Introduction
Have you read The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan?
Zechariah chapter 3 (Zechariah’s fourth night vision) gives us a vivid picture of spiritual pilgrimage — through a fascinating lens of a Jewish high priest.
Three vital stages in the journey:
A. CHARGED, YET CHOSEN (vv. 1-2)
1. The scene: courtroom drama — in a heavenly royal court that is also a court of law. The high priest is in the dock!
2. The accuser (the satan) presses charges, but is rebuked. There is a greater reality: Joshua is chosen!
3. Our chosen-ness silences the condemnation!
4. The starting point of our pilgrimage as priests — delighting in being chosen by God.
B. CHANGED, AND CLEANSED (vv. 3-5)
1. Joshua’s clothes were really filthy — shocking for a high priest! The filth symbolised immense iniquity — personal and national.
2. He did not cleanse himself; he could not. He had to simply receive God’s solution.
3. Despite being cleansed by the Lord, we may feel stuck in sin — like we are going round and round, circling back to the same sins again and again.
4. We need a healthy dose of realism in our fight against sin. “When we are naïve to the power of sin or speak as though it no longer has real control over our lives, we unwittingly become more susceptible to its devastating hold. In the timing and purposes of God, sin is not yet eliminated from the equation; we still live with its effects even though we are confident of its ultimate defeat.” (Gordon Smith, Called to Be Saints)
5. When we recognise the reality of our sin and yet rely fully on God’s saving power, we receive His royal robes again and again. Rather than moving in circles, we will be on the upward spiral of discipleship.
C. CHARGED, AND COMMISSIONED (vv. 6-7)
1. The high priest Joshua, now cleansed, is re-commissioned.
2. What’s your commission — your divine assignment?
3. The commission rests on a condition: we are called to walk in God’s ways and keep His charge.
4. The conditional statement is not transactional but points to the principle that the mandate precedes the mission.
5. “Take care of the depth of your life and God will take care of the breadth of your ministry” (Rev Edmund Chan).
Conclusion
Look to Jesus our Great High Priest, the Davidic Branch (v. 8), God’s Messiah!
Sunday Worship Songs at cefc.ch/sws
Next Week’s Topic: Zechariah 4:1-14
Next Week’s Speaker(s): Ps Lee Da-Win (BPJ), Rev Dr Chua Chung Kai (WDL) & Rev Dr Sharon Fong (East)
