Zechariah
12:10
One of the greatest
puzzles in the Scripture can be found in Zechariah 12:8-10. In this
passage of Scripture the LORD is speaking and it appears that the LORD says
that He will be the one pierced. Many Christians quote Psalms 22 to
describe the piercing of Messiah only to be told by their Jewish friends that
Psalms 22 was mistranslated by Christians to convert Jews. They then
state that the Messiah not suffer but will be a reigning king.
However, 16th
century Rabbi Moses Alshech said:
"The
shall look unto me," for they shall lift up their eyes unto me in
perfect repentence, when they see Him whom they have pierced, that is Messiah,
the son of Joseph; for our Rabbis, of blessed memory have said that He will
take upon himself all the guilt of Israel, and shall then be slain in the war
to make atonement in such manner that it shall be accounted as if Israel
pierced Him, for on account of their sin He has died; and therefore, in order
that it may be reckoned to them as a perfect atonement, they will repent and
look to the blessed One, saying that there is none beside Him to forgive those
that mourn on account of Him who died for their sin: this is the meaning
of 'They shall look upon Me."
In
Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a we find
"And
the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David
apart, and their wives apart [Zech. 12:12]....What is the cause of the
mourning? -- R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One explained. The
cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, and the other explained, The
cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination.
It
is well with him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son
of Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they
shall look upon me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn
for him as one mourneth for his only son; but according to him who explains
the cause to be the slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this an occasion for
mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing? Why then should they
weep?"
Rashi
in his commentary to Sukkah 52a (11th c.) also noted that the Rabbis interpret the text as referring to slain
Messiah ben Joseph.
The
words, "The land shall mourn," are found in the prophecy of
Zechariah, and he prophesies of the future, that they shall mourn on account of
Messiah, the son of Joseph, who shall be slain in the war of Gog and Magog.
Ibn
Ezra in the 12th century commented
All
the heathen shall look to me to see what I shall do to those who pierced
Messiah, the son of Joseph.
The
prophet Zechariah tells us that the LORD will pour out His Spirit of grace upon
the house of David (12:8-10). In the Old Testament economy the kings, priests
and prophets were anointed with oil symbolizing the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Anointed of the LORD, the Messiah, came ministering with the anointing of
the Spirit without measure. Jesus spoke Himself into office quoting the
words of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed
me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to
set at liberty them that are bruised,” (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). In this great
passage the prophet makes a remarkable statement about those in the future who
will pierce the Branch and then look upon Him and go into deep mourning as if
they had lost their only child. Zech 12:9-14 Under the new covenant all
believers in the Messiah have the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit.
Abrabanel
of the 15th century claimed:
It
is more correct to interpret this passage of Messiah, the son of Joseph, as our
rabbis of blessed memory have interpreted in the treatise Succah, for he shall
be a mighty man of valour, of the tribe of Joseph, and shall, at first, be
captain of the Lord's host in that war, but in that war shall die.
While
the Rabbis were correct that the Messiah will be pierced. They simply
misunderstood the method of piercing. Messiah ben Joseph will no die in a
future battle; instead, He died on a cross over 2,000 years ago!
It
is true of us all as sinners, we have pierced Christ, inasmuch as our sins were
the cause of his death, for he was wounded for our transgressions, and they are
the grief of his soul; he is broken with the whorish heart of sinners, who
therefore are said to crucify him afresh and put him to open shame. Those that
truly repent of sin look upon Christ as one whom they have pierced, who was
pierced for their sins and is pierced by them; and this engages them to look
unto him, as those that are deeply concerned for him. This is the effect of
their looking to Christ; it makes them mourn. This was particularly fulfilled
in those to whom Peter preached Christ crucified; when they heard it those who
had had a hand in piercing him were pricked to the heart, and cried out, What
shall we do? It is fulfilled in all those who sorrow for sin after a godly
sort; they look to Christ, and mourn for him, not so much for his sufferings as
for their own sins that procured them. Note, The genuine sorrows of a penitent
soul flow from the believing sight of a pierced Saviour. Looking by faith upon
the cross of Christ will set us a mourning for sin after a godly sort.
