corrupt kings who God called “pastors” and who led the people astray were from David’s royal line. Even though God condemned these leaders, He also spoke through Jeremiah promising that He would re-gather the scattered flock and place good shepherds over them (see Jeremiah 23:3-4). This is where the first section of our lesson begins.
A. The reign of the Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5). In this verse Jeremiah’s Messianic prophecy began with “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” The phrase “Behold, the days come” as used by Jeremiah, calls attention to special future events, many concerning the Messiah. The nation of Judah is called on to focus on God’s promise “that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch.” The term “Branch” means “sprout” and in this verse refers to a descendent of David who will fulfill the Davidic covenant (see II Samuel 7:12-16). Unlike the kings in Jeremiah’s day, this future king will be “righteous” meaning that He would have no flaws whatsoever, and His rule will be right and good. This is a clear reference to the Messiah as the Branch of David in Isaiah 11:1-9. In that prophecy, Christ is also seen as “a rod out of the stem of Jesse.” Jeremiah also prophesied that Messiah would be a King who “shall reign and prosper.” Unlike many kings of Israel who were merely puppet kings of foreign empires, Messiah will be a true king whose reign will prosper forever. The phrase “and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” makes it clear that His reign will be on earth, which is a reference to the millennium. Of course, as a righteous King, He will “execute judgment and justice” meaning that all of His judgments will be just and right (see Revelation 19:11).
B. The divine credentials of the Righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:6). Jeremiah continues to say “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord Our Righteousness.” The phrase “In his days” refers again to Christ’s millennial reign here on earth. During that time, first “Judah shall be saved.” The name “Judah,” like “Israel” is often used in Scripture to refer to the entire nation. Note: When Jeremiah prophesied, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had been in captivity by Assyria for some time and only the Southern Kingdom of Judah remained in the land. However, when Messiah returns, He will restore and reunify the nation and rule over it (see Jeremiah 33:14-16; Ezekiel 37:15-19). The fact that “Judah shall be saved” means that the reunited kingdom of Israel will be converted and will finally serve the Lord with pure hearts (see Isaiah 59:20-21; Jeremiah 31:31-34: Romans 11:26-27). It should be noted however, that the nation of Israel has been temporarily set aside (see Romans chapters 9-11). Israel’s salvation is still a future event. Not only will the nation be saved, but “Israel shall dwell safely.” Israel will not dwell in safety until Christ reigns during the millennium. At that time under Christ’s rule the united kingdom of Israel will live in security. Like everyone during the millennium, Israel will enjoy safety from all their former enemies as well as the beasts of nature (see Isaiah 11:6-9; Ezekiel 34:25-26). This verse goes on to say “and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The Lord.” During His reign, Israel’s King will be known by the name “The Lord Our Righteousness.” In Scripture, one’s “name” was an indication of that person’s character. Christ’s character is seen here as both divine, because He is “The Lord,” and “Our Righteousness” because His rule is right and good (see Isaiah 11:4-5) and He will give righteousness to those He has redeemed (see Isaiah 45:24-25). Note: The name given here to the Messiah is “The Lord.” In the Old Testament, when the term Lord is in all capitals as it is here, it’s a reference to God Himself. It means “Yahweh” or Jehovah, God’s covenant name for Israel’s God. Therefore, Christ is recognized as God, and He is (see I John 5:7).
III. THE KING-PRIEST FORESHADOWED (Zechariah 6:9-15). The second section of our lesson is taken from the Book of Zechariah. Zechariah wrote after the exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, and were in the process of rebuilding the temple. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah (see Haggai 1:1) and Joshua (not the Joshua who took over for Moses) was the high priest. The Book of Zechariah begins with eight visions that Zechariah had during one night. The visions were intended to encourage the returning Jewish exiles as they rebuilt the temple. Included in the visions was a symbolic act that reveals the Messiah’s role in bringing about Israel’s future glory.
A. A symbolic act (Zechariah 6:9-11).
1. (vs. 9). This portion of our lesson begins with Zechariah saying “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying.” This was the prophet's way of authenticating that the message he was about to give was from God (see Zechariah 4:8; 7:4; 8:1, 18). These words didn’t introduce another vision, but instead they introduced a real event that required Zechariah’s participation.
