Zechariah 3:1–5 1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.
Zechariah’s prophecy addresses concerns for the readers’ day and time and future circumstances. The verses above address Joshua, who was the present high priest. He returned to Jerusalem from Babylon to serve as the high priest for the people in the reconstructed temple. The foundation for the new temple was laid 20 years earlier. Opposition kept the building from proceeding, and the people grew disheartened and weary. The people needed to be reinvigorated to accomplish the task. Their leaders, among whom was the high priest, Joshua, needed renewed passion.
The prophetic communication in chapter 3 is meant to encourage Joshua and the Jewish people regathered in Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. But it also speaks of the coming of the time of New Covenant grace to be inaugurated by the “Branch” (3:8), a reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus.
The Mosaic Law consistently reminds people they are sinners. Disobedience demanded sacrifice, and those sacrifices consistently reminded the people of their sinful condition. It is possible that the opposition and the delays instigated fault-finding from the people, accusing their leaders of sinfulness that was hampering God’s blessing. Joshua and the other leaders may feel the weight of those accusations. They know they are not perfect, but they know they are called to lead the people to complete the task of temple reconstruction.
To encourage Joshua and the people to press on, Zechariah is given a vision of Joshua standing in a heavenly court before the pre-incarnate Christ, identified as the angel of the Lord. Satan takes the prosecutor's role to condemn the high priest, Joshua, the people's representative. Joshua says nothing in his defense. His filthy garments represent his actual sinfulness. But the Lord, as an advocate, speaks in defense of Joshua. He and all those drawn to the Lord are smoldering sticks removed from the fire of destruction. He is chosen by God and precious to Him. The Lord commands that the filthy garments be removed, representing the removal of sinfulness. Clean clothing and a turban are given to him, representing the gift of righteousness.
The description given by the Lord through the prophet Zechariah, is what takes place by God’s grace in the New Covenant by the atoning work of Jesus Christ. This is what Martin Luther termed simul justus et peccator (simultaneously righteous and sinner) to describe the people of the New Covenant. The sin of God’s people is taken by Jesus Christ, who pays the penalty for sins, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ is given to all those He saves. Justification by faith means we are cleansed of sin and declared righteous in Jesus. Sanctification by faith means we are still sinners, becoming more and more like Jesus in holiness and righteousness.
Like the high priest Joshua, the people of the New Covenant are people the Lord has chosen to remove from the fire of condemnation and destruction and given the righteousness of Jesus as our identity and confidence. We are not to buckle because of guilt and shame because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and empowered by Him to live in victory and champion the gospel.
Child of God, don’t cower in shame. Lift your eyes with faith and hope, advancing the Lord’s purposes in your life, family, church, and community!
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