2. (vs. 10). The Lord told Zechariah to “Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah.” The phrase “Take of them of the captivity” refers to the three men “Heldai,” “Tobijah,” and “Jedaiah” who were among those Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian Captivity bringing with them treasures to be used in rebuilding the temple (see Ezra 7:12-22). The fact that God directed Zechariah to “come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah,” would indicate that “Heldai,” “Tobijah,” and “Jedaiah” were staying at the home of “Josiah the son of Zephaniah.” Zechariah was commanded by God to go to Josiah’s house and take offerings from these three returnees that they brought back from Babylon. This “Josiah” wasn’t the Josiah who was king of Judah between 640 and 608 B.C. (see II Kings 22:1). He was the “son of Zephaniah” the prophet who wrote the Book of Zephaniah.
3. (vs. 11). Once he found these three men, Zechariah was told to “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest.” God said that some of the “silver and gold” brought back from Babylon to be used in rebuilding the temple was now to be used to “make crowns.” Since “crowns” is plural there is some disagreement as to whether Zechariah was to make two or more crowns, or make one crown having multiple parts. Since Zechariah was supposed to “set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest” it is unlikely that he would have more than one crown placed on his head. It seems more reasonable that it was one crown with more than one part. Whether Zechariah was to make two or more crowns or one with many parts was not as important as the act of placing the crown (or crowns) on “the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest.” As the son of Josedech, Joshua also held the office of high priest (see Zechariah 3:1).
B. A prophecy (Zechariah 6:12-13).
1. (vs. 12). After Zachariah crowned Joshua, he was then to “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.” The phrase “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts” declares that the Almighty Lord or the Lord of armies will fulfill all that this symbol of crowning the priest stood for. When Zechariah said “Behold the man” one has to recall these same words uttered by Pontius Pilate about Jesus (see John 19:5) as we shall see in the next section of our lesson. Here, God called attention to “the man whose name is The Branch.” This is a description of the Messiah as seen in an earlier verse from Jeremiah 23:5, where this messianic title identifies Christ as sprouting forth from the house of David (see Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8). This verse also says that “The Branch” or the Messiah “shall grow up out of his place.” This phrase may have a two-fold fulfillment. First, it could refer to Christ’s first coming and to Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2) as well as Nazareth where He would grow up (see John 1:45-46). Second, it could refer to Christ’s Second Coming (see Isaiah 11:1; 53:2). The coming “Branch” will also “build the temple of the Lord.” This most likely does not refer to the temple that would be completed under the leadership of Zerubbabel, but to the millennial temple that Isaiah prophesied (see Isaiah 2:2-3) that the Messiah will complete (see Ezekiel chapters 40-43).
2. (vs. 13). This verse continues to say “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 words “Even he shall build the temple of the Lord” were repeated from the previous verse to emphasize this work of the Messiah. The Christ will also “bear the glory” meaning that He will be clothed in kingly splendor. Part of His glory will be to “sit and rule upon his throne.” Since Jesus Christ suffered for our redemption and will have defeated the forces of evil at the end of the Great Tribulation, He will claim the throne that is His as the Son of David (see Luke 1:32-33). Christ will also “be a priest upon his throne.” This was the symbolic meaning of the crowning of Joshua in verse 11. Jesus Christ will finally unite the two offices of priest and king as prefigured by Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem (see Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 5:6; 6:20). The phrase “and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” refers to both offices of Priest and King that Christ will hold. Since both offices will be unified under one person, there will never be any conflict between them, only the “counsel (or wisdom) of peace (harmony).” Messiah’s rule can be peaceful because His political function as King will always be in harmony with His spiritual function as Priest.
C. A memorial (Zechariah 6:14). This verse goes on to say “And the crowns shall be to Helm, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.” If there was more than one crown as discussed earlier, then the Lord declared that “the crowns shall be…for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.” It appears that placing the crowns in the temple would remind the people of at least two things. First, it would remind them of the generosity of these three men (see verse 10) who returned from exile with gifts for the temple as well as their host, Josiah. Second, the crowns would be a reminder of God’s faithfulness in restoring the kingdom and the priesthood to Israel through the Messiah. This would be encouraging to the returning exiles, for as long as the crowns remained in the temple, they would be reminded that the nation had a glorious future ahead.
D. An encouragement (Zechariah 6:15). The last verse of our second section says “And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.” Zechariah continued his prophecy saying “And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord.” This is a reference to the many Gentiles who will come from foreign lands during the millennium and contribute their treasures and offer worship (see Zechariah 2:11; 8:22-23). The phrase “and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you” probably refers to the Angel of the Lord who was giving this message to Zechariah (see Zechariah 2:3, 9-11; 4:9). The last phrase “And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God” does not mean that the prophecy will not come to pass if Israel was disobedient. For the prophecy will come to pass regardless. But it means that only those who are obedient will share in the blessings of the prophecy.
IV. THE PROMISED KING HUMILIATED (John 19:1-5). This section of our lesson takes place early on the Passover (see John 18:28). After being taken into custody, Jesus had to endure a number of unjust trials before Pilate, Herod and the Jewish authorities. According to Roman law, the Jews couldn’t put Jesus to death so they brought Him to Pilate, the Roman appointed governor. The Sanhedrin Council charged Jesus with blasphemy (see Matthew 26:65), but when they came before Pilate they accused Jesus of being a political threat to Rome (see Luke 23:2). After questioning Jesus, Pilate came to the conclusion that He was innocent (see John 8:33-38). In addition, Pilate’s wife had a dream about Jesus and sent her husband word not to have anything to do with Jesus whom she called a just man (see Matthew 27:19). However, instead of releasing Jesus, Pilate sent Him to Herod Antipas (see Luke 23:6-12), who also found Jesus innocent of any crimes (see Luke 23:13-15) and sent Him back to Pilate (see Luke 23:11). It was Pilate’s custom to release a prisoner during the Passover (see Matthew 27:15), so in an attempt to satisfy Jesus’ accusers, Pilate was willing to release Jesus and crucify Barabbas, who was guilty of murder during an uprising (see Mark 15:7). But the crowd wanted no one but Jesus (see John 18:39-40). This brings us to the second section of our lesson.
A. The mockery (John 19:1-3).
1. (vs. 1). After the crowd refused to have Barabbas killed in place of Jesus, this verse says “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.” Pilate was still looking for a way to release Jesus before the Jews brought a complaint against him to Caesar (see John 19:12). Pilate therefore, turned Jesus over to his soldiers who then “scourged him.” Often the worst criminals were “scourged” before they were crucified. Note: Scourging involved a whip made of rawhide strips with pieces of metal or bone attached to it. Then the subject would be beaten with it. Sometimes the subject died from the scourging, but Jesus survived only to be subjected to further abuse by the soldiers as we will see in the next verses.
2. (vs. 2). After scourging Jesus this verse says “And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe.” Making fun of Jesus for His claim to be a king (see Luke 23:1-3), the “soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head.” As if this was not humiliating enough, the soldiers also “put on him a purple robe” which was a mark of royalty, and put a reed in His hand as a royal scepter (see Matthew 27:29). They also spit on Him and took the reed from His hand and beat Him over His head with it (see Matthew 27:30).
B. The mockery (John 19:3). After putting the purple robe and crown of thorns on Jesus, the soldiers said “Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. In Matthew’s Gospel we are told that the soldiers also mocked Jesus as they shouted “Hail, King of the Jews” (see Matthew 27:29). Here we are told that they also “smote” or beat Jesus “with their hands.”
C. The confession (John 19:4). This verse says “Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.” After Jesus was abused by the soldiers “Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them.” This means that Pilate went before the crowd again and spoke to them. He said “Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.” Pilate still hoped he could get out of giving the mob what they wanted by bringing the beaten Jesus out to them, but first he declared “I find no fault in him.” Pilate had a chance to stop the worst miscarriage of justice in the history of the world, but he gave in to the will of the Jewish mob. Pilate was just as guilty of killing Jesus, as anyone else.
D. The presentation (John 19:5). In the previous verse, Pilate told the mob that He was bringing Jesus out to them. Now our final verse says “Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!” Jesus was brought out to the mob “wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe,” the things that the soldiers put on Him as they mocked Him as a King. It’s also quite possible that because of the beating Jesus took, His face may have been unrecognizable in fulfillment of Isaiah 52:13-14. Pilate then presented Jesus to the crowd saying “Behold the man!” Presenting Jesus in this way, Pilate may have hoped that the mob would feel sorry for Jesus and go along with Pilate’s desire to release Him. Little did Pilate know that he was repeating the words uttered by Zechariah in verse 12 of the first section of our lesson, “Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH?” For sure, Pilate was very reluctant to execute a man that he knew was innocent of any crime and who had made some unusual claims (see John 18:33-37). Although the claims Jesus made may have seemed unusual to Pilate and maybe even insane, they were however true. One day “The BRANCH” will return to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords (see I Timothy 6:15).
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